2024 Colorado football spring game: 3 things to watch

Spring football is supposed to mark the beginning of a new season with good vibes galore.

For Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes (and many other college football programs around the country), it has been overshadowed by the almighty transfer portal.

More than 20 Colorado football players have entered the transfer portal since the spring window opened on April 16. The majority of them were backups and depth pieces, but the loss of Dylan Edwards (the Buffs' leading rusher last season) and former five-star cornerback Cormani McClain can't be overlooked.

"We're good," Sanders said with a smile when asked about the transfer portal last week. "I trust our recruiting team, I trust our coaches and please have some faith in me."

It hasn't been all bad news for Sanders and his recruiting staff this spring.

Colorado addressed the trenches by adding Pitt transfer defensive end Dayon Hayes, Ohio transfer defensive lineman Rayyan Buell and Texas transfer offensive lineman Payton Kirkland. Perhaps the Buffs' biggest get this month was Ohio State transfer running back Dallan Hayden who played in 13 games over the last two seasons for the Buckeyes, totaling 663 rushing yards and six touchdowns during that span.

Hayden's announcement came less than 24 hours before Edwards and another Colorado running back, Sy'veon Wilkerson, entered the transfer portal. The Buffs' backfield will be a position to keep an eye on during the annual Black and Gold Weekend.

With that in mind, here are three things to watch for when Colorado's 2024 spring game kicks off on Saturday, April 27 at 1 p.m. MT:

Colorado running back room: Micah Welch's time to shine

It may very well end up being the Micah Welch show on Saturday. With plenty of rain in the forecast, it could prove to be the perfect weather for the true freshman's bowling-ball running style.

Welch has impressed Colorado players and coaches alike since arriving in Boulder as an early enrollee. He'll be the only scholarship running back on the roster for Saturday's spring game (joining walk-ons Charlie Offerdahl and Christian Sarem) after the transfers of Edwards, Wilkerson and Alton McCaskill (Hayden hasn't joined the team yet).

"It's good to see young Micah Welch come and do some of the things that he's doing," Colorado running backs coach Gary Harrell said earlier this month. "He started off slow because he was trying to get acclimated to college football as far as information and the overload that was put on him. But now he's starting to build confidence and making plays.

"He's the guy we thought he would be as far as downhill and aggressively seeking the end zone. He's doing a great job of learning the offense."

Welch, a former three-star recruit who rushed for 3,759 yards and 47 touchdowns throughout his high school career, and Offerdahl will work as the Buffs' lead backs on Saturday, but another new face could be joining the room.

Mississippi State transfer RB commit Rashad Amos is visiting Colorado this week, according to On3's Pete Nakos. He rushed for 1,075 yards and 13 touchdowns last season at Miami (OH) before committing to the Bulldogs earlier this month but is still considering the Buffs.

First, Welch will have the opportunity to prove that he deserves meaningful touches this fall.

Colorado's defensive identity under new defensive coordinator Robert Livingston

New Colorado defensive coordinator Robert Livingston likes to use basketball metaphors to explain some of his coaching philosophies.

The former Cincinnati Bengals secondary coach wants to identify the "shooters" on the Buffs' defense and give them as many attempts to score as possible. Saturday will be the first glimpse of who those gamechangers are.

"We have some guys who can rush the passer and we have some guys who can cover," Livingston said after Tuesday's spring practice. "Obviously, this is 2024 so people come and people go. That's our job as coaches, to coach the team we have, to look at it and see who the playmakers are, who are the guys we need to give shots, you know, those guys who can blitz and rush and let them impact the game.

"We have some shooters, so it's our job to feature them."

After allowing the second-most points per game (34.8) and the third-most passing yards (276.9) in the Pac-12 last year, Colorado tried to improve its defense with a handful of transfer portal additions this offseason.

Saturday will be fans' first look at some new defenders who should play a big role in 2024 like Alabama transfer DL Anquin Barnes, Pitt transfer DE Samuel Okunlola, LSU transfer DE Quency Wiggins, Oklahoma State transfer CB DJ McKinney, Liberty transfer CB Preston Hodge and others.

'DT2' in full effect to protect Shedeur Sanders?

"DT2," is a commonly used hashtag on social media among Colorado football fans. It stands for "don't touch 2 (Shedeur Sanders' jersey number)" and it has been embraced by the Buffs' revamped offensive line.

Colorado's entire starting offensive line from last season, which allowed Sanders to be sacked an FBS-high 52 times, has entered the transfer portal. The Buffs' recruiting staff heavily targeted the trenches during the winter portal and assembled an entirely new offensive line unit.

Experienced starters such as Indiana transfer Khalil Benson, UTEP transfer Justin Mayers, Houston transfer Tyler Johnson and UCONN transfer Yakiri Walker should each compete for playing time. The same can be said for Tyler Brown, who missed the 2023 season after being ruled ineligible to play by the NCAA. True freshman Jordan Seaton, the No. 1 offensive tackle in the Class of 2023, should start right away as Shedeur's blindside protector.

Nearly everything about Colorado's offensive line will be new in 2024, including OL coach Phil Loadholt, but will it be much improved?

Saturday's spring game will give us an idea.

Follow Colorado Buffaloes sports reporter Scott Procter on X.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: 2024 Colorado football spring game: 3 things to watch