A familiar face is returning to the Colorado quarterback room.
Former backup Sam Noyer, who moved to safety last season and entered the transfer portal this winter, will remain with the Buffaloes and return to his original position, Buffzone has learned through multiple sources.
A senior, Noyer is expected to compete for the starting job with redshirt junior Tyler Lytle and true freshman Brendon Lewis.
After losing three-year starter Steven Montez to graduation and redshirt sophomore Blake Stenstrom to the transfer portal, CU had been down to two scholarship quarterbacks.
Adding Noyer back to the quarterback room allows CU to gain a veteran who knows the roster and knows the offense.
Although the Buffs have a new head coach in Karl Dorrell, offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini is heading into his fifth season with the program. Chiaverini is returning to the play-calling role he had in 2018, when Noyer was a sophomore.
Noyer, a 6-foot-4, 220-pounder from Beaverton, Ore., signed with CU in 2016 and spent his first three seasons with the Buffs as a backup quarterback.
After redshirting in 2016, he appeared in nine games as a backup in 2017 and 2018, completing 21-of-41 passes for 179 yards and two interceptions.
Competing with Lytle for the top backup job last season, Noyer shined in the 2019 spring game, completing 13-of-15 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns.
Midway through preseason camp in August, however, then-head coach Mel Tucker asked Noyer to move to safety and he accepted the change. Last season, Noyer appeared in 10 games overall, mostly on special teams, but also four games on defense.
In December, shortly after the 2019 season came to a close, Noyer put his name in the transfer portal and it was believed he was hoping to find a school where he could play quarterback again.
Now, Noyer will return to quarterback, and his athleticism could be a boost for the Buffs. Noyer was a three-sport athlete in high school, excelling in football, basketball and baseball.
In addition to Lewis, Lytle and Noyer on scholarship, the Buffs have two walk-on quarterbacks: sophomore Matthew Ryan and redshirt freshman Grant Ciccarone.
Notable
Nick Fisher, graduate transfer tight end from William Jewell College in Missouri, announced Friday that he will be joining the Buffs this season as a preferred walk-on. A 6-foot-5, 270-pounder from Basehor, Kan., Fisher caught 39 passes for 596 yards and two touchdowns last season for the Division II Cardinals. … Travares Tillman, who coached the Buffs’ cornerbacks last year under Tucker, has followed Tucker to Michigan State. Tucker, now the Spartans’ head coach, hired Tillman as a senior defensive assistant. Four of Tucker’s 10 full-time assistants – Jay Johnson, Ross Els, Chris Kapilovic and William Peagler – were also hired from CU. Tillman is one of several support staff members brought to MSU from CU.
