The Colorado Buffaloes continued Week 3 media availability on Thursday with running backs coach Johnnie Mack, running back JaQuail Smith and tight end Brady Kopetz, who has seen backfield reps in the Go-Go offense.
Mack and Smith discussed the depth of the backfield and the difference in how the unit is producing through fall camp compared to past years, while Kopetz showed off his colorful personality.
Why CU is excited about the running back room
The Buffs have yet to establish a run game under head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders. From Gary “Flea” Harrell to Marshall Faulk, no running back coach has set things straight for CU’s backfield.
Now under Mack’s watch, however, there seems to be more optimism.
The RB room not only retains two backs who produced in glimpses last year – one in DeKalon Taylor, a speedy receiving back who missed most of the season with an injury, and one in Micah Welch, a soon-to-be three-year back who fans wish had the ball more – but brings in a load of talent. From Smith and Damian Henderson II, who combined for over 1,000 rushing yards last season in offensive coordinator Brennan Marion’s Go-Go system at Sacramento State, to former Alabama RB Richard Young, the incomers bring a diverse set of skillsets to the backfield.
“It's been really good to have a multitude of guys that can, first off, give us depth. That's always good at the running back position,” Mack said. “To have some depth this year within the room, it builds competition.”
While any offense appreciates depth in the backfield, as Mack established, Marion’s Go-Go offense is one that “was built for running backs to have success,” according to Mack.
Using different formations, sometimes having two backs on the field and even a tight end playing fullback, the Go-Go offense calls for different skill sets. From power runners, such as Henderson and Young, to speedy, shifty players like “Trackhawk” Taylor, the playbook uses each archetype in several ways.
“When it comes to the running game, we pretty much run everything,” Mack said of the concepts used in the Go-Go.
“When you're on the field, you looking at it, it's weird. You don't know what's happening,” Smith said of the offense, about to play his second year in it. “It's exotic formations, two running backs, three receivers, you never know what's coming, so it's fun to play in.”
Smith added he’s helping his teammates acclimate to the system.
And now that he’s playing with former five-star quarterback Julian Lewis and a wide receiver room that’s more coveted than the backfield, Smith recognizes the offense’s potential with such talent.
“Having them around, it's just different. It's going to expand the Go-Go,” he said. “The Go-Go's not going to be like how the Go-Go was last year and the year before that. It's really going to expand this year, so it's going to be fun to watch.”
The Go-Go also calls for physical offensive linemen, and CU’s deep set of blockers have received wide praise all fall camp.
“Coach Marion talked about it his first week of camp; he was like, ‘I want 40 knockdowns a game from the O-line,’ and some of the O-linemen were looking at him all funny like, ‘Are you serious? You expect us to get 40 knockdowns? You know how many 40 knockdowns is?’” Kopetz recalled. “Then we had the first three practices, and they were averaging about 60, and we got to a point where we're like, ‘Oh yeah, we're going to do this thing, we have violent guys up front.’”
With seemingly everything seamlessly clicking, the sky seems to be the limit for all of Colorado’s RBs. Even though the snaps and touches may be shared, there is motivation for each guy; if they wait their turn and do their job, they’ll be put in a place to use their strengths. The season is also long, and guys won’t be able to play every snap.
Understanding the variety of the offense, with Smith mentioning that up to five backs may play in a game, the running backs have become closer, opened up with one another and are looking to fuel off each other’s big plays.
“We have a selfless backfield to where we feed off of,” Mack said. “If Micah Welch go in and he makes a big run, okay, we'll celebrate. We'll celebrate that run, and the next guy's waiting on his opportunity to go in…That's what we're building in our room. A daily competition and learning how to feed off one another's energy.”
Since so many RBs need to play, the need to find a starter appears somewhat fluid. The competition for a starter is still well underway, and likely won’t be set until the Buffs are putting on their uniforms in Atlanta. Even then, Mack said he’s going to play whoever is hot, keeping the competition for snaps open for the foreseeable future.
“Just stay tuned,” Smith said on what CU’s Go-Go offense has to offer.
