BOULDER — The highlight of CU’s Black & Gold spring game on Saturday at Folsom Field came before a single snap.
Amid all the roster turnover under the direction of head coach Deion Sanders, running back Charlie Offerdahl stayed the course in Boulder.
For that, the walk-on from Dakota Ridge was awarded a scholarship before Saturday’s scrimmage.
Offerdahl, who was recruited by CU’s previous coach, Karl Dorrell, learned of his scholarship in an emotional moment in the locker room alongside his teammates, dad, mom and brother.
“I was teary-eyed, and I was in there boo-hoo’in like I was part of his family,” CU head coach Deion Sanders said. “Charlie is the prototype man. I love what he stands for, I love who he is and what he’s about.
“It was a tremendous moment, but it’s nothing that we gave him. He flat-out took it, and he earned it and he deserved it. I told him and the rest of the team, ‘Who’s next? Which walk-on is next? Because we’ve got room, and we’ve got time.’”
Offerdahl is one of 11 Colorado prep products on CU’s spring roster, but of those players, only he and a couple of Cherry Creek alums (starting center Hank Zilinskas and defensive end Arden Walker) are likely to be contributors in 2024.
Where Offerdahl fits in an evolving running back room is to be determined. He didn’t play Saturday due to what he called “intestinal damage,” but says he should be healthy in a few weeks.
As a redshirt freshman in 2022, he had 150 total rushing yards, the most in school history by a walk-on. Last year, he played in eight games, mostly on special teams, with 11 rushing yards against Nebraska. A special teams role is surely in the cards again for him this fall.
Offerdahl had offers from a few FCS schools out of high school but opted to try his luck at CU. When Dorrell was fired and Sanders took over, resulting in a large portion of the Buffs’ roster entering the transfer portal, Offerdahl opted to stay in Boulder.
“I had faith in Coach Prime, and I had faith in my ability to showcase what I could do for this staff and this campus, so (that’s why I stayed),” Offerdahl said. “There’s been trials and tribulations. It’s been rough at times, but it’s all worth it in the end.”
Offerdahl’s scholarship comes after the Buffs lost backs Dylan Edwards, Alton McCaskill, Sy’Veon Wilkerson and Anthony Hankerson to the portal this offseason. With that, CU is expected to gain backs Rashad Amos (previously at Miami of Ohio) and Dallan Hayden (Ohio State).
But with those two incoming transfers not yet in a CU uniform, the running game on Saturday was highlighted by a cornerback-turned-tailback in Isaiah Hardge. The redshirt freshman appeared on defense, but his biggest impact in the spring game came from the backfield, where he had seven rushes for 66 yards, including a long of 40 that went for a TD.
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“This is a guy who came in as a receiver, flipped over to defensive back last year because we were desolate at that position,” Sanders said. “He’s a ‘yes-sir, no-sir’ type of guy who’s always on time. … He went out there and displayed his versatility and I love what he brings to the table, offensively or defensively.”
Saturday’s official attendance in the cold and rain was 28,424. The atmosphere of the game, televised on Pac-12 Network despite CU having played its last game in the conference five months ago, stood in stark contrast to last year’s sold-out spring game broadcast on ESPN.
With the weather, the entire scrimmage lasted less than an hour. Shedeur Sanders, coming off a back fracture that ended his 2023 season six quarters early, looked healthy.
The senior QB was 10-for-14 passing for 116 yards and a TD behind a largely new-look starting offensive line. Zilinskas is the lone returner up front who saw action with the Buffs last year, as the center was surrounded by Jordan Seaton at left tackle, Tyler Brown (with the Buffs in ’23 but ruled ineligible) at left guard, Justin Mayers at right guard and Kahlil Benson at right tackle.
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