Spring Game Primer: Who to watch

Colorado football fans should make every attempt to attend the annual spring game at noon on Saturday. For nearly a nine month stretch, from CU's 2015 home finale against USC to the first open scrimmage of camp, it is your only opportunity to see the Buffaloes run around Folsom Field. And, a bonus, the weather is expected to nice in Boulder.

But don't arrive expecting to see anything more than a glorified practice. Otherwise you will leave the stadium disappointed. The first hour will feature a lot of position drills and non-contact work before Ralphie runs at 1 pm and the Buffs begin a standard offense vs. defense scrimmage. You will see walk-ons getting reps, while established starters spend a lot of time cheering from the sidelines. And you will see a vanilla offensive game plan that will keep any CSU spies in attendance from gaining substantial information.

Now that your expectations have been lowered, BuffStampede.com has a few suggestions for players you should key in on during Saturday's scrimmage action.

With Sefo Liufau injured and Davis Webb not on campus yet, just how much has Montez benefited from all the reps he has received this spring? Saturday's spring game could be a pretty good indicator.

There is no question the physical skills are there for the 6-foot-5, 230-pound redshirt freshman. Montez has elite arm strength and a long stride that allows him to pick up yards in a hurry when he tucks and runs. But how good is his decision making? Is he commanding the offense?

Montez said on Friday morning he believes he has made the most of the extra reps he received through the first 13 spring practices.

“Just knowing the playbook and knowing where I need to go with the ball, that has been improving since day one [of spring ball],” he said. “I am a lot more decisive in where I want to throw it. That is really a key point that I really wanted to improve on so I am pretty satisfied with that, but it still needs to get better.”

Only one preseason scrimmage was open to the public last August, and Montez redshirted, so he has not had much of an opportunity to perform in front of Buffs fans yet. His mother and grandparents will be in Folsom Field to help cheer him on Saturday, and his dad and brother will be watching on the Pac-12 Network back home in El Paso.

“I am really excited and a little nervous to go out there and show everybody what has been happening behind the scenes,” he said. “[Hopefully we get] a lot of touchdowns and limit turnovers. That, and a lot completions, would be a success in my book.”

After an up-and-down sophomore season which saw Ross haul in 25 balls but also drop some critical passes, he has put together a marvelous spring. In fact, no player has drawn more praise from the Buffaloes' coaches this spring than Ross. Good timing, too, given that he had a new position coach to impress.

“Coach 'Chev' (Darrin Chiaverini) has taught me a lot and I am glad I have been able to make a good first impression. I am glad he likes me,” Ross said. “My coaches believe I am capable of getting over 1,000 yards and I believe them. I am ready for the challenge, because in this offense, there are a lot of opportunities for receivers to make plays.”

Said Montez of Ross: "He has burners and he is real fast, real shifty. It is really hard to cover him if you are a defensive guy so he has been getting open a lot and we have been getting the ball to him. He looks really good this spring."

Ross admitted the drops, including two in the end zone vs. UCLA, haunted him after the season ended. He had to put that in the past, though, in order to re-gain confidence.

“It has been mental since I got here, I don't know why. I always had four good days and one bad day and it would just mess up my head,” Ross said. “So I have been focusing on being persistent and focusing on my hands. Being able to play the whole year last year was a learning experience. I know I had a lot of mistakes last year but I have focused on improving and upping my game because I knew I could. My confidence level had to rise up, and it has recently. I am just getting better and better, and more comfortable.”

His father will be in the Folsom Field stands on Saturday wearing a No. 2 jersey.

Playing cornerback and nickel back, Fisher was on the field for a total of 57 defensive snaps as a true freshman in 2015. He was also a starter on multiple special teams units.

After the dismissal of Evan White for multiple violations of team rules and a season-ending injury to sophomore Jaisen Sanchez, Fisher was moved to safety this spring.

“I am still taking reps at nickel back, too, but I am not getting work at cornerback anymore,” Fisher said. “The coaches asked if I could handle the move to playing more safety and I said I was up for the challenge.”

Fisher played safety during the second half of his senior season at Great Oak High School, and he had a lot of success in the role.

“I actually like safety a lot more than cornerback. I love it,” Fisher said.

So what challenges are associated with the move?

“Right now it is just picking up and making calls because in our defense, the safeties run everything,” he explained. “I am also working on just staying active, running to the ball, taking the correct angles. I am trying to be in on every play.”

Even though Fisher's playing time was limited last fall, he said the experience was invaluable.

“You grow up watching Pac-12 football on TV and when you first get out there at this level, it is unbelievable,” he expressed. “You get out there and you realize you belong here. I got a sense of confidence that I am one of the guys, I belong in the Pac-12.”

Unless the Buffaloes add any more players at the position before August, Fisher will one of just five healthy scholarshiped safeties entering preseason camp. A strong spring game would be a good springboard for Fisher heading into the summer.

Other players to keep an eye on:

Cornerback Isaiah Oliver (No. 26) - Another true sophomore defensive back that got his feet wet last season, Oliver is the odds on favorite to replace Kenneth Crawley as a starting cornerback. Oliver has the size and skills to be an NFL cornerback down the road, he just needs to polish up his technique and continue to improve on his ball skills.

Offensive lineman Tim Lynott (No. 56) - Like Ross, Lynott has drawn constant praise from the Buffaloes' coaches this spring. After practicing primarily at guard while redshirting, Lynott has spent most of the spring working at center, which seems to best fit his body type. CU's top rated signee in 2015, Lynott could earn a starting gig this fall.

Wide receiver Kabion Ento (No. 17) -While not flashy, Ento has been a consistent performer in his first spring with the Buffaloes. The mid-year Junior College transfer from East Central Community College is good at creating separation and he has good hands. This will be Ento's first time playing in Folsom Field in front of Colorado fans.

Defensive lineman Timothy Coleman (No. 59) - The spring experiment to move Coleman from outside 'backer to the defensive line has paid off, even though he is not the ideal size yet to play with his hand in the ground in Jim Leavitt's 3-4 base defense. Coleman has used his speed and quickness to wreak havoc in the backfield, though.

Quarterback Jaleel Awini (No. 16) - While engineering one successful drive in the Buffs' season finale vs. Utah last November, Awini did enough with his legs to warrant a move back to offense. Will the Buffaloes create a package to utilize Awini's strength? A strong spring game showing would put more pressure on the coaches to create such a package.