Last season, the Colorado Buffaloes had one of the best quarterbacks in college football, Shedeur Sanders. However, his offensive line’s frequent struggles were a major reason the Buffs won only four games.
It was no secret that Colorado’s line needed a rebuild. Sanders faced relentless pressure from opposing defenses all season and was sacked over 50 times. That wear and tear ultimately forced him to miss time at the end of the season.
Head coach Deion Sanders and new offensive line coach Phil Loadholt were able to attack that position this offseason, landing impact players such as five-star freshman Jordan Seaton, UTEP transfer Justin Mayers and Indiana transfer Kahlil Benson.
In a recent interview with Coach Prime, Fox Sports analyst and former Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt gave his thoughts on the importance of strong O-line play:
“When I evaluated the film of the games that you guys were able to protect him (Shedeur Sanders), you went up and down the field,” Klatt said. “He was sacked 50-plus times, which is an unbelievable number. I’m sitting here, I’m looking at your team, your improvement on the offensive line, and I’m thinking to myself: If Shedeur only gets sacked half of the time, let’s say less than 25 times, which is still a lot by the way, there are guys out there, Bo Nix from Oregon got sacked like six times. I’m saying if you go under 25, that’s four more wins.”
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