BOULDER — Move a shortstop to second base and, like the Rockies’ Clint Barmes, you’ve got a second baseman with better-than-average range. In basketball, a natural forward playing in the middle might be too quick for an opposing center, as often is the case with the Nuggets’ Nene. Use a cornerback at safety and the overall athleticism of the defensive secondary may improve.
Same goes with an offensive line. Colorado has done some position switching the past two years — trading up in athleticism with each move. The end result, coaches believe, could help the Buffaloes (5-7 in 2008) make some noise in the Big 12 North. For the first time in several years, CU’s offensive line can stand toe-to-toe in the trenches with just about anyone.
“You’ve got to have talented players up front in this league because the defenses are so fast, and I really like our guys,” said Brad Bedell, a former Colorado guard who played six seasons in the NFL before returning to Boulder in 2007 to begin his coaching career as offensive technical intern. “We’ve moved some guys around. It’s made us bigger and more athletic.”
The new-look line was on display Friday evening during Colorado’s first practice of fall camp. It certainly passed the “eyeball test,” as coaches like to say.
Nate Solder (6-feet-9, 305 pounds) switched last year from tight end to left tackle. There aren’t many tackles who can run 40 yards in 4.8 seconds, including the pros. Solder, a junior, can.
Ryan Miller (6-8, 320) moved inside during spring ball, from right tackle to right guard. Miller, a third-year sophomore, can motor. During his last high school game for Columbine, Miller became something of a folk hero when he ran down Mullen tailback Phil Morelli after an 80-yard gain in the Class 5A state championship, catching Morelli at the 13-yard line to save a score.
Before the spring, sophomore Mike Iltis (6-3, 280) moved from offensive guard to starting center. Now recovered from a torn ACL that kept him on the sideline in 2008, Iltis had good quickness for a guard. That makes him exceptionally nimble for a center.
“When you’ve got tight ends at tackle, tackles playing guard, guards playing center, think about that. You’re going to have guys that are quicker than you would normally have,” senior defensive tackle Taj Kaynor said of his battles in practice. “And those guys are going to keep improving.”
It doesn’t stop with those three. Starting left guard Blake Behrens, a 6-3, 285-pound sophomore, earned all-state honors at Brophy Prep in Phoenix as, yes, a tackle. And the new right tackle, redshirt-freshman Bryce Givens (6-6, 275), is so light on his feet he could probably play a variety of positions on either side of the ball.
Just 240 pounds when he arrived at CU last fall, Givens evidently is quick in everything he does. At Mullen, he set a school record in chess with the fastest checkmate: 3 minutes, 7 seconds.
“I love having all those guys beside me,” Iltis said. “I definitely think we have a more athletic line than most teams have. We don’t have a bunch of guys that weigh way over 300. Our guys are extremely fit — fast, explosive, getting to the punch first. That’s going to help the whole offense.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
