Only three teams in the Big 12 added more career starts out of the transfer portal than Colorado. A few dozen of those starts come at the linebacker position.

That’s music to the ears of Buffaloes linebackers coach Andre’ Hart, who loses both of his starters from last year’s team: Nikhai Hill-Green and LaVonta Bentley.

Hill-Green parlayed his solid season in Boulder (82 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions) into a spot on the Alabama defense, while Bentley made a mark in his final season of college eligibility with 55 tackles, one sack and two fumble recoveries.

That tandem helped solidify the middle of Robert Livingston’s defense and was a big reason why CU took a big step forward on that end of the field under the first-year coordinator.

However, it’s almost a completely new group of players that Hart has to work with heading into the 2025 season as any of the potential players who may have stepped into a starting role departed the program.

Here are the names to know:

The projected starters

It’s hard to fully project who is going to start considering the key candidates have never played a down of football for the Buffs yet and Hart has tended to rotate players early in the season before settling on a duo he can trust, but two newcomers stand out at this point of the summer and they were both on campus in the spring, as well.

Martavius French is a classic CU transfer in the Coach Prime era. The UTSA transfer has multiple years of starting experience, reliable production and just one year left to prove himself before trying to make a career in the pros.

French is a Memphis native who spent the 2020 season at Tennessee before leaving to play at Hutchinson Community College the following season, impressing enough to earn a spot from coach Jeff Traylor at UTSA, where he played in 37 games with 20 starts over the last three seasons.

Last season, French made 11 starts and was named second team All-AAC after recording a team-best 80 tackles and 17 tackles for loss.

At this point, French projects to be joined by another player entering his final year of eligibility, Jacksonville State transfer Reginald Hughes.

Another player who has spent time in the SEC (Ole Miss) and in the junior college ranks, Hughes is coming off a 2024 campaign in which he was named first team All-Conference USA after racking up 83 tackles (9.5 for loss) and 4.5 sacks.

Others to watch

Despite getting both French and Hughes on campus for spring practices, the Buffs still went out and added a player to the linebacking corps this summer. And it’s someone who could easily make a big impact this season.

Shaun Myers had his 2024 season cut short after just two games at North Alabama, but he still brings 10 total starts with him to CU after transferring in after the spring. He had 58 total tackles (4.5 for loss) across 11 games in 2023.

The other transfer that could play significant snaps this season is TCU transfer Kylan Salter, younger brother of Buffs quarterback Kaidon Salter. Kylan appeared in just seven games across his first two seasons of college football, but still has plenty of time to make an impact in Boulder with still three seasons of eligibility left. Hailing from famed Cedar Hill High School, Salter is a former three-star recruit who had plenty of Power 4 offers as a prep player.

Wild cards

While new faces will likely be at the top of the depth chart, there is one returning player who can’t be ruled out for a role on the defense. That’s veteran Jeremiah Brown, the former Jackson State transfer who came to CU with coach Sanders and briefly entered the transfer portal in December before opting to return to the Buffs.

Brown has played in 17 games across the last two seasons, primarily on special teams, but is someone the coaching staff still trusts.

The other linebacker who could factor into the team’s plans is true freshman Mantrez Walker. CU isn’t afraid to play younger players, especially ones like Walker, who comes from a top Georgia high school program like Buford and has spent the last few years playing against plenty of Power 4 conference players.