Three position battles to watch during Colorado football's fall camp

Colorado football's fall camp does not begin until Aug. 2 and will start away from Boulder , but as we get closer to the start date, there are some important benchmarks our preview work needs to check off.

One of those is arguably the best part of fall camp, and that is the various position battles scheduled to go down over the next month. With 40-plus transfers and nearly an entire new group of starters, position battles should be aplenty.

Here are the three most important position battles that should define Colorado's fall camp.

Offensive tackle

Reshuffling your offensive line each offseason usually is not a recipe for success, but the Buffs are hoping to change that in 2026. The program brought in several experienced transfers, most notably Georgia's Bo Hughley, Cal's Leon Bell and Rutgers' Taj White. In our offensive line preview , we had Hughley and Taj White winning the starting tackle jobs, but those two spots are anybody's job. You can't count out Phillip Houston and Larry Johnson III, who are returners from last year.

Running back

With Brennan Marion implementing his Go-Go offense, running back becomes an increasingly important position and should see its most usage since Deion Sanders took over. Marion's offense often uses three running back sets, making competition less rigid considering the likely ample snaps available. Still, there are more than three starting-caliber backs. Returners Micah Welch and DeKalon Taylor will have to hold off Alabama transfer Richard Young and Sacramento State transfers Damian Henderson and JaQuail Smith. All five should see the field during the 2026 season.

Secondary

I could have gone with the defensive line, but I expect a heavy rotation along the front, making who starts less notable. The secondary needs stalwarts to emerge and usually has less rotation, making the various battles more intriguing.

Cree Thomas seems close to a lock for one of the two outside cornerback spots, but the opposite side is completely up for grabs. JMU transfer Justin Eaglin has the experience to claim the starting role. But Emory Floyd, RJ Johnson and Makari Vickers have all had starting snaps at either Colorado or another program.

The nickel position might be the most competitive battle with Boo Carter, Jah Jah Boyd, Paul Omodia or even freshman Preston Ashley candidates to fill the role vacated by Preston Hodge. How new defensive coordinator Chris Marve lines up the secondary during camp is definitely something to keep an eye on.

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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Three position battles to watch during Colorado football's fall camp

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