These are not the 2024 Colorado Buffaloes.

There are new names and faces to learn for Deion Sanders’ latest team in Boulder.

The expectations for Coach Prime’s squad are to win close games and compete for a Big 12 championship. Can this group live up to those goals? Here are the 10 players (five on offense, five on defense) who will decide that:

1. Kaidon Salter, QB, Sr.

Salter is the key to the Buffs’ offense reaching its potential. Even if five-star freshman phenom Julian “JuJu” Lewis has looked the part in fall camp, Salter’s experience and abilities as a dual-threat player provide CU’s best chance at replicating the production from last year’s offense.

2. Arden Walker, DE, Sr.

With so much rotation likely to take place on the defensive line, it’s hard to narrow this spot down to just one player, but Walker gets the nod due to his importance from a leadership perspective. That unit will go as the former Cherry Creek standout goes. He emerged as both a quality run stopper and pass rusher at the end of last season and should be in for a breakout 2025.

3. Omarion Miller, WR, Jr.

Speaking of breakout candidates, no one in Boulder has garnered more preseason hype than Miller, the junior wideout whose production during his first two seasons at CU has come in just two or three games. Now he hopes to step out of the shadow of a dazzling, 196-yard performance against USC in 2023 and be the player the Buffs need on a week-to-week basis after losing four receivers to the NFL.

4. DJ McKinney, CB, Jr.

Travis Hunter became the fourth Buffs defensive back taken in the first round of the NFL draft. If those in Boulder are correct, McKinney could become the fifth next spring. McKinney’s Hall of Fame coach believes as much. After playing opposite Hunter, the Buffs need McKinney to lock down his half of the field just like his Heisman Trophy-winning teammate did.

5. Larry Johnson III, OT, Jr.

Just like the defensive line, it’s hard to limit the offensive line to just one player. Johnson gets the spot because of his lack of game experience. The Tennessee transfer looks the part at 6-foot-7 and 350 pounds. He hasn’t let go of the starting right tackle spot, but it’s still to be seen whether he can do it in a game situation. Jordan Seaton is solid at left tackle and the interior linemen each have multiple years of starting experience. It’s on Johnson to make that front five whole.

6. Tawfiq Byard, S, So.

In a secondary that must replace three of five starters, a newcomer must forward. The best bet is Byard, the younger brother of current Bears All-Pro NFL safety Kevin, who comes to CU after two seasons at South Florida. The Buffs have had plenty of success with USF transfers on offense with wide receivers Jimmy Horn Jr. and Xavier Weaver, and now they hope Byard has a similar impact. He’s taken Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig’s No. 7 and hopes to replicate what Silmon-Craig did as a downhill safety with leadership abilities.

7. DeKalon Taylor, RB, Sr.

The Buffs plan to run the ball this season. Anything would be an improvement for an offense that ranked dead last in rushing each of the last two seasons. With Dallan Hayden banged up and likely to miss the first few weeks, look for Taylor to make an impact right away. The Incarnate Word transfer was one of the stars of fall camp, making big play after big play, both as a runner and a receiver. He could be a big weapon for Pat Shurmur to utilize.

8. Anquin Barnes Jr., DT, Sr.

CU has a solid rotation of interior defensive linemen heading into the season. Warren Sapp has gotten them to all buy into a team-first mentality and it helped lead to the most sacks in the Big 12 last season, but the Buffs could really use one guy to be the focus of opposing offenses’ game plans. Barnes, the former Alabama transfer who came on really strong at the end of last season, could be that guy.

9. Zach Atkins, TE, Jr.

The Buffs haven’t had a reliable tight end who can both block and be a weapon in the passing game since Coach Prime was hired. Shoot, their projected starter at the spot (Sav’ell Smalls) is a converted defensive end. But Atkins, the Northwest Missouri State transfer who had plenty of Power 4 programs after him in the portal, could be the answer CU has needed, and his presence could open up a lot of options.

10. Martavius French, LB, Sr. OR Reginald Hughes, LB, Sr.

This is cheating, but it’s impossible to narrow the linebackers down to one player. We still don’t know the starting pairing, although veterans French and Hughes are the most likely candidates. If one of them can become a reliable, every-down player, similar to Nikhai Hill-Green, the CU defense will be in good shape.

King’s 2025 CU Buffs team awards

Offensive MVP: LT Jordan Seaton

Defensive MVP: DE Arden Walker

Breakout stars: WR Omarion Miller, S Tawfiq Byard