Post Spring Notes

After holding their main and final scrimmage last Saturday (I won’t recap it specifically but will reference and give some opinions within this post), the Buffs had their last practice of the Spring on Tuesday, mostly a walk-through to show players how and what coaches want them to work on over the summer.  Every player is expected to participate in the voluntary workouts and each one has specific goals in weight gain or loss, as well as specific fundamentals to focus on in the offseason. Coaches seemed generally pleased (at least judging from all the properly used clichés) with the progress, attitude, enthusiasm and hard work, but are also trying to boost the ego of a downtrodden team and remain very positive.  MacIntyre did say though, that there can be a lot of progress made over the summer if the players put in the individual and group efforts.  Here’s where we stand with the roster until the freshmen get here and practices begin again August 6. A depth chart, which is now in “erasable pen”, should be released soon.

QB Battle: All statistics, observations and words point to it being a two-way competition between Hirschman and Wood, who will lead the offense in its summer workouts.  They both had solid Spring games, although both had numerous overthrows.  Wood had Richardson on his team and overthrew him once, but P-Rich dropped two. Although more players have commented on Hirschman throughout the spring, one minor advantage might have gone to Wood in that coaches gave him the “Eddie Crowder” award for leadership.  Reed Marks of Mile High Sports like Hirschman’s athleticism and says previous coaches were doubtful Wood could be successful.  Athlon chose Hirschman but ranked him number 12 in the conference QBs.

Shane Dillon is still too raw of a passer and might have taken himself out of the competition, although ESPN Pac-12 blogger Ted Miller pointed out that Taylor Kelly was well behind two other QBS for Arizona St. last spring before coming on and leapfrogging both to become one of the better passers in the conference.  Incoming frosh Sefo Liufau will be given his chance when he arrives, but is a long shot not to redshirt (although some have said they could see him being used situationally as a freshman).  Jordan Webb tore an ACL and will apply for a sixth year of eligibility to sit on the bench some more and pursue a second Master’s degree. John Schrock and Stevie Joe Dorman are just not cut out for this level.  Will they pursue Nelson Fishback, who was recently offered by Western Kentucky?

Whoever the QB is will have the best stocked group of wideouts the team has seen in a while, with P-Rich (not worried about two drops-Curtis Conway says his “hand strength” will come back), DD Goodson moving into the slot from RB, last year’s starters Nelson Spruce (Ralphie Report’s David G predicts he will lead team in receptions again) and Tyler McCulloch (still can’t catch a ball with a DB in his face) in likely backup roles, and greyshirt WR Jeff Thomas, who has size, speed and ability, got a lot of attention all spring.  That is a lot more help to be able to spread the ball around and take some pressure and defenders off P-Rich.  There are also three talented freshmen (Bobo, Dunston and Ross) arriving in August, all supposedly with the chance to earn playing time.  It would be nice if Gerald Thomas could add to the group but I am not confident. There aren’t really any other names on the roster worth mentioning.

There was a definite tendency in the scrimmages to throw long and Lindgren and MacIntyre don’t seem shy about it, even with a lot of overthrows.  They ran more two-back formations than Pistol, but that should likely change in the Fall (according to neuweisel anyway).

Unfortunately, the TE position is not well-stocked and may not be utilized a ton this year.  Without Vincent Hobbs they are very mediocre. Kyle Slavin and Scott Fernandez will start out there, but hopefully Sean Irwin or Austin Ray can develop.

The team did not seem to focus as much on the run game so that will be more of a wait and see, but will probably depend on how well the passing game does-if they hit a few longs ones, the defense will open up underneath for the RBs.

The offensive line is still in a lot of flux since Alex Lewis missed all of the spring and Daniel Munyer the latter half.  Gus Handler and Brad Cotner both struggled with snaps in the Pistol (shorter snap than traditional shotgun).  They will still have some work to do in August to settle the interior, but Jack Harris and Stephane Nembot appear to have solidified their spots at the tackles.  The starters will still likely be the expected quint of Harris-Lewis-Handler-Munyer-Nembot.

