If working with the new-look receiver group remains fun when the footballs start flying around for real later this summer, that will be good news for the Colorado football team.
For now, though, Jason Phillips is enjoying the simple pleasures of teaching.
It is an entirely new situation this spring for Phillips, who is beginning his second season as CU’s receivers coach. The Buffaloes boasted one of the top receiver groups in the nation last year, with a talented quartet at the top that probably made Phillips’ job easy more often than not.
This year, it’s a younger and far more inexperienced group Phillips is trying to get up to speed, while CU’s receivers also adjust to life without Shedeur Sanders running the offense. For Phillips, so far it has been a challenging but completely welcome change as the Buffs begin hitting the stretch run of spring practice ahead of the April 19 spring game at Folsom Field.
“It’s actually fun, because you get to get back to the fundamentals and the basics and developing guys,” Phillips said. “Last year, we didn’t have that luxury. We had a lot of veteran guys in the room and we just kind of let them play the game. But now we’ve got to teach guys formations, alignments, and those types of things. So it’s been refreshing. It’s kind of bringing me back to who I am. That’s why I’m a fundamental, developmental guy. So I like developing guys.
“I don’t really care about the talent. We can get you to where you want to get to. You have to be willing to do the fundamentals and basics. And that’s all about the process. So that’s been refreshing. It’s been great.”
The Buffs enjoyed an excess of wealth at receiver last year, a group led by eventual Heisman Trophy and Biletnikoff Award winner Travis Hunter. Going into last year, CU’s top four receivers — Hunter, LaJohntay Wester, Will Sheppard and Jimmy Horn Jr. — had combined for 604 career receptions. That quartet continued its prolific production last season, accounting for 72.2% of CU’s total receptions (255 of 353).
Certainly the Buffs might still add reinforcements after college football’s spring transfer portal window opens next week. Yet even if they do, the Buffs won’t go into the 2025 season with nearly the same pedigree at receiver.
As it stands, the top four most experienced receivers for the Buffs this spring have combined for just 101 career receptions — Drelon Miller (32), Tulsa transfer Joseph Williams (30), Omarion Miller (21) and Terrell Timmons (18).
Phillips had the sort of group that would have made life easy for any coach last year. Given the Buffs’ offense also is experiencing a quarterback competition between Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter, true freshman Julian Lewis and returnee Ryan Staub, Phillips has his work cut out for him this spring in getting CU’s receivers up to speed.
“It feels different. I’m missing Jimmy Horn, LaJohntay Wester, Will Sheppard and Travis Hunter. So it’s extremely different,” Phillips said. “But what I’m pleased about is how the guys are accepting the responsibility of who’s next. That’s encouraging, to see the guys that are here, the guys we brought in, the freshmen from last year. I’m excited. Because the attitude in the room has been great. No one in that room has basically taken any position as to ‘It’s going to be me.’ But, they’re working to establish themselves as that guy.”
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