Welcome into another season-preview edition as we get ready for the 2025 football season, going group by group, position by position — talking about what excites us, what makes us nervous, and how each unit stacks up in Boulder.
This episode is all about the big guys up front — maybe the position group that’s drawn the most anxiety in Boulder since Deion Sanders arrived. People don’t really understand offensive line play, and it was rough at first. So we’re interested to see how this group looks in 2025.
The Ranking Reveal
When ranking all position groups from one to ten (five units on offense), here’s where the offensive line landed: seven and eight – so lower half, but not dead last — which hasn’t always been the case in recent years.
And honestly? Average would be a massive step up. Just being average would be nice.
The Usual Turnover Story
As usual, there’s turnover. That’s what happens under Coach Prime. Maybe a little less than we’ve seen in past years, though. From the portal and graduation, we lost some key pieces:
- Cash Cleveland – the freshman All-American walk-on who transferred to Texas Tech
- Hank Zielinskis – gone
- Justin Mayers – graduated after playing well last year
- Khalil Benson – also moved on
Feels like we’re running down a bedtime list of departures.
And of course, as usual, CU brought in a bunch of new guys for the depth chart. Maybe not as many as before, but still plenty.
For one, it’s the fact that it’s all transfers again. When you go heavy portal, you’re rolling the dice — you don’t really know what you’re getting.
Coaching Staff Turnover
What’s really worrisome is the turnover — especially on the coaching staff. Phil Loadholt did a solid job last year in his first season, molding that line into something workable by the end of the year. CU actually opened some holes in the run game, and we liked the direction.
But then Loadholt leaves for Mississippi State, so it’s another reset. New coach, new philosophy, new system. That lack of continuity is concerning. Offensive line play thrives on stability, and CU just hasn’t had it.
We’re also losing guys who really showed something. Mayers was good late in the year. Benson was solid once he moved inside. And losing Cleveland hurts — not just his talent but also his development time.
The Timing Problem
More than any other position group, offensive line is about five guys working as one. Communication is part of it, but it’s also just about reps. Offensive line play is about certainty — everybody doing the same thing, at the same time, with perfect timing.
If you’re changing schemes every year, and swapping personnel every year, you get uncertainty. And when you change both every year, it’s even worse.
It’s the little things — is this call real or just to throw off the defense? What angle are you taking on this block? Are we stepping inside or outside? If one guy is even half a beat off, the play collapses.
Practice is different than a game. You can rep all you want, but you don’t know how a unit works until they’re facing live defensive lines trying to take your quarterback’s head off. It’s going to be a work in progress.
What Gets Us Excited
The Talent Upgrade
Where we get excited is the talent coming in. This incoming talent feels like a step up from what CU has pulled from the portal before:
- Zyon Crisler is massive — 6’6″, 350 at guard. That’s gigantic.
- Xavier Hill – a fifth-year senior from Memphis, has started a bunch and looked good. You can slot him at right guard or right tackle.
- Zarian McGill from Louisiana Tech, who started the past two years and can play inside.
Those are proven guys, maybe a notch above previous portal additions.
And we can’t forget Jordan Seaton. As a freshman last year, he was excellent. As a sophomore this year, he’s a top-five player on the roster. Freshman All-American, and he’s only going to get better. Not that anyone expected him to leave, but keeping him is massive.
Plus, there are other depth pieces – Kareem Harden, Philip Houston, Tyler Brown. Those guys can all play. Harden is back for a sixth year, which helps. He’s in his third year at CU now and brings stability.
It’s about finding the right five, and that might take time. Could be mid–Big 12 play, maybe week six, before they hit the right combo.
Not to spoil the full offensive preview, but the scheme is changing too. This isn’t Sean Lewis or Shedeur’s pass-heavy system anymore. This is Pat Shurmur’s offense — more run-heavy, more power up front.
If you look at the personnel, that fits. Seaton is 6’7″, 320. Crisler is 6’4″, 350. McGill or Tyler Brown at center are both huge. Xavier Hill is massive too. Across the board, this is a gigantic unit.
And run blocking is generally easier for offensive linemen than pass blocking — you’re moving forward instead of reacting. With the size they’ve got and the new scheme, this group should be able to lean into its strengths.
The Bottom Line
Will they be good? Not sure. But there’s confidence they’ll be better than last year. Going on record here: they should be average.
And honestly, average would be a massive win for this program. The talent feels like an upgrade, the size matches the new scheme, and while the
