Welcome in to another season-preview edition as we go position by position to figure out what the Buffs will look like in 2025. For each group, we’ll walk through the strengths, the biggest question marks, and where we rank them compared to the rest of the team as we get ready for the opener against Georgia Tech in late August.
Today, we’re talking about the linebackers.
When ranking all position groups from one to ten, the linebackers land at sixth out of 10. Right in the middle, but leaning toward
the bottom half.
There’s been big upheaval in this unit. Nikhai Hill-Green transferred to Alabama for his super-senior year. Vonta Bentley, after two great seasons, is gone. Trevor Woods also moved on — he’s down at Jacksonville State now.
Not a lot of returning production, but there are some intriguing new faces.
The biggest worry? Depth, mainly. You’ve got two good players — both transfers, which is pretty typical in the Deion Sanders era. But behind them? Questionable.
Last year we got lucky — Bentley and Hill-Green stayed healthy and played basically every snap, so depth never got tested. You can’t count on that two years in a row. If the new starters go down, suddenly you’re asking undersized guys or freshmen to play big roles. That’s risky.
Losing Bentley is massive. He was so steady. And Hill-Green was found money — incredibly durable and immediately became the organizer of the defense. That’s why Alabama wanted him. CU simply couldn’t match that price tag.
Meet Your New Starting Duo
Martavius French
French is the main reason this group didn’t get ranked lower. This guy started at UTSA last year. He’s older, experienced, and disruptive. Against Army — the most run-heavy team imaginable — he blew up their game plan for an entire half.
He’s smaller than Bentley and Hill-Green — those guys were built like tanks — but still solid size (6’3″, 220). He’s more of a disrupter, though. Last year he had 17.5 tackles for loss, which is crazy for a middle linebacker. He lives in the backfield.
French should start right away and brings the kind of experience that’s been missing from this unit.
Reginald Hughes
Hughes played for Rich Rodriguez at Jacksonville State. He’s rangy and more of a coverage linebacker. Think back to when CU got burned by UCF’s RJ Harvey on a wheel route — Bentley couldn’t keep up. That won’t happen with Hughes. He can cover backs and tight ends in space.
Both guys are big, talented, and should start right away.
Beyond French and Hughes, things get concerning fast:
Jeremiah Brown has been with Deion for four years, but hasn’t cracked the field much. If French or Hughes goes down, you’re scrambling.
Mantrez Walker is a freshman who comes from a big Georgia 6A program but is still raw. Asking a freshman to play big linebacker minutes is never ideal.
Shaun Myers is a late grad transfer from North Alabama. Smaller school, but tons of experience. He was a captain there, a steady hand. Athleticism might be limited, but he knows the game. Best-case scenario, he’s like 2015 Rick Gamboa — not flashy, but reliable.
Think of Myers kind of like a 13th man on a basketball team — maybe not a star, but he’s there and knows his role.
Since both new starters are a little smaller than the previous guys, could CU get run over?
The good news is the D-line is plenty strong. We’ll cover them in detail later, but that’s the least of CU’s worries. The strength of this defense is right up the middle — and French fits right into that.
The Bottom Line
This unit has two quality starters who bring different skill sets than the previous group. French is more disruptive, Hughes gives better coverage ability. That’s a nice combination.
But the real problem remains depth. If either starter goes down, CU’s in trouble. Last year’s health luck probably won’t repeat itself, and when injuries hit, this group could become a major weakness fast.
Still, with the talent at the top and the strength of the defensive line in front of them, this unit should be functional – as long as everyone stays healthy.