While the defense struggled overall, the biggest surprises of the spring were probably at linebacker where the emergence of both true frosh (San Jose greyshirt) Addison Gilliam (totally unexpected) and sophomore Woodson Greer III (anticipated by some) sparked the defense with speed and hard hitting.  We all know Derrick Webb will start at one slot.  Brady Daigh was expected to grab another but struggles with some injuries and inconsistency in the spring leave him with some uncertainty. Gilliam and Greer will be hard to keep off the field so I expect to see all four and probably a little of Sr.Paul Vigo throughout the season.  They finally have some depth with Lowell Williams (who was talked a lot about early in the spring) and Clay Norgard, who had some nice tackles in the Spring game, among others.

The defensive line is so young, but most got some experience.  After seniors Nate Bonsu and Chidera Uzo-Diribe, most everyone else who expects to earn playing time are underclassmen.  Many in this group are expected to work on losing weight and improving quickness over the summer.  Just with the added experience this group should be better.  Uzo-Dribe is getting a lot of attention nationally and will probably be the most mentioned player on the defense.  If he can show up every down, and Jeffcoat can coach the rest of them up a bit, this group can plug the holes a little better and get a little more pressure on opposing QBs, and that will go a long way to improving the defense.

The secondary has the most work to do still, but also has the most support with two position coaches, plus the head coach is a former safety himself and very hands on.  Greg Henderson is just plain solid, Kenneth Crawley is much improved in confidence and ability and they will be the two starting corners.  After that there will still be a lot of competition in August.

However, there still seems to be a lot of uncertainty at the safeties. Sr. Terrell Smith figures to play a lot and Jered Bell came on toward the end of the spring, but Parker Orms continued to have injury problems.  Josh Moten was the “starter” in the first “pencil” depth chart and subsequent scrimmage, but is now backing up at corner.  Marques Mosley did not do much until a late interception of a tipped pass in the spring game.  He was one of the sophomores expected to step it up, but we hardly heard from him. 

The team’s success of lack thereof will hinge on this group more than any other.  The defensive backfield has more coaching support than any other area of the defense with Andy LaRussa on the corners and Charles Clark with the safeties, as well as extra eyes and voices from former DBs head coach Mike MacIntyre and STC Toby Neinas. If the defensive backfield plays decently, the team can possibly compete, but if not, there could be some games like last season.

Overall, the defense has a looooong way to go.  They were basically dominated in the latter scrimmages, giving up a lot of yards and points, without making many turnovers.  DC Kent Baer is openly concerned about his team’s ability to tackle.  However, with just a little improvement in each area and grouping, the Buffs could keep themselves in games in the second half of games, which might just be the best we can hope for this season.

Special Teams: Wil Oliver is looking to kick a few more than his total of 8 FG attempts last year.  He is feeling very confident and excited to have a full-time coach dedicated to working with him and his mates.  He also wants to try and win the kickoff job over Justin Castor. Oliver said he definitely thought JD Brookhart was stretched thin last year coaching TEs, helping coordinate the passing game (because EB couldn’t handle it) as well as trying to coordinate the special teams.  O’Neill is the obvious choice a punter, and he had the heads up to make sure a blocked punt was only a safety. 

We are still waiting on freshmen to decide returners.  No one stood out, except Keenan Canty who dropped a punt. Josh Ford had one ill-advised kickoff return.  They let P-Rich field a punt and everyone held their breath when Addison Gilliam hit him hard.

Although there is a ton of work to be done here, just having a full-time coordinator should make this group much better across all coverage and return units than we have seen in years.

Position changes: Clay Norgard’s FB-to-LB and DD Goodson’s RB-to-WR pre-spring switches seem to be successful.  Only Jeff Hall made a major change from the deep defensive secondary to the deep wide receiver corps.  That doesn’t mean that a few won’t be requested between now and August.

Injuries: Outside of J Webb, everyone should be recovered for August practices and hopefully they are healthy, including OL Daniel Munyer (leg) and Alex Lewis, DE Juda Parker (shoulder).  Parker Orms participated in the Spring game.

Who’s leaving? Sadly, LB/S Kyle Washington has decided to leave the program due to lingering effects of his concussions, as well as some personal issues (mom’s health and friend’s death) that have taken a toll on him emotionally and academically.  He might decide to enroll at a smaller school and play basketball, at which he also excelled in high school. Hopefully, things can get back on track for the young man.

WR Gerald Thomas, RB Davien Payne and DL De’Jon Wilson, all of whom ran into some trouble recently, are on thin ice and must find themselves and get their shit together if they are going to stay, so I doubt more than one of those three will be here in August.

Will TE Vincent Hobbs come back or stay in Texas with his father and family?

Other names that have been mentioned as transfers are DB Yuri Wright (would not surprise as he has falleb down depth chart) and RBs Tony Jones (doubtful).

It also sounds like there could be a couple of academic problems (although since MacIntyre didn’t name names, it could be some already listed here).

Spring Awards:

Eddie Crowder Award (Outstanding Leadership) – QB Connor Wood
Fred Casotti Award (Most Improved Offensive Back) – D.D. Goodson
Joe Romig Award (Most Improved Offensive Lineman) – Alex Kelley
Hale Irwin Award (Most Improved Defensive Back) – Harrison Hunter
Greg Biekert Award (Most Improved Linebacker) – Woodson Greer III
Dan Stavely Award (Most Improved Defensive Lineman) – Tyler Henington
Bill McCartney Award (Most Improved Special Teams Player) – Isaac Archuleta
John Wooten Award (Outstanding Work Ethic) – OL Vincent Arvia
Dick Anderson Award (Outstanding Toughness) – ILB Brady Daigh
Jim Hansen Award (Outstanding Academics) – DE Derek McCartney

2013 Iron Buffaloes (Weight Room)
Defensive Line – Juda Parker
Linebackers – Lowell Williams
Defensive Backs – Greg Henderson
Offensive Line – Stephane Nembot
Running Backs – Josh Ford
Tight Ends – Alex Wood
Wide Receivers – Nelson Spruce
Quarterbacks – Jordan Webb
Specialists – Ryan Iverson

Coaches are now headed out on the recruiting trail.  I’ll be posting soon about 2014 recruiting.

Go Buffs!

Spring Game Saturday!

The Spring Game is this Saturday!  Although I won’t be able to attend I will record and watch it upon my return with a write-up.  If you are in town I hope you can make it.  There will be a “Garage Sale” of CU gear, including game-worn jerseys and even a few gold helmets.  Game starts at 10:30 and will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.  Here are a few tidbits to bide the time until the “big” game.

MacIntyre and his staff are excited to actually run behind Ralphie for the first time.  Who wouldn’t be?!

It will be basically a standard live game with live special teams and I am assuming live QBs and full tackling of them. However, MacIntyre admitted the team will hold back a little bit (a lot?), at least in part because the game is televised nationally for all opponents, especially csu (who will have scouts at Folsom anyway), Fresno St. and Central Arkansas (my god I hope we can win this one).

The squad split into two teams for Saturday and practiced in those groups Thursday.  One team included QB Hirschman, RBs Powell and Ford, WRs Spruce and J Thomas, O-linemen Nembot, Crabb, J Irwin, D-linemen Tupou, Bonsu and Kafovalu, DBs Henderson, Yuri Wright and T Smith, plus P O’Neill; the other team includes QBs Wood and Dillon, RB Jones, WR McCulloch (and probably P-Rich, who has had to leave Tues/Thurs practices early for a class), O-linemen Harris and Handler, D-linemen Uzo-Diribe and Solis, LBs Greer and Webb, DBs Crawley, Walker, Moten and Mosley, K Oliver.  MacIntyre said the teams are fairly equal, but that they are a little short on offensive linemen so tackle Marc Mustoe is slated to play for both teams if need be.

From the talk around the team, it seems that the QB race is between Wood and Hirschman, as those will be the two QBs running the two sides.  It will be interesting to see how many (or few) series Dillon gets.

