BOULDER — Colorado fans got their first look Saturday at the 2025 version of the Buffaloes.

Boy, are they different.

Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, Jimmy Horn Jr. and Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig were in attendance for the “Black & Gold” spring game. But they’re former players now, waiting to learn where their NFL careers begin.

It’s a similarly dramatic shift in personnel as the one that occurred when Deion Sanders was hired in December 2022 and cleaned house after a 1-11 season. Now the Buffs are building off a nine-win campaign and trying to continue the program’s trajectory with young players and veteran transfers.

Here are five takeaways from the spring game:

Quarterbacks struggle to find rhythm

Maybe it was the pressure of watching Shedeur Sanders get his jersey number retired. Maybe it was the unique scrimmage atmosphere where skill-position players weren’t allowed to get hit, but the new quarterbacks vying to replace Sanders were not at the top of their game in their unofficial debuts. Five-star freshman Julian “JuJu” Lewis ran with the first-team offense and struggled to complete passes downfield. He was “sacked” on a few occasions as the first-team defense dominated. Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter was slightly more effective, completing simple passes to speedy receivers running short routes. Coach Prime said Salter was unable to showcase his running ability in a situation like Saturday. The quarterbacks have a long way to go before Week 1 against Georgia Tech.

New playmaker emerges

The Buffs know they have a pair of young wide receivers with potential in Drelon Miller and Omarion Miller, but another young wideout made a name for himself Saturday. Tulsa transfer Joseph Williams, the reigning American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, made highlight-reel plays as he looks like someone who could be a ‘go-to’ target for the eventual starting quarterback.

Brother of NFL player makes plays on defense

The Buffs must find their new Silmon-Craig, a playmaking safety who can also serve as a leader in the locker room. The most likely candidate is South Florida transfer Tawfiq Byard, who was all over the field in the spring game and disrupted the first-team offense. The younger brother of All-Pro NFL safety Kevin Byard, Tawfiq could be someone defensive coordinator Robert Livingston counts on.

Offensive line takes shape

With walk-on center Cash Cleveland entering the transfer portal, CU likely will have just one returning starter on the offensive line in 2025: left tackle Jordan Seaton. The Buffs, as usual, will continue to bring in plenty of new bodies to take a step forward up front. Illinois transfer Zy Crisler looked the part at right guard and Ole Miss transfer Mana Taimani looked good at right tackle, but former Clemson transfer Zack Owens, who played in 10 games almost exclusively on special teams for the Buffs in 2024, also looked at home as the left guard.

Special teams look the part

Coach Prime wants his special teams unit to “be special.” The Buffs rarely got touchbacks on kickoffs last season and they often allowed big returns. Louisiana Tech transfer Buck Buchanan showed why CU went out and got his big leg this offseason, booming the opening kickoff into the end zone and drilling a 60-yard field goal. Kansas transfer Damon Greaves also looked like a solid replacement for Mark Vassett at punter.