The overhaul of Colorado’s football roster is well underway.
On Friday, six more Buffaloes announced their intentions to leave Boulder and enter the transfer portal when it opens Jan. 2.
Receiver/running back Dre’Lon Miller; defensive end Alexander McPherson; offensive lineman Tyler Brown; and defensive linemen Christian Hudson, Gavriel Lightfoot and Tawfiq Thomas all announced their transfer intentions.
Miller, a true sophomore this past season, was one of the top players in CU’s 2024 recruiting class. He broke out late in the 2024 season, finishing with 32 catches for 277 yards and three touchdowns.
This season, Miller was expected to be one of the top offensive players on the team, but that never materialized. Opening the season as a starting receiver, Miller moved to running back in the middle of the year. He wound up starting seven games, but caught just 21 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown on 46 carries.
McPherson, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound defensive end, was one of the top players in CU’s 2025 class. A three-star recruit from IMG Academy in Florida, McPherson played in 10 games, recording 16 tackles, half a sack, a blocked punt and five quarterback hurries in 211 snaps.
Hudson was a three-star recruit in the 2025 class out of Mainland (Florida) High School. The 6-1, 300-pound defensive tackle played 18 snaps in four games this season, preserving his redshirt. He did not record any statistics.
Of the 15 prep players signed by CU in the 2025 class, eight have now left the program, including two who were gone before the season began.
The 6-4, 300-pound Thomas was a senior this year, but played in just four games because of injury and redshirted, so he will have a year of eligibility remaining. He posted 12 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss this season after having 18 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss in 2024.
Lightfoot transferred to CU last year from Fresno State. A 6-3, 310-pound senior, he was injured in the preseason and never appeared in a game, using his redshirt year. He’ll have one year of eligibility remaining.
Brown, a 6-foot-3, 325-pound guard and center, played just five snaps this past season after battling an injury. A 12-game starter in 2024, Brown was a seventh-year senior this year, but has a year of eligibility remaining.
Brown, who spent three years at CU, began his career at Louisiana-Lafayette from 2019-21 before playing the 2022 season at Jackson State and transferring to CU in 2023. His career has included the COVID season in 2020, injuries and having his 2023 season taken away by the NCAA because of a now-outdated transfer rule.
Although the portal does not open until Jan. 2, 15 scholarship Buffs have already announced their intentions to transfer, including regular starters Omarion Miller (receiver), Tawfiq Byard (safety) and Brandon Davis-Swain (defensive tackle).
Others planning to hit the portal include: offensive lineman Carde Smith; safety TJ Branch; defensive lineman Jehiem Oatis; cornerbacks Noah King and Teon Parks; and linebacker Mantrez Walker.
Safety Terrance Love and cornerback Kyle Carpenter are also transferring, but both left the team during the season.
Walk-on receiver Gavin Marsh and kicker Alexander Stoyanovich are also planning to enter the portal.
