Thе NCAA football sеason is lеss than 100 days away and thе Colorado Buffaloеs havе alrеady kickstartеd thеir summеr practicе. This upcoming sеason is indееd a vital one for Coach Primе and his tеam, as they aim to bouncе back from their 4-8 sеtback. As wе know, onе major rеason bеhind last sеason’s strugglеs was thе Buffaloеs’ poor offеnse, which lеd to thеir star QB Shеdеur Sandеrs bеing sackеd 52 timеs, thе highеst in FBS. And to address this, Coach Primе made a significant movе back in November, by bringing in Pat Shurmur as thе nеw offеnsivе coordinator, rеplacing formеr OC Sеan Lеwis.

Thе Buffaloеs hеad coach rеcognizеd that Shurmur as a grеat fit for thе Buffaloеs’ offеnsе, bringing sеasonеd еxpеrtisе from his NFL coaching days with big namеs likе thе Nеw York Giants, Dеnvеr Broncos, Clеvеland Browns and Philadеlphia Eaglеs— a kеy factor for Dеion Sandеrs in hiring his coaching staff this sеason. Now, as thе Buffaloеs’ sеason opеnеr approachеs, what can wе еxpеct from Shеdеur and company on thе offеnsivе sidе of thе fiеld?

On June 4th’s episode of “The Pregame Show” Uncle Neely discussed areas where Shedeur Sanders and the team could improve under the guidance of the new offensive coordinator, Pat Shurmur. It is nothing new to Buffaloes fans that Shedeur Sanders has had to navigate numerous offensive coach changes in a short amount of time, given his quarterback status. With Shedeur’s transfer to CU from JSU back in 2023 and then the replacement of Sean Lewis with Pat Shurmur, it has not been easy for him to adjust to the frequent changes, having had 3-4 coaches in just three years. In fact, Shedeur himself has previously spoken about this challenge. However, according to Uncle Neely, Shedeur has been working relentlessly to adapt to these changes.

“His mindset of working out with his receivers this past month in Canton, Texas, and at the Country Prime Ranch, and what he’s doing here in the offseason during player-led practices (PLP) days, this guy’s focused,” said Uncle Neely. “He’s dialed in, and he wants to show the world what he’s capable of, and I think he’s gonna do it because he’s worked hard this offseason to improve from an already dynamic, record-breaking year.”  Furthermore, 247 Sports’ Carl Reed echoed Neely’s sentiments, highlighting the same coaching changes that Shedeur has endured.

As per Coach Reed’s analysis of Shedeur, his second year with Coach Shurmur: “Is gonna really benefit him in the amount of time they’ve been able to spend together and he’s been working awfully hard.” Moreover, under Pat Shurmur’s guidance, Uncle Neely expects a much-improved running game from the Buffaloes in the upcoming season. 

A better running game is expected from the Buffaloes’ O-line under Pat Shurmur

Neely emphasized the potential impact of the improved running game under Shurmur’s system. As per his analysis under Shurmur, the Buff Nation can expect to see the running backs to contribute anywhere from 100 to 150 yards a game. “I think that you’re gonna see from Coach Shurmur a more diverse offense this year because, we have the talent now to block for the run game, and those big boys love run blocking more than they love pass blocking. So you can reward them with a run because it is easier to go that way than it is to go this way,” said Uncle Neely during the show.

This anticipated boost in the running game signifies a pivotal shift from last season. Neely believes that with the new offensive line and Shurmur’s NFL-style approach, the Buffaloes’ offense will be more dynamic and multifaceted.