In our Countdown to Spring series, we’ll break down each of Colorado’s position groups heading into its first season under head coach Deion Sanders. We kicked the series off with a quarterback preview. To follow along with the rest of the series, sign up here!

New running backs coach Gary “Flea” Harrell is searching for his “quarterback” in the backfield, and early projections point to Kentucky transfer Kavosiey Smoke and Deion Smith.

Smith and Smoke have both bided their time behind other running backs over the years, waiting for that opportunity to be featured in a prominent role.

After playing second fiddle to Jarek Broussard and Alex Fontenot, Smith got a career-high 83 carries last season (for 393 yards and 2 TDs) in the Buffs' revolving door of a backfield. Meanwhile, Smoke actually saw his role decrease last season (58-277-1) at Kentucky behind Chris Rodriguez Jr., who had come in with him as part of the same 2018 recruiting class.

Smoke has the edge on experience -- with 1,583 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns over five seasons in the SEC -- and was brought in by this new coaching staff.

But he doesn't join the program until the summer, so in terms of assessing the position this spring, Smith is the veteran running back who can do the most to help or hurt his case for a major role.

In the Buffs' mess of a season last year, Smith did his share of carrying (no pun intended) the offense on his back while Fontenot was out for eight weeks. His 25-yard score against Air Force, 41-yard reception against Arizona and his first 100-yard game (111 rushing) against Arizona State showcased his abilities within unideal circumstances.

Smith (6 foot, 190 pounds) had the occasional misread, landed short of the line to gain (then again, many Buffs did), but his growth last season positions him for a quality competition between him and Smoke (5-foot-9, 209 pounds).

With Smoke finishing up his degree at Kentucky this spring, Smith has a prime opportunity (again, no pun intended) to impress Sanders and staff.

Of course, both veterans will ultimately have to hold off four-star Rivals100 freshman Dylan Edwards, one of the Buffs' most notable offseason additions.

Edwards is making early impressions with his elite speed. Per this Twitter video, he and WR Jimmy Horn Jr. both clocked a 4.38 40-yard dash recently, slotting them just one tenth of a second below the third fastest time in the recent NFL combine (Keaton Mitchell, 4.37 from East Carolina).