Colorado position preview: Buffs have depth, talent at running back

At every stop, Sy’veon Wilkerson has found success on the football field.
He was all-conference as a sophomore, junior and senior in high school, rushing for more than 2,000 yards and 26 touchdowns in his last two seasons.
He was first-team All-MEAC with 848 yards and eight touchdowns at Delaware State in the fall of 2021. And, last year, he transferred to Jackson State and was first-team All-SWAC after rushing for 1,152 yards and nine touchdowns.
Now, the 5-foot-9, 205-pound Wilkerson is making the jump to the Power Five and he aims to prove himself with the Colorado Buffaloes.
“I’m ready to come in and compete,” he said. “I’m ready to go and I’m ready to play.”
Leading up to preseason camp, BuffZone.com will preview each position group for CU and in this installment, we look at the running backs, which might be the deepest position group on the roster.
CU head coach Deion Sanders and running backs coach Gary Harrell are getting a known commodity in Wilkerson. He was a workhorse for them at Jackson State a year ago and they know they can depend on him. Wilkerson knows what he’s getting into, as well.
“Those were coaches I could talk to and come to about anything and I could trust,” Wilkerson said. “We want to be around coaches that we trust and that truly care about us. So being with Coach Prime and the rest of the staff, I’m excited for it. It’s just like being around family. It’s like being at home.”
Wilkerson also comes in knowing he’s not a lock to start simply because he was with this staff a year ago. But, he knows he’s going to get a fair shot to compete in what has become a big group of talented running backs.
“I’ve had to fight for a starting job every team I’ve been on, actually since little league,” Wilkerson said. “So it’s not really nothing new to me. That’s why I wasn’t really worried about coming in and competing because I’ve been doing that all my life.”
As good as Wilkerson has been to this point, he wasn’t the highest-profile addition to the running back room this offseason.
Landing Alton McCaskill IV, a transfer from Houston, was a significant move for CU this offseason. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound sophomore was the American Athletic Conference rookie of the year in 2021 when he ran for 961 yards and 16 touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per carry for the Cougars. He missed last year with a knee injury, but is ready to go with CU.
CU also brought in sixth-year senior Kavosiey Smoke, who was productive during his five years at Kentucky, mainly as a backup. He posted 1,583 yards and 13 touchdowns at Kentucky, averaging 5.44 yards per carry.
“Both of them, they’re unique in their styles,” CU defensive coordinator Charles Kelly said of McCaskill and Smoke. “Both of them are hard to tackle. Smoke’s a little bit more compact, but he’s powerful, a little bit lower center of gravity. But all of those running backs have a chance to be really good and when we get the ball to them in space, they’re going to be hard to get down.”
The group also includes highly-touted true freshman Dylan Edwards, a four-star recruit who was committed to Notre Dame before flipping to CU in December. Although he’s only 5-9, 165 pounds, Edwards has blazing speed and racked up 6,426 yards and 95 touchdowns during his high school career, averaging 10.3 yards per carry. With his speed, he could also line up as a slot receiver for the Buffs.
Beyond the newcomers, the Buffs have two returning players who have displayed intriguing talent that could get them into the mix. Anthony Hankerson gained 274 yards and led the Buffs with three rushing touchdowns as a true freshman reserve last year.
And, Charlie Offerdahl is a walk-on whose work ethic was widely praised by the previous coaching staff and often highlighted by the current staff. Offerdahl rushed for 150 yards last year, the most in a single season by a CU walk-on.
“I feel like with this running back room it’s gonna be healthy competition,” Wilkerson said. “We gel really well already. I feel like that’s gonna help us just be, like, the best running back room in the Pac-12, no matter who is starting, who is second, who is third. I feel like whenever someone goes down or whatever, it’s always next man up and it’s no drop off.”
Position: Running backs
Returners: Anthony Hankerson, So.; Charlie Offerdahl, So. (walk-on); Christian Sarem, R-Fr. (walk-on).
Transfers: Kavosiey Smoke, Sr. (Kentucky); Sy’veon Wilkerson, Jr. (Jackson State); Alton McCaskill IV, So. (Houston); Ahmir McGee, Jr. (Portland State; walk-on).
True freshmen: Dylan Edwards
Key losses: Deion Smith (transferred to BYU); Alex Fontenot (graduated).