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Nate Landman is going to be a huge loss for the Colorado Buffaloes. He is one of the best linebackers in the country, one of the best linebackers in Colorado history, and the unquestioned leader of the Colorado defense. Tyson Summers has the unenviable task of trying to fill his shoes. Zephaniah Maea will have a role in that eventually, and he is signing with the Buffs today.
Maea is from Nevada, one of the better states for the Buffs to start raiding. Maea is a classic MLB, with a 6’1, 230 pound frame. This is what we said about him when he committed:
Maea plays downhill. He is a wrecking ball in the middle of field, diagnosing and hitting first. He’s trained to read the backfield well, and moves immediately towards the ball. He’s a little small for a MLB, but he wraps up well, comes in hard, and doesn’t play as small as he seems. He is a run-stopper first, so he will need to work on pass coverage in order to be a better player.
A run-stopper fits right in with this front seven after losing Nate Landman.
A hard hitting, physical ILB - a on and off the field
— Karl Dorrell (@k_dorrell) December 16, 2020
Welcome Home, @ZephaniahMaea!
#Elevate21 pic.twitter.com/kSoqKDnMxN
Welcome to the family, Zephaniah!