Buffs land second Sac State running back in portal

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After an eventful few days since the portal opened, the Buffs have landed a second Sacramento State running back: Jaquail Smith.

The pickup comes just weeks after Colorado hired Sacramento State’s 2025 head coach, Brennan Marion, as offensive coordinator. Given that context, the pipeline makes sense.

In the NIL era it is common for players to follow coaches, and Colorado clearly wants backs who already speak Marion’s Go-Go offense. Familiarity should speed up the install and help the Buffs avoid another slow start while a large group of new starters learns to play together, a problem that has lingered since Coach Prime arrived.

Smith arrives in Boulder with three years of eligibility after a productive true freshman season at Sac State: 76 carries, 511 yards, five touchdowns, and a strong 6.7 yards per carry. He runs with burst and balance, and he fits the Go-Go need for backs who can press the edge, cut decisively, and catch when asked. Expectations will be high, and there is every reason to think he sees the field early.

Colorado recently added fellow Hornet transfer Dami Henderson II, giving Marion two backs who know his system and can anchor a reworked room. More portal moves are coming, but this is a clear statement about identity on offense: get faster in the backfield, get scheme-fluent, and lift the run game right away.

Stay tuned to Ralphie Report for continued portal updates and what these additions mean for the depth chart heading into spring.

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