BYU football players and coaches have kept an eye on Colorado the last half of the Big 12 season with the thought that they might see the Buffaloes in the conference championship game.
Obviously, that didn’t happen, as BYU, CU, Iowa State and Arizona State all finished with 7-2 league records and the Cyclones and Sun Devils got to play in Arlington, Texas, due to a complicated tiebreaker system.
However, the close watch on Colorado is paying dividends now, as the Cougars will face coach Deion Sanders’ No. 23-ranked squad in the Alamo Bowl (5:30 p.m. MST, ABC) on Dec. 28 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
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For the past 10 days, since the matchup was announced on Dec. 8, the Cougars have increased their film study on CU and its plethora of superstars such as Heisman Trophy winner and two-way player Travis Hunter, quarterback Shedeur Sanders and receivers Will Sheppard and Jimmy Horn Jr.
To say the Cougars are impressed would be an understatement.
Monday, BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said Hunter is “probably the best football player I have ever seen” and that it will be an honor to coach against the “NFL-style” Colorado defense.
“He is an unbelievable player,” Roderick said of Hunter, who plays receiver and cornerback. “To play 100-and-something snaps every game, and be that good on offense, and then cover people the way he does in the fourth quarter of games, after he has played 100 plays, I have never seen anything like it. Lots of respect for him.”
Roderick noted that CU defensive coordinator Robert Livingston coached in the NFL for 12 seasons (with the Cincinnati Bengals) and that Sanders has established his aggressive, attacking style in Boulder on both sides of the ball.
“They are very skilled, play lots of man coverage,” Roderick said. “And their pass rush is real. Those defensive ends want to get to the quarterback. They are a very good defense. I have a lot of respect for these guys. They are good.”
BYU’s Keelan Marion, who on Tuesday made yet another All-America team (FWAA first team) for his work as a kick returner, said he has known Hunter since they were high school rivals in the Atlanta area and used the same trainer in the offseason.
Marion prepped at Grayson High in Loganville, Georgia, before starting his collegiate career at UConn, while Hunter prepped at Collins Hill High in Suwanee, Georgia, and began his career at Jackson State before following Coach Prime to Colorado.
“He has always been that kid before everybody knew who he was,” Marion said. “He has always been the same guy he is today. So, shoutout to Trav. I am very excited. … He puts in the work and it shows why he won the Heisman.”
On the other side of the ball, BYU safety Tanner Wall is also looking forward to defending Hunter, who also won the Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver in the country.
“We are just excited, you know? I mean, the competitor in all of us, we want to play against the best, so seeing Travis winning the Heisman on Saturday, I think we were all excited knowing that we get to go out and play against the Heisman winner (in addition to) all the other awards that he won,” Wall said. “He’s a very respected player. So we are excited for that challenge.”
“He has always been that kid before everybody knew who he was. He has always been the same guy he is today. So, shoutout to Trav. I am very excited. … He puts in the work and it shows why he won the Heisman.”
— BYU’s Keelan Marion, who knew Travis Hunter from his prep days in Georgia
Wall said Colorado has the best passing offense the Cougars will face this season, and one of the best quarterbacks in Shedeur Sanders, if not the best.
“I would say just his poise in the pocket, and how accurate he is passing (stands out),” Wall said. “Obviously, his completion percentage (74.2%) is super high, and he always puts the ball on the money. And his receivers, they find ways to get open. He finds creative ways to get them the ball. He will put the ball in tight windows.”
Wall will be without his running mate in the secondary, as starting strong safety Crew Wakley entered the transfer portal on Dec. 9 and obviously won’t play in the bowl game. Wakley played more than 350 snaps in 2024, posting 44 tackles, two interceptions and a sack.
“It is going to require some of the younger players to step up, which has happened throughout the season,” Wall said. “Guys like Raider Damuni and Tommy (Prassas) and Faletau (Satuala) are going to be guys who are stepping up and filling those shoes to make some plays.”
That’s a lot to ask. Putting freshmen on the likes of Hunter, Sheppard and Horn does not seem like a recipe for success, but BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill said the “next man up mentality” has worked all year for the Cougars and will be counted on again at the Alamodome.
“Well, Crew was a great player, made a lot of plays for us, and stuff like that,” Hill said. “… We have some really talented young safeties in that group that I am excited to see how they play in this game. … Those guys will go in and play good. I really believe that.”
Hill called Hunter “one of the best athletes in the country” and said Shedeur Sanders — who finished in eighth place in the Heisman voting — is a “phenomenal quarterback” and the most accurate and effective passer BYU has faced in the last two years.
“I know the players are super excited about defending these guys. It is not just (Hunter),” Hill said. “They have other guys too that we are going to have to raise our level of execution and just how we play. So, it will be fun, and a great challenge.”
Also Monday, Roderick confirmed that BYU will be without two key offensive linemen in the bowl game, senior right tackle Brayden Keim and his backup, junior Isaiah Jatta, who transferred to BYU from Colorado, of all places.
