In the spring, Colorado defensive ends coach Nick Williams expressed his excitement about working with defensive line coach Sal Sunseri.
That partnership has continued into fall camp, with the two of them teaming up to get the Buffaloes ready to go in the trenches. Together, they are working with CU’s defensive tackles and edge rushers.
“Uncle Sal, he’s great,” Williams said. “Whenever he’s not covering something, I can do it. He’ll send over some of the big ends. We’ll work some technique stuff, surf drill and just hand placement.
“We want to make sure we get a variety of different drills. They’re hearing two different coaches say the same thing. We’ve got our different styles of coaching, so that’s good for them. They come over and we do different things. So that’s been beneficial for those guys.”
The two coaches couldn’t be more different in terms of their experience.
Sunseri, 64, is a Pittsburgh native who played at Pitt and then began his coaching career in 1985 at his alma mater. He’s made several stops along the way, including with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers (2002-08) and Oakland Raiders (2015-17).
Sunseri came to CU after four seasons on the staff at Alabama and he’s been a part of four national championship teams, at Alabama (2009, 2011 and 2020) and Florida State (2013).
Williams is in his first full-time assistant coaching job at the Power Five level. He played at Georgia from 2008-12 and spent last year as an analyst at Texas A&M.
Defensive coordinator Charles Kelly said this summer that the Sunseri/Williams pairing has been great for the Buffs.
“Nick has a great amount of respect for Sal,” Kelly said. “And, I think Nick understands that, hey, I can learn even more from this guy. Nick is a great young football coach; great young coach.
“I think that dynamic is gonna be good, and they’re competitive and I think your players play like your personality.”
Gaines battling
Slot receiver Willie Gaines is doing his best to make an impression on coaches in a loaded receiver room.
Gaines caught 27 passes for 446 yards and five touchdowns at Jackson State last year and is now in his first season with the Buffs. He has a familiar coach, however. CU receivers coach Brett Bartolone was JSU’s offensive coordinator last year.
“He’s a spark plug,” Bartolone said of Gaines. “At any moment, he could separate and he could roll. He’s doing a really good job learning right now. He’s another guy taking ownership. He texts or calls me every single night and he wants to know what plays we’re doing tomorrow. He wants the script. He’ll ask a question every single night. Willie’s doing a really good job. We gotta continue to make sure he’s playing fast and he’s finishing drives.”
Notable
The Buffs’ Shedeur Sanders and Alton McCaskill IV were named to the preseason watch list for the Earl Campbell/Tyler Rose Award, which is presented annually to the top Division I offensive player from the state of Texas. … Running back Dylan Edwards and cornerback Cormani McClain were named to the 247Sports preseason true freshman All-America team. … Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens was at practice once again Thursday. He’s been with the Buffs all week.