A Few More May Morsels

§  2013 Recruiting

Here is a compilation of anything else interesting related to the program that has happened during the last few weeks:

§  The Buffs are still standing at five verbal commitments next year’s recruiting class, but there is a lot of action, offers and interest going on behind the scenes.

§  Luke Del Rio (enrolled at Valor Christian of course), son of Broncos Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio, recently took an unofficial visit to Boulder with his father and met with Coach Embree. The former Jacksonville Head Coach commented that he knew Embree from the NFL and liked what he was doing here, that the Buffs could make some noise with a couple of good recruiting classes.

§  Castle Rock OT Blake Nowland is the latest Colorado recruit to receive national attention.  Besides in-state offers from CU, csu and Air Force, he also has one from Washington State, along with interest from Oregon, TCU and others.

§  OT Cameron Hunt (Corona, CA) turned a lot of heads at the recent Bay Area Nike Camp as he earned MVP honors among a very strong offensive line group.  Hunt said he is very interested in CU and plans on taking an official visit (same for Boise St. and Arizona).

§  2012 Frosh

§  Embree had said that they still might ask a player or two to join DE Derek McCartney as a “greyshirt” and delay their enrollment until January.  We know now that at least OG Gerald Kough will do so, although he is not thrilled about it.  It was once thought this would be a thin area with the graduation of starters Ryan Miller and Ethan Adkins, but the development of many other interior guys (Handler, Crabb, Munyer, Kelley and others), plus super-backup Ryan Dannewitz, creates enough depth without Kough, who could still use some muscle and weight.  He says that when he does officially join the team next Spring he is “going to be hungry.”

§  Shane Dillon is coming off shoulder surgery (labrum) but should be throwing by now and should be good to go by August camp.  He is scheduled to arrive in Boulder June 3.

§  At least three of his classmates (and receivers) will also be arriving in early June: roommates-to-be WR Jeff Thomas and TE Vincent Hobbs, both from Texas, move in June 1; WR Gerald Thomas will also arrive from Texas June 7; many others will be following shortly thereafter.

§  Other Program Notes

§  There is still nothing official on former Kansas QB transfer Jordan Webb, but all signs point to him enrolling at CU for 2012 and he should be here soon to get involved with summer passing groups.

§  No word yet on who might accelerate their graduation status next year.

§  CU is one of only nine teams in the country to retain their entire coaching staff.  Although O-line coach Steve Marshall and D-coordinator Greg Brown were supposedly pursued by the NFL, no one left for greener pastures.

§  CFN gave the Buffs one of their best rankings to date: #75 in the country, but still projecting a 5-7 record.

§  However, Kevin Gemmell of the ESPN Pac-12 blog, also wrote that they actually do have a chance to start 5-0 if they win the first expected three games (CSU, Sacramento St. and Fresno St.), then go revenge last year’s late loss to Wazzu, they would be welcoming a UCLA team, adjusting to a new coach and system, to the altitude of Folsom Field.

§  Phil Steele only put 5 Buffs on his top 4 All-Pac teams, with only one on the 

1^st team:  OT David Bakhtiari

Second team – defensive tackle Will Pericak

Third team – linebacker Jon Major; safety Ray Polk

Fourth team – punter Darragh O’Neill

*It’s a joke that LB Doug Rippy, even coming off an injury, nor DE Chidera Uzo-Diribe get no love here!  Let’s hope they, and the rest of the team, are motivated to prove many wrong.

§  John Wooten became the sixth Buff to be named to the College Football Hall of Fame (Byron “Whizzer” White/1952, Joe Romig/1984, Dick Anderson/1994, Bobby Anderson/2006, Alfred Williams/2011).   Wooten was the second African-American at CU and went on to be a two-time All-American guard on offense while also playing defensive tackle, before going on to play for Cleveland in the NFL.  He is also a member of CU’s All-Century team. The award given to the team’s most improved player at the end of each season is named after him.

§  It looks as if CU will play a home-and-home with Purdue, the only Big10 team they have never faced, in 2016-17 to help kickoff the Big10/Pac-12 schedule.  Nothing is official yet, just a “handshake” so far, but the Buffs would visit West Lafayette first, with the Boilermakers visiting Boulder the following season.

