[247sports.com]

Star position will continue to roam in Colorado's defense
ByBRIAN HOWELL Apr 21, 11:50 AM

Karl Dorrell (Photo: CUBuffs.com)
Whether it’s called the Buff, Star, Spur, Bandit, etc., just about every college football defense has that hybrid player in the lineup.

In recent years, Colorado has had that type of player on the field, as well.

Under coach Mike MacIntyre, it was called the “Buff backer,” with players such as Chidobe Awuzie, Ryan Moeller and Davion Taylor excelling in the role.

Last year, former head coach Mel Tucker called that player the “Star,” and Taylor certainly became a star in that position.

In a recent conversation with new Buffs head coach Karl Dorrell, I asked him about that position. Here are his comments:

Question: Will you have a Buff/Star type of hybrid player in your defense?

Dorrell: “Yes, we have that player. That player in the (NFL), you’re seeing that player a lot. If they say there’s a No. 1 personnel group in the NFL that the offenses play, it’s been 11 personnel. If you say the same thing in college, it really is the same; it’s 11 personnel. So when you’re playing offenses that are in that personnel package most of the time, you need to be in a personnel package defensively that obviously is conducive for those personnel groups – whether it’s a Bandit or whether it’s the Buff backer. We call them the Star; we actually called it the Star (with the Miami Dolphins), too. It is that hybrid safety/linebacker athlete to be able to adjust to the speed of an offense. We’re going to make sure we’re able to line up in that type of system, or if an offense comes out in 12 personnel or 22 personnel then we can definitely get to a more conventional defense, as well.”

Question: In your defense, is that position more of a defensive back or a linebacker type of player?

Dorrell: “He’d be more of a DB type than a linebacker, just because a lot of the time that’s the guy that’s going to adjust to the slot and the slot is usually a receiver type. So, I would tell you that for sure, he’d be more of a DB type than a linebacker type.”

Question: Have you identified which players could be the Star for CU?

Dorrell: “We have an idea. Our secondary, the guys that played (in 2019), they were young. A lot of freshmen and guys that played that are still back. We have a number of guys that have had some experience playing last year, plus the addition of the new guys coming in. We’re not etched in stone in terms of who that guy is, but I think we have three or four guys that we want to rotate in there just so that we have enough depth with being able to move some people to play different spots. I really can’t tell you (who they are), because of no field experience. You can put last year’s starters out there if you want, but I wouldn’t tell you that because I’m not sure … I’m kind of looking at this thing like we’re scrapping it and starting all over again. How we’re going to line up and all that stuff is really up in the air right now.”

Although Dorrell didn’t give specific names for the Star position, it’s clear that we should start looking at the defensive backs, and with the need to adjust on the fly, a bigger, physical type of defensive back might be ideal in the spot. Some potential candidates for the Star include Mark Perry (who practiced there much of last year), Tarik Luckett, Dylan Thomas and new junior college transfer Jaylen Striker.