Cleveland walked on at Colorado during his 2024 freshman season and earned a starting role at center for the Buffaloes late that year before transferring to Texas Tech. He won the starting left guard job for the Red Raiders prior to Week 4. Now he heads back to Boulder as a member of the opposing sideline.
Cleveland says he still holds real gratitude for his time in Colorado. "The environment there is awesome," he said. "I'm super excited to get to go up there and play a game and be with this team now. It's an awesome experience up there." He also made clear his attention has shifted fully toward getting a win for Tech.
For Red Raider fans, this is the kind of storyline that adds weight to a road trip most would otherwise just circle for the matchup itself. Lubbock has a personal stake in how Cleveland handles the return, both emotionally and on the field at left guard.
A guy who once had to walk on just to get noticed in Boulder now lines up against that same program as a starter for the other team.