The Colorado Buffaloes secondary took the podium to end Week 3 of football fall camp, just in time for the start of school.
Cornerbacks coaches Kevin Mathis and Aaron Fletcher spoke before new safeties coach Vonn Bell. Defensive backs and the presumed starting safeties Randon Fontenette and Naeten Mitchell spoke afterwards.
From depth and leadership to who may fill the nickel spots, the five Friday speakers showed high confidence regarding the unit’s anticipated output.
CU bringing a versatile secondary
Like other position groups, the defensive backs room is talked up as deep and versatile.
Yet, unlike the other units, most of the starting positions are locked down. 6-foot-1, 190-pound Cree Thomas and 5-foot-11, 200-pound will hold down the corner, while 6-foot-2, 220-pound Randon Fontenette and 5-foot-10, 175-pound Naeten Mitchell are set to be the safeties. Several candidates for the nickel are still competing, though they bring security if there are potential injuries.
“This secondary is so versatile, from the safety, from the nickels to the corners, man. We can move them around, and the versatility is really going to be key for this defense,” Mathis said. “The good thing about it, man, they're all students of the game. So moving around and them getting adjusted to what we need them to do on the field is not going to be a problem. You know what I'm saying? It's been sometimes in the past where a guy goes down here, we got to change the defense. It's not like that now.”
With defensive coordinator Chris Marve implementing a new system, the secondary coaches said he’s put great trust in them to place their multitude of guys across different formations.
Of course, CU has had some talented secondaries, namely in 2024 with former Heisman winner Travis Hunter and DJ McKinney at the corners. But Mathis, a cornerbacks coach for Deion Sanders’ entire tenure, believes Thomas, Carter and the others allow the Buffs to play more zone defense.
“I think we'll be able to be more versatile, do different stuff,” Mathis said. “I'm saying with those guys on the outside when we got a chance to lock them down, I feel confident that those guys can lock them down, but if we want to play some zone, which we didn't do a lot in ‘24, we're able to do that because these guys are students of the game and they want to understand the ins and outs of the defense, and that's what makes them so good on the outsides.”
Fletcher, who is in his first year in Boulder, says the duo makes the group more competitive, especially after rooming together in Colorado Springs during Week 1 of fall camp. After becoming closer off the field, Thomas and Carter trust each other enough to hold each other to higher standards, which pushes the rest of the defense.
Fletcher said the two, being “students of the game,” can make adjustments on the field and the sideline because they’ve taken the time to learn the coaches’ terminology.
“[It] makes your job easy when you have those guys right there that can actually go out there and do whatever it is that you call them to do,” Fletcher said. “You want them to go play man; they can go do that. If you need them to play any type of zone, they can do that…It’s really invaluable to have.”
With two talented, experienced safeties in Fontenette (Vanderbilt, TCU) and Mitchell (New Mexico State), and guys such as returners Makari Vickers and Jah Jah Boyd to transfers Justin Eaglin (James Madison) and Emory Floyd (Appalachian State, South Carolina), the staff was more than confident in playing a defense of variety.
Who is stepping up in the nickel
While several names have been floated to fill the nickel, the lone secondary spot lacking a clear favorite, Vickers was quick to be named by Mathis, who oversees the spot, when asked about the position.
“He’s really, really stepped up,” Mathis said of Vickers, who’s in his second year with the Buffs. “We've moved him around…He's really stepped up. He's been that leader in that room.”
Mathis enjoys how gritty and smart Vickers is at the position. And when he combines that with his physical attributes, he can play several coverages alongside the talented corners and safeties.
“He's built like a safety. He runs like a corner,” Mathis said. “He's really, really tough…He's a nickel at the next level if you look at his body type and the way he approaches the game.”
Mathis also mentioned the “young guys,” specifically freshman Preston Ashley.
How the staff is managing a talented secondary
With so much talent in the DB room, it can be hard for a staff to manage a room while only having a few positions to fill.
However, the coaching staff feels like they’re keeping the group engaged.
