Talent and potential have always been there for Caleb Fauria. Good health has not.
A fourth-year sophomore tight end for the Colorado Buffaloes, Fauria hasn’t been a full participant in practices this offseason, but that could change in the near future.
“The guy I’m totally jacked about, getting him back is Caleb Fauria,” tight ends coach Tim Brewster said Thursday after CU’s practice. “He is getting closer by the day to being ready to get back into live action. Really, really encouraged by what I’m seeing from Caleb.”
The son of former CU star tight end Christian Fauria, Caleb Fauria came to CU out of high school in 2020. Still recovering from a broken leg, Fauria missed the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and then played in only four games in 2021.
Last year, Fauria played in seven of the first eight games (he missed one game with an illness), but missed the last four with a foot injury. He’s still recovering from his Lisfranc injury, but hoping to return soon.
“He has integrated himself into practice right now some, individual periods,” Brewster said. “I think he’s very close (to being able to play). I think he’s very, very close.
“He’s coming off of a significant injury, a Lisfranc injury, and we don’t want any setbacks with him. We want to keep pushing forward with him towards hopefully being ready for September the second down in Fort Worth (at TCU).”
When healthy, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Fauria has flashed some exceptional skills and ability to make plays after the catch in practices. Last season, he caught three passes for 23 yards.
“He’s a guy who’s played a little bit here at Colorado, obviously has a tremendous bloodline,” Brewster said. “I love his size, 6-foot-5, 245 pounds. He’s athletic. He can do some things and I’m just ready to really get my hands on him on the practice field and really get him going.”
For now, Brewster doesn’t have any scholarship tight ends to work with at practice. Fauria and sophomore Louis Passarello are the only scholarship tight ends on the roster, but Passarello recently suffered a knee injury.
“Disappointed for Louis Passarello,” Brewster said. “He’s going to be out for a while and that’s disappointing for him and it’s disappointing for us because Louis had done a really good job in the spring and he had done a really good job in fall camp.”
Like Fauria, Passarello came to CU in 2020, but did not appear in any games his first two seasons in Boulder. He played in nine games last year, but mostly on special teams, with only 24 snaps on offense. In the spring, however, he was one of the few players to earn a number through his play.
Brewster said he’s not sure if Passarello could return to the Buffs this season.
Injuries to Fauria and Passarello have left the Buffs with four walk-ons at tight end. Michael Harrison and Elijah Yelverton appear to be leading the group, but head coach Deion Sanders said last week the group has to get better.
“Although the guys are doing a serviceable job, I don’t want serviceable,” Sanders said. “I want playmakers. They’re doing the best they can right now. … We have some guys that can do the job and they’re very serviceable, but I want a little better than that.”
So does Brewster, a long-time tight ends coach who brings a ton of energy to the practice field each day.
“The guys in my room have totally bought into what I’m trying to teach, what I’m trying to coach,” Brewster said. “I coach with a chip on my shoulder. I want them to play with a chip on their shoulder every day.
“I’ve got a great room and I’ve challenged them to be a whole lot better than everybody thinks that they’re going to be. We will be an asset to this football team, make no mistake about that.”
Brewster added that it doesn’t matter to him that the players he’s currently working with are walk-ons.
“I think we sometimes get too caught up in walk-ons and scholarships,” he said. “Hey, you got opportunity, let’s go. I don’t care whether or not you’re a scholarship, a walk-on guy. I’m driving this group right here probably as hard as any group I’ve ever coached because again, like I said, we’ve got a chip on the shoulder.”
