When Durango’s Ben Finneseth committed to play football in Boulder at Colorado, there’s no way he could’ve predicted what the Buffaloes’ program would become.
Colorado combined to go 5-19 in Finneseth’s first two seasons in 2021 and 2022. Now, Finneseth and fellow former Demon Tagert Bardin are a part of a Deion Sanders-led program that is 8-2 overall, bowl-bound and looking for a spot in the College Football Playoffs.
Bardin finished his Demon career with 473 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Finneseth, a junior at Colorado, was a senior on the 2020 state championship team. He had 556 yards rushing, eight touchdowns, 18 receptions for 227 receiving yards during his senior year in 2020.
“It's been super crazy, going from being 1-11 to being 4-8 and obviously 8-2 now, it's been a super cool journey,” Finneseth said. “I've learned a lot, I've said hello and goodbye to a lot of people along the way through all the roster changes. But, everything has happened for a reason and it's been an absolute blessing.”
Bardin, a redshirt freshman wide receiver, hasn’t seen the lows Finneseth has since Sanders has been Bardin’s only coach.
Coming from Durango, Bardin wasn’t used to the media attention the Colorado program has had in his first two years in Boulder. He’s starred in commercials alongside Sanders and has brushed shoulders with celebrities. Bardin remembers after a big win the rapper BigXthaPlug was in the locker room celebrating and did a live performance.
Bardin credits Sanders with the exposure the program has had. He said he didn’t talk with Sanders much his first few weeks on campus, but as time went on, they developed a relationship. Sanders comments on Bardin’s social media posts and sends him DMs.
Finneseth also has a strong relationship with Sanders. He said there’s been some absurd things put out in the media about Sanders and that he’s nothing like what you see on camera.
“He's eating in the cafeteria meals with us,” Finneseth said about Sanders. “My relationship with Coach Sanders is a little different. I'm one of his favorite players. So, we've had a lot of one-on-one meals. He's always with the DBs. The media only sees Coach Sanders talking to Travis (Hunter), talking to Shedeur (Sanders) and Shilo (Sanders), because those guys have earned their presence as the front of the team … Behind the camera, Coach Sanders talks to me more than or just as much as his sons, if not maybe more. We've eaten numerous meals together and he's always coaching me one-on-one and we've had a lot of good conversations.”
Finneseth said he’ll be forever grateful for the opportunities Sanders has given him. Finneseth has also been in commercials with Sanders and when a CEO comes to a game, Sanders makes sure to call Finneseth to make sure he meets the CEO.
Other than Sanders, star wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and star quarterback Shedeur Sanders have received a lot of attention for their play. Both players are projected to be picked at the top of the first round in the 2025 NFL Draft.
With Finneseth at safety and Bardin at wide receiver, both players learn from Hunter in practice. Finneseth said covering Hunter has made him a lot better by observing Hunter’s technique and approach to the game.
Bardin has noticed how while Hunter likes to joke around and have fun off the field, he’s locked in during practices and holds himself and his teammates accountable.
Both Bardin and Finneseth agree the vibes are a lot better this year compared to last season’s 4-8 record. Finneseth acknowledged last year he was paying attention to the wrong things. He’s shifted his priorities, has eaten better and acted better this year.
“The biggest difference has been the family aspect,” Finneseth said. “Last year we were just 11 solo players on the field at a time and you could definitely tell like no one really enjoyed being around each other in the locker room and no one really cared for the person next to him. That part stopped, especially for someone like me, who is super social … One of the things that Coach Prime did was put garbage cans in the middle of the tables in the cafeteria that we have to put our phones in. We're forced to talk to each other and get to know each other on a deeper level while we're while we're eating together.”
While the Buffaloes are excited to be 8-2 and going bowling, Bardin said the team is taking it day by day. He said the coaching staff has stressed to the team not to get ahead of themselves and to keep working.
Both Bardin and Finneseth agreed the ultimate goal for the team is the College Football Playoff. Finneseth wants to become the leader his coaches know he can be. He’s leaning into the special teams captain role and wants to work with the coaches to develop.
“I do need to get a little bit bigger,” Bardin said. “I'm a little undersized and I need to get a little bit faster. But I'm developing. From when I first got here to now, I've had meetings with Coach Prime and as well as my position coach, and they've even said that I've made a remarkable change from when I first got here to where I am now. My routes, my catching and just my ball of knowledge have gotten so much better. But there's always room for improvement.”
Finneseth has seen the program turn around the last few years. Bardin has seen Colorado have its best season in almost a decade. Both hope to be key parts of sustaining Colorado’s success.
Note: This article was written before the Colorado and Kansas matchup.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
