Colorado’s new “We-fense” identity on special teams
“Don’t overlook special teams. That’s very important. That wins and loses games,” Colorado football head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders said at Fall Sports Media Day last Friday.
Sanders’ comments are reflected in the four one-score games the Buffaloes played last season, in which they won only one. If Colorado wants to take the next step in 2026, the special teams performance could matter a lot.
Notably, this unit no longer has a coordinator after Sanders let go of Mike Pollock this offseason. Coach Prime has instead opted to have offensive and defensive assistants manage special teams collectively. However, newly hired tight end coach Josh Niblett took the lead, giving them an identity.
“A lot of your offensive players and your defensive players have to come together to form special teams,” Niblett said. “So it just makes for ‘We-fense,’ because at the end of the day, on ‘We-fense,’ we're looking for the best 11, not the 11 best. What we mean by that is the best 11 are those guys who are going to work together as one.”
The “We-fense” is highlighted by returning punter Damon Greaves, who earned a 2025 All-Big 12 honorable mention selection. Greaves recently received the “D” designation patch on his jersey, which stands for “Dawg”, signaling Coach Prime’s belief in him.
“It comes with an extra bit of responsibility, showing leadership and being consistent,” Greaves said of the patch at media day. “Being the senior guy of the group, I know there’s a certain standard that needs to be upheld.”
The former Kansas transfer averaged 43.7 yards on 64 punts last season, with 15 landing inside the 20-yard line. However, Colorado also allowed four blocked kicks and finished 109th out of 138 FBS teams in net punting. The offense did special teams no favor, though, only reaching the red zone on just over 20% of possessions, one of the worst rates in the Power Four.
In the placekicking department, sophomore Elliot Arnold is expected to start the season handling field goal and extra point duties. The Chattanooga, Tennessee native showed flashes of a strong right leg in spring ball and is trying to elevate the room after three-year starter Alejandro Mata graduated.
“I feel like I'm hitting the ball really nice right now. I'm getting consistent with the long snapper and holder and keep getting reps with them, building the trust with each other. It's going really well so far,” Arnold said.
Arnold added that he's comfortable hitting field goals of about 55 yards and is also working from 60-plus. His longest make in high school was 52 yards. To put this into context, Mata’s career-long was 47 yards.
The return game features the most familiar faces, with sophomore Quentin Gibson and 5th-year DeKalon Taylor as names to watch. Gibson returned 25 kickoffs for 597 yards last season, good for the second-highest mark in the Big 12. Another rising sophomore, Quannell Farrakhan Jr., will be a go-to punt returner. In 2025, he appeared in 10 games, registering 6.6 scrimmage yards per return.
Whether or not Coach Niblett’s coined "We-fense" becomes a difference-maker will be determined in crunch time moments this fall. In the meantime, Colorado’s special teams will hope to make “We-fense” every Buffaloes fan's favorite catchphrase, too.
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