As is the case every year in college football, the roster will take on a new look next year for the Colorado football team.

Several seniors played their final game for the Buffaloes in the Valero Alamo Bowl last Saturday, while 10 incoming players had the opportunity to make a first impression on coaches and players, practicing with the team before the bowl game.

“We had an influx of adrenaline and passion when the youngsters, when the high schoolers came,” CU head coach Deion Sanders said last week. “That made the old school guys say, ‘OK, I gotta show these guys who I am.’”

The group of newcomers was headlined by quarterbacks Kaidon Salter (a transfer from Liberty) and Julian Lewis (from Carrollton High School in Georgia).

There were eight other high school players, however, who also had the chance to get a jump on their college experience. That group included offensive linemen Chauncey Gooden (Nashville) and Carde Smith (Mobile, Ala.); defensive linemen Christian Hudson (Daytona Beach, Fla.), Alexander McPherson (Stuart, Fla.) and London Merritt (Atlanta); receiver Adrian Wilson (Pflugerville, Texas); safety TJ Branch (Miami, Fla.); and linebacker Mantrez Walker (Buford, Ga.).

Some of them, including Gooden and McPherson, made their presence known immediately after joining practices.

“(McPherson) was setting the tone early,” said safety Ben Finneseth, who hosted McPherson on an official visit. “He seems he’s already learning from me; just kidding. He’s doing a great job, and he’s a great kid, so he’s gonna be fun to watch. He’s already been fun to watch and practice. He’s been setting the tone.”

Leading up to the bowl game, the focus was on the veterans and trying to get a victory. The Buffs (9-4) fell short of that with a 36-14 loss to BYU. But, even the veterans came away feeling good about the future because of the energy brought to the practice field by the freshmen.

“It’s been wonderful,” senior safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig said. “It’s been wonderful seeing the guys come in with a hunger. They kind of caught on how we get things done. I know I talked to one guy. I was like, ‘It’s your first time getting yelled at by Coach Prime, so you’re getting broken in.’

“These guys come in, they’re way more humble. Guys are very quiet, just trying to listen and learn everything. I’m happy for the guys coming in. They gonna do some big things.”

Defensive coordinator Robert Livingston said it was too early to say which of the newcomers would make an impact, but he enjoyed getting that first opportunity to work with them.

“It’s a huge head start for them,” he said. “It’s a great way to get to know them and be around them. I think people maybe act a little bit different on an official visit, players and coaches alike. To see what they’re like when they’re tired, when they’re working, both in Boulder as well as here (is valuable).

“Really excited for the six practices they get that are extra going into spring ball. Those are invaluable. It’s a great start for them, and they get to be a part of this as well. I think that’s a special thing. I think too often we forget these are 18- to 22, 23-year-old kids. This could be the last time they go to a bowl game, heaven forbid. To go through this and obviously the way they do it here (at the Alamo Bowl) is phenomenal. It’s top-shelf. To be a part of this is really special.”

All of the young players were less than a month removed from their last high school game, and some were in practice with the Buffs a week or two after a state playoff game.

“You go from playing in the state championship game and then four days later you’re going versus Travis (Hunter) and Shedeur (Sanders),” Livingston said. “That’s probably a little bit different in itself. You recruit kids that you hope will come in and play right away, and then they get thrown in the fire with guys that have been doing it for three or four years and in the system for this year alone.

“It’s a way to see how do they learn? How do they retain knowledge? Can they make adjustments? How do they adapt when they fail? How do they adapt when they have success? Those are all things that hopefully you have a feel for, and then once the spring ball rolls out, you’ll know exactly where you stand.”