Before Colorado got underway with its annual Spring Game yesterday, there was a cool moment to preface the action.

The Buffs ran a brief series of one-on-one drills before breaking into their full scrimmage, with one of the head to head matchups featuring walk-on junior safety Curtis Appleton being defended by walk-on graduate transfer tight end Matt Lynch.

The play resulted in an incomplete pass but when both players got up from the ground, they were directed to look at the big screen at Folsom Field for a special message.

It was at that moment that the surprise was revealed; Appleton and Lynch both had been awarded scholarships for the upcoming 2021 season.

The news was put on Folsom's big screen and the entirety of the team surrounded Appleton and Lynch shortly thereafter to celebrate the news.

For Karl Dorrell, the decision was a no-brainer, as both players had demonstrated their value to the team in general and especially last year.

"Even though we’re trying to elevate everything in our program and I want the competition to be fierce, I also want our walk-ons to feel like, if you walk on at Colorado, that you feel like ‘if I work hard, get on the depth chart and contribute on special teams, I have a chance maybe to earn a scholarship,’" he said. "That’s what these two guys did."

In both players' cases, they demonstrated their value to the team sufficiently in 2020.

Lynch found himself thrust into a starring role at tight end last season when junior Brady Russell was lost for the year following a leg injury suffered in week two at Stanford.

Appleton assumed more of a special teams-oriented role but also saw 35 snaps in the defense backfield last year.

“Both of those guys were integral pieces for us last year," Dorrell said. "They made some really productive input on both sides of the ball. Curtis was doing some really good things for us on our defensive side and he’s grown at the safety position. He’s in all of our special teams (units) and is one of our core special teams players."

"...Matt transferred in last year from UCLA and came in and quickly acclimated himself. He was an integral piece to us offensively last year when Brady (Russell) got injured.”