Colorado tackle Jordan Seaton is stronger and leaner. Defensive tackle Anquin Barnes has a new, chiseled body that’s helping him dominate.
Running back Micah Welch is leaner and learned more about his body this offseason than he knew as a freshman in 2024. Even kicker Alejandro Mata feels different physically.
“It’s just coach Swasey, to be honest,” Mata said.
CU has yet to play a game in 2025, but already has a leading candidate for the “newcomer of the year” award. Perhaps nobody has been praised more this offseason than first-year head strength and conditioning coach Andreu Swasey.
In January, CU head coach Deion Sanders hired Swasey to ç. From 2022-24, Swasey was the head strength and conditioning coach at Miami (Fla.) Columbus High School. His career goes back nearly three decades and includes a long run at the University of Miami.
Swasey was the head of strength and conditioning for the Hurricanes from 2001-15. He was the co-head of strength and conditioning in 2000 and also worked at Miami in an assistant role from 1997-98. He also spent five years (2017-21) at Florida International.
In a short time with the Buffs, Swasey has made a significant difference for numerous players, some of which needed to lose weight, others that needed to gain weight, increase speed, etc.
“I’m seeing it in the weight room also with coach Swasey,” cornerback DJ McKinney said. “He’s transformed a lot of guys’ bodies and a lot of guys’ speed and just built confidence into them. So it’s just amazing seeing everybody fly around and get the job done.”
Safety Carter Stoutmire has been in great shape and making plays for the Buffs the past two years, but said he bonded with Swasey instantly and has seen a difference in himself and the team.
“There was one night, probably within the first month he was here, I remember I was in his office probably till about eight, nine o’clock at night, just asking questions, because I know where he’s been, all of Miami players and all that,” Stoutmire said. “I just try to grab nuggets as much as I can. So we got tight really quick.”
Welch struggled with hamstring issues during his freshman season, but said he feels much better coming into this year.
“I learned more about my body this year from coach Swasey,” he said. “So I fixed it.”
There are many players who look quite different physically, most notably Seaton and Barnes, who will be depended on heavily in the trenches this season.
All of the Buffs have gone through what Stoutmire calls “very old school” workouts – and it’s worked wonders.
“Those are the kind of workouts I grew up on,” Stoutmire said. “I did a whole lot of old school garage workouts growing up, so this kind of reminds me of just home, doing workouts in the garage. I really like how we did the off-season this year.”
So did Sanders. Diagnosed with bladder cancer in the spring, Sanders had the cancer removed through surgery and then spent the summer at his home in Texas recovering. During that time, he had to rely on his staff, and in the summer months that’s mainly the strength and conditioning coaches.
“(The staff) did a good job,” Sanders said of his time away. “Especially strength and conditioning with Swasey and his team. They did a phenomenal job.”