Inside Colorado Buffaloes' Unique Battle for Starting Place Kicker

The Colorado Buffaloes have had a unique battle at kicker this season with Elliot Arnold at the center of it.

Oct 4, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders on the sidelines during the first half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Going into 2026, it seemed cut and dry that the Colorado Buffaloes' kicker would be Elliot Arnold. However, the position battle has been anything but that, as it has seen an abnormal number of wrinkles during the offseason.

The position battle has consisted of three different players, with no more than two of them participating in it at a time. On top of that, the battle may be gaining more participants before the season begins. Either way, it will certainly get more complicated before it reaches its result ahead of Week 1.

Elliot Arnold’s spring competition

McCallie's Brandon Mathurin (8) and Elliot Arnold (6) celebrate Arnold's goal against Christiana Brothers during the Division II Class AA State Soccer Championship game at Richard Siegel Soccer Complex in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Thursday, May 23, 2024. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

During the spring season, Colorado’s kicker room consisted of Arnold and Grambling transfer Josh McCormick. McCormick’s experience to that point in his career had primarily been as a kickoff specialist, so most fans expected him to merely take over that role. However, no official wording was released on if he was contending for the place kicking job or not until coach Deion Sanders clarified the battle after the Buffs’ spring game.

"Elliott is the guy," Sanders said. "Everybody knows their role right now. We've got the utmost faith and confidence in him." 

This comment quickly turned the battle on its head, as McCormick entered the transfer portal shortly after to pursue track and field. This left Arnold as the only kicker on the roster going into the summer.

Elliot Arnold’s fall competition

I'm proud to announce that I have committed to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Colorado Boulder. I want to thank God, my family, coaches, teammates, and everyone who has supported me throughout this journey. I'm incredibly grateful for this… pic.twitter.com/ITs736Vtp9

— Cadel Ayala (@AyalaCadel13) June 27, 2026

Colorado had an answer for the lack of depth, as it secured a commitment from JUCO kicker Cadel Ayala on June 26. Similarly to McCormick, he has primarily thrived as a kickoff specialist to this point in his career.

He was listed as a 4.5-star recruit by Chris Sailer Kicking partially due to his reported 3.9-second or longer hang time on kickoffs, according to the site. He joined Colorado at the beginning of fall camp and is the only one currently battling Arnold for his job.

Potential returners could shake up kicker battle

Nov 9, 2024; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffalos place kicker Alejandro Mata (16) waits to kick against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the second half at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The real curveball that could still come in this competition is the potential return of veteran Colorado kickers. After a recent court ruling, it was confirmed that former college players from the 2022 recruiting class who didn’t sign NFL contracts can be eligible to return to their previous programs. 

Two of the players eligible to return to Colorado are at the kicker position: Alejandro Mata and Buck Buchanan. The Buffaloes have no roster spots remaining as it stands, but with defensive lineman Ezra Christensen’s eligibility currently hanging in the balance, that could change soon.

Mata would likely be the first that Sanders would turn to, as he has been a staple of his teams at Colorado and Jackson State. When asked about the veteran duo in his Tuesday press conference, Arnold had nothing but positive things to say about their impact on him.

“Being able to redshirt last year and learn from senior guys like Mata and Buck was awesome,” Arnold said. “Seeing how they go through their routine, they were a lot of help to me. Just teaching me things and being great mentors to me, it was really nice watching them do their thing and help me out.”

Elliot Arnold’s view on the position battle

Christian Brothers's Tiago Beaulieu (2) gets to the ball ahead of McCallie's Elliot Arnold (6) during the Division II Class AA State Soccer Championship game at Richard Siegel Soccer Complex in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Thursday, May 23, 2024. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

While all of these moving parts could be stressful for a redshirt-freshman kicker, Arnold hasn’t seemed to feel it. When asked on Tuesday about how McCormick and Ayala have pushed him, he reflected on what he had learned from them and shared his team-first mindset on the battle.

“In kicking, you learn things from everyone,” Arnold said. “If you have a bad rep, they can see what you did and point stuff out. We all help each other because I don’t really see it as a competition; I see it as, ‘let’s try and win some games and help each other be the best.’”

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