§  The ESPN Pac-12 blog continues to pummel the Buffs, along with everyone else, this time listing them yet again as the bottom #12 team in the conference power rankings after spring practices. No big surprise really, since Hirschman did not play and Wood didn’t do a ton to instill confidence in outsiders. 

§  Mike Bohn, for better or for worse is by far the lowest paid AD in the Pac-12, and he even has the lowest possible bonuses.  I think it is great that the university and department don’t have to spend so much cash on him as so many people, especially in the sports world, are way overpaid.  However, when he leaves, they will have to pay top dollar to the next AD as everyone else in the conference makes at least double what Bohn does and over a half million dollars.  Bohn is currently only hauling in a paltry $250,000, which is middle of the pack nationally.  Interstingly, Vanderbilt, a school which advertises its academics and have done things differently than other schools with its sports pays David Williams over 10X as much as CU pays Bohn: $2,560,505.  It’s good to be the AD!

§  Buffs in the NFL

§  Tyler Hansen felt he had a strong opening rookie mini-camp for Cincinnati and he received some nice praise from OC Jay Gruden.  The Bengals don’t have a set #2 or #3 option so Hansen’s got a fighting chance to realize his dream.

§  Rodney Stewart tore his ACL in Bengals rookie camp and will be put on IR for the season.  While Speedy was more of a long shot to make the team, focused more on making the Bengal practice squad than the actual roster this year, this does connect him with a team, gets him paid and a likely shot again next year.  Always a smiling, positive type, Stewart says he will work hard to be ready to contribute next year and will likely write a biographical account of his life so far while he is rehabbing.

§  Tony Clemons remains humble in his quest to make the Pittsburgh Steelers.  He knows he hasn’t “made it yet” as he drives his Mom’s Hyundai to practice.

More May Morsels

§  2013 Recruiting

§  The Buffs are standing at five verbal commitments so far, still well ahead of recent years’ paces, including two 4-star rated prospects and two of the top ones coming out of Colorado.  All those committed speak of CU’s family atmosphere in addition to the campus and surrounding environment as the main reasons for coming to Boulder.

§  While they haven’t received any new verbals, I haven’t read of any of their top prospects committing elsewhere.

§  2012 Frosh

§  Embree said that they still might ask a player or two to “greyshirt” and delay their enrollment until January.  The coaches will meet in June and decide.

§  Shane Dillon is coming off shoulder surgery (labrum) but should be throwing soon and should be good to go by August camp.  He is scheduled to arrive in Boulder June 3.

§  Three of his classmates and receivers will also be arriving soon: roommates-to-be WR Jeff Thomas and TE Vincent Hobbs, both from Texas, move in June 1; WR Gerald Thomas will also arrive from Texas June 7; many others will be following shortly thereafter.

§  Other Notes

§  One of the other things the offensive coaches-Bienemy, Scherer and Embree-must also decide is how they will split reps between the QBs in Fall Camp.  They want to give everyone, possibly four quarterbacks, enough of a shot to show what they can do, but they will also need to get someone ready.  

§  At the Pac-12 coaches conference call Embree said of when and how he will name a starting QB for the CSU game and the season: “I’ll play it by ear; I’ll have a feel for it. It’s kind of like the kicking game last year. My gut instinct told me that Will Oliver was our guy. We did some stuff and we felt like he was going to be our guy, so we named him (the starter). When I know, I’ll definitely make an announcement. If it’s a clear-cut deal, I’m not going to waste time. I think it’s important that the team knows and obviously that the quarterbacks know that he is going to be leading the team.”

§  Embree said it is still a “possibility” that former Kansas QB Jordan Webb will transfer to CU and will be on campus this summer.  Buffscoop.com, through a post on NetBuffs.com, had “confirm”ed this last week.  Assuming he does come to CU, it is still unclear as to what role he will end up playing for the team, as he clearly thinks he can be the starter for two years, but would have to do a lot in a short time, while also competing for snaps with Nick Hirschman (recovering from foot injury) and Shane Dillon.

§  Embree praised LB Doug Rippy and said he is on track in his knee rehab and will definitely be counted on as a leader this season. “I am going to be relying a lot on him… not just defensively, but he is the team leader. He is a guy that when he was out there [last season], was a different maker. I think it says a lot that he was voted by the coaches as honorable mention all-Pac-12 even though he only played in really three games in the conference. It is imperative that we get [back] the Doug Rippy that we had for us to have success.”

