BOULDER — Had Jeromy Irwin chosen to do so, he could be preparing for an NFL career this spring. He could have walked away from school and spent the spring getting ready for draft workouts, meeting with scouts and preparing for the next level.

Instead, the sixth-year senior tackle is back in a Colorado uniform, going through yet another spring football session and preparing for one more fall with the Buffaloes.

There is, after all, a job not quite finished in Boulder. While the Buffs took a big step in the direction he vowed to help take them when he arrived, Irwin wants to make sure everything is on solid footing — both personally and from a program standpoint — before he takes his last snap in Folsom Field.

"Honestly, there are two reasons to come back," Irwin said. "Personally I wasn't where I wanted to be last year in terms of strength and coming off the injury (a torn ACL that forced him to miss almost the entire 2015 season). I needed more time to get where I want to be athletically and build my body up.

"But, last year … I know it was a good year, but it really left a sour taste in my mouth. We just didn't show up in the confetti games. It's nice to set goals, and we wanted to make it to those games and we made it — but I want to win them. I don't want to just get there."

Thus, the only player on the CU roster to have played for previous head coach Jon Embree is back for one more year.

"Yeah, I'm the old man, the grandpa around here," Irwin joked. "Some of the new guys are still 17 years old and I'm about to turn 24. They always ask me how old I am and I don't tell them because it scares them at first — they think they're going to be here until they're 24, too."

Irwin's journey to this point has not been an easy one. He played in 10 games at guard as a true freshman in 2012 and was expected to vie for a starting spot in 2013 — Mike MacIntyre 's first year — before he was sidelined for the season with a foot injury.

He then started 11 games as a sophomore at left tackle — only to see a knee injury set him down for most of the season in 2015.

But last year, he was voted a team captain and started 13 of CU's 14 games (he missed one because of illness). More importantly, he and brother Sean got to be part of the Buffs 10-4, Pac-12 South title turnaround season.

Now, he's the elder statesman, the man who dispenses wisdom, tricks of the trade and even a little discipline when necessary on the sidelines and on the field.

"It's been great having Jeromy and his leadership and his work ethic," MacIntyre said after Saturday morning's practice the third of the spring. "He's an excellent player and he's been through a lot. CU means a lot to him and football means a lot. How he's seen this program change, he takes a lot of pride in that and it's great having him as a leader. He's one of those tough guy leaders that you need in the trenches."

Irwin takes the role of team leader seriously. He leads by example and is also someone who will let younger players know when they're "drifting." It is one more reason he felt compelled to return for a sixth year.

"Part of it is the culture we've built here and seeing the leadership step up," Irwin said. "You bring in new guys and you want a culture that's going to hold people accountable and I think we've gotten to that point. This program was in kind of a slump when I got here and my goal was to bring the program back to where it used to be. Last year was a big step, but I felt like personally and for the team that me staying another year would be a good choice, both to better my future and help the program."

But just because he's the old dog on the team doesn't mean Irwin can't learn a few new tricks. The coaching staff is using spring ball as an opportunity to experiment with linemen at different positions — and instead of his old home at left tackle, Irwin has been playing left guard, taking the spot occupied last fall by Gerrad Kough while Kough rehabs an ankle injury.

"It's really fun," Irwin said with a grin. "I like guard. I like to sit there and 'post.' Sometimes I have to block the three technique on pass protection, but tackle is a different animal pass protection-wise. I played guard my freshman year here and all through high school, so it's kind of taking me back to my roots and I'm just having fun for the spring."

The Buffs lost just one starter from the line last season, center Alex Kelley . Senior Jonathan Huckins has been manning that spot thus far this spring and junior Josh Kaiser has been running at left tackle. Also expected to get some time at tackle as soon as he's fully healthy is sophomore Isaac Miller .

"I think coach (Klayton) Adams is doing a great job of taking advantage and getting guys reps at places they need to get, just for game's sake," Irwin said. "The positions correlate a lot with each other because some of the techniques overlap. You can learn stuff. By learning one position you learn so much more about all the moving parts in the offensive line. This is a huge step for us."

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu