Entering his third full year with the Colorado Buffaloes, redshirt-sophomore quarterback Steven Montez is finally getting the chance to take the reins. After sitting behind Colorado’s all-time leading passer, Sefo Liufau, for two years, it is now Montez’s time to shine. In 2016 he played in nine games, including the Alamo Bowl. He was 2-1 as a starter in games against Oregon, Oregon State and USC. Montez threw for 1,078 yards with nine touchdowns against five interceptions and completed 59.3 percent of his passes (83-of-140) during his redshirt freshmen year.

The young QB has slimmed down and is now listed at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds Athlon Sports ranked him as the 42nd best quarterback entering the season.

Mat Smith of 5280 Sports Network was with the media after Saturday’s fall camp practice when Montez spoke about his preparation as the expected starter.