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One practice video from the fall camp has now turned into a conversation about Deion Sanders’ roster choices at Colorado. Quentin Gibson caught a pass, made Naeten Mitchell miss, and took off for the touchdown. Instead of noticing the prolific ability, the clip spread across social media. It drew millions of views and plenty of comments about CU’s players. Interestingly, most of those comments focused on one thing: their size.

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Some fans looked at the Buffaloes and saw too many short receivers, defensive backs, and quarterbacks. Others went a step further and joked that Deion Sanders had put together a roster that looked more like a junior varsity team than a Big 12 squad. Former Colorado defensive lineman Matt McChesney had seen enough. He questioned why people were treating that as proof that the Buffaloes cannot compete.

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“You can’t change the color of my blood. Okay, that’s number one. Use it as motivation,” McChesney said on the August 12 Zero 2 Sixty podcast. “You’re just too stupid to come up with anything original. And you look at the slot and nickel corners and the quarterbacks and say they’re small. And they look like a JV team. Okay, Gibson was the Gatorade player of the year in Texas. He runs 4.3, and he reminds me of Hollywood Brown.”

Colorado lists Gibson at 5-foot-9 and 155 lbs. That’s not a particularly imposing frame for a college receiver. But Gibson’s football résumé makes the size argument a lot harder to use on its own. Before he arrived in Boulder, Gibson had one of the biggest seasons any Texas high school receiver could have. At North Crowley, he helped the team finish 16-0 and win the Class 6A Division I state championship. Gibson caught 93 passes for 2,009 yards and 36 touchdowns. He also added production as a runner and returner.

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Of course, the 2026 roster has several smaller WRs. Gibson is 5-foot-9. Ernest Campbell is 5-foot-9 and 145 lbs. Kaleb Mathis is 5-foot-9 and 165 lbs, while Kam Perry is listed at 5-foot-9 and 170 lbs. Danny Scudero is also 5-foot-9, although he weighs 175 pounds. The problem is turning that observation into a description of the entire roster. For starters, look at the tight ends.

“They are not small. It’s a stupid narrative,” McChesney said. “You guys sound dumb. And then people run with this, and it’s like it’s going to get clicks cuz it’s CU related.”

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So, talking about the tight ends. Zayne DeSouza is 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds. Ben Gula is 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds. Brady Kopetz stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 270 pounds. Fisher Clements is 6-foot-7 and 265 pounds. The offensive line is even harder to describe as undersized.

Yahya Attia is listed at 6-foot-4 and 340 pounds. Xavier Payne is 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds. Jayven Richardson is 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds. Chauncey Gooden is 6-foot-3 and 380 pounds. Bo Hughley is 6-foot-7 and 295 pounds. In all, Colorado has some small receivers and defensive backs. However, it doesn’t mean that Colorado has a small football team.

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The former CU defensive lineman made that distinction while defending Gibson. “We don’t have a Calvin Johnson receiver, and we don’t need one” McChesney remarked.

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Kamran Ahmad

1,899 Articles

Kamran Ahmad is a College Football writer at EssentiallySports, covering rising stars on the Rookie Watch Desk and financial trends on the NCAA NIL Desk. He keeps a close eye on FBS programs to identify the game’s next breakout talents. This year, Arch Manning tops his list, though he’s also bullish on Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin. Kamran views football’s progression system as one of the most effective in sports and sees playoff expansion as a key step toward deeper, more competitive seasons. Among his notable coverage are stories on Travis Hunter’s path to the Heisman, critical Week 1 matchups such as Clemson vs. LSU, and exclusive insights into players’ decisions and career milestones. Kamran’s work blends player evaluation, program analysis, and NIL developments, offering readers a forward-looking perspective on the future stars of college football.

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Firdows Matheen

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