MacIntyre said they have moved some guys around to different positions, as well as erased and re-written parts of the pencil depth chart, but has not been specific to those.  Jeffrey Hall started practicing with the receivers last week and was with them at the scrimmage.  Other than that we don’t know much. The final post-spring depth chart (in pen?) should come out late next week after coaches go over film.

MacIntyre also said the team plans to have its captains in place and leadership ready to guide team during the summer.  I am guessing that LB Derrick Webb is one of those chosen, whether it is players or coaches making the decision.  Interesting fact I didn’t realize: there are only 5 (kind of 6) seniors on the offense: T Jack Harris, C Gus Handler, RB Josh Ford, FB Alex Wood, TE Scott Fernandez (and WR Jarrod Darden, who doesn’t really count).

QB Jordan Webb returned to practice after nursing his re-injured hand, only to promptly tear his ACL.  This basically will end his career as he is a fifth year senior, although he will apply for a sixth year medical waiver.  Most people hoped he wouldn’t be a factor in the race anyway and MacIntyre said he had been doing well, “competing for the starting job”, although Reed Marks of Mile High Sports tweeted that he was told Webb was only competing for the backup spot, for which he is best suited, but likely would have really been third at best behind the loser of the Hirschman-Wood battle, and they will probably want to get at least some reps for Dillon and Liufau for the future.  Kyle Ringo also speculated that this made it all that more likely that they would bring in JC transfer Nelson Fishback this summer.

CB Greg Henderson sounds very confident, both in himself and the team, which he says can win “7 or 8 games” this season.  He said it took him most of the season to recover fully from his knee injury in the first game. He feels like he is vastly improved and the secondary is ready to surprise a lot of people this year.  I hope he is right!  Corners coach Andy LaRussa is preaching many of the same things and using some of the same philosophies as Greg Brown did-the difference should be in the amount of time one coach gets to spend with just the cornerbacks, as opposed to one guy who was coaching the corners, safeties and trying to figure out how to coordinate a defense.

The WR corps really sounds transformed with the three additions- return of P-Rich, official arrival of Jeff Thomas and the switch of DD Goodson suddenly make this a deep group, with the two former starters, Nelson Spruce and Tyler McCulloch, also in the mix, plus three talented incoming freshmen (two of whom they can redshirt if they so choose).  WR Coach Troy Walters is one of the most vocal and active coaches out there (corners coach Charles Clark is also very animated) and already has the attention of his guys.  He is an especially good coach for Goodson, as Walters was the same type of player in college and the NFL.  From the scrimmage, it looks like this team will air it out a lot and it should be really fun to watch.  Unfortunately, So. Gerald Thomas has done something that no one will fess up to, will not participate in the scrimmage, and it is uncertain what his future with the program is at this point.

The running backs also have some depth, with four guys that both MacIntyre and Adams like, but no one has been able to separate themselves.  They will all probably play, with the coaches game-planning to utilize each one’s strengths. And while they each have their positives, they all have their own questions marks as well: Powell is huge and can run through defenders, but still has a lot to learn about being a TB not  a FB; Tony Jones is shifty and quick, maybe the fastest of the bunch, but I think has a definite ceiling; Josh Ford “is pretty good everything” according to Adams, and he has certainly been a beast in the spring but for whatever reason, has yet to really transfer that success to a real game, and is still running co-number-three with Donta Abron, who is the least expereinced and the one about whom we have heard the least so far.  Can incoming frosh Michael Adkins push his way into action?  Malcolm Creer and Terrence Crowder need to get healthy before they can even try to contribute.  I don’t think we’ll ever see Davien Payne though.

