BOULDER – Hometown hero Charlie Offerdahl has been given a scholarship for his final two years at Colorado. As a redshirt junior, he has become a folktale for young Coloradans all over the state.
Offerdahl played high school football at Dakota Ridge in Colorado, and after receiving multiple FCS scholarship offers, he decided to pass on all of them to walk on at home.
“I always said home is where the buffalo roam,” Offerdahl said. “My family is here in Colorado and so that’s a big part of it.”
After seeing no action in his freshman year, he set a school record for most rushing yards by a walk-on in 2022 with 150. But after Deion Sanders was hired as head coach, times were uncertain for every player on that 1-11 roster.
However, the Littleton native believed in himself and stayed in town to compete for his role.
“I had faith in Coach Prime and I had faith in my ability to showcase what I can do for this staff and this campus,” he said. “Colorado is the place to be. I’ve been here for [the past three years]. There’s been trials and tribulations. It’s been rough at times, but it’s all worth it in the end.”
In 2023, Offerdahl saw a reduced running back role but saw his fair share of special teams action. With what he has done in the winter and spring, Coach Prime made it clear that he has been given nothing; he earned everything.
“It was a tremendous moment, but it's nothing that we gave him, he took it,” Sanders said. “He flat out took it, and he earned it, and he deserved it.
Coach Prime has used Offerdahl’s story to inspire and encourage the rest of the team, saying that there is more space for more walk-ons to earn scholarships. The one question he had for his team after the announcement was “Who’s next?”
Offerdahl will play in his first game on scholarship when the black and gold kick off their season on Aug. 29 at home versus the North Dakota State Bisons.
Cover photo by @CUBuffsFootball/X
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