Colorado's New Linebackers Primed to Be in Chris Marve’s “Best 11”

Colorado Buffaloes linebacker Liona Lefau takes the field for the Buffs' 2026 spring game (Photo by Kainoa Hiatt/Sko Buffs Sports).

Last season, much of the chatter around the Colorado Buffaloes football team centered on its inability to stop the run. The stats back up that discourse, as the defense allowed over five yards per carry to opponents and 223 rushing yards per game, the second most of any team in the FBS.

The good news for Colorado fans is that the Buffaloes are set to trot out an almost entirely new defense in 2026 via the transfer portal. After the hire of Chris Marve as defensive coordinator, that unit’s improvement might determine whether Colorado can compete with the rest of the Big 12 Conference.

In the linebacker room specifically, three players who are wearing the black and gold for the first time at training camp are expected to make that impact.

Gideon ESPN Lampron played his high school football in Ohio before starting his college career with the Dayton Flyers and Bowling Green Falcons (Photo via Gideon Lampron/People Magazine).

Gideon ESPN Lampron might have the best name in all of college football, and moved to Boulder this offseason after impressing for the Bowling Green Falcons. In 2025, he caused disruption with 119 tackles, 5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles, which earned him First Team All-MAC honors and Phil Steele All-America honorable mention recognition. 

Lampron was also the only player in the nation to finish the regular season with at least 100 tackles and 15 tackles for loss. He is a frontrunner to start in Week 1, and his four years of college experience give the Buffaloes a much-needed leader on defense.

Liona Lefau celebrates a turnover in his days with the Texas Longhorns (Photo by Daniel Dunn/Imagn Images).

Liona Lefau was the 14th-highest-rated linebacker in the transfer portal according to 247Sports, and helped lead the Texas Longhorns to be one of the best defensive units in the Power Four the past three seasons. The Hawaii native started all 12 regular-season games in 2025 and registered 68 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery. 

One highlight play of Lefau’s career was when he picked off former Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia to seal the win against the then-No. 25Commodores in 2024. Interestingly, Lefau has experience playing snaps as a wide receiver in high school, so he shouldn’t be counted out to make more plays with his hands this fall.

Tyler Martinez is one of two players now on Colorado's roster to have led the New Mexico State Aggies in tackles in the last two seasons (Photo by Getty Images).

Unlike Lampron and Lefau, Tyler Martinez has two years of eligibility remaining after transferring from the New Mexico State Aggies. Before an injury cut his season short in 2025, Martinez totaled 27 tackles, four pass breakups, one tackle for loss, one interception and one forced fumble. 

"Getting hurt was the toughest time of my life," Martinez said when asked about his injury. "It teaches you not to take anything for granted. Every day you get to step on the field and play football is a blessing.”

Martinez brings a unique perspective to the linebacker room because he played his freshman season for the New Mexico Military Institute Colts prior to his time with the Aggies. He impressed at the JUCO level and recorded a team-high 83 tackles and recovered two fumbles, returning one for a touchdown. 

“Our goal is making sure we identify our best 11, not our 11 best,” new defensive coordinator Marve said on the first day of training camp in a video by Well Off Media. “I don’t need the 11 best players on the field if you’re not working together. We need a unit, a unit that is going to play how we play.”

Lampron, Lefau and Martinez were brought in to elevate a defense that struggled ad naseum last season. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see all three of those linebackers among Marve’s “Best 11” come kickoff at Georgia Tech on Sept. 3.