Colorado Buffaloes sophomore Chauncey Gooden has taken on a unique role for the team, playing both offensive and defensive line positions despite weighing in at 380 pounds. Gooden, a native of Nashville, Tennessee, primarily serves as the left guard, tasked with protecting quarterback Julian Lewis. However, he also contributes on defense during goal-line and short-yardage situations.
In the Buffaloes' season-opening 14-13 victory over Georgia Tech, Gooden played 65 offensive snaps and an additional seven on defense. According to school research, he was the only interior lineman in Division I football to play both ways in the opening week.
Gooden earned Outland Trophy national player of the week honors for his performance. He explained that the opportunity to play on defense arose when he demonstrated his capabilities to coach Deion Sanders.
"Coach Prime just gave me the opportunity, like, ‘Chauncey, what can you do on that D-line?’" Gooden said. "I was like, ‘Coach, I can go over here and show you now.’ So I went over there. I was just causing havoc and being myself and things like that. Next thing you know, he just trusted me to throw me in there."
Sanders' approach to recruiting players for two-way roles emphasizes that such versatility should be apparent from the outset. "When I recruited you, I should have known that’s part of it," Sanders stated. "You can’t just approach me and say, ‘I want play both ways.’ Then I’m going to say, ‘I want to see you play one way really good. Let’s do that first.’ That’s mainly the criteria."
Sanders noted that even standout player Travis Hunter had to prove himself on one side before expanding his role. "Once he dominated one side, it was easy to say, ‘OK, now let’s venture off to the other one,’" Sanders explained. "He earned his right to get on that other side and do his thing. Chauncey’s earned it."
Other Colorado players who have played on both sides of the ball under Sanders include Isaiah Hardge and Tyler Brown. Gooden expressed that drawing any comparison to Hunter, a Heisman Trophy winner, is an honor.
Gooden's efforts contributed to a defensive front that limited Georgia Tech to 51 rushing yards. Offensively, the Buffaloes recorded 49 rushing attempts, the most during the Sanders era at Colorado, totaling 183 yards. The "Go-Go" offense, implemented by new coordinator Brennan Marion, has been well-received by the offensive linemen.
Gooden mentioned that he improved his stamina in preparation for his dual role, recalling a practice where Sanders encouraged him to exert maximum effort, hinting that extra conditioning might be waived. Gooden executed by "pancaking" two defensive players, only to find out conditioning was still required. "We had a long conversation about that after practice," Gooden said. "I trust Coach Prime and what he's got to do for me."
Gooden's background includes playing at Lipscomb Academy, where he worked with NFL Hall of Famer Kevin Mawae and Super Bowl-winning quarterback Trent Dilfer. He attributes this experience to fostering discipline.
"Coach Prime told me to just be me out there on that field. Be that dawg," Gooden said. "He just brings me the confidence to be able to go out there and get the job done."