Colorado football X-factors: 10 Buffaloes who will matter most this season

We're less than 100 days away from Colorado football's season opener vs. North Dakota State on Thursday, Aug. 29.

It will be fans' first live glimpse at a handful of new Buffaloes who joined the program via the transfer portal this offseason. Many of those newcomers will play a big role in the success of Deion Sanders' second year in Boulder.

Sanders completely revamped Colorado's offensive line, added a few explosive playmakers on offense and infused the Buffs' defense with proven talent.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter will once again lead the charge, but others will have to step up in order for the Buffs to compete in the new Big 12.

Here are 10 Colorado football players who will be counted on to be X-factors this fall:

Jordan Seaton, OT

The No. 1 offensive tackle in the Class of 2024 won't exactly be eased into college football. Seaton will start at left tackle as Sanders' blindside protector from day one, which, depending on how you look at it, might be the most important job on the team. Sanders was sacked an FBS-high 52 times and pressured on 36.8% of his dropbacks last year. Seaton's development throughout his true freshman season will ultimately help determine the ceiling of this offense.

"For a guy straight out of high school, his knowledge is up there," Colorado offensive line coach Phil Loadholt said after a spring practice in March. "He's a student of the game, he works hard, he comes up and watches 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 to me."

Dallan Hayden, RB

The Ohio State transfer running back figures to lead Colorado's rushing attack this fall after Rashad Amos flipped his commitment from the Buffs to Ole Miss on May 18. Hayden is a talented ball-carrier who rushed for 100-plus yards in three games during the 2022 season (vs. Toledo, Indiana, Maryland) and started in the College Football Playoff semifinals vs. Georgia (nine carries for a team-high 43 yards). The 5-foot-10, 205-pound RB must be a reason why Colorado is more balanced as an offense in 2024.

"When the ball is in his hands, that's when he's at his best," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said of Hayden last fall. "He has good vision, good quickness."

Will Sheppard, WR

Colorado's wide receiver room is loaded. FAU's all-time leader in receptions, LaJohntay Wester, was brought in this offseason to join a talented group that includes Hunter, Jimmy Horn Jr., Omarion Miller and others. Each of the aforementioned players have spring practices or game reps with Sanders under their belt. Sheppard, a recent Vanderbilt graduate, does not have that luxury.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound WR arrived in Boulder on May 21 after racking up more than 2,000 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns over the last three years in the SEC, including 684 yards and eight touchdowns last season. If Sheppard and Sanders can quickly grow a rapport, this passing offense will be one of college football's most explosive.

Shedeur Sanders, QB

Sanders is the current betting favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. He threw for a program-record 3,230 yards and 27 touchdowns to just three interceptions while getting sacked on 10.2% of his dropbacks (FBS average is 6.1%) last season. With an improved offensive line and a talented group of pass catchers around him, Sanders has the potential for a Heisman-caliber season.

That's exactly what the Buffs need from him to reach a bowl game for the first time since 2020.

More: 3 ways Colorado football quarterback Shedeur Sanders can improve ahead of 2025 NFL Draft

Alejandro Mata, K

Colorado was in eight one-score games last season (3-5 in those games) and three of them were decided by exactly three points (1-2), including the Buffs' 27-24 win over Arizona State. Mata nailed a game-winning field goal with 12 seconds left from 43 yards out to lift Colorado over the Sun Devils and give the Buffs their final Pac-12 victory ever. The junior kicker made 10 of his 12 field goal attempts last season (83%) and will have to remain consistent as well as clutch in 2024.

Mata might be counted on to save the day another time or two with a schedule full of talented teams.

Chidozie Nwankwo, DL

Colorado allowed 176.4 rushing yards per game (second worst in Pac-12) last season due in large part to its interior personnel. The Buffs addressed the defensive line position through the portal this offseason and Nwankwo should have an instant impact. He played in 40 games (33 starts) for Houston over the last four seasons, racking up 94 tackles (13 tackles for a loss) and five sacks during that span.

"There's not a lot of defensive tackles in the country who can be an every-down player and play 40, 50 snaps a game," former Houston assistant defensive line coach Nathon Trawick said of Nwankwo. "You're getting a guy who is well conditioned, who is gonna stop the run and is gonna be a problem when he's getting 1-on-1 blocks."

B.J. Green, Edge

No active player in Power Five college football has more career QB pressures than Green, according to Pro Football Focus, and his 14 QB hits in 2023 were the third-most in the country. The No. 7-ranked DL in the transfer portal set career highs in tackles (39), tackles for loss (11.5) and sacks (six) last season at Arizona State. Green, who was coached by Deion Sanders as a youth in Atlanta, gives the Buffs a bonafide pass rusher who is a safe bet to lead the team in sacks this fall.

“'Coach Prime' taught us to appreciate the real essence of the game," Green told PHXSoul in October. "We were taught to view the game from a different angle so the game slowed down for us, and that's what really helped me when I got to college here at ASU.”

More: Arizona State transfer B.J. Green is a major addition to Colorado football: 3 reasons why

Nikhai Hill-Green, LB

Hill-Green projects as a day-one starter at linebacker after leading Charlotte in solo tackles last season (48) as a team captain. The former Michigan LB (2020-2022) played in all 14 games (six starts) for the Wolverines in 2021, racking up 50 total tackles and helping them reach the College Football Playoff (where they lost to Georgia). Hill-Green said he prides himself on having a high football IQ, being consistently relentless and an obnoxious communicator.

"A loud defense is a good defense so I'm going to say as much as possible," Hill-Green told the Coloradoan. "If I can tell everyone what's going on and get everyone in my mind, then we're all playing at a higher level and I'm making everyone around me better. That's what I bring and I'm the type of person who will do whatever the team needs me to do to win games."

More: New Colorado football player Nikhai Hill-Green is 'plug-and-play guy' for Buffs' defense

DJ McKinney/Preston Hodge, CB

The cornerback duo of Hodge and McKinney has the chance to be special. Hodge racked up 48 tackles, eight pass breakups and two interceptions (one for a pick six) at Liberty in 2023. His 88.8 pass-coverage grade was the ninth-best in FBS, according to PFF. McKinney played in all 14 games for Oklahoma State last season, totaling five pass breakups and 38 tackles, including a career-high seven in the Big 12 Championship Game vs. Texas. Hodge, Hunter, McKinney, Shilo Sanders and Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig should make up one of the conference's best defensive backfields.

"When you're talking about bringing (Preston) Hodge and (DJ) McKinney in, these guys are unbelievable and you can put Travis (Hunter) at the nickel," Deion Sanders said on April 18. "All of those guys are versatile. They can play the slot, they can play the dime, they can play corner, they can play whatever you desire them to play."

Travis Hunter, CB/WR

As one of the best players in the sport, Hunter will be featured on the cover of the EA Sports College Football 25 video game releasing this summer. The 2023 Paul Hornung Award winner, given to the most versatile player in college football, is a projected top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and will be moved all around the secondary this fall thanks to the arrival of Hodge and McKinney. If Hunter stays healthy and remains dominant on both sides of the ball, Colorado could finish the 2024 season with two Heisman Trophy candidates.

"One of the most explosive athletes in college football, Hunter spent 65% of his offensive snaps in the slot, averaging 2.17 yards per route with a 12.6 ADOT (average depth of target) and an eye-popping 18 broken tackles on 57 receptions," NBC Sports' Eric Froton said. "He then flipped around and played cornerback, holding opponents to a 57% completion rate with five pass breakups and three interceptions."

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This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado football X-factors: 10 Buffaloes who will matter most in 2024