This offseason, safety Randon Fontenette traded his black and gold Commodore jersey for a black and gold Buffalo one. In a new town, with new teammates, he comes to Colorado with NFL aspirations.
“That's the goal. That's been a goal since I was in first grade,” Fontenette told BuffStampede.com. “I always told my friends the stuff that I would have, and I have it now, but I'm not in the NFL yet. So I'm still not where I want to be. Even with NIL coming in, I don't really care too much about it.”
Spending the last two seasons at Vanderbilt, Fontenette made a name for himself in the SEC. Across his time, he recorded 125 total tackles, 15 passes defended, 14.5 tackles for loss, 14 pass breakups, three and a half sacks, one forced fumble, one interception and a touchdown.
Facing the best competition week in and week out, his skills grew, and so did his confidence.
“I want to be a top NFL safety. Until I get there, I'm not going to stop. Even when I get there, there's still more to accomplish,” Fontenette said. “Enjoy the process because in the end, that's where the real joy comes from. When you win, you win, but the process is what builds the character.”
As the box safety, Fontenette’s role can change between coverage and run support within a simple play call. At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, he is more than capable of facing the biggest of backs, but has the speed to fly around too.
With his professional dreams, Fontenette has kept a close eye on others who’ve been dominating and applying it to his own game.
“My two favorite players in the NFL are Derwin James and Kyle Hamilton. I don't like to try to be like them, of course; you've got to be yourself, but I kind of like to model my game after them because they're good box safeties, but also can play like a chess piece. They can go here, here, here, or there.”
Two weeks through Colorado’s fall camp, Fontenette has made an early impression. Through indications in Well Off Media YouTube videos, he is slated to be the starter come Week 1. All are early signs that he will be able to elevate his play from a season ago.
“I would say improve at CU by just dominating. My goal this year is five picks and five sacks,” Fontenette said. “Finishing on the plays that I should have finished on at Vanderbilt and improving tremendously on the plays that I did finish on.”
All the NFL talk isn’t arrogance; it's fueled by something bigger than himself.
Beyond the highlights and flashy plays is a young man who’s had to overcome adversity. Fontenette had been putting on stellar performances on the field, and he’s been doing it all while having another responsibility. Fresh out of high school, his life changed.
“It was a situation that I wasn't expecting, something that happened during my freshman year of college. I got a call back home about a situation that I couldn't do anything about,” Fontenette said. “I had to put my big boy pants on. I feel like that kind of changed me, pushed me, and opened my eyes to the fact that it's not just me anymore—I have a little me.”
Becoming a father would halt the ambitions of plenty of athletes, but not Fontenette. (After he had appeared in every game of his freshman year at Texas Christian, he transferred to Vanderbilt.) Ultimately, the incident didn’t hold him back; it pushed him further.
“Even though I didn't expect it, I kind of felt like it was a blessing in disguise because it made me go harder knowing if I lose, he loses, because I'm all he's got,” Fontenette said. “It's extra motivation, but it's also a good thing. It's a blessing, man. When you look at it like that, it makes you go hard.”
With the Buffs, his son will also have the support from Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders. For the second year in a row, Sanders has set up a bank account for all the dads on CU’s roster to save money for their children.
“He's a great father, so he doesn't expect anything less from us, even though he knows the grind that we go through,” Fontenette said. “He played in the NFL, and he couldn't be there sometimes, so he kind of relates to us in that way. That's why I respect Coach Prime.”
On top of the off-the-field care, Coach Prime has been a resource during practice. Pulling players to the side, he gets hands-on in demonstrations. Since Fontenette plays in multiple spots, he’s been able to take away a lot from the Hall-of-Famer’s coaching wisdom.
“If he sees something, he calls you over, and he's like, ‘Hey, dog.’ He's telling you what he sees, and he's telling you from his experience what to do and what not to do,” Fontenette said. “Having that type of mentor on your side, I just feel like you can't lose.”
Fontenette has also developed a close relationship with defensive coordinator Chris Marve. Both individuals were new to the program this offseason and have made the adjustment together.
Marve spent his college days at Vanderbilt and coached there in his early years. That connection with Fontenette has allowed the two to bond, which will be essential for their chemistry on the field.
“Coach Marve’s my guy. Just growing as a person, as a man and as a player, Coach Marve has helped me in all three ways because he's pushed me on the field,” Fontenette said. “He has me moving everywhere, just learning different positions like dime linebacker, boundary safety, and big nickel.”
Marve has been challenging him to study more and tap into the strategic aspect of football. Drawing out the best in Fontenette is only possible because the two have communicated about it so much off the field.
“Just having that connection, he'll pull me to the side and say, ‘Hey, let's go get dinner, let's go talk,’ because he knows I have a son and he knows it's a lot on my table at times,” Fontenette said. “Honestly, having a coach that you can talk to about life and talk to about stuff that's not football that can affect your football performance, that's major.”
Fontenette knows that regardless of his prior accomplishments, he has to earn the trust of the coaches, teammates and CU fanbase. That pressure won’t be greater than having to feed a son. He has grown and matured into his biggest opportunity this season.
When the Fuffs play Georgia Tech in Week 1, he is confident that it will all show up on tape.
“Like you see it at practice, I might be here, I might be here, I might be there,” Fontenette said. “But just know when you see [No.] seven, he's coming.”
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