As the Colorado football team moves into a different era that no longer includes Shedeur Sanders starring at quarterback, there appears to be a different mindset offensively. Especially up front.

“We’re gonna run the ball every game, and we’re going to do it and impose our will this year,” sophomore tackle Jordan Seaton said after a recent spring practice.

That’s a bold statement considering the Buffs have been last in the country in rushing yards the past two years, averaging 68.9 yards per game in 2023 and 65.2 last year.

Then again, with Sanders, who was arguably the best quarterback in the country, and a group of receivers led by Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, Seaton acknowledged, “Who doesn’t want to throw the ball that much?”

In preparing for the 2025 season, however, the offensive line is gearing up to make sure this year is different.

“We will run the ball, and we’ll impose our will when we want to — how we want to and when we want to,” Seaton said.

Led by coordinator Pat Shurmur, the offense can no longer lean on Sanders to lead them every Saturday. The Buffs believe they have plenty of talent at quarterback with senior Kaidon Salter, sophomore Ryan Staub and freshman Julian Lewis. But the offensive line, which has been the most criticized group on the team the past two years, is looking to step up as leaders.

“I don’t think you could play the position at a higher level without a chip (on the shoulder),” assistant line coach George Hegamin said. “I mean, think about it, other than (the center), none of us touch the ball the entire football game. So you do have to come in with a certain mindset that, ‘Listen, my job is to protect. Protect, keep people off of my quarterback, keep people off of my running backs, and help us move the chains.’

“The only way to do that effectively is to have that kind of chip on the shoulder, and I think a lot of our guys this year do and they’re doing it the right way.”

In addition to ranking last in the country in rushing, the Buffs have allowed more quarterback sacks (99) than any team in the nation — one more than Old Dominion — in the past two seasons.

Head coach Deion Sanders has focused some of his offseason on making sure the line is better, starting at the top.

Last year’s offensive line coach, Phil Loadholt, left the Buffs for Mississippi State, and Coach Prime has replaced him with a team. Gunnar White was promoted from an analyst role to be the offensive line coach, while Hegamin and former Buffs star Andre Gurode were tabbed as assistants.

Together, that trio of coaches is geared up to get the Buffs in shape in the trenches.

“The big thing about having the three guys in that room is the fact that each player can find someone to go to, to get information,” said Gurode, who played at CU from 1998-2001 before a 12-year NFL career.

The offensive line is always the biggest position group on the team (there are 15 linemen participating in spring practices), and with three different coaches, there is more potential for individualized coaching.

“It’s much easier to have three guys in a room that equally get along with each other and want the best thing, want this program to be great,” Gurode said. “Now these guys can talk to each coach individually, and we can all get on the same page.”

Gurode and Hegamin both played in the NFL and both played multiple positions. Gurode played guard and center, while Hegamin played guard and tackle. White played a bit in college but brings a different element with his knowledge of the offense and attention to detail as a coach.

“We get together collectively and we talk out, work out the plan, so that the guys develop, and that we’re not missing anything,” Gurode said. “So it’s been working great.”

White, a trusted assistant for Coach Prime for the past three years, said the collaboration with Gurode and Hegamin has been “a beautiful thing.”

The key, of course, is talented players, and the Buffs believe they have that, too. It’s led by Seaton, who was the No. 1 offensive line recruit coming out of high school in 2024. Seaton started every game at left tackle for the Buffs last year and is eager to take the next step as a player and leader.

“No question about it,” Hegamin said. “In his second year, he’s right where we think he should be as a sophomore, so I’m excited for him.”

Guards Tyler Brown and Kareem Harden combined for 19 starts last year, and center Cash Cleveland started the last four games. Phillip Houston started nine games at right tackle before a knee injury that is causing him to miss spring practices, as well.

To bolster the line, the Buffs brought in former Illinois starting guard Zy Crisler, former Louisiana Tech starting center Zarian McGill and two other senior transfers in Aki Ogunbiyi (Texas A&M) and Mana Taimani (Mississippi). Three true freshmen joined the team in January, as well.

While there might be some more player movement when the spring transfer portal opens, the Buffs believe they have a group — from coaches to players — that the offense can lean on this fall as CU aims to maintain the success they achieved in 2024.

“We have to run the ball. That’s a non-negotiable,” White said. “We have to run the ball, and the team has to depend on the offensive line this year for us to be successful like we’re planning and hope to be.”