Most Important Players: #7 Terrance Lang

I AM CONCERNED. I have my fears and my doubts about the defensive line. At Colorado Football, depth along the line of scrimmage has been an elusive gift for the last 15 years. This year, it appears that the offensive line may be in OK shape. The defensive line, however, had five scholarship players participating in spring practice. That’s, uh, not good.

Luckily, Terrance Lang was one of those five. We all know how good Mustafa Johnson is, and Jalen Sami cannot be counted for anything yet. The big question mark this year is Terrance Lang, which is why he enters in at #7 on our countdown.

Lang has bulked up big time from his physique last year, and he looks like an NFL defensive end now. He is 6’5, long, and around 300 pounds. That is prototypical size. Last year, he exhibited an exciting bull rush and some nice plays against the run. For the Buffs to have mediocre success on defense this year, he needs to be more than that. Lang needs to be a consistent animal opposite Mustafa. If that happens, that is a top 3 DL pairing in the Pac-12.

It’s also just as likely that Lang does not make a giant leap. He could be the same player as last year, a middling Pac-12 starter with flashes of potential. If that happens, the depth issues at DL start to show up a bit more, the opposing offenses have an easy weak point to attack, and things can fall apart quick.

Terrance Lang, as an unknown that could be more than good, is a fulcrum for a lot of the defensive success this year. If he can consistently be what he has shown he can be, Lang is a beast that puts pressure on offenses. If he remains a flash in the pan, Lang becomes a depth piece on a unit with no proven depth.