It should go without saying that tested vets Colby Pursell, Will Sherman and Kary Kutsch are locked and secure — barring injuries or some other extraordinary circumstance — at center, left guard and left tackle, respectively.

The question marks for the Buffs and specifically position coach Mitch Rodrigue mainly lay on the right side of the offensive line.

The combined snaps played last year of Pursell, Sherman and Kutsch? 1,923.

The combined snaps played of sophomores Kanan Ray, Frank Fillip and Casey Roddick — a.k.a. the three main contestants to fill CU's right guard and right tackle positions — in 2019 ? 332.

That number is deceiving, though, as Roddick owns 93% (309) of those snaps played in 2019, with Fillip redshirting last fall and Ray seeing offensive action in just three games.The theme here is obvious — while the Buffs have some dependable returners at center and on the left, things are wide open on the right.

Despite that, Rodrigue has been pleased with the competitive nature of fall camp thus far.

“I’ve always said that competition is the mother of success," Rodrigue said on Friday. "There’s no doubt about it. If we can create competition, then we’ll get better for sure. I think Kanan Ray has been in competition with Casey (Roddick) at guard, but he’s also been in competition at right tackle with Frank (Fillip). I don’t care if they play guard, tackle, center — we’re going to play the best five.”

Fillip in particular used his redshirt year to work on his frame, to which he's added over 30 pounds.

“I learned a lot," he said. "I think developing my body was the biggest thing. My freshman year I (weighed) about 262 and now I’m up to about 295. That weight makes a huge difference when you’re playing against these big d-linemen at this level.”

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That said, Rodrigue said he still has much work to get done before the end of camp. But Rodrigue expressed confidence that Fillip will be ready to roll by the time Nov. 7 comes around.

“He’s got a lot to learn about football," Rodrigue said. "Having a year out has really hurt his development mentally, so he’s got to understand why we do things. Right now he’s learning how, but he’s got to understand why. He’s very athletic, he’s exactly what you want, but Frank’s got a little ways to go. He’s going to get it — we’ve got a lot of camp (left) and I’m sure by the end of camp, he’ll have it down.”

Fillip noted today that he enjoys going up against senior defensive tackle Jeremiah Doss — his hotel bubble roommate — in practice every day.

He was also transparent about the challenges he faces in order to get to where he needs to be by the end of camp. Friday's sessions, the way he put it, were a big collective step in the right direction.

“I feel like today was a really big day for me," he said. "I locked in some concepts that I had been struggling with earlier. I definitely still have some ways to go because this system is a lot different than it was last year, which I was definitely more comfortable with. But I’m getting there — I plan on being a master of this offense by the time we start the season.”

As of now, the Buffs' RG and RT slots remain open, but Fillip did drop a hint today after practice about what the current lineup of 'starters' is looking like.

“We have a lot of good players that are competing for spots and then we have our starters — Will, Kary, Colby, Casey and myself. Kanan is just right up there with us and same thing with Austin Johnson.”

In other words, it appears Roddick has been playing at guard with the first unit and Fillip doing the same at tackle.

While the competition at RG and RT continues, Kutsch this camp has taken up more of a leadership role in aiding his younger teammates better themselves.

“As far as the competitive things, I feel like Kanan Ray and Chance Lytle are coming on — you can never get too comfortable," Kutsch said. "It’s kind of my job to take a little bit more of a leadership (angle) but I take the same approach, still, just trying to work hard and get (them) there.”