Smith preparing for second year in Marion’s offense
“[It was a] quick phone call,” Smith said when asked about the conversation between him and Marion that led him to follow his offensive coordinator to Boulder this offseason.
The Orlando native played for Marion at Sacramento State last year, nearly 3,000 miles away from home. He posted 511 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 76 carries (6.7 yards per carry) as a true freshman.
“Speed,” Smith said when asked about his game. “I try to make a lot of people miss. I don't try to let the first guy bring me down. I just like scoring touchdowns.”
“Explosive,” Mack said of Smith’s ability. “JaQuail's one of the guys where he get the ball and you stand up if you in the stands because at any given time, he can go the distance. That's what I like about him.”
But while the 5-foot-11, 170-pound back thrived far away from home, Smith had few people outside of Marion. In turn, Marion not only helped Smith grow as a player, but he also helped him off the field.
Naturally, Smith’s trust in Marion rose, and now Smith’s talent is waiting to be unleashed at a Power Four level.
“Really just proving I'm the same player I was down there, even better,” Smith said of his Power Four aspirations. “I just got better, stronger, faster, so having that chip on my shoulder.”
Of course, Smith is still young, only being a sophomore. Behind the returning Taylor and Welch, and younger than Henderson, Young and Bryce Hicks, he has a lot of room to grow.
Yet Mack sees a future where Smith can find the field quite a bit. The young back is waiting for that opportunity. And with a year in the system under his belt, being one of a few, the coaches have extra trust in him.
“They relied on me a lot because I was familiar with the playbook,” Smith said. “So me and Dame really helped a lot of guys out with the playbook, even the coaches. We just trying to get everything together, and we did.”
Kopetz taking on leadership role as longest-tenured Buff
Entering his fifth year of Colorado football, Kopetz is in his first year on scholarship. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound tight end was a walk-on dating back to 2022, the 1-11 season before Coach Prime came to Boulder. Then, he earned his scholarship in January.
However, while his journey has mostly unfolded behind the scenes, his leadership has been discussed since last season, when he fittingly earned an “L,” or “leader,” patch down the stretch of 2025. Calling the moment a “dream come true,” as former receivers coach Jason Phillips advocated for Kopetz, even wishing he could vote the TE as captain for his everyday mentality and work ethic, Kopetz has another opportunity as a fifth-year player to continue his role on the team.
“I had an impact and I had a voice on this team because I'm usually one of the first guys when Coach asks a question to be a guy to speak up, I'm not afraid of that moment,” Kopetz said. “But when I got that ‘L,’ I really realized that, ‘Wow, I do make an impact,’ even if I was on special teams last year and I probably had like 15 snaps at tight end.”
Kopetz shared that the coaches appreciated the leadership he brought to special teams after he broke his hand, effectively ending his year at tight end last season.
“It was definitely special,” Kopetz said with a smile. “Made my grandma happy.”
As someone who has been a walk-on, Kopetz’s ability to lead manifests in his recognition of everyone. He says one of the trainers will name a number and a year, and he can name the player, regardless of their legacy. And with his current teammates, he is still going out of his way to know everyone; Kopetz shared that defensive back Makari Vickers told him about a recent trip to Portland, Oregon, where Kopetz is from.
Still, Kopetz is humble about his role.
He feels the leaders are more vocal, but as defensive lineman Santana Hopper stated on Tuesday, Kopetz agrees that CU has a whole team of leaders; as long as a guy shows up every day, works hard and is true to themself, they can be someone to look toward.
The fifth-year tight end also said the trip to Colorado Springs has created a “sense of urgency” for the program, furthering the focus on football and bringing guys closer. Feeling reminiscent of the 2022 team in terms of chemistry, as felt in the season’s lone win, Kopetz says the 2026 team is “100 times” more talented.
“This team really feels like we are going to shock the world,” Kopetz said.
Focusing more on the schematics, he echoed the comments of tight ends coach Josh Niblett and starting TE Zach Atkins.
The tight end is used a lot in Marion’s Go-Go offense, placing them in-line, in the backfield and out wide, calling for several skill sets. And with multiple roles for the tight end to cover, occasionally having to play fullback, the competition in the tight end room is fierce and calls for several capable players. Similar to the running back room, the TE room has taken on a mentality of feeding off one another and holding each other accountable.