Offensive tackle Stephane Nembot hasn’t seen his family in over five years, but continues to work hard to make them proud.  Great story on the probable starting right tackle: http://www.buffzone.com/ci_22998089/football-cu-buffs-nembot-determined-succeed?source=most_viewed

Adam M. from Rivals and BuffStampede has interviewed all the coaches and will have pieces on the Monday “radio” show/podcast. (I am sure he has extensive write-ups on each on the website, but I am a tightwad.)  He had Klayton Adams this week, who will be coaching RBs and TEs this season.  At first this may seem like a weird combination, but he explained it well in that he works closely with O-line coach Gary Bernardi on pass protection with the three position groups, and the RBs and TEs all have similar responsibilities.  On top of that, the entire staff was in favor of having a full-time dedicated special teams coach to run those units and specifically coach the kickers (throughout practice), snappers and holders.  Adams has also coached the offensive line previously, including under Dan Hawkins at Boise St.  As for Bernardi, players, and even Bernardi himself, say he is very similar in philosophy and approach to the previous o-line coach Steve Marshall, and that they are actually friends.

Incoming frosh QB Sefo Liufau was also on with Adam and he said all the right clichés about helping the team however he can and that all the guys seemed great.  He sounds confident and excited to get a chance.

Jason Gaines, friend and almost adopted brother of QB Shane Dillon tweeted Thursday that he was on his way to Boulder, presumable to watch the Spring Game.  Gaines is a WR/TE prospect at a JC who has been promised a spot (walk-on?) when he finishes.

Even though there is no TV yet, the Mountain West Conference (guess the lambs are “home” this year) announced that the Denim Mountain Showdown will be Sunday, Sept. 1, instead of the day before.

Scrimmage!

It is the fourth of five weeks of spring practice and the Buffs conducted their third scrimmage Friday.  Sefo Liufau is in town this week watching practice and taking in as much as he can so that he can jump into the team-led drills this summer.  Other local recruits from the 2014 class like Cherry Creek’s Jaeden Graham have also been stopping by practices.

Pac-12 blogs asks: Buy or Sell CU?

 http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/55254/buy-or-sell-colorado-buffaloes

Athlon (who loves to rank everything) gave a 1-12 on the Pac-12 coaches and MacIntyre is #6, fairly generous for a new coach of a terrible team moving up a level in competition.  Meanwhile Mark Helfrich, who inherits a stocked Oregon squad is 12^th and last, the other new coach Sonny Dykes at Cal is 10^th, and UCLA’s Jim Mora gets no love at 8^th but Wazzu’s Mike Leach is 5^th?!

BoulderDevil tells us to relax and let the coaches do their job: http://buffwatch.blogspot.com/

Special Teams Coordinator (man, I love writing that!) Toby Neinas has always dreamed of working at CU after growing up in Boulder and attending Buffs games, but he thought it wouldn’t happen.  I love what his approach, attitude and enthusiasm. This should be a vastly improved unit this season. Great article by BG Brooks: http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=207048398

Scrimmage: Friday was the third scrimmage of the spring and the offense had a big day, with 23 drives, 761 yards, 15 scores with 11 TDS, although 3 were starting in the red zone, where they were 8-8, and only one turnover.  They aired it out a lot and I guess we can expect them to go for the long ball that chicks love so much (5 receptions over 30 yards)! Of course, while this sounds great for the offense it can’t be good for the defense, which reminded me a little of last year’s version at times.  It could also be the combinations of players out there and maybe even the coaches wanting the offense to have more success. They started with some regular practice drills in position groups, did some 7-on-7s, a few “live” kickoffs, and then finally some situational scrimmaging.  I was finally able to attend so here are some notes on players and groups based on my observations and anything else I have been able to read.

QB Battle: Nothing has been decided by any means, but it might have become a two-man battle as Wood and Hirschman appear to be separating themselves from Dillon (or his play is separating him from them).  P-Rich’s take: “It’s more than clear that Nick Hirschman and Connor Wood are leading the pack right now. They switch off working with our first group. I’d say they’re leading right now. Who ends up with the job? I have no idea.”  I personally just cannot believe that Jordan Webb could possibly win it-one AllBuffs poster said he would go on a hunger strike if it was Webb.

*If I had to put money on who the Buff starter will be against csu, I would go with Jr. Nick Hirschman, who seemed to stand out to me as most of his passes were crisp and on the money.  His first scrimmage pass was a perfectly thrown ball down the sideline that hit P-Rich in stride for a 75-yard TD.  He was 10-12 for 171 yards and four TDs on six drives, and the most efficient with the four TDs coming on one-play drives (which Hirschman made sure to point out to reporters post-scrimmage).

