Colorado has been cycling through players at linebacker next to LaVonta Bentley in 2024, but one looks like he’s starting to separate himself from the pack.

Nikhai Hill-Green, who started his career at Michigan before transferring to Charlotte in search of more playing time, is now in Boulder and has been moving up the depth chart throughout the early part of the season. Hill-Green’s experience in big games is an obvious plus, but the mental part of his game has stood out to linebackers coach Andre' Hart.

“He’s been on the big stage before,” Hart said. “He’s got a great IQ. The tests that we give him in the meetings, he aced all of those. Plus, I think I’ve said it before, in my room there’s never a secure starter. So every week when you go into it someone has to win the job.”

Hill-Green has taken a pragmatic approach at CU while trying to catch up to the returning linebackers such as Bentley and Trevor Woods. Even after camp, when he found himself completely off of the Week 1 depth chart, Hill-Green’s mindset remained the same.

“I prepare the same way, whether I’m the backup last week (against NDSU) or the starter against Nebraska,” Hill-Green said. “Whatever they need me to do or ask me to do, I’ll just be ready. I prepare the same way.”