§  Kevin Gemmell of ESPN’s Pac-12 blog named DE Chidera Uzo-Diribe as CU’s “under the radar” player for the upcoming season.  “Of the eight defensive linemen named to the first and second team all-conference defense last year, only two of them had more sacks than Uzo-Diribe, who finished ninth in the conference. He tied for fifth in the conference in forced fumbles. But Colorado's poor defensive showing last season (last in scoring defense, 10th in total defense) didn't do much to help his credibility.”  Those stats were achieved while playing part time and in some games not much at all; he will be an almost every down player this year.  He was praised in the spring frequently and was often held out of drills because he was wreaking too much havoc and the offense could not do anything with him on the field.

§  Senior safety Ray Polk was nominated for the Lott Impact Trophy Watch List given to the defensive player of the year, with an emphasis on personal character as well as play on the field.  Polk is a possible captain and works with mentally challenged youth at Upward Foundation.

§  The Buffs are not getting much respect around the country.  The Orlando Sentinel ranked them as the #99 team out of 120; at least three publications rank Embree as the worst coach in the Pac-12 and one ranked him #106 (of 124) in the nation; the team will likely be picked by most publications to finish last in the South as well; an ASU blog wrote a piece on their schedule and the @ Colorado was treated as a given win, not really addressed in the text, but listed as one of only 3 wins in the “disaster” scenario.  Hopefully, most teams are thinking that way and CU can surprise a few of them.

§  However, in one of the most positive things I’ve seen written (non-local anyway), Ted Miller of the ESPN Pac-12 blog wrote that CU’s “schedule is far more favorable than last year. A 3-0 start is likely, and then comes three winnable conference games. If things fall into place, the Buffs could win six and earn a bowl berth. I think they are a year away from a bowl, but it's not inconceivable.”

§  Underachieving DT Eric Richter made CBS Sports’ Bruce Feldman's Freak List: The 10 Craziest
Athletes in College Football, for his weightlifting prowess (which unfortunately has never translated to the field).  Richter posted 51 reps at the 225lb bench press.  CU strength coach Malcolm Blacken said of him, “He doesn't need a cheerleader, he doesn't need a audience, he just needs a lot of weight on the bar to get motivated. A strength coach's dream -- a real living and breathing Frankenstein!"

§  Buffs in the NFL

§  WR Toney Clemons signed his rookie contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

§  S Anthony Perkins is at Dove Valley this weekend on a tryout with the Broncos at their rookie camp.

May Morsels

§  Here are a few tidbits about what is going on in Buff world while things are a little slow on the football news front:

2013 Recruiting

§  The Buffs have received five verbal commitments so far, well ahead of recent years’ paces, including two 4-star rated prospects and two of the top ones coming out of Colorado.  All those committed speak of CU’s family atmosphere in addition to the campus and surrounding environment as the main reasons for coming to Boulder.

§  4-star QB Sefo Liufau supposedly was the staff’s number one QB and will be the only one signed this cycle.  He is yet another top recruit who is opting to leave the state of Washington.

§  Basically unknown safety prospect Kyle Trammel (Silverado HS, Victorville, CA) is a foster child who plays with anger and has reportedly been described by a CU staffer as “a ball of hate”.  IF he qualifies (and that appears to be a question) they love his upside and think he is a steal.  I love that description of his playing style.

§  Chapparal TE Mitchell Parsons sounds super psyched to be a Buff.  Ralphie Report has a great interview with him: http://www.ralphiereport.com/2012/5/1/2991404/interview-colorado-buffaloes-tight-end-commit-mitch-parsons

§  3-star OG prospect Colin Sutton (Orange County, CA) is one of the top guards in the nation and said: “It just felt like the right thing to do. I looked at a lot of schools and Colorado is perfect for me.

§  The biggest (literally and figuratively) uncommitted Colorado prospect is Arvada’s 3-star OT Dan Skipper (Ralston Valley) who is being heavily recruited nationally.

§  The Buffs are also in play for many top national prospects, having offered and are listed as a team of “interest”.  They have lost a few so far and there are a couple who will likely end up as USC as soon as they land offers (i.e. CA safeties Su’a Cravens and Max Redfield as well as DT Eddie Vanderloes), but the CU brand and Embree’s pitch is getting out there.  I predict they will land a big name that will send some ripples across the recruiting front.