-Jr. Connor Wood had the best overall stats and looked the best he has since he has been in Boulder.  He came first out with the #1 offense  and made a lot of plays going 18-21 for 269 yards and 3 TDs; he didn’t make any glaring mistakes and had a really nice 32-yard scramble for a TD.  He was also one of the most enthusiastic and supportive players on the sideline, meeting almost every offensive player whenever they came back to the sidelines.  He is a close second, if not first after this performance.

-OC Brian Lindgren had said R-Fr. Shane Dillon is still a “raw passer” and he is certainly correct.  Dillon overthrew a lot of long balls, has a dip in his shorter balls and his mechanics just don’t look that good, even to my untrained eye. He was only 11-22 for 77 yards and 2 TDs, getting sacked four times and fumbling a snap. He threaded the needle for a short TD to P-Rich in 7-on-7s.  He also got the most running plays called for him and did well with them (4 rushes for 20 yards). However, at this point, I would be very surprised to see Dillon under center this fall. Dillon tweeted something cryptic with “#SDSU” in it and AllBuffs forum chatter has him transferring to San Diego St.-you gotta love the internet.

-Sr. Jordan Webb, dealing with his hand injury (too many bad jokes to be made there), watched in shorts. Incoming freshman Sefo Liufau was also watching from the sidelines with his father, taking it all in.  Schrock and Dorman shared the “4^th string” reps.

Running Backs: Josh Ford appeared to get the most reps with more of the first stringers and continued adding to his “all-time leading spring rusher totals” with 136 yards on only 8 carries, including a very nice, shifty 52-yard run in some traffic along the sidelines.  Christian Powell also had rumbling 25-yard run for a score (besides Wood’s scramble, the only rushing TD of the day), with 8 carries for a 52 yards total. Tony Jones had 7 carries for 46 yards.  Malcolm Creer had 8 carries for only 5 yards as he got caught behind the line of scrimmage a few times. I am not sure where Donta Abron was. 

At wide receiver, they will be vastly improved solely because of the return of P-Rich.  As mentioned he had the picture perfect bomb from Hirschman, scored a 2-yarder later and netted another long catch for 52 yards.  Troy Walters said, “Anywhere on the field, when he touches the ball, he can go.  That’s a game changer.”

The other starters were sophomores Nelson Spruce (5-122) and DD Goodson, who continues to make plays from the slot (5-64, 2 TDs) and did so even after popping a dislocated finger back into place after Thursday’s practice.

So. Tyler McCulloch was 4-62 with a 38-yard TD.  He also made a great fingertip catch and stayed on his feet to run into the endzone in 7-on-7s. I want to see how he is doing when covered or in traffic-if he is open and gets a decent ball, he’ll catch it, but struggled when he had to fight for it last season.

T-Fr. Jeff Thomas, who is only listed 4^th on the depth chart, was a full participant for the first time and hopefully he can move himself up.  He has moved on from some “bad family issues” and poor choices, and is fully recovered from a pre-spring hamstring tweak.  He looks like a wide receiver and made plays at his first few practices. He caught three balls for 62 yards.  P-Rich has said, “He’s definitely going to be a threat.”

Jr. Keenan Canty had a TD but it will be hard for him to break into this offensive lineup as he struggles to create separation (but look for him to contribute on special teams).

It is such a shame that Jarrod Darden looks like he should be a prototypical big receiver, but does nothing on the field with his physical frame. Not sure where Gerald Thomas was but MacIntyre only said he didn’t participate for reasons that were between the coach and the player, and now there is rampant internet speculation that he is (maybe always was) planning on leaving after spring ball.

Tight End: I didn’t see the tight ends do much but Jr. Kyle Slavin did haul in five balls for 37 yards and Scooter Fernandez had a 2-yarder out of the jumbo set near the goal line. I had hoped to see R-Fr. Austin Ray or Sean Irwin do something. They could really use Vincent Hobbs if he decides to come back after taking care of his father.  Some have said Tyler McCulloch might be able to play some here, but he is a stick and not very physical of a player.

