BOULDER — As one of the highest-ranked recruits in CU history, Jordan Seaton started his college career last year with Flatirons-sized expectations.
“The Franchise,” as head coach Deion Sanders is now calling the left tackle, lived up to every one of them.
“Jordan was a dawg when we got him out of high school — we just had to perfect him a little bit,” Sanders said. “… He’s been groomed (to be a face of the program). Him being around the guys we had last year (like Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter), and spending a lot of time with them, it taught him how to be a pro … and how to understand the ridicule when you don’t perform.”
CU Buffs Football: Three keys to season for Deion Sanders’ program
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There was very little of the latter in 2024 as Seaton became CU’s first true freshman to start a season opener at offensive tackle. Seaton earned freshman All-American honors from multiple outlets while starting all 13 games and logging the Buffs’ most offensive snaps.
In 611 pass protection plays, he only allowed three sacks, and Pro Football Focus graded him as the highest-rated true freshman in pass protection among linemen with at least 100 snaps.
“Everything we told him would happen has happened,” Sanders said. “There’s been no false promises because we told him (stardom) will happen if you do A, B and C. And he’s done A, B, C and D.”
This fall, Seaton is poised to continue his trajectory toward getting selected high in the 2027 NFL draft — and the Buffs need every bit of it to contend at the top of the Big 12.
The “D” part of the plan this offseason was working on his body, as the 6-foot-5 Seaton trimmed down from the 335 pounds he played at last year to around 310 pounds.
Seaton trained three times a day throughout the offseason and was on a strict calorie intake amid a revamped diet. After noticing he lacked an edge in strength against older defensive linemen during his freshman season, Seaton knew he had to add muscle heading into his second season in Boulder.
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“I expect consistency and to dominate the line of scrimmage in every game this season,” Seaton said. “When I met those weight and body-fat goals I set, I just needed to make sure I’m staying on track and not getting satisfied. It can’t be, ‘Okay, I got the goal weight I wanted, now let me go to Five Guys.’
“I’m keeping in mind that I didn’t always start here. I’m keeping in mind where I want to be in the future.”
The true sophomore is the centerpiece of CU’s revamped offensive line, which is likely to feature four transfer starters this fall. Larry Johnson III (Tennessee) will be at right tackle, while the interior will consist of Xavier Hill (Memphis) at left guard, Zarian McGill (Louisiana Tech) at center and Zylon Crisler (Illinois) at right guard.
With quarterback Shedeur Sanders and multiple stars from last year’s pass-heavy attack off to the NFL, that group is being charged with adding juice to a Buffs run game that often lacked it last season.
Hill says the goal of the unit is to lead the Big 12 in rushing.
It’ll take a major leap for that to happen this year. In 2024, the Buffs averaged just 2.5 yards per carry and an FBS-worst 65.2 yards per game. By contrast within the Big 12, UCF, Kansas State and Kansas all averaged 212 yards or more on the ground, while 15th-ranked Arizona averaged 106.6 yards.
“I’m trying to get our running backs a thousand yards apiece and keep the QB clean,” Hill said. “If we do our job, this team is in for a big season.”
Seaton said there’s been a heavier emphasis on the run game throughout camp and leading into Friday’s season opener against Georgia Tech at Folsom Field.
Coach Prime’s selection of dual-threat quarterback Kaidon Salter over pocket passer Julian Lewis as the Buffs’ starter is another indication that CU is committed to grinding teams down.
“Coach Prime has us doing at least three inside zone periods a day, so we’re going to run the ball,” Seaton said. “And we want to run the ball by imposing our will.”
Seaton’s high school coach, Pat Ward, believes the left tackle can spearhead a dramatic transformation for CU. Ward coached Seaton for three seasons at St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C., before the lineman finished his prep career at IMG Academy in Florida.
Ward saw firsthand what “The Franchise” was capable of when he was physically on par with the competition — and not a teen going up against seasoned college defensive linemen in the trenches.
“In our semifinal playoff game his junior year, he drove a five-star defensive end out of bounds early in the game,” Ward recalled. “It sparked the team and set the tone for the game moving forward.
“It was like a boxer landing that first punch, and they realized they were in a fight now. Like Mike Tyson said, ‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.’ Jordan literally and figuratively punched them in the face with that play.”
Seaton is planning on doing more of the same in 2025, and living up to the label Coach Prime bestowed him with.
“Being called ‘The Franchise’ is a blessing, because offensive linemen don’t get that (sort of love) a lot,” Seaton said. “But I’m going to make sure I hold that standard and keep it high. When people call me ‘The Franchise,’ I want it to be believable, and not just because somebody else is saying it.”
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