Fletcher says the defensive backs staff works to “empower” their kids and teach that it is okay to make mistakes. And with that, they’ve created a “climate” where the room feels comfortable being honest and holding one another accountable. The staff occasionally forces the players to speak in front of the room as leaders to enforce that culture.
“It's that situation right there where iron is sharpening iron in that room, and that creates accountability,” Fletcher said. “It enhances the culture that Coach Prime has already created… [Trust] is that one quality that a lot of people don't talk about when you talk about championship-level football, and they have that now, so it's one of those really special things.”
Marve, with a teaching background, also works to meet his guys where they're at, no matter the type of learner.
Naturally, it has added to the team’s chemistry, allowing the guys to play freely. And it has relieved stress from the position battles.
“It's really not just one standoff. Everybody's grown into their role and grown into their position, and just took advantage,” Fontenette said. “I feel like that helped everybody, every position. It helped bring everybody to a higher level.”
Bell adjusting to the coaching life
Bell is the lone new guy on the defensive backs staff, taking over the safeties. Being a nine-year strong safety in the NFL, last playing in 2024, he is starting his coaching career with the Buffs.
After settling into the position for a few months, though, he’s directing his excitement toward Week 1.
“Love the transition. I'm used to it now, so I'm happy and eager,” Bell said. “I'm thankful for the opportunity; I'm blessed, and I'm just glad to see and impact these men and serve these men every day, and give them what all I got every day.”
The 31-year-old said he knew he'd be a coach for quite some time.
When Bell was with the Cincinnati Bengals for four of his last five years in the league, current Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo headed the defensive staff. One day, during a walkthrough, Anarumo pulled him aside.
"Will you ever consider coaching?” Anarumo asked Bell. "[Because] you’ll always have a job with me.”
"For real?” Bell responded.
"Not right now,” Anarumo returned. “It'll be years later.”
With his love for the game, having played it at a high level, the interaction planted a seed in Bell’s brain.
“I was always in the building, first in, last one out, and I always had just a mindset, just love ball, football jockey, and I loved the process of it. I embraced it,” Bell said. “I just wanted to just really bring guys along, and it just helped me in a way where I just dove right into it, and it was just second nature to me.”
And despite being a rookie in the coaching realm, his players respect him.
“You could definitely still see the fire in him,” Mitchell said. “He would go out there and do what we do already. So yeah, it's been great…I know we've stepped up as well, but he's done a really good job of just breaking things down, explaining things really well for us. I'm excited to go out there with him. All the experience that he's given us is going to pay off in game time.”
Fontenette and Mitchell finding special bond at safety position
Fontenette and Mitchell are a talented duo at safety, bringing versatility along CU’s special pair of corners. The taller Fontenette brings SEC experience while Mitchell led NM State’s defense last season.
Similar to the corners, they are helping lead the group.
“Those guys continuously make strides and are progressing in the right way, leading the group for sure, building that unity on and off the field,” Bell said. “Very two smart young men, and they play a lot of ball. So I'm eager to see how they keep on progressing in the future.”
With the two sharing the field so often, the brotherhood that the entire team has discussed is shared among the safeties, too. The two promised each other to lock eyes before each snap, ensuring they’re on the same page; “It's very hard to hear,” Mitchell said. “[The coaches] speak very big on nonverbal and verbal communication.”
Their verbal communication was displayed when Mitchell joined the scrum and asked Fontenette what he’s most excited for in Week 1; “Winning, by any means,” Fontenette replied.
“We grew a bond throughout spring, and it led to fall camp,” Fontenette said. “...That spread out throughout the safety room. I feel like it helped everybody instead of just helping us.”
Of course, a lot of it comes with the position.
A bond is also built among the last line of defense, and from withstanding Bell’s coaching: “‘If we miss a tackle, we on ESPN,’” Fontenette said. “He say that every day. So that we take pride in that because we know we don't want to put that on tape.”
Yet, a decent bit comes from capitalizing on the opportunity the 2026 season beholds.
Fontenette is a solid player who can impact the team a lot. Running back JaQuail Smith called him the biggest safety he’s ever seen earlier in the week.
