Takeaways from Colorado’s Week 1 depth chart vs. TCU

Surprisingly, Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders released the Buffaloes’ depth chart ahead of their Week 1 matchup against TCU on Saturday. While our suspicions were confirmed at most position groups, there were also a few surprises, including a big one at outside linebacker.

And, in case you were wondering, TCU Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes has not released an official depth chart, though it’s possible we’ll get one before the 10 a.m. MT (11 a.m. CT) kickoff. College coaches are not required to release an official depth chart, although most do.

Below are my takeaways from the Buffaloes’ first official depth chart of the 2023 season:

Omarion Cooper will start opposite Travis Hunter at CB

Five-star true freshman Cormani McClain will not get the start in his first collegiate game. Instead, it will be Florida State transfer Omarion Cooper starting opposite Travis Hunter.

Kyndrich Breedlove was listed under Cooper while Carter Stoutmire and McClain were below Hunter.

Ryan Staub won the backup QB competition

Probably not a huge surprise here, but Staub, the true freshman, is set to back up Shedeur Sanders. Junior college transfer Gavin Kuld was listed at QB3.

Several returning Buffs are set to start

Returning Buffs locked into starting roles include Trevor Woods (safety), Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan (left tackle), Van Wells (center) and Marvin Ham II (inside linebacker).

Walk-on tight end Michael Harrison, running back Anthony Hankerson and long snapper Cameron Warchuck were all “OR” with another player at the top spot of their respective position.

Khairi Manns takes top OLB spot

This may have been the biggest surprise. Khairi Manns certainly received a lot of love this fall camp, but few expected him to take Colorado’s top spot at outside linebacker. The Maine transfer was listed ahead of Arden Walker, Jordan Domineck and Taje McCoy at OLB.

Special teams remains unsettled

At placekicker, Arizona State transfer Jace Feely and Jackson State transfer Alejandro Mata are “OR” at the top spot. Their usage could very well be determined by the length of the field goal.

Cameron Warchuck and Jacon Politte are also “OR” at long snapper, and Dylan Edwards is an “OR” with Xavier Weaver for kick-returning duties.

Dylan Edwards, Alton McCaskill IV or Anthony Hankerson at RB1

Colorado will not have a true No. 1 RB in its season opener as there was an “OR” with Dylan Edwards, Anthony Hankerson and Alton McCaskill. Like kicker, their usage could also be determined by the situation.

Kavosiey Smoke, Sy’veon Wilkerson and Charlie Offerdahl were listed in that order under the top three.

Travis Hunter will start on both sides of the ball

This wasn’t a total surprise, but Travis Hunter was listed in a top spot at both wide receiver and cornerback. We’ll find out soon how much he’ll be used at each position.

Coach Prime rewarded those who had a strong fall camp

Coach Prime has made it very clear throughout his tenure as Colorado’s head coach that he does not play favorites. You’d think that with all the hype around Cormani McClain, he’d start in Week 1, but it is even clearer that he  had a slow start in fall camp.

On the flip side, we heard great things about Khairi Manns throughout fall camp, and he was rewarded with a starting spot. Plus, Marvin Ham II has impressed since spring ball, and he earned himself the top ILB spot ahead of Jackson State transfer Jeremiah Brown.

Full depth chart:

Story originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire