Three now-former Buffs players opt to hit the transfer portal Tuesday
Tuesday has proven to be a busy day attrition for the Buffaloes, as three players announced via Twitter their intentions to find new homes.
So far, second-year freshman tailback Ashaad Clayton, freshman defensive back Trustin Oliver and freshman linebacker Zephaniah Maea all have entered their names in the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Clayton is the most recent now-former CU player to opt to transfer.
A four-star recruit out of Warren Easton High School in New Orleans, Clayton initially committed to the Buffaloes in the late fall of 2019, when Mel Tucker was still head coach in Boulder.
His recruitment wound up being something of a rollercoaster, as Clayton opted to not sign a letter of intent early in December, keeping CU fans guessing as to his plans leading into February.
While the Florida Gators brought him down to Gainesville for a late official visit early in 2020, Clayton honored his original verbal commitment and joined the Buffs' Class of 2020.
After Tucker bolted for Michigan State and Karl Dorrell took over, Clayton stuck things out with the Buffs, rushing for seven carries, 31 yards and a pair of touchdowns last fall in the COVID-condensed 2020 season.
This year, he entered the regular season as Colorado's No. 3 tailback behind Jarek Broussard and Alex Fontenot.
He ultimately saw his 2021 campaign shut down prematurely due to injury, as he did not play in the Buffs' final eight games of the year, finishing things with 84 yards on 20 total carries with one touchdown.
As for Oliver, he was the sixth Class of 2021 commit for Colorado, joining the herd in the summer of 2020.
Originally a signee with CU's 2019 class, Oliver ended up taking the junior college route, playing at Copiah-Lincoln C.C. (Mississippi) and later Iowa Western C.C. before being able to re-commit to the Buffs.
Oliver was used sparingly in his short Colorado career, as he saw action on defense in two games for a total of 18 snaps, recording a lone tackle.
Maea, a true freshman from Henderson, Nevada, also did not make much of a quick impact for CU.
He played a total of 13 snaps on defense over two games, making one tackle.
With Clayton's departure, the Buffaloes still have Broussard returning next year, while Fontenot has a year of eligibility remaining.
In addition, 2021 commit Victor Venn is set to join the team, further providing some reinforcements to the tailbacks room that'll also continue to feature Jayle Stacks and Joe Davis.
Oliver's role on defense never coming to fruition was in part due to the emergence of true freshman Trevor Woods, who, after blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown vs. Arizona, saw his role evolve from specialist to regular within the Buffs' secondary.
With respect to Maea, Colorado's corps of linebacker transfers, Jack Lamb and Robert Barnes, plugged the hole left by Nate Landman's injury, as did third-year freshman Marvin Ham.