How Colorado football can rebound following major portal departures
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On Wednesday, December 17, Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Omarion Miller and safety Tawfiq Byard both announced their plans to enter the transfer portal when it opens in early January.
Miller wrapped up the 2025 season with 45 catches for 808 yards and eight touchdowns, while Byard totaled 79 tackles, one interception, two forced fumbles and four passes defended. Miller was the engine of the offense despite inconsistent quarterback play for much of the year, and Byard served as the anchor of the Buffs’ defense. Losing both players on the same day is a tough blow, but it should not feel like the end of the world for Colorado.
Replacing that level of production will not be easy, but after a 3–9 season in 2025, a mutual split was probably the best outcome for everyone involved. Miller and Byard will be among the top players at their respective positions in the portal. Yet, Colorado clearly needed to shake things up, and the program has already made some intriguing moves in that direction.
Colorado’s new OC
Not too long ago, Colorado hired Brennan Marion from Sacramento State to install his innovative, run-heavy Go-Go offense. The Go-Go is an uptempo, downhill system created by Marion that uses multiple formations, especially two-back sets with RPOs and option concepts out of the shotgun, to create mismatches, stress defenses, and generate explosive plays. It blends option principles with vertical passing, emphasizes speed and ball security, and attacks defenses with a mix of inside and outside zone runs, play action, and downfield shots. The goal is to keep defenses guessing, wear them down with tempo, and create what Marion calls a “fifth quarter.”
As things stand, it appears freshman quarterback and five-star recruit Juju Lewis will remain in Boulder and likely lead this Go-Go offense in 2026 under Marion, which is a significant positive and addresses one of Colorado’s biggest issues from 2025. The Buffs had no offensive identity. The gamble on Liberty transfer quarterback Kaidon Salter did not pay off, and when you combine that with poor play calling and a stale scheme from former offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, the result was a team that finished 110th nationally in total offense. While 2025 was always viewed as a rebuilding year, especially after losing significant talent to the NFL draft, including Heisman winner Travis Hunter, a 3–9 record still fell well short of expectations.
The addition of Marion and his offensive philosophy is massive for Colorado. Finally, it injects creativity and innovation into a program that has been seeking them for more than a decade. Even with a disappointing 2026 recruiting class, Marion’s presence could bring some familiar faces from Sacramento State who already understand his system and can contribute immediately. On top of that, Deion Sanders has consistently proven to be a transfer portal wizard, and there is little reason to believe that trend will stop now.
Colorado’s defense has nowhere to go but up
Defensively, it is harder to find the silver lining in losing your best player in Byard, but you have to believe there is some plan in place. Colorado finished 122nd in total defense, legitimately one of the worst units in the country and the worst in the Big 12. That has to change in 2026, especially after defensive coordinator Robert Livingston’s group was consistently torched both through the air and on the ground. The one encouraging sign is on the recruiting trail, where eight of Colorado’s twelve 2026 commits are defensive players. That is a step in the right direction, but Sanders and his staff will still need to do serious work in the transfer portal to rebuild this unit for next season.
In 2024, Colorado led the Big 12 in sacks, which helped mask some weaknesses in the middle and back ends of the defense. That edge disappeared in 2025, as the Buffs struggled to generate pressure and opposing offenses took full advantage. Improving the pass rush has to be a top priority. Getting to the quarterback can cover up a lot of flaws elsewhere, and that should be the focal point for Colorado during the upcoming portal cycle.
While many fans were understandably frustrated to see both Miller and Byard announce their departures from Boulder, it should not all be doom and gloom for 2026. Colorado has a new offensive mind in place, the defense has nowhere to go but up after a disastrous 2025 season, and Sanders’ medical issues are hopefully behind him. If that is the case, he can fully focus on assembling a strong transfer portal class and correcting the mistakes that defined this past year.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: What’s next for Colorado football following transfer portal losses
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