Colorado’s defensive identity is starting to look different. After spending recent seasons building around the secondary, the Buffaloes have pushed more of their offseason attention toward linebackers — and that shift now comes with a major coaching change.
Chris Marve, who was added this offseason as linebackers coach, has since been promoted to defensive coordinator. The move matters because Marve is a former linebacker and a linebackers coach by trade, and Colorado is expected to use a 4-3 scheme under him. Against Georgia Tech, that front-seven emphasis could be especially important if the Buffaloes are going to control the run.
Colorado’s linebacker room became an offseason priority
The Buffaloes added three transfer linebackers this offseason in Liona Lefau, Tyler Martinez and Gideon Lampron, then landed commitments from Carson Crawford and Rodney Colton Jr. It was a clear investment in a position group that Colorado wanted to strengthen quickly.
That overhaul also fits the way Deion Sanders has spoken about the room. In May, Sanders said on Thee Morning Run that the linebacker core is superb and that Colorado has three pros at the position. He also said these were the best linebackers he has ever had in his coaching history.
There is some substance behind that confidence. The transfer linebackers combined for 245 tackles over the last two seasons, giving Colorado a group that arrives with production already on its résumé. For a team that wants to be more physical in the middle of the defense, that matters.
What Marve’s promotion suggests
Robert Livingston previously built around defensive backs rather than linebackers, so Marve’s promotion points to a different structure. Colorado is now leaning into a coach who knows the position from playing and coaching it, and that should make the linebackers even more central to how the defense functions.
That change does not guarantee instant results, but it does show where Colorado believes the defensive foundation should be. If the linebackers live up to the offseason investment, the Buffaloes could look much more balanced when they line up against Georgia Tech and beyond.
