After a season where the Buffs’ defense gave up 176.4 yards per game on the ground (107th out of 130 FBS teams), improvement up front is paramount if Colorado is going to take any significant step forward this season.
To that end, coach Deion Sanders and his staff added five transfers on the defensive line, including multiple three-star transfer additions in Chidozie Nwankwo (from Houston), Taurean Carter (Arkansas), Anquin Barnes (Alabama) and four-star transfer talents at the edge in BJ Green (Arizona State) and Dayon Hayes (Pittsburgh).
“I think we are three-deep when it comes to the D-line,” defensive ends coach Vincent Dancy said. “We don’t separate anymore when it comes to D-ends and D-tackles. We are all one group. We rush as one and we play as one. But we’re deep up front and I think I could rotate three or four at a time and still be consistent.”
Colorado’s defensive line possesses a much different feel this year with those transfers and a completely new coaching staff that has appeared to really bring the unit together. As Dancy was a defensive quality control analyst, he was promoted to coach the DEs while Hall of Fame defensive lineman Warren Sapp is on the staff as a graduate assistant and 10-year NFL veteran Damione Lewis is the defensive line coach.
That trio has been working this offseason to develop a formidable pass rushing attack and so far the unit has caused the offense to continually adjust during camp.
“Coach Sapp and coach D-Lew, the experience, the knowledge that they have to bring not only to me, but the guys up front, that’s what you want,” Dancy said. “You want that experience to be able to relay it to our guys because at the end of the day, man, we want our guys to go pro.”
The playmakers on the defensive line this fall also provide extensive experience to the room with Nwankwo, Shane Cokes, Hayes, Carter and Green. Within that group, Cokes continues to be the primary leader after providing that presence throughout the tumultuous 2023 season.
“He’s a natural leader,” Dancy said. “He does everything right -- as he go, we go, he understands that. We just want him to lead this unit.”
Among the L’s and D’s (leaders and dogs) that were sewn on jerseys last season, Cokes was given the “L” which solidified his role as a leader on the Buffs. He played in all 12 games last season with nine starts. He finished second among the defensive linemen in tackles with 29.
Cokes contemplated declaring for the draft, but he decided there was unfinished business in Boulder that he needed to attend to before going pro.
“I thought about it for a long, long time, but I think just like the way the season ended, I just know I could be better,” Cokes said on his NFL considerations. “I knew I could be better and help this team out and go places we want to go.
“I mean, Big 12 championship, playoff berth, that’s all in my head, that’s on my mind right now. That’s what I’m going to do, that’s where I want to go, that’s why I came [back]. I want to come in and change things so that’s what I’m gonna do.”
Making a postseason run is certainly a priority for the entirety of the team, but after a season where the Buffs’ run defense struggled, the reality of those goals will hinge largely on the changes and improvements up front. This unit not only possesses a large number of veterans, but according to Cokes, the “energy” across the defensive line feels different in comparison to last year.
Green is a contributor of that energy that Cokes referenced as Green’s explosiveness and talent have been a highlight of the defense through camp. Both Green and Hayes have been flashing through camp and Dancy is looking to them as well as the Buffs’ entire front to share the spotlight when the season rolls around.
“He’s an alpha dog,” Dancy said on Green. “Just continuing like I say with all those guys, ‘continue to work, don’t be selfish.’ … BJ is BJ. He came to us as a great player. He’s continuing to be a great player. He’s continuing to show these guys the way he’s gotten there.
“And not only him, Dayon coming from Pitt, a natural pass rusher, somebody who really can get after the passer. Every time we need a play, he’s there to make that play. Those guys, all of those guys, like I say, we’ve been working as one. All four of us, all five of us, we work together, they out there and that’s how we want to be. It’s no selfish guys. No ‘I’ guys, it’s all about us.”
