Colorado head coach Deion Sanders promised an offensive line overhaul and he’s delivering.
On Saturday, four starting linemen from FBS teams committed to the Buffaloes, as well as a veteran receiver.
Center Yakiri Walker (Connecticut), guards Tyler Johnson (Houston) and Justin Mayers (UTEP) and tackle Kahlil Benson (Indiana) all announced their verbal commitments to CU. Also, former North Carolina State receiver Terrell Timmons Jr. announced his decision to transfer to the Buffs.
CU struggled up front all season, allowing a school-record 56 sacks, while also having the worst rushing offense in the country. At one point, Sanders expressed frustration by saying, “The big picture, you go get new linemen. That’s the picture and I’m gonna paint it perfectly.”
That process is well underway.
According to Pro Football Focus, the four linemen who committed Saturday have given up a combined eight sacks on 2,962 pass blocking snaps over the past two seasons. They’ve also got a combined 76 career starts at the FBS level.
Johnson, listed at 6-foot-5, 320 pounds, was a two-year starter at Houston. This past season, he started all 12 games for the Cougars at left guard, playing 661 total snaps. He had a total grade of 65.7 by PFF, including a pass blocking grade of 80.0.
In 2022, he made 10 starts at right guard. His PFF pass blocking grade of 87.6 was sixth nationally among guards and he was named to PFF’s All-American Athletic Conference third team. According to PFF, he allowed one sack in 2022 and one in 2023.
A four-star recruit coming out of Oak Ridge (Texas) High School in 2019, Johnson played for three seasons at Texas. He made just one appearance for the Longhorns, however, starting against CU in the Alamo Bowl and logging 61 snaps.
Benson was Indiana’s starting right tackle for all 12 games this season. The 6-6, 310-pounder from Southaven, Miss., was a three-star recruit coming out of high school in 2020 and chose the Hoosiers over 10 other schools.
This season, Benson allowed one sack, according to PFF. He played in 12 games in 2022 with five starts at guard. He missed the 2020 season with a torn ACL and did not appear in any games in 2021. He’s got two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Mayers, listed at 6-3, 309, was All-Conference USA honorable mention the past two seasons at UTEP, starting all 24 games for the Miners at left guard. According to PFF, he has allowed just two sacks in the past two seasons combined, posting pass block ratings of 82.5 in 2022 and 84.1 this year.
From Frisco, Texas, Mayers spent five seasons at UTEP. He redshirted in 2019 and played in 11 games over the next two seasons as a reserve.
Walker, listed by UConn at 6-foot-2, 272 pounds, started all 12 games for the Huskies this season at center, playing 797 snaps. He had a PFF grade of 65.5, which was the lowest among UConn’s five starting linemen, but he allowed just one sack in 435 pass blocking snaps.
Walker, who is from DeSoto (Texas) High School, has played three seasons at UConn. He redshirted in 2021 and played 37 snaps in 2022 before winning a starting job this past season.
On Thursday, CU landed a commitment from the No. 1 prep tackle prospect in the country, Jordan Seaton, from IMG Academy in Florida.
Also this week, Amari Ward, who played for Sanders at Jackson State, announced his commitment to the Buffs.
CU is losing just one primary lineman (guard Landon Bebee) to graduation, but starting left tackle Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan and center Van Wells have gone into the transfer portal to seek other opportunities.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Timmons comes to CU after playing a backup role at NC State. As a sophomore this year, he played in all 12 games, with one start, catching 11 passes for 195 yards. In 2022, Timmons played in nine games as a true freshman, catching three passes for 79 yards and a touchdown.
A three-star recruit coming out Northern Guilford (N.C.) High School in 2022, Timmons is the cousin of Los Angeles Chargers receiver Keenan Allen.
