How Colorado Buffaloes Plan On Matching Last Season's Receiving Production

"Right now, I feel real comfortable with eight to probably 11 guys," Phillips said, per DNVR Buffs . "I'm really comfortable with that. I think a lot of people have asked this question: How do you replace the guys that left with Travis Hunter, LaJohntay and Will Sheppard and Jimmy Horn? You don't replace those guys. What we can do is replace the production."

The high-end talent may not be as prevalent, but Phillips remains confident in the depth of his room. As fall camp winds down and preparation for Georgia Tech begins, Dre'lon Miller, Hykeem Williams, Sincere Brown, Joseph Williams and Omarion Miller have all emerged as leaders at wide receiver.

"We've got enough players in that room that I feel comfortable with playing that we can probably get close to or surpass the production we had last year," Phillips added.

Both Millers had over 200 receiving yards last season while Brown (Campbell), Hykeem Williams (Florida State) and Joseph Williams (Tulsa) joined the Buffs via the transfer portal earlier this offseason. Others who may be in Phillips' circle of trust include freshman Quentin Gibson, sophomore Isaiah Hardge and Utah State transfer Jack Hestera.

"It's kind of hard to talk about one guy. I think the group is progressing as a whole," Phillips said, per BuffZone's Brian Howell. "Guys are maturing. It's a younger group, younger than what we had last year. And we got some new guys that came in that obviously have to play or meet the expectation level of being here. Those guys are starting to understand that. I'm really pleased right now with where we're at, but I still believe there's a long ways to go."

Colorado's wide receivers will, of course, play a key role in helping whoever wins the starting quarterback competition between Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter, freshman Julian Lewis and Ryan Staub. Salter is the current favorite, but coach Deion Sanders has yet to make a formal announcement.

In just over one week, Phillips' wide receivers will look to impress in Colorado's season opener against Georgia Tech on Aug. 29. Kickoff at Folsom Field is set for 6 p.m. MT on ESPN.