Senior Buffaloes moving on to next endeavor

The Colorado Buffaloes Football team will have a lot of holes to fill this offseason, as multiple seniors have played their final game in a Buffs uniform.

An extremely talented and experienced group of seniors have had to say their goodbyes to the program after the season finale at Utah this past weekend. The Buffaloes dropped the game, 28-13.

Inside linebacker Nate Landman has made a significant mark on the entire football program, finishing his career 10th all-time in total tackles. Landman battled numerous injuries in his time at Colorado, including a season-ending Achilles injury in 2020 and a “soft tissue injury” that ended his fifth and final year on campus. It’s an unceremonious end to an incredible career, hopefully one that will continue into the NFL.

Along with Landman, head coach Karl Dorrell is losing starting defensive end Mustafa Johnson and offensive lineman Kary Kutsch. Johnson had a strange situation, as he left for the pros, but went undrafted and never showed up to training camp. He eventually exercised his extra year of eligibility and returned to the Buffs. Always a great disruptor, he was a key piece of a solid CU defense. Kutsch, meanwhile, was as solid as anyone on an OL that helped solidify the offense late in the season.

Aside from those fifth- or sixth-year seniors, there is still a possibility some other upperclassmen choose not to exercise their extra year of eligibility. Nothing is certain, but it would not be a surprise if players like Carson Wells or Terrance Lang left for the NFL, having spent five years on campus already. So far no one has announced their departures, but it’s something to keep an eye on as Spring position battles are right around the corner.

Heading into next season, Dorrell has nothing but high expectations for his underclassman. With a number of multi-year starters returning, including Jarek Broussard, Brendan Rice and Christian Gonzalez, there is plenty of experience to help fill the shoes of the departing seniors.