§  2012 Frosh

§  New recruits who will be arriving soon: roommates-to-be WR Jeff Thomas and TE Vincent Hobbs, both from Texas, move in June 1; QB Shane Dillon arrives on the 3^rd; WR Gerald Thomas will also arrive from Texas June 7; many others will be following shortly.

§  Chandler, AZ DE Kisima Jagne is the only incoming 2012 recruit who is in danger of not qualifying.  Supposedly he is close but it will be a “wait and see” situation until final grades and test scores are officially given to CU.

§  Although Sean Irwin will start out at TE, there is already talk that he may move inside and play alongside his brother Jeromy somewhere on the O-line.

§  Other Notes

§  Buffscoop.com, through a post on NetBuffs.com, “confirms” that former Kansas QB Jordan Webb is indeed transferring to CU and will be on campus this summer.  It is still unclear as to what role he will end up playing for the team, as he clearly thinks he can be the starter for two years, but would have to do a lot in a short time, while also competing for snaps with Nick Hirschman (recovering from foot injury) and Shane Dillon (on campus June 3).

§  They also reported that QB coach Rip Scherer and (more surprisingly?) O-line coach Steve Marshall were the two (not three) coaches who were approached by NFL teams in the offseason.

§  According to their sources, the coaches say Wil Pericak is the anchor of the D and, especially with the lack of depth on the D-line, the most valuable player that they cannot afford to lose.  They also say the Greg Henderson pleasantly surprised during the spring and solidified his spot as a starting corner.

§  The most interesting tidbit that Buffscoop is that although coaches only have 8 seniors who will be leaving (i.e. opening scholarships for 2013), they will be helping/encouraging/pushing a few redshirt juniors to graduate early, which would free up some scholarships (they have stated they want to sign as many as 16-18 in 2013) without damaging the school’s or student athlete’s academic records.  QB Brent Burnette at least did that this year.  There is a lot of dead junior weight on the roster but I am not sure who is in position to graduate next year, but whoever is might be busy taking a few courses this summer.

§  Check out CUattheGame.com’s “contest” for readers to write up about their favorite Buff gameday memories.

http://www.cuatthegame.com/2012/cu-at-the-game-contest/

 There are lots of great stories, including a few by yours truly (Rashaan’s “cousins by blood” make an appearance).  And you can never read enough about “62-36”!

§  You know it sucks to be a CSU Ram…as the three football players (as well as the instigator of the incident whom they pummeled) were all expelled from the school this week for their involvement in the well-publicized “brawl”.  Mike Orakpo and Nordly Capi were arguably the CSU defense’s two best players, if not the two most talented members of the entire roster.  But they were idiots, caught fighting and involved with police for not the first time, not to mention the weed and steroids allegedly found in their apartments.  Some thought that McElwain would have a short stay in Fort Collins, after he showed a little success and that he would jump ship to head coaching job at a more prestigious university.  However, after 27 sacks in his first scrimmage, this incident, and, well, it is CSU and the Mountain Whack Conference, he might bail for a high school position job before long.

§  Playoffs? Are we really talkin’ ‘bout playoffs?

I feel I must address this since it seems that this may actually happen!  I have always been an advocate of at least a 2 if not 4 or 8 team playoff would be phenomenal for college football and that the BCS system was a poor substitute from the outset and in every version.  However, I was also skeptical like so many that they would never pull it off, especially without some travesty of a school being really dogged by the system. Now, just out of a little common sense maybe, it appears that the powers are finally on the verge of making this a reality.  I don’t care what format or how they decide who participates at this point, just that we have at least four teams competing for a true National Championship.  No matter how they set it up, this will be more exciting than ever, make the regular season more interesting, not to mention the League Championship games, and will (most importantly?) make a truckload of money for everyone involved.

However, I do agree with the Camera’s Ryan Thornburn’s position that an 8-team playoff would be ideal (his proposal is perfect in my mind: http://www.buffzone.com/cu-news/ci_20557632/thorburn-bcs-playoff-way-never-thought-id-see-football ) but that 4 is the most likely.  I also like his statement the 2014 implementation timeline would be perfect for Embree and the Buffs who should finally be maturing and competing nationally by then (hopefully).