BOULDER — The most well-known player on the Colorado Buffaloes' roster believes he might have the most to prove to CU's new coaching staff when the Buffs open fall camp Aug. 1.

Just about anyone who followed college football last season knew about CU wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. by the end of the year. The then-sophomore burst onto the scene with a head-turning campaign that saw him finish with 86 catches for 1,011 yards and lead the nation in receptions per game at 9.6, despite missing three full games because of injury. Along with six touchdowns receiving, he also had 115 yards and five touchdowns rushing, making him the only player in the nation last year — and just the second in CU history — to have at least five TDs rushing and receiving in the same season.

But most of the coaches who were on CU's sidelines last year are gone. Mel Tucker is now calling the shots for the Buffs, and while Tucker is well-aware of what Shenault is capable of doing, he also didn't get to see that ability up close and personal in spring ball. Shenault could not participate in full drills in the spring as he was rehabbing from a pair of surgeries, and thus watched mostly from the sidelines as his teammates practiced under the new staff .

Now, as he is finally approaching the time when he expects to be cleared for full-speed work — he will be ready for the fall camp opener — he is anxious to show Tucker and CU's other new coaches in person what they have seen only on film.

"If you ask the people who I hang around with, they'll tell you that every day I said I can't wait to get back and show the new coaches what I can do," Shenault said of what seemed to be a never-ending spring. "Right now they don't know what I can do. I understand that. They've seen film, but I want to show them in person."

There are, of course, a handful of holdovers from the last coaching staff who have seen Shenault in person, including wide receivers coach Darrin Chiaverini , who recruited Shenault to Colorado from DeSoto, Texas.

But late in spring ball, when asked what he had managed to see from Shenault in the spring, Tucker was blunt. He hadn't seen Shenault because the junior-to-be was unable to fully participate in drills.

It's not that Shenault didn't do everything possible in the spring. He took part in conditioning, he tried to keep his strength up and he caught passes. In team drills, he even ran onto the field for huddles so he could become more familiar with the play calls, then sprinted off before the ball was snapped.

"I was doing everything I could to be a part of it," Shenault said. "I did as much as they would let me."

Still, it wasn't easy for a player who had never missed any extended period of time in his young career.

"I've never missed that much. It was hard," he admitted. "I'm not going to lie — it was hard."

But even though Shenault was unable to fully participate in spring ball, his reputation didn't take a break. Early in the spring, he was invited to participate in an NCAA seminar for players who were deemed to be likely first-round draft picks in 2020. He is on just about every preseason all-Pac-12 team possible, and USA Today recently dubbed him the No. 2 receiver in the nation heading into the 2019 season.

All of which is fine with Shenault. He doesn't ignore the attention — but he also knows that he has plenty of work ahead to live up to the hype.

"It's exciting that people look at me in those ways," he said. "That's the good thing. But as far as it getting to me, that's not going to happen. At the end of the day, it's just what people are saying. It's exciting to be in this position, but you want to be able to back it up. I know how much work I have to do to get there."

Working hard hasn't been a problem for Shenault, even during the rehab process. He is now back to his playing shape of a year ago, thanks to what he called "big help" from CU's medical training staff and physical therapists.

"Big thanks to the training staff, and Ted (Layne), the physical therapist," Shenault said. "They were a big help. They got me back and ready to go."

One slight silver lining to the cloud of sitting out a spring? Shenault said the process helped him grow from a mental perspective.

"It definitely helped me become more mature," he said. "It made me more wise. When you can't be out there, you learn about more things than just football. You learn that you have to always take care of your body, do what's best for it, things like that. You find out how important all those things are."

But now, finally, fall camp is more than just a distant date on the horizon. Roughly six weeks from now, Shenault and his teammates will hit the field to continue preparation for their first season in the Tucker Era. While he knows he will face plenty of questions about his recovery as the date gets closer — and plenty more when camp opens — he said the answer is simple.

"I'll be ready for the fall," he promised. "That's all that needs to be said."

THE SHENAULT FILE

— Led the nation in 2018 with 9.6 receptions per game; earned second-team All-America honors from Pro Football Focus and fourth-team honors from Phil Steele.

— Was a first-team Midseason All-American by the Associated Press, The Athletic, CBSSports, ESPN, Pro Football Focus and Rivals.

— Earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors from the league coaches and Phil Steele's College Football and was second-team by the Associated Press. Was on watch list for the Biletnikoff and Maxwell Awards.

— Player of the Week honors included two CU Athlete of the Week honors presented by Arrow, two Pac-12 Players of the Week, one Colorado Chapter/NFF State of Colorado Player of the Week, three honorable mention and one National Player of the Week awards by the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, one Pac-12 Player of the Week from College Sports Madness and a national Player of the Week Award from Lindy's Sports.

— Finished the season with 86 receptions for 1,011 yards and 6 touchdowns receiving and ran the ball 17 times for 115 yards and 5 touchdowns. The only player nationally to score five touchdowns rushing and receiving in 2018 and just the second player in CU history to accomplish the feat.

— Led Pac-12 with 112.3 receiving yards per game (fourth nationally); all-purpose yards of 125.1 per game ranked fifth in the league and 26th nationally.

— 346 of his 1,011 yards came after contact and 634 of his receiving yards came after the catch.

— Of 103 touches on offense, was tackled by one player just 24 times. It took two players to bring him down 25 times and he was gang tackled by three or more 28 times. He ran out of bounds eight times, there was no tackle seven times and he scored touchdowns on the other 11 touches.

— Career numbers of 93 catches rank 20th in CU history and his 1,179 yards ranks 21st. Season numbers of 86 catches ranks third in CU history and 1,011 yards receiving is the 10th most in CU history.

— In first career start, had 11 receptions (on 12 targets) for 211 yards and a touchdown against Colorado State, becoming just the fourth player in CU history to record 200 receiving yards in a game. At Nebraska, caught the game winning touchdown with just 66 seconds left and finished with 10 catches for 177 yards.

— Scored all four touchdowns in a 28-24 win against Arizona State, with two coming through the air and two on the ground. Just the 15th player in CU history to score four touchdowns in a game and just the third in the past 24 years. First CU player to have multiple rushing and receiving TDs in the same game.

— 11 touchdowns (five rushing, six receiving) tied for the most in CU history with at least one of each variety, and all together added to 302 yards (27.5 per).

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu