Tag: Kaleb Mathis

Walk-on WR Kaleb Mathis standing out at practice for CU Buffs

Walk-on Kaleb Mathis, who earned his first bout of ample playing time at UCLA, has impressed at practice

We could be seeing more of Kaleb Mathis in Colorado’s final four regular season games.

According to head coach Deion Sanders, Mathis has done just about everything right at practice so far this year. In turn, the freshman walk-on wide receiver earned his first ample bout of playing time at UCLA last week, catching four passes for 15 yards.

Coach Prime added that Mathis and quarterback Shedeur Sanders have developed a strong chemistry together.

“He runs routes at the right depth and he turns around and catches the ball — consistently. Every day in practice he does it,” Sanders said. “Anytime you put him out there, he does what’s right. He don’t have any busts whatsoever, meaning running the wrong route, running the wrong play, running the wrong depth. And Shedeur has a chemistry with him as well. That’s what he did to earn it. He’s a consistent football player and we love him.”

In the spring, Mathis was also one of only a handful of players to earn their jersey number.

With Pat Shurmur now expected to help offensive coordinator Sean Lewis with play-calling duties, it’ll be interesting to see how Mathis fits into Colorado’s offense moving forward.

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Kaleb Mathis could work his way into a starting role for Colorado

A walk-on wide receiver could sneak his way into a starting role next season, Zach Segars says

The Buffaloes have compiled an amount of talent that hasn’t been seen at CU in a long, long time.

From five-star talents like Travis Hunter and Cormani McClain to four-stars such as Dylan Edwards, Omarion Miller and Alton McCaskill, Colorado is flush with flair. While those stars are primed to make a strong impact in 2023, the team’s more overlooked players also have to produce if the Buffs are to compete in the Pac-12.

The most successful college football programs have always been able to take lesser-known recruits and develop them into star players. Who will become the next dark horse to step up and become a starting-caliber player for the Buffaloes? We went to Zach Segars of Mile High Sports to see who he believes will make an unexpected impact for the Buffs this season:

It’s not that hard to imagine a world where (Kaleb) Mathis is practically a starter in his own right, filling the void left by Montana Lemonious-Craig. Throughout the spring practices and spring showcase, the connection between Mathis and Sanders was one of the more natural and seamless on the roster. On defense, I’ll go with Marvin Ham II. There’s loads of competition in that LB room with LaVonta Bentley and Demouy Kennedy, but he still managed to stand out all spring long. Another name I’ll throw out is Rodrick Ward. He’s a jack of all trades at safety who’s played a lot of football and didn’t transfer to CU to simply ride the pine.

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Takeaways from Colorado football’s first spring game under Deion Sanders

What did you take away from the spring game?

The biggest spring game in the history of Colorado football was a success.

Folsom Field stayed full despite the cold weather, in-game mistakes were few and head coach Deion Sanders made the most of his two hours live on ESPN. Even more, Coach Prime helped create a special moment with 98-year-old super fan Peggy Coppom delivering an honorary kickoff.

The waiting game now commences as the Buffaloes are just over four months away from kicking off against TCU on Sept. 2. We’re still in for an eventful offseason, though.

Here are my five takeaways from Colorado’s first spring game of the Coach Prime era:

Two more CU Buffs earn jersey numbers

Walk-on receiver Kaleb Mathis and LB Marvin Ham II have earned their jersey numbers

Veteran linebacker Marvin Ham II and walk-on freshman receiver Kaleb Mathis became the latest two Buffaloes to earn their uniform numbers on Saturday.

Ham has worn No. 7 since breaking in with the Buffs in 2019, but he’s now sporting No. 25 as Jackson State transfer safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig selected No. 7 first earlier this spring.

“I think last year they had him at Sam so he was at the end of the line, where I look at his body type and he looks more like an inside ‘backer and since we’ve moved him there he’s smart and he’s been moving around well,” Colorado linebackers coach Andre’ Hart said of Ham following practice on Thursday.

Mathis, the son of new CU cornerbacks coach Kevin Mathis, joined the team in January as an early enrollee and chose No. 13.

Less than one week until Colorado’s spring game on Saturday, a total of 11 Buffs have earned their uniform number, including now four returning players from last season.

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