Back on Sept. 7, Colorado defensive lineman Mustafa Johnson was cleared to begin practicing with the Buffaloes.

Johnson returns to the Buffs having explored his options in the NFL, as he announced last January that he would forego his final remaining season of eligibility with CU in order to enter the 2021 Draft.

After getting himself an agent, Johnson ultimately was not selected in the Draft, nor did he sign anywhere as an undrafted free agent.

While he was invited to work out with the New York Jets, he was not signed.

The road ahead for Johnson, in terms of when he can suit up for the Buffaloes in a game, remains foggy.

Dorrell alluded to Johnson having to serve some sort of suspension due to signing with an agent last winter, a move that violated what the NCAA considers amateurism.

"He’s just going to get himself in shape, help our team be better and when he’s eligible to play after he serves his suspension...as soon as he’s able to alleviate that, he’ll be ready to play," Dorrell said.

"He’s going to have some time to get himself in shape, but he’s excited, our team is excited he’s back — I’m excited — we feel like he’s going to really help us once we get into the meat of our season.”

Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 290-pound player who joined the Buffaloes ahead of the 2018 season from Modesto Junior College in California, quickly established himself as a defensive force to be reckoned with.

In his first campaign with the Buffs, Johnson earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors from the Associated Press, recording 8.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and 74 tackles total.

An ankle injury limited his 2019 season, causing him to miss three games, but he was named All-Pac-12 honorable mention and posted 4.5 sacks.

In the Buffs' shortened 2020 season, Johnson produced two sacks and 21 total tackles.

Defensive coordinator Chris Wilson provided an update on Johnson Wednesday.

While the Buffaloes are still uncertain when exactly Johnson will return to the fold and suit up for a game, he now has about a week's worth of practices under his belt.

Johnson has been working his way back up the ladder but for now, he's taking reps with the scout defense.

"What he’s doing is working himself back into football shape," Wilson said. "Obviously, he didn’t have a spring, didn't’ have a summer but I’ll tell you — he is so motivated and we’re so excited to have him back, not just from a football standpoint but from a leadership standpoint."

"Right now, he’s the best guy on scout team that we’ve got. He’s there trying to make our offensive line better, day-to-day and it’s something that he wanted to do. We didn’t have to push him there. I love his maturity and I love depth that he can bring to our defensive line.”

So far in 2021, the Buffs have been stingy defensively, having most recently held the No. 5 team in the nation, Texas A&M, to 10 points total and 98 yards of rushing.

Sophomore Na'im Rodman has stepped up as of late on the interior defensive line, with he and fellow sophomore Jalen Sami currently tied with 1.5 sacks apiece.

While the timetable remains to be determined as far as when Johnson's first game will be, having his presence back in the locker room is welcomed by CU's coaches and players alike.

“He’s a super productive guy on the field and a great leader off the field," senior linebacker Nate Landman said. "(Coaches) mentioned a couple weeks back that it was a possibility and the whole team was pumped. We’re so excited to have him back."

"He means a lot to this team, he’s a huge leader on that d-line and having him back is nothing but great for this program."