As the Colorado football team prepares for its third season with head coach Deion Sanders, the next big step in the offseason is set to begin.

On March 11, CU is slated to begin spring football. The 15 practices will conclude with the spring game on April 19 at Folsom Field.

Every year, there are plenty of roster changes in college football and there are plenty this year for the Buffs, who have several key players from the 2024 squad now preparing for the NFL Draft.

This spring, there will be 30 newcomers on the practice field, including 17 transfers and 13 prep recruits who enrolled early. Many of those newcomers are looking to make an impression as they fight for starting jobs.

There are also 44 returning scholarship players this spring, several of which will be aiming to make a bigger impact than last year. With spring around the corner, here are five returning scholarship players with a chance to grab a bigger role.

QB Ryan Staub

The redshirt sophomore is one of three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. The other two — Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter and five-star freshman Julian Lewis — are grabbing the headlines, but Staub is the only one with CU experience. He’s been with the Buffs for two years and he has the advantage of knowing the offense installed by coordinator Pat Shurmur. Although Staub has thrown just 44 passes in two seasons as a backup to Shedeur Sanders (projected as a top-five pick in the April draft), Shurmur has often spoken highly of him. This spring is an opportunity for Staub to prove whether or not he’s ready to compete for a starting job.

RB Brandon Hood

All five scholarship running backs from last season are back, including Hood. He’s the only one of the five who did not play, as he spent his true freshman year redshirting. The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder has explosiveness that the Buffs could use on offense, though. He doesn’t necessarily need to beat out the veterans this spring, but the 15 practices will offer a chance for him to prove he deserves a role in the offense.

WR Terrell Timmons Jr.

A transfer from North Carolina State last year, he didn’t play much for the Buffs because they were so loaded at receiver. The top four receivers from last year — including Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter — are all now preparing for the NFL. Young receivers such as Omarion Miller, Drelon Miller and Joseph Williams could be CU’s leaders. Timmons, however, could be the sleeper of the group. At 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, he has a big frame and has flashed his ability in practice. In three seasons of college football, he has just 18 catches, but he could be in line for a breakout season and he has the ability to make some noise this spring.

LB Jeremiah Brown

A fifth-year senior, Brown’s two seasons at Colorado haven’t gone as he would have hoped to this point, but he’ll come into spring determined to change that. He was highly productive in his two seasons (2021-22) at Jackson State, including 10 tackles for loss and six sacks off the edge in 2022. At CU, he’s bounced around from inside to outside and played just 118 snaps in two years. Last year, he chose to redshirt after four games so he could come back this year for a bigger role. Last year’s starting linebackers — LaVonta Bentley and Nikhai Hill-Green — are gone and Brown has a chance to make his mark this spring as he fights to fill their shoes.

S Savion Riley

Playing behind a pair of dynamic seniors — Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig and Shilo Sanders — he didn’t have much chance to play last year. The one time he did, filling in for an injured Silmon-Craig for most of the opener against North Dakota State, he played great. A transfer from Vanderbilt, he registered 48 tackles for the Commodores in 2023. The Buffs have some intriguing talent at safety, with Riley having a chance this spring to rise to the top of that list.