Colorado football fall camp takeaways from first media availability
· Yahoo Sports
The Colorado Buffaloes held their first media availability of fall camp after practice Tuesday, with a couple of players and defensive coordinator Chris Marve speaking with the media at Fountain-Fort Carson High School.
Cornerback Cree Thomas and linebacker Gideon Lampron spoke highly of the work the team has put in the first two days and how training away from Boulder has helped make the team closer.
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"First day pretty incredible," Lampron said on practicing in Colorado Springs. "Not a lot of teams are fortunate to do this. Great for team building."
Here is what else we learned from the first media availability of fall camp:
Team chemistry is a major emphasis
Both Lampron and Thomas discussed how being away from any distractions and living in the dorms for a week is jumpstarting the team's chemistry. Energy is also being boosted with practices being in a new place.
"The energy has been amazing," Thomas said. "Everyone is excited; you know it's fall camp. Everyone is running around with the offense and defense trading plays."
The biggest negative from last year's team was its lack of player leadership and chemistry, and through two practices, the change in that department could not be more evident.
"We showed up in January as strangers…'" Thomas said. "Almost the whole team was transfers… We're super close now; it's night and day."
Chris Marve establishing a defensive identity
A disciplined football team would not be an accurate description of the 2025 Buffaloes, but that is changing this year under new defensive coordinator Chris Marve.
"We are trying to be a disciplined football team," Thomas explained. "We've been nitpicked on so many little rules just to make sure we are a disciplend team. Every little thing matters."
A less penalized team, a team that does the little things right and does not beat itself, would be a welcome sight for Buffaloes fans who have seen a fairly sloppy product the past few seasons. In addition to discipline, Marve is prioritizing two themes when it comes to his defense.
"We preach a lot about violence and aggression. I think that's been pretty visible [the past two days]," Marve said. "Fall camp for me is about developing who we are… playing sound football that's aggressive and dominant."
Linebacker depth is real
Gideon Lampron, Liona Lefau and Tyler Martinez are three transfers with highly productive backgrounds that all deserve starting spots. Marve says he'll play all three at the same time.
'They're going to play. I'll leave it at that," Marve said.
While he did not reveal his secrets, Marve seemed to hint at a possible 4-3 formation at least in some spots with four defensive linemen and three stacked linebackers. Deploying a 4-3, more popular at the NFL level, would significantly improve Colorado's run defense, which struggled last year.
Lampron is equally excited to have that type of talent alongside him.
"They’re both elite dudes," Lampron said. "We’ve got a good linebacker room overall. Those guys are my best friends here. I’m so excited to watch them ball out this year."
Marve and Colorado determined to find the '11 best'
Marve was asked to explain the phrasing he used during Sunday's first team meeting, where he stated he is looking for "the 11 best, not the best 11."
"When you look at a championship-level defense, you've never seen that with only 10 people," Marve said. "What you need is a functioning unit that can function at a high level consistently. Our job is to deplot an effectice unit that plays at a high level."
Defensive coaches often talk about wanting 11 guys that can play on a string, and Marve reiterated that during his media session. With so many new faces and nearly all 11 starting spots up for grabs, CU is keeping track of everything from pass rush win rate to whether you blocked for your teammate after a turnover, hoping to find that best combination.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado football fall camp takeaways from first media availability