Tag: Shane Cokes

Colorado standout Shane Cokes named to Allstate Wuerffel Trophy watch list

Shane Cokes was named to the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy watch list

One of Colorado football’s top leaders, defensive lineman Shane Cokes was named to the 2024 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy watch list Thursday.

The award is presented annually to the Football Bowl Subdivision player who “best combines exemplary community service with leadership and performance on and off the field,” according to the Wuerfell Trophy website.

Cokes, a graduate student, began his college career at Dartmouth before transferring to Colorado prior to last season. With the Big Green, he earned the team’s 2021 Charles (Stubbie) ’42 Pearson Award in recognition of his character, on-campus leadership, high academic standing and on-field performance.

As one of the Buffaloes’ top player leaders, Cokes wore an “L” on his jersey last season and started in nine of Colorado’s 12 games. The 6-foot-3, 275-pound lineman recorded 29 total tackles.

Cokes was one of several Colorado players who volunteered at a local food bank in June:

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Championship mentality growing within CU Buffs

A championship mentality is growing within the #cubuffs football program

The Colorado football team went 1-11 last year. However, despite that, the Buffs are certainly catching everybody’s attention with Deion Sanders’ brand new roster and coaching staff.

Shane Cokes, who transferred from Dartmouth and has been performing well so far in Boulder, talked about CU’s goals in a recent article by David Ubben of The Athletic (subscription required):

“Championship, that’s our goal,” Cokes told The Athletic. “That’s what we want to reach for our first year, no matter what. We’re all working together to reach that common goal, and it comes from the top down, having Coach Prime’s idea in mind of winning that championship. It’s not a bounce-back year, go 6-6.”

It’s a bold goal, but that is the type of confidence and drive that Coach Prime is bringing to this program. If the Buffs make a bowl game in 2023, that would be considered a success to many people, but the players and coaches apparently have their eyes set on greater heights.

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Shane Cokes bringing versatility to Colorado’s defense

Shane Cokes talked to us about the versatility he brings to Colorado’s D

The Colorado Buffaloes were in dire need of playmakers along the defensive front, and they went looking all over the country to make sure they had all of their bases covered ahead of the 2023 season. One of their best finds has been Shane Cokes, who comes to Boulder via Hanover, New Hampshire.

The former Dartmouth defensive lineman is a player that Buffaloes fans need to become acquainted with. Cokes has become a favorite of the coaching staff since he joined the team, becoming the first defensive player to earn his jersey number in spring ball while elevating himself to the first-team defense.

I asked Cokes about what he brings to the team and how he can help the Buffaloes win games in the fall:

“My versatility is the biggest thing,” Cokes said. “I can play zero, two, three, four, five (and) wide nine. That’s what I do. There’s no position I can’t play. I’ve appreciated that a lot just having guys like coach (defensive coordinator Charles) Kelly and (defensive tackles) coach Sal (Sunseri) that are willing to move me around. They know and trust that I can play anywhere on the defensive front.”

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Examining Colorado’s new-look group of pass rushers

Our Tony Cosolo broke down which #cubuffs could excel in the pass rush

When the Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50, they were led by one of the best defensive units of all time. That group was powered by their pass rush, a so-called “NASCAR” package that put as many pass rushers on the field at the same time as possible.

With the reconstruction of Colorado’s roster nearly complete, a focus has been placed on the defensive line. When looking at the Buffs’ potential depth chart (h/t Jake Schwanitz of DNVR), your mind starts to wonder about what this team can do on passing downs.

Dartmouth transfer Shane Cokes will most certainly be leading the charge from the middle in base and pass rushing situations with former Arkansas DL Jordan Domineck holding down an outside spot. CU could then get creative by playing a bigger EDGE player, possibly Sav’ell Smalls, at the other inside spot to gain a pass rush mismatch against a guard. Throw in a Derrick McLendon on the other outside spot and you have a pass rush that could potentially make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.

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What we learned schematically about Colorado from the spring game

Our Tony Cosolo broke down what we saw from an Xs and Os standpoint in Colorado’s spring game

I am an X’s and O’s nerd when it comes to sports, especially football. I love to track the formations, personnel groupings and pace of play that a team employs during a season.