The offensive line did not look stellar, but they are missing two key cogs (Lewis and Munyer) and they were rotating guys a lot. Gus Handler at center is probably the only spot we know for sure (at least 90% anyway), and probably a healthy Munyer at a guard (80%).  Nembot and Harris each played tackle on both sides (65% they are the tackles).  I wonder if Alex Lewis will be able to surpass one of them when he is healthy (15%), or if he will end up at the other guard (75%) opposite Munyer.  Line coach Gary Bernardi was doing a lot of coaching with guys throughout the scrimmage as they came off the field.

Linebacker Addison Gilliam said even he was surprised he was atop the depth chart at Mike LB, but when the defense came onto the field for the scrimmage, it was actually Brady Daigh with the ones.  Daigh (also had a forced and recovered fumble-the only turnover) and Webb led the team with 8 tackles each and Gilliam still had 7 of his own.  I didn’t see Greer do much, nor really any other LBs.

Defensive line. Chidera Uzo-Diribe and Samson Kafovalu combined for 5 sacks but many of those probably would have been avoided if QBs were “live” (it was basically “one-hand touch” for the QBs). The middle of the line didn’t appear to get much push up front, QBs generally had time to throw and RBs had holes to go through up the middle.  Jeffcoat’s still got a lot of work to do here.

It turns out the R-Fr. D’Jon Wilson, who tore it up on the scout team and was expected by many (myself included) to compete for playing time, has actually not participated due to “personal issues” according to Kyle Ringo of the Camera.

The defensive secondary did not have a great day and did not record an interception (although Josh Moten had a nice shoelaces grab in front of his receiver in 7-on7s).  Crawley let Spruce get the best of him on one long ball and pounded the ruf in frustration afterwards. Parker Orms stood on the sidelines watching-he can’t ever be #1 on the depth chart because he can’t be counted on to stay healthy enough.  Yuri Wright is deep down the depth chart and although he made a nice pass breakup in the endzone during 7-on-7s, his time as a buff may be short.

Special Teams: The kickers again made most of their kicks with Justin Castor missing a PAT and Oliver hitting a 42 and a 39 yard FG.  Both of them each put both of their kickoffs deep or out of the endzone. Coaches then gave a returned a ball so they could go “live”.  Goodson, Canty, Ford and Spruce each got a chance to return with Canty’s going almost to mid-field.  Darragh O’Neill boomed and bounced both his punts for a 53.5 average, while his “competition” DJ Wilhelm nailed a nice one and shanked one staright up into the air.  Crawley and Canty each sat back for the punt returns but most were fair caught.  Canty is small and shifty and could end up being best suited for return work rather than receiver work.

Here’s the remaining Spring practice schedule, most sessions 3:45-6:15PM on the lower Boulder Creek fields.

Tuesday, April 9     Practice (no tackling)
Thursday, April 11   Practice

Saturday, April13    Spring Game, 10:30AM, televised on Pac-12 Network

Tuesday, April 16    Final practice (shorts/helmets only)

Other Buff Notes: Congratulations to women’s hoopster Chucky Jeffrey for earning honorable mention to the AP All-American team.

Preliminary Pencil Depth Chart out!

The first “Pencil Depth Chart was released Tuesday before practice and while many positions are playing out as expected, there were a few surprises.  They will work from this for the last few practices, but remember that it is in pencil and can change at any time, even in the middle of practice.  MacIntyre told the players it is all about their attitude and that everyone needs to keep “pushing” as it is in pencil. At least one player has already switched positions.

http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=207036061

Surprises: The biggest surprise getting the most talk on twitter and forums is brand new LB Addison Gilliam (was greyshirting at SJSU before following the coaching staff east) being listed atop the “Mike LB” slot ahead of Brady Daigh. I was also surprised that Josh Moten, who has never really played safety,  is listed ahead of Parker Orms there, but that could be the injuries somewhat.

