At the halfway point of spring workouts, what have we learned about the completely refurbished Colorado football program?

It will be quite difficult to tell who’s who without numbers on the jerseys.

After two weeks of spring practice, interrupted by a week of spring break, and with two weeks remaining before a spring game certain to be unlike any other in the 133 seasons of Colorado football, the Coach Prime era officially is underway.

All jokes aside regarding the lack of jersey numbers, it’s far too early to assess the on-field impact of bringing Deion Sanders to Boulder. The team that will hit the field on Sept. 2 at defending national runner-up TCU still is likely to be markedly different than the squad currently putting in the work at the Champions Center. Still, beyond the obvious traits of increased attention — like having more than a couple reporters at every practice, or the ESPN crew getting ready to hit Boulder for a live broadcast of the spring game — there have been a few noteworthy observations.

First, kudos to Sanders for allowing the occasional practice to be observed by the media. For a new regime putting an overhauled roster through its paces, allowing a couple open media workouts has been a welcome olive branch. It’s impossible to truly provide informed reporting without observing a few practices. Gushing about the athleticism of Travis Hunter or Jimmy Horn Jr. during a media session is one thing. Seeing the new talent in action is quite another.

Count me as skeptical the open sessions will continue during the season. College football coaches are notorious for the twin compulsions of paranoia and control. Yet just maybe the media-savvy Sanders will operate from a different approach. This particular reporter has observed CU men’s basketball practices for eight seasons without committing one of the access-denying sins of revealing injury or scouting report information. Most reporters work with a keen professional respect for the boundaries of the access.

As for those number-less jerseys on display this spring, I’m a fan. It’s a little thing, no doubt. But in a situation where the newcomers brought in by Sanders and his staff clearly will have a competitive edge, and some favoritism, over the handful of returnees still on the roster, it’s a shrewd and fair way to level the competition. Sure, in the long term it probably won’t change who has the inside track at rotation spots. Yet with a roster numbers crunch still on the horizon, and the unsavory task still ahead of trimming some of those numbers, making everyone earn their jersey numbers — from the coach’s son quarterback to the walk-ons — is a solid approach to getting everyone on the same page. Regardless of the roster turnover, it’s inevitable the Buffs will have to rely on at least a few holdovers. With this scheme, holdovers and newcomers alike are in the same boat.

It of course will be interesting to watch how the spring culminates in two weeks, when a sold-out crowd expected to reach around 45,000 descends on Folsom Field for what typically is a vanilla scrimmage. At the very least, fans will get the same chance to see the Buffs’ newfound athleticism as the media has on occasion in recent weeks.

Moreover the spring in general, and the spring game in particular, will serve as a sort of dress rehearsal for the rabid attention certain to engulf Colorado’s 2023 season. Exactly how many wins this new era ushers in during the first season still is anybody’s guess. But after just two weeks of spring workouts, it’s clear it’s no longer just business as usual with Buffaloes football.