Colorado football 2023 state of the position: Inside linebacker
The Colorado Buffaloes have completely remade their inside linebackers room, save for one familiar face that is making noise in the sea of new players. The ILB position will be a fight for playing time this season with as many as five players working to be the first on the field for defensive coordinator Charles Kelly and LBs coach Andre’ Hart.
As with the rest of the position groups on the team, the inside linebackers boast a host of transfer athletes to go along with a crop of freshmen who will be locking down the position for years to come.
Let’s break down the ILB position and dive into who we think will be leading the position for the 2023 Buffs:
Starter: Marvin Ham II
A holdover from CU’s 2022 defense, Ham has done everything asked of him and earned the praise of his position coach Andre’ Hart (h/t cubuffs.com):
“He’s one of my starters right now.” Hart said. “If I had to go into a game right now, Marvin Ham from last year would be my mike linebacker now.”
Backup: Demouy Kennedy
Kennedy is fast, and that speed has earned him starting reps so far in fall camp, per the YouTube videos we’ve seen. This speed should allow Kennedy to be an every-down player for the Buffaloes in 2023.
Backup: LaVonta Bentley
The competition has been fierce with Ham and Bentley battling for the starting spot. For now, it appears that Ham has a leg up but Bentley, but the Clemson transfer still has time to earn the spot.
Backup: Brandan Gant
Another speedy linebacker who will be used in nickel and dime packages, Gant has dealt with injuries in the fall so far but look for him to counter the passing game once he gets healthy.
Backup: Jeremiah Brown
Versatility is the main word to use when it comes to Brown as he has seen time at both inside and outside linebacker for the Buffaloes since transferring in from Jackson State. Brown should get time at both spots in 2023
Star Player: Demouy Kennedy
As the old Nike marketing ad says, “speed kills,” and Kennedy has speed on top of speed. Kennedy has the size and speed to play sideline-to-sideline and will be pursuing the ball carrier on all downs next season.
Position Pipeline
The Buffaloes possess an interesting trio of freshmen talent who committed to the team during the past two signing periods.
First up is southern California native Victory Johnson. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound tackling machine will soon get time to hone his craft in the college game.
Morgan Pearson played both ways in high school as a wide receiver and safety but has settled in as an ILB for the Buffs.
The Buffs went across the pond for their final prospect, picking up a commitment from Kofi Taylor-Barrocks, who played for the NFL Academy in London.
One final name to keep an eye on is the recent incoming transfer, Noah Young. Young is a grad transfer who comes to the Buffaloes from Tennessee and will play his final college season in Boulder in 2023.
Further reading
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