Shane Cokes was a bit star struck last year when Hall of Fame defensive tackle Warren Sapp showed up to the Colorado campus to visit with the Buffaloes.
Now that Sapp is on the CU staff, hired by head coach Deion Sanders this offseason as a graduate assistant, Cokes is trying to take advantage of the opportunity.
“It’s crazy, right? Because it’s like, ‘There’s Warren Sapp, No. 99, Hall of Fame player,’ and it’s just like you see him every day,” Cokes said this week as the Buffaloes got the second week of preseason camp underway. “So, it’s just regular now, which is weird when you think about it to be with someone at that capacity, that level every day.
“But it’s just so great to soak up the wisdom from him, to go up and watch tape with him, have him correct you on the field, off the field. You can’t complain. There’s no better place to be.”
For Cokes, a senior defensive lineman who has NFL aspirations, being mentored by Sapp — as well as 10-year NFL veteran Damione Lewis, who is the Buffs’ new defensive line coach — is huge. But he comes into this year knowing there’s some work to do if he wants to get himself to the NFL.
“I think just the way the (2023) season ended, I just know I could be better,” he said.
A transfer from Dartmouth last year, the 6-foot-3, 285-pound Cokes had a solid season in 2023, recording 29 tackles, but no impact plays for a team that went 4-8. He’s aiming to make a bigger impact and win more games this year.
“I knew I could be better and help this team out and go to places we want to go,” he said. “I mean, Big 12 Championship, playoff berth, that’s all in my head, that’s all on my mind right now. That’s what I want to do. That’s where I want to go. That’s why I came. I want to come in and change things, so that’s what I’m gonna do.”
Cokes said he is “a lot better” than he was a year ago.
“I think the spring, getting adjusted to coach D-Lew, Coach Sapp, working with them, you know, I’ve grown a lot,” he said. “I got my weight up (from 275 last year), so that’s been big for me. And just being better technique wise and just getting smarter with the game and, of course, it’s getting adjusted to this level.”
There’s also a significant difference in the defensive line as a whole. Cokes and Amari McNeill are back, but the rest of the group is new and brings in exceptional experience. Transfers Rayyan Buell (Ohio), Taurean Carter (Arkansas), BJ Green (Arizona State), Chidozie Nwankwo (Houston), Anquin Barnes (Alabama) and Tawfiq Thomas (Louisville) have added tremendous size and experience to the group.
“It’s great man. It really is,” Cokes said of the added talent in the room. “I think the biggest thing is playing together, playing as a family. I think that communication for us is outstanding, especially at the beginning of camp where we are now and just to know where we’ll be at the end of camp. … Just playing together, working with each other and obviously just being better and having that experience and knowledge of the game makes us grow even faster.”
Cokes, the leader of the group as he was last year, said the biggest difference this year in the line compared to last year is energy.
“I think we bring the energy every day,” he said. “We help the team. If we don’t bring the energy the team will be down. That’s on us, but it’s just born in us.”
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.