“What he's bringing right now, he's playing at a top-tier level right now, especially what we're seeing on film,” Bell said. “...I always give him my successes and failures, and I get them guys to talk to around the league of how he can keep on pushing himself, because big guys like the Kyle Hamiltons of the world, Derwin Jameses and those structures. We try to use him and maximize all his strengths to the best ability for this team.”
And he also has the promise of upholding the physical, play-making nature of the No. 7-wearing safeties in the Coach Prime era, saying he’s gotten to know Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig quite a bit.
Plus, with Mitchell coming from NM State with linebacker Tyler Martinez, he brings a veteran persona that not only the DBs respect, but the entire team does.
“It's definitely dialed in now since we're two weeks out,” Mitchell said about prepping for Georgia Tech. “Install has started, and we're really focusing our eyes on them. We know they're a good offense; they've got things they can do. But it's getting serious now, and everybody's starting to buy in.”
Other names mentioned…
- Fletcher on DB Boo Carter: “This doesn't have anything to do with football. Probably one of the best young men I've been around. I guess getting a chance to see the smile in that room with him at times, and those guys will sit here and tell you he'll crack a joke, and it'll be out of nowhere sometimes. So just seeing him open up in love, because he's definitely a guy that loves hard, and be able to embrace love himself has been really good. So he's a young man that I'm I'm grateful that God has definitely put in my life. Football is football, man. I really enjoy, you know, Mr. Orlando Carter as a young man. He's a great one, man. He's going to be mad that I called him by his first name. That's that's my boy.”
- Fletcher on DB Cree Thomas: “It's rare, you know. Very rarely do you see [that]. He’s 19 years old. He carries himself like he's 29. He's one of those guys that always asks questions; he's very detailed, and he's organized. So to see somebody like that at that age, it's very encouraging. And what it does, it just brings forth uplift throughout not just the opposition room, but throughout the entire program. He's one of those guys that is – I said it a while back – the stone that the builders refused. It was a scripture that I referenced, and he's somebody that you can definitely build around because he's not going to be perfect, but he's going to always do things the right way, and he's going to be pushing for perfection. He wants to be held accountable, and then he wants to lead, and he knows how. So it's one of those rare things with somebody that young. You typically get that with somebody who’s 21, who's been in the program a while. But hats off to his family, in regards to the young men that they've raised, because we are definitely benefiting from it here now.”
- DB Jah Jah Boyd: Bell shared that he is another one who stands out for his versatility; “great skill set, great footwork, hip mobility, movement, change direction, tracking the ball – he could do everything…The sky's the limit for him.”
- DB Justin Eaglin: Fletcher shared that Eaglin’s quiet personality doesn’t hold him back. It makes Eaglin humble, a good teammate and a solid student, and he fits the versatile skill set that saturates the DB room; “He's got a huge role on this team,” Fletcher said. “We're counting on Justin to be able to help us going forward, big time.”
- DB Emory Floyd: Fletcher praised Floyd for his experience and athleticism, and that the team is relying on him quite a bit. He mentioned that Floyd is the funniest guy in the unit.
- DB RJ Johnson: Fletcher said he coincidentally told Johnson that he was ‘proud’ of how he is coming along. Fletcher mentioned that he has a similar personality to Eaglin, but he’s got “great ball skills” and shown some physicality. He said that Johnson is a great teammate, and joked about his basketball skills.
- DB Paul Omodia: Being another guy who can diversify CU’s defense, Bell shared that Omodia is finding reps in both the cornerback and safety rooms. Bell said that Omodia can play coverage or in the box because of his unteachable feel. He is someone whose humor keeps the room “even keel.” Fontenette agreed that Omodia has come along since the spring and shown more in the fall; “he's never played safety, he's not used to hitting, stuff like that. So just seeing his transition to camp and his mindset, that's helped him a lot [in terms of] earning a role on the team. Coach Prime says ‘everybody got to earn it.’ He's earned it, for sure.”
