Jack Lamb fitting in nicely with Colorado's corps of ILBs

Since he arrived in Boulder on June 1, driving across the country from Indiana on I-80 with a U-Haul, Notre Dame graduate transfer Jack Lamb had been eager to suit up and begin practicing with the Buffaloes.

Lamb, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound player brought in to bolster the Buffs' inside linebackers room, is working on a master's degree in supply chain management.

After redshirting as a freshman in 2018, Lamb played in 20 games for the Fighting Irish over the next two seasons.

Upon being offered by Colorado in January and committing in early February, Lamb saw an opportunity to contribute quickly to a program he felt was on an upward trajectory.

“I expected a team with a great culture," Lamb said. "I saw what they had done the previous year — obviously they didn’t finish the way they wanted to against Texas in the (Valero Alamo Bowl) but I saw a program on the rise.”

Lamb has been taking reps at more than one position for the Buffs so far. His addition to the inside linebackers room, along with fellow transfer Robert Barnes, bolsters a group anchored by senior Nate Landman, with junior Jon Van Diest also looking to make regular contributions this fall.

For position coach Mark Smith, Lamb offers valuable experience and depth to his group, in addition to versatility.

"Jack is very intelligent and very smart," Smith said. "You can tell he came from a great program and was coached well and trained well. His ability through (14) practices now, to pick up what we’re doing on defense — we’re cross training him at multiple spots within our inside backer room. So, his ability to manage that on short notice and go out and execute has been impressive."

At the Buffaloes' recent Media Day, Barnes spoke about the value of bringing in guys to a program who have seen firsthand what builds championship-level teams.

Barnes himself has played in a Cotton Bowl as well as a College Football Playoff semifinal game (against Alabama), while Lamb has played in an ACC title game in addition to the Rose Bowl and CFP semifinals.

The way Barnes sees it, having guys in the locker room with those experiences is invaluable for a program hoping to achieve higher levels of success.

“He’s extremely versatile and another one of those guys who came from a program like Notre Dame, where there’s just a level of competition that you just are used to," Barnes said of Lamb. "There’s a level of experience you bring with it. I can see he has that energy, understands that standard and knows what it is to win a lot of games."

Barnes also sees Lamb as cut of a similar cloth as he in terms of abilities and how he fits into CU's defense schematically.

"His versatility — he’s another guy like me who’s 230-ish pounds and because of that, we can go out there and cover the slot, cover a tight end, we can push off the edge — there’s a lot we can do," Barnes said. "He came during the summer but is one of those guys that’s really easy to mesh with and talk to. He’s been a great guy on the field and off the field. He’s fit into our room perfectly."

Barnes and Lamb both have spent the majority of their practice reps at the 'Mo' inside backer position, with Lamb moving around a bit more and cross-training at other positions, as Smith mentioned.

As Karl Dorrell has alluded to, a defensive goal of his as the 2021 season approaches is to lighten the load on Landman and ensure that others around him are capable of making plays.

Bringing in Barnes and Lamb was done exactly with that in mind.

Lamb hopes to continue to prove that he can do just that, whether it's stopping the run or stepping up in coverage.

“I would describe myself as more of an instinctive player — reading and reacting to plays and getting to the ball fast," Lamb said. "That’s what we’re preaching on this defense, is getting to the ball as fast as you can and swarming the ball with high effort. Those are the things I’m trying to emulate in my game."

"I think I’m pretty good in pass coverage, just reading, getting my vision right, getting depth in my drops and playing sound in man coverage. (I can) also step up in the run game, plug gaps and do all that stuff.”