Colorado had its first three spring practices in March before spring break, and the Buffs hit the field on Monday morning for practice No. 4

The Buffs had their first practice in pads on March 22, but the CU football players were back in shorts and helmets for Monday's practice. They'll put the pads back on for Wednesday.

But for his fourth spring practice as CU head coach, Tucker was pleased with what he saw from his team.

"The players did a good job today," Tucker said. "They know what the standard is -- what the expectation is for how we want to practice. They came out here and did that today."

Tucker liked that his team didn't take a step back after having a week off. It helped that his players still kept active during spring break.

"It was great to see," he said. "They know what the expectations are, so obviously, you have to do something over break to be ready for practice on Monday. I thought we picked up where we left off.

"They know where to go; they know what to do. I expect us to practice faster, play faster, have better tempo, and really start to get after it."

Through just four days of spring ball, Tucker feels that they've installed a lot on all phases of the game.

"Quite a bit. We're laying the foundation for our scheme on offense, defense, and special teams," said Tucker. "Everything that we've put in this spring will allow us to have a great summer and put in more things in fall camp.

"Our coaches have done an outstanding job installing the plays and our schemes in a progression where the players can learn ... I think when you teach in a progression, it allows the players to pick it up quicker. That's what we've done."

One newsworthy aspect of Tucker's time with the media on Monday was that he confirmed Trey Udoffia's move to safety from cornerback. Udoffia was a key contributor at corner for the past two seasons but will help fill a void at safety left by Evan Worthington and Nick Fisher.

"There's plenty of opportunity at the safety spot right now," Tucker said.