Ahead of Colorado’s Week 4 matchup against Dave Aranda and the Baylor Bears, ESPN’s Pete Thamel announced that the team will be without one key member on offense.
Starting running back Dallan Hayden is expected to be sidelined for the Buffaloes’ Big 12 opener due to a high ankle sprain.
“Colorado tailback Dallan Hayden will not play against Baylor on Saturday,” Thamel said on X. “He’s dealing with a high-ankle sprain that forced him to miss the Colorado State game last week. He’s an Ohio State transfer who is a key part of Colorado’s run game.”
While the Colorado running game hasn’t been a large feature of their offensive strategy, Hayden is the leader in the clubhouse with the most carries outside of Shedeur Sanders. Hayden has recorded a total of 52 yards on 14 carries in 2024. His absence in Week 4 will be the second straight week that the Tennessee native has been held out due to injury.
Hayden, a 5-11 back from Tennessee, elected to transfer to Colorado this offseason after starting his career with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Coming out of Christian Brothers High School in the Class of 2025, Hayden was listed as a four-star prospect by the 247Sports index and the nation’s 226th-ranked player. He also checked in as the 19th-ranked running back in his class and the seventh-ranked player in the state of Tennessee.
Colorado kicks off their Big 12 opener as one-point favorites over Baylor on Saturday, September 21st, at 7:00 p.m. CT in Boulder.
