Phil Loadholt speaks out on Colorado football OL and gives Jordan Seaton update
Phil Loadholt sees the offensive line that he helped rebuild in the offseason -- one that imported center Yakiri Walker (Connecticut), guards Tyler Johnson (Houston) and Justin Mayers (UTEP) and tackle Kahlil Benson (Indiana) from the transfer portal, and 5-star OT Jordan Seaton from the top of the 2024 high school class -- as the position group setting the culture for the rest of the locker room.
“They are setting the standard,” Loadholt said (h/t BuffZone). “Coach Prime says the standard is the standard and they’re part of setting that standard in our room. … Those guys have played a lot of ball and they bring a lot of experience to us. I’ve just been leaning on those guys as well, just to set the standard in the room, but leaning on their experiences, too. So it’s good to have those guys here.”
Loadholt also provided a best-case scenario update on Seaton specifically: that the former IMG Academy star was coming along just as quickly mentally as he was physically.
“Being a freshman coming in, a guy straight out of high school, his knowledge is up there,” Loadholt said. “He’s a student of the game. He works hard, he comes up and watches the film and does everything he’s supposed to do. That’s been the most impressive part of him.
“Obviously, physically you can see that he’s advanced. But, his mental part has been impressive.”
Colorado football OL has everything to prove in 2024
Not only does the Buffs OL have to overcome the stigma of the 2023 season come the Fall, but Colorado's front five needs to prove doubters wrong. Mike Farrell of the Mike Farrell Sports brand doesn't believe the universities Loadholt group came from can immediately form a top-notch group in the offensive trenches.
"Coach Prime has landed four solid offensive linemen from the portal led by Tyler Johnson, and they are plug-and-play guys, but let’s be real," Farrell prefaced before saying, "Guys from Houston, UConn, Indiana, and UTEP aren’t going to immediately make a bad unit good again. Maybe Deion can add in some current players, or perhaps Jordan Seaton as a 5-star recruit can impact immediately, but excitement needs to be tempered here as the portal is not the solution for the OL immediately, and we learned that last year."
The bar may be low based on last year, but Shedeur Sanders having a career year before moving to the NFL will be the standard CU's OL needs to reach.
Easier said than done, but it seems possible that it can be done based on Loadholt's confidence.