Colorado coaches rave about versatility, depth of revamped secondary

It was the secondary's turn at the Colorado football fall camp, and you know that when the Buffaloes are led by one of the greatest, if not the greatest, cornerbacks of all time, how the secondary plays matters even more.

Nickels coach Kevin Mathis, cornerbacks coach Aaron Fletcher, and safeties coach Vonn Bell all talked to the media Friday morning to conclude Week 3 of fall camp.

All three coaches highlighted the secondary's depth and versatility, with Mathis even saying moving players between positions will be seamless.

"This secondary is so versatile from the safeties to the nickels to the corners," Mathis said. "We can move them around," Mathis said. "They're students of the game and moving them around won't be a problem."

"Makari [Vickers] has really stepped up. He's been the leader in that room," Mathis said. "He's built like a safety, can run like a corner and he's really tough. He's a nickel at the next level."

That is high praise for Vickers, who struggled last year as a fourth-year cornerback on the outside. At 6-foot-1, he is a larger nickel, which can be a significant advantage, especially as Mathis noted Vickers has above-average speed.

If Vickers is the leader at nickel, where does that leave Tennessee transfer Boo Carter? Perhaps as a starting outside corner opposite Cree Thomas?

"I'm really pleased with how they're progressing and the continuity they're developing when they're out there together," Fletcher said. "... I think both of those guys are two of the same. They're special. I don’t want to put a cap on those guys in terms of their potential. I can see greatness from both of those guys."

It would be hard to envision Carter as an outside corner, as he seems perfectly suited for the "star" position. I could see Carter lining up inside with Thomas, then moving outside to shut down one side of the field completely.

While safeties coach Vonn Bell did not explicitly announce his top two safeties, he highlighted Randon Fontenette and Naeten Mitchell as two standouts so far.

"Those guys continuously making strides and progressing in the right way. Building unity on and off the field…," Bell said. "They’re leading guys in the right direction."

You usually don't have two of your leaders ride the pine, so I'd expect Mitchell and Fontenette to be the starting safeties against Georgia Tech. When Fontenette spoke, he mentioned that he and Mitchell have bonded well and made a unique promise with one another.

"We made a promise to look at each other before every snap to make sure we’re on the same page," Fontenette said.

It definitely sounds like the two safeties are seeing a ton of snaps together.

• Vonn Bell on Jah Jah Boyd: "Probably one of the most versatile giys in the room," Bell said.
• Bell on Ben Finneseth: "He can make every adjustment when he's in [the game]," Bell said. "That's why he's a pro's pro."
• Fletcher on Boo Carter's personality: "Probably one of the best young men I've been around," Fletcher said. "He'll crack a joke that will be out of nowhere… And love, he's a guy who loves hard… I enjoy Orlando Carter."
• Fletcher on CB RJ Johnson: "RJ is doing really well," he said. "He's shown some physicality. He's shown some great ball skills. He's been an excellent, excellent teammate."
• Fletcher on CB Justin Eaglin: "He's been great," Fletcher said. "He's a really quiet guy by nature. He's probably one of the most versatile guys we have also. He's got a huge role for this team."
• On Thomas's maturity: "It's rare," Fletcher said. "He carries himself like he's 29. He asks questions, he's detailed and he's organized. He's someone you can build around because he won't be perfect, but he does everything the right way."
• Bell on Fontenette: "He's player at a top-tier level right now," he said. "We just have to keep challenging him to challenge himself."
• Mitchell on Georgia Tech: "It’s [gameplan] definitely dialed in… Install is starting… Lot of film watching and getting ready," Mitchell said.

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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado coaches rave about versatility, depth of revamped secondary