When Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders took the podium at Colorado’s fall sports media day, he didn’t stutter when sharing which position group he felt was the deepest on this year’s squad.
“Linebackers, I can’t say enough about them. They’re extraordinary,” Sanders said. “They’re probably the best position group on this team.”
That’s a drastic change from a season ago, when Colorado struggled to find two consistent starters at the center of its defense. The Buffaloes’ front seven was also gashed on the ground for 222.5 yards per game, causing an array of troubles for them.
So how did the Buffs turn this position group around from an area of weakness to a unit full of depth? It started with getting a new linebackers coach in Chris Marve last winter, who also got promoted to defensive coordinator.
This season, Marve has shown various formations for his defense, but a base 4-3 is expected. That means Colorado will have four defensive linemen and three linebackers on the field. It also shows confidence in this year’s team.
The Buffs also had to change personnel, bringing in three transfer linebackers, signing three freshmen and keeping two players from the old room. The group has gone to work.
Here is what the linebackers had to say at media day:
Tyler Martinez isn’t much of a talker, but on the football field he lets his work speak for him.
One of three transfers from New Mexico State on the defense (Naeten Mitchell, Ezra Christensen), he has been proving himself as a top player in Boulder this fall. In his fifth year of college football, the experienced linebacker has much to offer Colorado.
“Leadership, physical and just playing fast,” Martinez told BuffStampede.com. “I just want to be the best version of myself every day…On a day-to-day basis, I look forward to doing it and just being a guy that Coach Prime and the rest of the staff can rely on.”
At 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, he’s more than capable of handling himself at the Power 4 level.
Martinez has excelled in the box since his first year in JUCO in 2022. At New Mexico Military Institute, he led the team with 83 total tackles while also forcing a fumble and scoring a touchdown. That success led him to NMSU for his next three years.
In 2024, Martinez had his best season, making 96 total tackles and a sack. After the dominant performance, he seemed set up for a stellar 2025 campaign. Unfortunately, just four games into play, he suffered an ankle injury that would sideline him for the rest of the year.
Now with the Buffs, he has made his presence felt among the group. In Marve’s defensive scheme, there will be plenty of opportunity for the backers to make an impact.
“This unit is going to play fast. We're going to play physical and we're going to play smart,” Martinez said. “Those are the things Coach Marve preaches to us in our meetings, and you could see that on the field as we play.”
Being part of a group Coach Prime praised only reassured Martinez of their offseason efforts.
“We work super hard, all of us. We have a super close connection,” Martinez said. “We love to joke around. We love to hang out with each other, but we know how to flip that switch at the same time. When it's time to handle business, we're professionals, and we know what that looks like and how to do it.”
For Martinez, success on the field is pushed by the bonds he has created in Boulder. With a fall camp under their belts and a spring and summer of work completed. There's eagerness to compete against someone else.
“It's just a blessing to have such great teammates and guys that you can have a man-to-man conversation with instead of just feeling like it's a business,” Martinez said. “We're going to bring it this year, and I hope they're ready for us to win a whole lot of games.”
Liona Lefau, the next linebacker, comes from the highest level of play in the SEC.
Lefau was at Texas from 2023-25, where he appeared in 42 total games for the Longhorns, starting 22 of them. In that time, he racked up 139 total tackles, six pass breakups, three sacks, an interception and a forced fumble.
He also was on two teams that made the CFP. Of all the linebackers, Lefau has seen the most talented offenses and wants to carry over his skill set to Boulder.
“I just hope to do as much as I can for the team. At the end of the day, our goal as a team is to go 1-0,” Lefau said. “Our focus right now is on Georgia Tech because that's our first game of the year and that's how we're trying to set the tone.”
Before they could put it all together on the field, they needed to trust each other. Chemistry doesn't happen overnight, but it’s something this year’s team has prioritized in camp.
“These bonds that I’ve built with these other players that also came in with me, now I call them my brothers,” Lefau said. “It’s been great. We've gotten a lot closer throughout the year and then just going to camp…I’m excited to go to war with them and go to war for them as well.”
Lefau knows that with Marve as his coordinator, the standard and expectation of linebacker play will be constantly watched.
“Him being a linebacker himself, coaching the linebackers, and now being able to call the shots, he understands exactly how he wants it to be played in order for our defense to work,” Lefau said. “It could get challenging at times because he expects a lot out of us, but none of us in that room is scared of a challenge.”
With as much pressure as the group takes from Coach Marve, Coach Prime’s words of encouragement went a long way.
“It means a lot. Just the time, the effort, the dedication that we put in throughout this whole year really to just learn the defense,” Lefau said. “We know the heart and soul of the defense is going to come from our room.”
(Lefau will also be on this year’s Taco Bell Buffs Box.)
Gideon ESPN Lampron, who’s a fifth-year from Bowling Green, was a big get for the Buffs this offseason and has also been in the starting rotation at practice
While Lampron has already spoken with the media several times since arriving in Boulder, his presence in the middle can’t go unnoticed. At 6-foot-0 and 220 pounds, his low center of gravity makes him a wrecking ball to offenses.
In 2025, he led his team with 119 tackles, two-and-a-half sacks, and two forced fumbles. His performance earned him First Team All-MAC honors last year.
Prior to Bowling Green, he was at Dayton from 2022-24, recording 150 tackles and seven-and-a-half sacks. No matter the level or school, Lampron has been a dominant player and is a welcome addition to Colorado.
In Marve’s scheme, he sees opportunity for all three of the top linebackers to earn meaningful playing time.
“It's hard because no one wants to come off the field, but you've just got to put that trust in the coaches to do what's best for the team,” Lampron said. “Hopefully it'll be all three of us out on the field a lot of the time, and that'd be incredible. I love playing with those dudes, and I think we're going to play well this year.”
Even with the heavy experience at the top of the Buffs' projected lineup, it's the next men up that really add to the depth of the group. If an injury were to happen, Coach Marve has to be able to play anyone.
Two returners with a promising skill set are Bo LaPenna and Gage Goldberg.
LaPenna has been on the team since his freshman season in 2023 and has quietly received playing time, primarily on special teams. At 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds, he is right on par with the rest of the size of the group.
Goldberg, in his third year at CU, has started to hit his stride during camp. At 6-foot-0 and 210 pounds, he’s also played his fair share of special teams. As he’s matured and developed as a football player, he is getting his name in the conversation as someone who could rotate in.
Colorado also has three true freshmen who’ve been getting their first taste of college camp and the speed of the Power 4. All of them were ranked as three-star recruits in high school.
Carson Crawford is the biggest linebacker on the team at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds. Playing his high school ball in Texas, he’s seen the best of the best and is a prospect to watch for the Buffs. He isn’t afraid of contact and has even made a few plays at practice via Well Off Media.
Rodney Colton Jr., who’s appeared alongside Crawford throughout camp, is an exciting young player as well. At 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, he played in Georgia, also seeing elite talent in the South.
Colby Johnson, the third freshman in the trio, has missed time due to injury, but rounds out the group. All of them will be at Marve’s disposal this season as he begins the challenge of his first year in Boulder.
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