In reviewing movie of Colorado’s 2021 soccer season, Mike Sanford was impressed with quarterback Brendon Lewis.
Definitely, Lewis may have performed higher throughout his freshman season, however Sanford, CU’s new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, noticed intangibles that he favored.
“What I used to be so impressed with final 12 months when watching the movie was his toughness,” Sanford stated. “I imply, that’s the No. 1 attribute that I’m on the lookout for in a quarterback. The traits that we’re going to play with right here at CU goes to be all concerning the toughness of that place.
“As difficult because the season was mentally and, frankly, as difficult because the season was bodily for Brendon, he by no means batted a watch. He continued to return again. He’s a fighter.”
Whether or not or not these traits assist Lewis hold the beginning job in 2022 stays to be seen, however Sanford goes into his first offseason with the Buffs believing they’ve the instruments to be higher at a very powerful place on the sphere.
“We have now sufficient in that room,” Sanford stated. “There’s sufficient clay in that room to have the ability to construct this offense round their talent units.”
In the meantime, head coach Karl Dorrell is banking on Sanford being the man to mould the clay.
“I feel the largest factor that I drew from (Sanford’s) expertise and taking a look at his physique of labor was that he’s developed all forms of quarterbacks,” Dorrell stated. “I might say that each one these forms of quarterbacks, in his expertise I felt like he’s maximized their talent set. They’ve had productive years and have had alternatives to play on the subsequent degree.
“In at this time’s sport of soccer at this degree, it’s a must to have a coach that may coach the quarterback and actually get the max out of that talent set. (Sanford) has gotten probably the most out of these gamers and we would have liked that kind of coach main our offense right here in 2022.”
Since 2015, Sanford has coached three quarterbacks who have been NFL draft decisions: Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer (2017 second round), Western Kentucky’s Mike White (2018 fifth spherical) and Utah State’s Jordan Love (2020 first spherical). He’s additionally coached Minnesota’s Tanner Morgan, a four-year starter who’s returning for a last season subsequent fall.
CU hasn’t had a quarterback drafted since Koy Detmer in 1997. For now, nonetheless, Sanford’s major aim is to easily discover the quarterback to guide the Buffs’ offense in 2022.
Lewis began all 12 video games final season, however threw for only one,540 yards and 10 touchdowns, finishing 58 p.c of his passes. He threw solely three interceptions however was one of many lowest-rated passers within the Pac-12 because the Buffs averaged solely 18.8 factors per sport.
This offseason, Lewis will compete with junior JT Shrout, who missed final season with a knee damage; true sophomore Drew Carter; and redshirt freshman Maddox Kopp, an incoming switch from Houston. True freshmen Owen McCown and Oakie Salave’a are additionally within the combine, though McCown received’t arrive till the summer time and Salave’a may wind up taking part in on protection.
“That place is all the time open for competitors,” Sanford stated. “We’re all the time going to compete, and all the time say we’re going to compete with one another, not towards one another. I made that very clear to the offensive (workers) … that there’s not going to be sort of a Workforce JT and a Workforce Brendon or Workforce Drew. That is going to be our offense, and we’re gonna work collectively.”
Lewis and Shrout competed all through the 2021 offseason till Shrout injured his knee in mid-August. From that time, Lewis was the clear-cut possibility. Now, with Shrout, Carter, Kopp and others battling, Sanford anticipates a better degree of play.
“Based mostly off of what I heard a 12 months in the past, when each JT and Brendon have been wholesome, they have been seeing the perfect out of one another,” Sanford stated. “The competitiveness between one another was bringing out the perfect in Brendon, bringing out the perfect in JT and that’s what I need.”
Spring practices begin in late March, so at this level, Sanford and the workers are throwing rather a lot on the group to allow them to study the offense.
“In the end, proper now we’re placing a system in place that actually may embody the talent units of any person who can run tremendously at quarterback or any person that’s going to be a surgeon on the line of scrimmage and get us to the precise performs,” Sanford stated. “We’re going to offer (Lewis) a contemporary begin. We’re going to offer all the room a contemporary begin to exit and compete.
“We have now every little thing that we want on this room to go perform at a excessive degree. I actually do imagine that. Now it’s my job to go prepare these quarterbacks, to develop their talent units. I do know they’re keen, I do know they’re hungry to change into higher gamers.”