It's been almost a calendar year since Noah Fenske announced he was transferring to Colorado from Iowa, where he spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

In two years with the Hawkeyes, Fenske did not see the field. After transferring to CU in mid-April of 2021, Fenske got settled in with the Buffs at center, where he played behind Coby Pursell.

Pursell had served as Colorado's starting center since 2018, although he missed considerable time due to injury/illness in both 2019 and 2020 (eight games in total).

Pursell started 11 of CU's 12 games last season, with Fenske stepping up to start on Sept. 18 vs. Minnesota in Pursell's absence.

While Fenske only saw 31 snaps on offense last year, with Pursell now gone, Karl Dorrell and o-line coach Kyle DeVan will be looking to identify a new starting center.

Fenske, preparing for his second season with the Buffaloes, has thus emerged on the shortlist of candidates.

From year one to two, Fenske has seen a lot of growth with respect to his frame and game.

“I think the main difference is that I’m just a little bit more confident in my abilities," Fenske said. "Having coach DeVan really slow things down, I’m leaner now, I’m running faster than I’ve ever ran before — I’m confident when they call a play, I know exactly what I’m doing.”

Following Colorado's practice Saturday, Dorrell indicated that Fenske and sophomore Austin Johnson have been splitting reps at center.

This summer, the Buffs are set to be joined by 2022 signee Van Wells, who is also expected to factor in at center.

But for the time being, CU is a bit thin there.

That said, an opportunity is certainly in front of Fenske, who seems to have gotten off to a good start with DeVan.

“One thing I really like about him is that he’s a really good teacher in the o-line room," Fenske said. "That’s something I’ve needed for a while now, someone who’s been able to help me go from the meeting room to the field. I think he’s one of the best in the business at that.”

Furthermore, DeVan has been assisted in his coaching responsibilities by a number of helping hands, including quality control/offensive line coach Nicholas Gilbert and offensive graduate assistant Kolter Smith.

“With coach (Nicholas) Gilbert coach Kolter Smith and now Josh Jynes — we have four guys right now and 12 (players) in the room," Fenske said. "That’s one (coach) per three (players). Having more eyes is really nice.

"We’ve been able to get a lot more work in. Coach Gilbert’s the man and so is coach DeVan. It’s just fun. The energy’s been great.”

Last year, CU's offensive line battled through struggles, which culminated in the in-season firing of position coach Mitch Rodrigue after the Buffs lost at Cal on Oct. 23.

With some fresh faces now in the mix for the Buffs, and needing to identify a new starting left guard (replacing the graduated Kary Kutsch) in addition to at center, CU's current o-linemen are eager to craft a new identity for themselves.

“We were kind of in the back of the Pac last year, so we took that personally this offseason," Fenske said. "We’ve all worked really hard. These team periods have been super competitive.

"Our goal is to win the Pac, but right now, (our focus) is having good practices every day and being more consistent…We’re really excited to go prove a lot of people wrong next year.”