Colorado football coaches are not installing a new offense during spring drills, but they are adding a substantial new wrinkle that will be put to use at times next season and beyond.

The Buffs are working on a no-huddle attack in the mold of Big 12 Conference rivals Missouri and Kansas, in which players go to the line of scrimmage and look to the line of scrimmage for the next play call. CU's three quarterbacks, Cody Hawkins, Nick Nelson and Matt Ballenger, signal in the plays called by offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich.

Coach Dan Hawkins has talked several times during his first two seasons in Boulder about his interest in using a no-huddle on occasion and taking advantage of the altitude to wear down defenses. But CU has lacked the personnel and overall team experience the past two years to pull it off in the way Hawkins envisions.

Several members of the CU coaching staff who attended the team's pro timing day in the practice bubble on Wednesday emphasized the team will not be going to an all-no-huddle approach such as Missouri. They said one reason it has been featured prominently this spring is because the team lacks tight ends right now.

Starting tight end Riar Geer is suspended after being arrested for assault. Former tight end Nate Solder has moved to tackle and the team lost two tight ends who were seniors last season. The most experienced tight ends on the roster are juniors Patrick Devenny and Devin Shanahan, who caught one pass between them last season. The program will welcome three new tight ends this summer.

Coaches said they did not recruit running backs such as Darrell Scott and Ray Polk and move former offensive lineman Kai Maiava to fullback in order to become a pass-happy team. Hawkins always has been a fan of a strong running game complemented by a vertical passing game.

Rare perspective

Wednesday was pro timing day at CU, meaning scouts from the National Football League were in town poking, prodding, measuring and timing former Buffs who harbor dreams of playing in the league.

Mammoth tight end turned tackle Nate Solder still has a few years to wait for his pro day. He'll be a third-year sophomore in the fall. But Solder isn't sure he wants to play professional football. CU coaches think he has the makings of a future pro lineman.

"I'm not overly anxious to become an NFL player," Solder said. "It's just such a struggle. The things that I hear are it's just such a business and it's not the part of football that I enjoy, which is the guys and the team and all that kind of stuff."

Solder said he is picking up the run blocking part of being a tackle pretty quickly because it's not too different from what he did at tight end. He has never done any pass blocking, however, so he's expecting some bumps in the road there.

He weighs 275 pounds and is hoping to get up to 300 or more by next season. He is drinking two protein shakes each day along with four or five meals and snacks in between.

Notable

The Buffs practice today at 4 p.m. outside on the lower practice fields if the weather cooperates. The team will take next week off for spring break and resume spring drills with the first padded practice April 1.