Tag: CU Buffs injury updates

Masked-up J’Vonne Hadley playing through facial fracture

J’Vonne Hadley shared his thoughts on playing through a fractured cheekbone

J’Vonne Hadley has been dubbed the “glue guy” of the Colorado men’s basketball team, often surpassing that label this season with his all-around play.

After missing the end of last season — his first with the Buffs — due to a pinky fracture, the senior guard has found himself injured again with a fractured cheekbone. The injury came during his career-high 24-point performance in the Buffs’ win over Washington on Jan. 24.

Hadley, known for his hustle and tough nature, is now playing through this injury with a mask protecting his face.

“Everybody knows it’s a fracture and stuff like that,” Hadley said following practice on Thursday afternoon. “It’s kind of hard to deal with a lot of different things with that. There’s a lot of pain with it. I just got to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

In addition to the pain, Hadley has dealt with the issue of finding a mask that fits. The mask he wore on Saturday at Washington State wasn’t fit to his face, obscuring the premier defender’s field of vision. Hadley scored only two points against the Cougars, ditching the mask at halftime.

On Thursday, he was practicing with a mask that had a better fit.

“It is what it is at this point,” Hadley said. “It’s either sit out or play, so I’d rather just take the chance to play.”

With Hadley finding a seemingly better solution, the Buffs are looking to bounce back against the Utah Utes on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff for an important Pac-12 matchup in Salt Lake City is set for 3 p.m. MT on the Pac-12 Network.

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Tristan da Silva, other key players out for CU Buffs’ Pac-12 opener vs. Washington

Colorado will be without multiple key players tonight against Washington

The Colorado men’s basketball team will be without several key players for Friday’s Pac-12 Conference opener against Washington.

Most notably, senior forward Tristan da Silva is out with an ankle injury that he suffered during practice on Thursday, according to BuffZone’s Pat Rooney. Da Silva ranks second on the team in points per game (15.7) and is shooting a career-high 53.6% from the field.

The timetable for da Silva’s return is currently unknown.

Rooney also reported that true freshman forward Bangot Dak (illness), guard RJ Smith (lower leg) and forward Cody Williams (left wrist) are unavailable for the Buffs.

With those four out, the Buffs have only seven healthy scholarship players available: Julian Hammond III, KJ Simpson, Luke O’Brien, J’Vonne Hadley, Eddie Lampkin Jr., Assane Diop and Joe Hurlburt. Guard Javon Ruffin, who hasn’t played all season due to a knee injury, was also warming up pregame, but his status is uncertain.

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT on ESPNU.

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REPORT: Javon Ruffin could return from injury later this season

If he continues to progress well, Javon Ruffin could return at some point this season

Initially expected to miss the entire 2023-24 campaign, Colorado men’s basketball guard Javon Ruffin is progressing well ahead of schedule from an offseason knee surgery.

Head coach Tad Boyle told BuffZone’s Pat Rooney that Ruffin returning to action later this season is now a possibility.

“He can do all the non-contact stuff right now,” Boyle told BuffZone. “He can run. He can do 5-on-0. He can do shooting. And he looks good. I hope we can get him back this year. We’ll see. I’m cautiously optimistic about it. But I have no time frame. It’s not going to be anything imminent.”

Ruffin suffered a knee injury late in his high school career and redshirted for the Buffs during his freshman season in 2021-22. Last year, the 6-foot-5 guard played in 24 games, averaging 6.0 points and 2.4 rebounds. He also ranked second on the team with a 35.8% mark from 3-point land.

With his physical and mental strength coming back, Ruffin is hopeful that he can make an impact later this season.

“I think I just got to the point where my body was feeling good,” Ruffin told BuffZone. “And then a lot of it was mental, once I felt comfortable. It’s healing well and better than expected. With all that and hearing good stuff from the doctors, and feeling good, it gave me some confidence to try to step back out there.”

Colorado hosts Washington on Friday in its Pac-12 opener.

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Coach Prime expecting Shedeur Sanders to be healthy for spring ball

Coach Prime gave an update on Shedeur Sanders’ health

Although he put up some impressive numbers, Shedeur Sanders’ first season as Colorado’s starting quarterback wasn’t easy. The junior took 52 sacks and missed the season’s final game due to injury.

Soon after the season ended, it was revealed that Sanders had suffered a fracture in his back.

Fortunately, Sanders is expected to be ready for spring ball, which typically begins around mid-March. In a Zoom interview with the Associated Press on Monday, Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders was confident that his son will be healthy when spring practices commence (h/t ESPN).

“Oh yeah, most definitely. He will be,” Sanders told the AP. “He just needs some rest and to heal up a little bit because he took a tremendous beating. And that provoked some things in me to do some things differently because the beating that he took — sometimes people forgot that I’m not only his coach, but that’s my son — so I understand that’s not how this is supposed to go.

“We’ve played youth league, high school and at an HBCU and we’ve never been beaten up like this. So, something had to change in that aspect.”

This upcoming spring season is another important one for CU football with another wave of new talent coming to Boulder. So far this offseason, Coach Prime has landed transfer commitments from four offensive linemen, three wide receivers and a tight end.

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Shedeur Sanders suffered a fracture in his back, per Well Off Media video

The exact nature of Shedeur Sanders’ injury has been revealed

The 2023 Colorado Buffaloes football season came to an end with another loss on Saturday, this one coming against Utah in Salt Lake City.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was not able to start due to injuries. His first season in Boulder started off strong but ended in disappointment, largely due to the poor play of the offensive line.

