If there has been a weak spot for the Colorado offense this season, even as it has been rolling in recent weeks with 34 or more points scored in five of the past six games, it remains the offensive line. In Saturday’s win over Texas Tech, the Buffaloes made a move to help change that issue, removing center Hank Zilinskas and inserting freshman preferred walk-on Cash Cleveland.
Zilinskas was a three-star recruit who had been ranked as the No. 12 player in Colorado when he was recruited by previous Buffs coach Karl Durrell. As a walk-on, meanwhile, Cleveland has mostly been listed as a third-stringer for the Buffs.
But Colorado coaches have been impressed by Cleveland’s quick learning curve. And after the Buffaloes’ comeback win, 41-27, over Texas Tech in Week 11, coach Deion Sanders held up Cleveland as a sort of poster boy—for current and, perhaps future—players about his staff’s approach to playing time.
“What it shows is that, we don’t care if you’re a five-star, a four-star or a walk-on. Which he was,” Sanders said. “And he’s out there playing. Valuable time, not garbage time. He is out there and putting in some real production for us. So I’m proud of Cash. He’s one of my favorites, as well.”