Football is back in Boulder. 

Well, technically for Colorado the 2026 season begins in just over one month at Georgia Tech, but the preparation on the field for Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes officially starts this week.

CU players reported back to campus this weekend ahead of the team’s trip down south to Colorado Springs, where the first week of training camp will take place in coordination with UCCS and Fountain-Fort Carson High School.

The Buffs will return to Boulder on Saturday and remain there until they travel to Atlanta for the Sept. 3 season opener.

Here are five storylines to watch as Coach Prime’s team looks to bounce back from a disappointing 3-9 season in 2025:

Julian Lewis and the ‘GoGo’ offense

It’s a pairing that will certainly define this upcoming season for the Buffs, but it’s also one that may define each other’s future in college football and the remainder of Sanders’ tenure. Redshirt freshman quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis is just 18 years old, but with a year of experience in a college locker room as he enters his first season as a full-time starter under new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, whose “GoGo” offense has had plenty of success in recent years at both UNLV and Sacramento State. Lewis played about two and a half games’ worth of reps spread across four last fall and the talent that made him a five-star recruit out of Georgia flashed. Lewis has said this offseason that learning a new offense has had its challenges, but it should provide him with ample opportunities for success with plenty of talent at wide receiver.

Who’s going to start on the offensive line?

Marion has shown at previous stops that an elite offensive line is not a requirement for his offense to be successful and he’s got plenty of tricks up his sleeve to maximize the talent at the skill positions if the five guys up front start to struggle, but it’s the unit on the offense that also has the potential to raise the ceiling even further. Marion likes to utilize the run game often with multiple backs in the formation and it’s more than just a weapon to set up explosive passes downfield. There are probably nine or 10 players battling for a starting spot on the offensive line, with Houston transfer center Demetrius Hunter the only player who feels like a lock to start early in the season. Sophomore Yahya Attia is the most notable returner and should feature at either guard spot, but there are plenty of newcomers fighting for the other three spots, with Cal transfer Leon Bell, Rutgers transfer Taj White, Georgia transfer Bo Hughley and Missouri transfer Jayven Richardson the most intriguing.

Ezra Christensen’s uncertain status

This isn’t something to watch on the field, rather in the courtroom. A ruling from U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Denver sent shock waves throughout college athletics, making 2022 high school graduates who had previously exhausted eligibility eligible to be grandfathered into the NCAA’s new 5-for-5 rule that begins this year. That won’t have much of an effect on players trying to rejoin the Buffs roster, but it does strengthen the case of defensive lineman Ezra Christensen, who is seeking a waiver to play this season after transferring in from New Mexico State after beginning his career in the junior college ranks. If eligible, Christensen projects to play a big role on the CU defensive line this season and dramatically change the conversation around the depth with that unit.

Proven linebackers set to make a big impact

The CU defense took a major step back in 2025 and that’s arguably the biggest reason the Buffs regressed from a 9-win team to a 3-win team, despite defensive coordinator Robert Livingston still leading that unit. Livingston is now with the Broncos and Chris Marve, who was originally hired this offseason to coach the linebackers, was quickly promoted due to his previous coordinator experience at the Power 4 level. Marve’s unit should have a higher floor this season due to a trio of experienced transfer linebackers, all of whom should likely be more productive than anyone the Buffs had at that spot last season. Texas’ Liona Lefau is the headliner, but Bowling Green transfer Gideon Lampron was a star in the Group of Six ranks last year as the only player in the entire country with more than 100 tackles and more than 15 tackles for loss. New Mexico State transfer Tyler Martinez will factor in, as well.

Who steps up in the secondary?

The potential for the biggest stars on the new-look CU defense are in the secondary. Notre Dame transfer cornerback Cree Thomas was arguably the biggest standout on the entire team in the spring and looks to be the team’s top cornerback heading into the fall. Elsewhere in the secondary, Tennessee transfer Boo Carter could make a big impact both as a nickel cornerback and as a punt returner. He’s a former SEC All-Freshman team honoree with loads of potential who saw his time with the Volunteers come to an abrupt end after leaving the program before the end of last season.