Karl Dorrell provided a batch of notes following the Buffs' Wednesday practice in Boulder, namely in discussing the role of returned senior defensive lineman Mustafa Johnson as well that of redshirt sophomore tailback Deion Smith.

At the start of September, the Boulder Daily Camera's Brian Howell reported that Mustafa Johnson, a three-year starting defensive tackle at CU who had declined to take advantage of an extra season of eligibility with the Buffs in order to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft, had been granted a waiver by the NCAA to return to Colorado.

Johnson eventually did rejoin the team, beginning practices on its scout unit while serving a suspension stemming from his hiring of an agent during the Draft process, which violated the NCAA's amateurism policies.

Ultimately, he received negligible NFL interest. But upon returning to the Buffs, he's made his presence known.

A few weeks ago, Dorrell indicated that Johnson would be able to debut Oct. 2 against USC.

He went on to start at defensive tackle for the Buffs against the Trojans, logging 36 snaps, and in last weekend's game vs. Arizona, he played in 40.

Johnson, a 2018 transfer from Modesto Junior College in California, went on to win first-team All-Pac-12 honors that fall, his first year with the Buffs, behind a team-high 8.5 sacks.

In 2019, he recorded 4.5 sacks in nine games played, winning All-Pac-12 honorable mention accolades.

Most recently, in 2020, Johnson was named second-team All-Pac-12.

Through two games this fall, he has five tackles with one TFL recorded against Arizona.

“He’s been really instrumental," Dorrell said. "When you have a veteran experience like that, it’s always big. It helps the young players kind of bring their game forward, too. From a leadership standpoint, that’s been really good."

"He’s always been a strong practice player — he really plays hard, gives hard reps — so I think he does a lot of things just like modeling what it should look like, plus his experience and savvy helps him, too."

Last September, redshirt sophomore tailback Deion Smith had his 2020 season ended prematurely when he suffered an ACL tear.

However, by the Buffs' spring practices, he was working his way back to the team through individual exercises and workouts.

To date this season, he has rushed the ball 17 times for 73 yards, scoring a pair of touchdowns in the process.

While fellow redshirt sophomore Jarek Broussard remains RB1 for the Buffaloes and junior Alex Fontenot has assumed the role of the No. 2 tailback, Smith has done enough in Dorrell's eyes to crack the rotation moving forward.

That has also been determined in part by an injury to freshman Ashaad Clayton, who is expected to miss a week or two recovering from injury.

“He’s in the three-man rotation of the primary three (running backs) we’re using with Jarek, Alex and him," Dorrell said. "His role has stepped up and he’s done some really positive things. We’re going to continue using those three guys in some rotational fashion.”

So far this season, second-year freshman wide receiver Keith Miller III has not dressed for a single game.

Joe Davis, CU's sophomore tailback, dressed once, in week one against UNC.

But generally speaking, both players have been noticeably absent from the sidelines.

Davis apparently sought out Dorrell sometime this season to express his interest in redshirting.

“He’s come and had some discussions with me," Dorrell said. "He feels he wants to get bigger and stronger and we have a lot of depth at running back right now. He has asked for a chance to redshirt, work with the scout team and get bigger.”

As of right now, with the depth chart having at least three (Jarek Broussard, Alex Fontenot, Deion Smith and potentially Ashaad Clayton) ahead of him, playing time and carries for Davis seems improbable.

As for Miller, he finds himself in a similar situation, given the crowded nature of CU's wide receivers room.

A 2020 signee with the Buffaloes, he has yet to appear in a game for Colorado.

"He’s still up and ready if we need him, but he’s in a very similar situation," Dorrell said of Miller.