As it turns out, Sanders was dealing with a fracture in his back, according to a Well Off Media YouTube video that was posted on Sunday.

Sanders got hit and sacked a ton this season behind the offensive line. Fortunately, head coach Deion Sanders and his staff know that they must improve that position this offseason, whether it is via the transfer portal or through the program’s 2024 signing class.

Shedeur finished the season with impressive passing numbers, and now the discussions will increase on whether he will head for the 2024 NFL draft.

Nonetheless, Shedeur’s first season with the Buffs was full of excitement and he will now have some time to recover from his latest injury.

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Shedeur Sanders officially ruled out for Colorado’s season finale at Utah

Shedeur Sanders has officially been ruled out

As expected, Colorado will be without starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders in its season finale at Utah on Saturday, per multiple reports.

Sanders left last week’s game at Washington State early with multiple injuries and was considered day-to-day heading into the Buffs’ 2023 finale. But with Colorado no longer in contention for a bowl bid, head coach Deion Sanders played it safe and pulled the plug on his son’s junior season.

True freshman Ryan Staub will likely start in Shedeur’s place in the Buffs’ final Pac-12 game. The California product threw for 56 yards on 5-of-14 passing in relief of Shedeur last week. Walk-on Gavin Kuld, a junior college transfer, also saw a few snaps against Washington State.

In his first year at Colorado, Shedeur set the school’s single-season passing yards record (3,230) while throwing for 27 touchdowns and only three interceptions. The current expectation is that Shedeur will stay in Boulder for another season before declaring for the 2025 NFL draft.

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Shedeur Sanders considered day-to-day ahead of Colorado’s season finale

Shedeur Sanders is currently questionable to play in Colorado’s season finale

The punishment that Shedeur Sanders has taken all season finally reached a breaking point in Colorado’s Week 12 game at Washington State. After experiencing numbness in his right hand and later injuring his ankle, the most-sacked quarterback in major college football exited the 56-14 loss early.

Ahead of the Buffaloes’ season finale at Utah this weekend, CU head coach Deion Sanders provided a less-than-encouraging update on his son.

“Shedeur is not feeling well right now,” Coach Prime said Tuesday. “It’s a day-by-day situation with Shedeur. We’re praying that he gets healthy and he’s able to play because he is who he is. When he’s on the field, we have a tremendous chance to win.”

If Shedeur is unable to play, backup Ryan Staub will likely get the start. The true freshman from California threw for 56 yards on 5-of-14 passing against Washington State in his second appearance of the season.

“Staub, he’s been getting a lot of work anyway the last several weeks,” Coach Prime said. “Prayerfully he can digest the playbook, digest what we expect of him, so he could go out and perform if he’s called upon.”

Gavin Kuld, a junior college transfer, also saw a few snaps under center in Pullman.

As BuffZone’s Pat Rooney suggested, it may be in Shedeur’s best interest to sit out the season finale. The Buffs are no longer fighting for a bowl game and an additional injury could be detrimental to his — and Colorado’s — future.

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Colorado without several key defensive players at Washington State

Several key defensive players are not in uniform tonight for the Buffs

Especially on defense, Colorado is extremely shorthanded heading into its Week 12 matchup at Washington State.

Those not in uniform include linebacker/safety Trevor Woods, linebacker Juwan Mitchell, linebacker Brendan Gant, cornerback Omarion Cooper and defensive backs Myles Slusher and Vito Tisdale, per BuffStampede’s Adam Munsterteiger.

Munsterteiger also reported that running back Kavosiey Smoke, tight end Caleb Fauria and placekicker Jace Feely are out.

It’s unclear yet the reason for each absence, but several of those aforementioned names haven’t seen the field much this season.

Defensively, freshmen Jaden Milliner-Jones and Cormani McClain, who have each received praise in recent days, are both starting in Colorado’s backfield.

The Cougars took full advantage of Colorado’s shorthanded defense in their first offensive possession on Friday night, driving 65 yards for an early touchdown.

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Cody Williams to return for Colorado’s Tuesday home game against Milwaukee

Cody Williams is expected to return for tonight’s game against Milwaukee

After wins over Towson and Grambling State to start the season, the Colorado men’s basketball team is 2-0 and ranked No. 25 in the latest Associated Press poll.

The Buffs got just four points from star freshman Cody Williams in the opener against Towson before he missed Friday’s Grambling State game due to a lower leg injury.

But, all signs point to Williams being good to go for Tuesday’s game against Milwaukee, as Pat Rooney of BuffZone reported that Williams will play.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports also confirmed the news on Tuesday morning, so this is a huge step in the right direction for the Buffs.

Williams is expected to be a massive part of head coach Tad Boyle’s rotation for a loaded Buffs team with NCAA Tournament aspirations, and he even has the makings of a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

Tipoff between the Buffs and Panthers is set for 7 p.m. MT on the Pac-12 Network. The game is part of the Sunshine Slam Tournament.

Offensive tackle Savion Washington returns to practice for CU Buffs

Colorado’s starting right tackle returned to practice on Monday

After missing the past couple of games with an ankle injury, it appears that the Colorado Buffaloes will be getting back a key piece to their offensive line as they travel to Pasadena this weekend to take on UCLA.

It was shared by Well Off Media that starting right tackle Savion Washington returned to practice on Monday and he appears likely to play against the Bruins. Washington will be a welcomed addition back into the starting lineup for Shedeur Sanders, who remains one of the most-sacked quarterbacks in college football.

Watch the clip below as Washington addresses the team about getting back on track this weekend against the Bruins.

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