Most Underrated Player From Colorado Buffaloes Spring Football

Defensive Tackle Tyler Moore

During spring practice, defensive tackle Tyler Moore has shown some promise as a solid presence in the middle to help stop the run. Moore’s frame at 5-10, 290 is something that really helps him as a stout player in the middle of the defense.

In highlights of Colorado's spring scrimmage from Well Off Media, he was consistently holding his ground in the run game and demonstrating why the Buffaloes brought him in.

In 2025, Moore played at Coastal Carolina, where he received reps in six games. In those games, Moore recorded six tackles and one tackle for loss. His presence in the middle as a run defender often is not fully shown on the stat sheet. 

In 2024, Moore had a bigger role in his season at Tennessee State, where he started nine games and played in all 13. Moore provided constant pressure against the run but was also able to disrupt opposing quarterbacks.

In that 2024 season, Moore totaled 17 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, five quarterback hurries, one pass defensed, and a forced fumble. Moore definitely provides versatility as a run defender, but he also has the skillset to pass rush if he is given the opportunity. 

Colorado's Defense Has Room to Grow

During the 2025 season, two areas stood out for Colorado defensively. The Buffaloes could not stop the run at all and struggled to disrupt the quarterbacks, with very limited production from their pass rush. 

Last season, Colorado allowed 222.5 rushing yards per game, ranking 135th in the country. When trying to have a great defense, many coordinators say that stopping the run is the number one goal because it can make offenses one-dimensional. 

However, the Buffaloes were unsuccessful in that regard, which constantly put them in disadvantageous situations all season long. 

Getting after the quarterback, Colorado was only able to generate 13 sacks, which ranked them 129th nationally. 

The Buffaloes were able to do a decent job against opposing offenses in terms of pass yards, as they ranked 41st in the nation in terms of pass yards allowed with 203.2 allowed per game. 

But the amount of time quarterbacks had ultimately was too much for the secondary, which is what led to the struggle of closing out games in 2025.

Colorado's 2026 Season Outlook

Following these struggles in 2025, Colorado coach Deion Sanders has seemingly prioritized the defensive line to create a good run defense and generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks. 

Other than Tyler Moore, the Buffaloes added defensive tackles Santana Hopper, Dylan Manuel, Ezra Christensen, and Sedrick Smith. On the edge, Vili Taufatofua, Toby Anene, Immanuel Ezeogu, and Balansama Kamara were key transfer adds as well. 

Colorado needed changes up front to improve the defense and help the Buffaloes potentially compete at a high level in the Big 12. 

Moore can become a major reason for that change in helping limit opposing rushing attacks and using his pass-rush skillset to be disruptive against opposing quarterbacks. While Moore is not one of the more well-known players at Colorado, his impact could be just as crucial.