But when it comes to executing that fullback role, Kopetz knows he can do that, and with joy. He was a tailback in high school, and says the Go-Go offense feels reminiscent of his pre-college days at times.
“Being an in-line tight end is still fun and being able to block the C gap or really get your nose dirty in line is really fun for me, but I always love hitting someone with a running start,” Kopetz said. “It's really fun, and being able to get in a three-point stance in the backfield and really have a physical play and make an impact like that, nothing fires me up more.”
So, now that Kopetz has met the ultimate goal of coming to Colorado by graduating last spring, he looks forward to the 2026 season, where he hopes to set some blocks as passes go over top and running backs break through holes in the Go-Go offense. He mentioned that he’s looking forward to the Week 3 game against Northwestern, where both his parents attended.
Other names mentioned…
- RB Micah Welch: Mack commended Welch for his work ethic this offseason, and his diverse, physical skillset for his size. He added that he’s challenged the third-year back to take a leap now that he’s entering his third year of Power Four football.
- “This will be Micah’s third year of playing Power 4 football. The discussion that me and Micah had off-season was, ‘Hey man, you got the most experience in this room,’” Mack said. “‘So the game should start to slow down for you, and it'll be a lot easier for you this year.’ But, man, his work ethic from this off-season to now, man, Micah put in a lot of work this year. It's times that we had breaks to go home, he didn't go home. He stayed around, he worked out. The kid loves football, man. He don't have a Plan B. This is it for him. So he's putting in a lot of work. And as you see, he's running with an attitude. He’s running with a purpose. I just love the way that he's added to his game of just catching balls and running routes out the backfield, too.”
- RB Richard Young: Mack shared that Young is still learning the system, and finding his place in it after missing most of the offseason to injury; “I think he’ll come around,” Mack said.
- RB Damian Henderson II: Mack enjoys having multiple guys from Sacramento State who know the Go-Go offense.
- RB DeKalon Taylor: Mack mentioned his experience.
- RB Bryce Hicks: Mack spoke on the growth that Hicks has made throughout a career of adversity.
- “Bryce got a little chip on his shoulder because he was a big time recruit coming out of Georgia, out of high school, faced a major injury, and kind of lost everything along the way,” Mack said. “He has a chip on his shoulder right now, and he's showing it every day. And the thing I always told him like, ‘Hey, take advantage of your reps.’ I tell all my guys that. If it's one rep, you got to take advantage of it. And that's how you earn the right to get a second rep…I think he took that to heart, man, and he's taking advantage of all his reps.”
- WR Kam Perry: Smith shared that Perry’s work ethic showed him you “reap what you sow.”
- S Randon Fontenette: Smith called Fontenette the “biggest safety [he’s] ever seen.”
- Smith on the offensive line: “Running behind them is good. They make it easy, they're fast, athletic, they get around, they pull fast, so just running down there, they make our job easier, and they love blocking for us, and we love them blocking for us.”
- Smith on getting hit by the linebackers: “Ain't fun. They dawgs. Gideon [Lampron], Tyler [Martinez], all of them. They all bring something to the table, so them hitting us makes us better, and us going at them make them better, so it's just going to be fun to watch defense and offense.”
- Kopetz on head coach Coach Prime: “I would say when he first got here, he kind of let coordinators have a little more control. Obviously now the coordinators have a lot of control, but he really harps on certain details, and it's become more of a thing of discipline and not just saying like, ‘If you're a player, you got to make a play.’ No, we're going to do the little things right. We're going to care about everything in this building, and that's going to make a difference.”
- Kopetz on battling the defensive line: “It's a great battle. We got competitive guys on both sides of the ball and guys, like I said, who care on both sides of the ball. I'm an offensive guy; I'm always going to favor the offense. But I will not lie, the defense has plays where they really get off and they beat us to the spot, and when they can do that, they are setting the new line of scrimmage in the backfield or making a TFL. Even having the running back have to stop and adjust and make a jump cut, that can destroy a play and really make a difference. So, they're doing a great job.”
Players Mentioned
Coaches Mentioned
