Colorado went viral for all of the wrong reasons at its college football spring game. Not only did the Buffaloes draw a pathetic crowd, they were ruthlessly mocked by the internet for being “too small.”
The players are pushing back on that narrative.
Does size reflect talent in college football? Not necessarily.
The spring game video went viral.
Colorado saw a major drop off in year three of the Deion Sanders era. The Buffaloes went from 4-8 in 2023 to 9-4 in 2024 to 3-9 in 2025. They won only one conference game. It was a disaster.
This year’s roster will look completely different. Colorado added 43 (!!) incoming transfers during the offseason, including a few four-star prospects, but it lost just as many star players to the portal as it added. Five-star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton was the most high-profile player to leave. Four-star wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. was the most high-profile player to arrive.
The Black and Gold scrimmage was the first public reveal of the new roster. It was a good day overall.
The Buffaloes looked explosive in Brennan Marion’s “Go-Go” offense, despite a limited playbook. Alabama transfer running back Richard Young proved he will be hard to bring down and starting quarterback Julian Lewis looked legit.
Julian Lewis to Danny Scudero for the TD…beautiful 🥲 pic.twitter.com/ONXOfLU7cH
— LockedOnBuffs (@LockedOnBuffs) April 11, 2026
Although there seem to be some dudes on the front seven, it was the secondary that really stood out on the other side of the ball. Tennessee transfer safety Boo Carter made some big plays and freshman cornerback Maurice Williams was all over the field.
Issac Wilson picked off by Freshman Maurice Williams 🔥 pic.twitter.com/B2aHGgpFMN
— Colorado Buffs HQ 🦬 (@_SkoBuffs) April 11, 2026
The extremely small amount of fans who were in attendance at the spring game were encouraged by what they saw. Coach Prime overhauled his roster and coaching staff during the offseason and the expectation is that Colorado will be back in a bowl game, at the very least. The ceiling is much higher.
However, the biggest moment from the weekend was the runout during pregame. Julian Lewis led his team onto the field in a viral video that has now been watched more than five million times.
Julian Lewis leads the Buffs on the field 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ssQaBELlTA
— DNVR Buffs (@DNVR_Buffs) April 11, 2026
The Buffaloes were mocked for their lack of size. They looked short and skinny.
Is Colorado the smallest team in college football?
The players in Boulder saw all of the commentary on the internet. It was unavoidable. Everybody and their mother had a joke about the size of Colorado football. The jokes were endless.
However, the Buffaloes are not fazed.
Julian Lewis doesn’t understand why people were surprised by the skill position players’ lack of size because kill position players are always going to be smaller than the linemen. Other skill players were confused by what people expected. They didn’t get any bigger! The linemen are as big as 6-foot-7, 305.
Colorado players talking about the “too small” narrative 😭
— Scott Procter (@ScottProcter_) April 14, 2026
🎥 @KingDarius_NS pic.twitter.com/mT4vjcvEzf
Former James Madison linebacker Immanuel Ezeogu says the workouts in Boulder are different than the workouts in Harrisonburg. They are much harder.
Colorado is pushing back on the undersized narrative. Even if their is an element of truth to their lack of size, size does not always reflect talent. The Buffaloes believe they are in a position to thrive with their speed and athleticism. One tunnel run video at spring game does not mean anything in terms of outlook for the season but it does light a fire!