A CU running back and local high school product announces he’s stepping away from football

When Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders first arrived in Boulder back in December 2022, he gutted the entire roster of a CU team that went 1-11 and was by far the worst FBS football team in the entire country. He said he was bringing his Louis luggage and recommended that most players from the 2022 should hit the transfer portal.

“I’m bringing my luggage with me, and it’s Louis.” 👀

Coach Prime told his Colorado team he is bringing in players from the transfer portal, then made them repeat characteristics of the players he wants

(h/t @CollegeFBPortal, via @WellOffForever)pic.twitter.com/viYdIP3aVT

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 5, 2022

In the 2023 transfer portal cycle, the Buffs had 57 players pack their bags and head out of town to begin a new chapter in their college football careers. While most left, a select few decided to stay around and stick it out in hopes of making an impact on Sanders’ new CU squad. One of those players was Charlie Offerdahl, a walk-on who made his way to Boulder from Dakota Ridge High School down in Littleton, who has turned his career into a feel-good story by being the local kid who outworked many of the top dogs that were brought in from outside of Colorado.

Offerdahl, who is heading into his fifth year with the Buffs after redshirting his freshman season back in 2021, made an important announcement related to his health just one day after Sanders broke the news related to his own health problems.

 

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The fan-favorite running back will be hanging up the cleats for good due to concussions that he’s suffered throughout his career.

“[With] how serious this last concussion was and how many I’ve had leading up to it, it’s pretty scary for me and my family,” Offerdahl said in a team meeting. “I will be hanging it up.”

Offerdahl received a scholarship from Coach Prime and the university ahead of the 2024 Spring Game along with the “L” patch on his jersey to show that he was a leader in the locker room. He played in all 13 games last season, and made most of his impact on special teams after starting the first two contests in the backfield, and finished the year with 126 rushing yards and a touchdown on 26 attempts.

Too easy for Charlie Offerdahl 💪@CUBuffsFootball adds on another with less than 5 minutes left to play 🦬 pic.twitter.com/aWKIThnGGM

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 16, 2024

For his career, he totaled 264 rushing yards on 4.3 yards per carry with the one touchdown. Most of his production came in 2022.

He said that he would be going to dental school soon, a different path than his major in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology major at CU. He had jokes for the team at the end of his message, saying that they knew who to call if they needed a new grill or some veneers down the road.

Offerdahl appeared to be a great locker room guy that everyone on the team and in the stadium was fond of. While he might not have had the most production on the field, he was still a fan-favorite who CU fans adored and cheered loud for when he finally scored his first touchdown.

The announcement shouldn’t have much of an impact on the Buffs’ running back room, as he was going to be a depth piece this year.

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