This spring session has been torture for me seeing so much of the Colorado Buffaloes football team on social media, but not having a good handle on what the actual football will look like come next season.

We received a partial answer to some of these questions during the spring game on Saturday when the Buffaloes took the field for the first time in an organized fashion in front of fans. There will probably be a lot of changes to the team between now and when the season kick offs against TCU, but here are some general schematic notes I took from Colorado’s spring game:

Colorado spring football: Deion Sanders gives midway update

Deion Sanders gave a quick update on Colorado’s spring football season

The Colorado Buffaloes have finished another week of spring practice in preparation for the upcoming spring game, and head coach Deion Sanders took some time to meet with the media on Saturday.

Sanders was his normal jovial self as he greeted the media. He touched upon the structure of the offense, the players who have earned their jersey numbers and how hard his staff is still hitting the recruiting trail, among other topics.

We’re now at about the midway point of the spring practice season with the Black & Gold Day finale at Folsom Field set for April 22.

Below are a few quotes from Coach Prime’s Saturday media availability:

Colorado spring football: Five Buffs turning heads early

With the first week of spring practice complete, here are five Buffs who’ve been turning heads early on

The first week of spring practice is in the books for Colorado and head coach Deion Sanders.

So far, we’ve been hearing mostly positive returns from the new-look Buffs. There’s still plenty of work to be done regarding learning new playbooks and figuring out who fits best where, but I’d chalk March up as a productive month, and the hope is that April follows suit.

Additionally, a few players, including a pair of returning Buffs, have shined especially bright early in camp. Four spring practices into the Coach Prime era, below are five Buffs who’ve been turning heads in a variety of ways:

Dartmouth transfer Shane Cokes seeing more intensity from Colorado’s D-line

Shane Cokes is seeing more and more intensity from Colorado’s D-line early in spring camp

Colorado’s defensive line, a group that greatly underperformed last season, is on the rise early in spring camp, according to Dartmouth transfer Shane Cokes.

The 6-foot-3, 275-pound lineman joined the media following practice on Wednesday and said that he has been impressed by the intensity of both his own position group and the team as a whole. We’re still only one week into spring camp, but it’s encouraging to see at least one transfer speak highly of what he’s seen so far.

“I would say from today (and) from the past few days, we’ve put in a lot more work and made a lot more plays,” Cokes said of the Buffs’ D-line. “I think it’s a growing process — out with the old and in with the new. Taking what coach (Nick) Williams and coach (Sal) Sunseri have been teaching us and just becoming better for it, I think that’s what’s really been exciting for us, just raising that intensity level each and every day.”

Cokes added that adjusting to Power Five football has been made easier with several other new Buffs also in a transitional period.

Other transfers joining the D-line include Taylor Upshaw (Michigan), Taijh Alston (West Virginia), Jordan Domineck (Arkansas) and Leonard Payne Jr. (Fresno State).

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Transfers making strong impressions for Buffs early on

A few incoming transfers have been making strong impressions early on

The Colorado Buffaloes’ long list of incoming transfer players will surely make a massive difference in year one under new coach Deion Sanders.

Jackson State QB Shedeur Sanders and cornerback Travis Hunter are the two biggest names of the portal season for Colorado, and both will have an immediate impact.

However, a couple of other transfer payers have been making strong impressions early on, according to Clint Brewster of 247Sports.

Those players include former USF WR Jimmy Horn Jr., Dartmouth DL Shane Cokes and Florida OL Yousef Mugharbil. One other player turning heads and expected to be a significant addition is Alabama LB Demouy Kennedy

Cokes should be an immediate contributor on the defensive line, which is refreshing after Colorado had a disastrous year on that side of the ball.

On offense, Horn figures to be one of Shedeur Sanders’ favorite offensive weapons.

However, there might still be some question marks regarding Mugharbil. He was a four-star recruit out of high school but didn’t play a single snap during his two seasons with the Gators. Nonetheless, all of those players, and Kennedy, are making impressions early on.

The spring game will be in April and with an anticipated sold-out crowd, the excitement is very real in Boulder once again.

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