Former Del Valle QB Steven Montez ready for starring role at Colorado

Former Del Valle quarterback Steven Montez turned some heads last season when called upon for Colorado. But now the entire spotlight will likely be cast upon the former El Paso standout.

Montez, now a redshirt sophomore, enters fall camp with the Buffaloes as the likely starter at the quarterback position.

Many called for him to start last season after a string of solid performances filling in for injured starter Sefo Liufau. In his first start, Montez led Colorado to a stunning win over Oregon in Eugene thanks to 333 yards passing and three touchdowns.

Montez then put up solid numbers in the next two games against Oregon State and USC.

But the Buffaloes turned to veteran Sefo Liufau once again when he recovered from injury.

Montez says he learned a lot from Liufau, who was the first player to really take Montez under his wing as a true freshman.

“Sefo was the guy who showed me around on my official visit here. I mean, I was very close with him here my freshman year,” Montez said. “Kind of like an older brother, to be honest with you. That’s how I viewed it.”

Now that Liufau’s playing days at Colorado are over, it appears the Montez era has begun. But with a bigger role comes added pressure and a need for Montez to get in the best shape of his life.

“That was the reason I had to work extremely hard just with dieting and extra running and doing all that extra stuff just to slim down a bit. But now that I’m there, I’m kind of approaching fall camp how I approach every fall camp,” he said.

But his teammates certainly have not forgotten his admirable performances as a redshirt freshman. And knowing that their new quarterback is already a proven commodity has earned Montez points with his Buffaloes teammates.

“Yeah, I think there’s a little bit of confidence there just seeing that I’ve had game experience and I’ve done a decent job of running the offense and just getting us in good situations and making plays. So, I think that gives me a little bit of confidence with guys,” he said.

Colorado will open its 2017 campaign against Colorado State in Denver on Friday, Sept. 1.