- Mathis on DB Mojo Williams Jr., DB Braylon Edwards and DB Preston Ashley: “Those guys are still progressing. It's getting closer to the game. So, as a freshman, it's a lot going on. I think they've taken the time to come in and get the extra work and really understand what we need from them on a consistent daily basis with the conditioning, with just the knowledge of the game; it's really hard for a freshman to really just come in and be a standout guy, especially in this back end. But they are progressing each day, each and every day, man, and we getting confidence. And we want to make sure they continue to build confidence where they'll be able to produce on the football field for you.”
- Bell on Edwards’ progress: “Good, he's been progressing very well. Young hitter, and I'm always challenging him every day, ‘what's one thing you get better every day?’ It could be eyes, be your footwork, it could be your ball, ball tracking, all types of stuff like that. But he's progressing well. He's grasping well. We threw a lot onto him early on, so he's got to keep on growing and becoming the man that he needs to become. And I keep on telling him he's got to mature fast because he never knows when he’ll get in the game. So he knows that challenge. He accepted that challenge, and I challenge him every day. He's doing well.”
- DB Ben Finneseth: Bell said he “loves” guys like Finneseth, mentioning his consistent attitude, whether taking notes, asking questions or helping teammates. He talked about how Finneseth keeps the staff on their feet, and when he’s in, he can make adjustments and knows the assignments; “that’s why he’s a pro’s pro.” Fontenette shared that Finneseth hosted him on his official visit to Colorado. That’s when he realized Finneseth can keep the room grounded yet motivated; “Ben is a high-level guy.”
- Fontenette shouts out the defensive line: “We got a lot of guys on the D-Line. Santana [Hopper], [Tyler Moore], Dylan [Manuel], Kylan Salter – they moved him to edge. He's been killing it.
- Fontenette on the Go-Go offense: “It's very challenging. I feel like when we play [Georgia] Tech, we've been seeing it all camp with the three running backs, three tight ends; it's been very challenging to our rules and just making the adjustments pre-snap. There might be a shift, there might be motions, just a lot of eye candy. I feel like it's going to help us a lot for when we prepare for Georgia Tech. You know, we've already seen all that, so it's going to be normal.”
- Fontenette shares how general manager David Kelly strengthens the team’s brotherhood: “Definitely, DK. He keeps us together. He doesn't get talked about a lot. He's an older guy. He doesn't say much, but when he talks, he speaks volumes. Just the experience he has, and the way he tries to pull us together and try to keep us together, and also try to keep us trending up, is very major for our program because people don't see really DK say much or like see him in the headlines. But he's talking a lot during our team meetings and special teams meetings because he wants everything to be on point.”
- Mitchell on the quarterbacks, Julian Lewis: “He stepped up in a lot of areas. Leadership, I know for sure he stepped up. Holding the offense accountable, and he had to learn a new scheme, just like we had to learn a new scheme on defense. So I feel like he's taking that on his shoulders. He's done a great job, and he's made a lot of plays. He can still run out of the pocket and everything like that. So I'm just excited to go out there and see him in game one. We've been going against each other a lot, but I can't wait to go out there and see him going against another team.”
- Mitchell on DL Ezra Christensen: “I'm always texting and making sure you know he's okay. It's bigger than football. It sucks that he's going through this, for sure. But yeah, you know he's a great player. He's a great role model for us. And if we do end up getting him back, he's going to be a huge, huge impact. I'm just making sure he's always okay, just letting him know I'm here for him.”
- Mitchell on LB Tyler Martinez, the other LBs: “Especially, coming from Conference USA, we have that chip on our shoulder. It means a lot coming from there, and we're trying to prove a point when we get up here. And we were both leaders on that [New Mexico State] team, and like you said, we made a lot of plays, and I'm excited to go out there and show the world what we got now at Colorado. It's been good being able to go through spring ball with him in fall camp. Just the connection is there. It just feels like last year being able to talk to them, and we make eye contact all the time, and I'm excited being able to hold each other accountable off of football as well. It's going to be great being able to play with him.”
Players Mentioned
