Colorado’s 2024 CFP hopes hinge on improvement at high-turnover position

Coach Prime’s Colorado football program’s 2024 College Football Playoff hopes hinge on the offensive line, which has already seen two players transfer since the portal opened up on December 4, according to Denver Sports’ Jake Shapiro.

“Sanders quest for linemen is what the Buffs’ CFP hopes will hinge on, given his son, star quarterback Shedeur Sanders took a beating this season,” Shapiro wrote. “The program also moves from the super strong Pac-12 to a Big 12 that looks a lot more open for the taking. Either way, Colorado hasn’t won a postseason game since 2004—let alone a conference title game since 2001, which may be required of the Big 12 even in a 12-team playoff.”

As BuffZone’s Brian Howell noted, the Buffs are down to just two starters along the OL, as of this writing, remaining with the program. With Bill O’Boyle joining Sean Lewis’s staff at San Diego State, more could be on the way.

“Starting guard Landon Bebee has exhausted his eligibility, while Christian-Lichtenhan and Wells are now on the move,” Howell prefaced before saying, “That leaves guard Jack Bailey and tackle Savion Washington left, as far as starters go. Both of them transferred to CU from Kent State to follow offensive coordinator Sean Lewis and line coach Bill O’Boyle.

“Earlier this week, Lewis took the head coach job at San Diego State and it’s unlikely O’Boyle will return. With that, it’s unclear if Bailey and/or Washington will return to CU.”

Coach Prime’s shots at Colorado football offensive line have come home to roost

All of this turnover in Boulder at perhaps the most, or at worst second-most, important position on the offense is a direct result of Coach Prime taking shots at his offensive line throughout the 2023 season as his son Shedeur Sanders was sacked at a country-worst rate.

Deion Sanders said in October that the coaching staff needed to do a better job finding offensive line talent for Shedeur’s sake, but now not only is the offensive line nearly all gone, but the coaches he called out have also gone elsewhere.

None of what is happening right now is shocking — and if you really did find the OL to be a sore spot, it’s not necessarily a bad thing either.