QB Battle: It what was no surprise at all, only John Schrock and Stevie Joe Dorman (although Adam M thinks he is vastly improved but maybe suited for lower division ball) were the only ones eliminated from the competition (although both were still getting reps Tuesday, especially Dorman?!); it seems to me like their reps have been wasted when it was doubtful they were ever going to really be in the talk-it seems they could have made this decision after the first few days and given a few more reps each to the four that we all knew were compete: R-Fr. Shane Dillon, Jr. Nick Hirschman, Sr. Jordan Webb and Jr. Connor Wood.  The four are listed numerically and Macintyre said, “There is no pecking order”. On his Monday podcast Adam M. of Rivals said he thought it was clear that Dillon (very athletic but still “raw” as a passer) and Hirschman (best leader in huddle) had done enough to stay in the battle, but he was unsure about Webb (except his injury gives him a pass and may keep him out until summer) and Wood (“good in the 2-minute drill” according to MacIntyre).  Hopefully, they can narrow it down a little more before summer and Sefo (and maybe Fishback?) comes in.  MacIntyre said he wanted to have it down to three guys early in fall camp.

Running Backs: Christian Powell and Tony Jones were listed together atop this group, followed by Josh Ford and Donta Abron.  Not much to talk about here.  Freshmen Michael Adkins and maybe Phillip Lindsay if he stays at RB will have a chance.  Malcom Creer is still coming along slowly in his recovery from knee injuries. Fullback is only Alex Wood and some wlak-ons, and is unlikely to be a well-utilized position; walk-on LB Clay Jones has switched here as well along with Jordan Murphy.

At wide receiver, DD Goodson, who has been turning heads everywhere, is actually listed as a co-starter with P-Rich on one side, with sophomores Nelson Spruce and Tyler McCulloch 1-2 on the other side.  Goodson will likely be the “starter” at the third slot WR position, which will be on the field quite a bit.  Richardson has been held out of some drills for precautionary reasons but will be full-go the rest of the way.  It’s a little disappointing that no one else, especially either of the Thomases could crack the top four (3^rd and 4^th behind the sophs). Sr. Jarrod Darden has been dealing with a hand injury and has not practiced much, but no one expected anything from him except taking a scholarship.  Walk-on Jr. transfer Wesley Christensen is still fourth behind P-Rich, Goodson and Canty.

After the depth chart was released, at the suggestion of coaches, Jeff Hall switched to WR from DB, where he was buried.

Tight End: Vincent Hobbs has been absent this spring attending to his ailing father back in Texas, leaving Kyle Slavin, listed as the starter ahead of Sr. blocking TE Scotty Fernandez and R-Fr. Austin Ray and Sean Irwin.  Without Hobbs this position is a lot weaker.  If they are going to utilize the TE moving forward it will need to be a big recruiting focus this next cycle.

The offensive line is still unsettled since two probable starters, Alex Lewis and Daniel Munyer, are out the rest of the spring, as well as Gerlad Kough.  Marc Mustoe is cleared to practice after his bike injury.  Tackles Sr. Jack Harris and So. Stephane Nembot have played well and a plethora of other guys have gotten extra reps inside.  The projected line of Harris-Lewis-Handler-Munyer-Nembot is looking more probable, barring further injury or development.  Currently Alex Kelley and Kaiwi Crabb are running at the first team guards.

Linebacker The most surprising position with Fr. Addison Gilliam listed alongside Sr. Derrick Webb (probable captain) at the inside slots ahead of Jr. Brady Daigh, who has been battling some injuries.  So. Woodson Greer is ahead of Sr. Paul Vigo and Fr. Markeis Reed on the outside slot. Jr. Lowell Williams, who had been turning heads in practice, is #2 behind Webb.  Kyle Washington has sat out because of lingering concussion problems and may be done playing.

Defensive line No huge surprises here with Sr. Nate Bonsu and So. Josh Tupou listed as starters in the middle with Sr. Chidera Uz0-Diribe and So. Samson “Kool Aid” Kafovalu on the outside.  Although Kafovalu had his “incident” in the off-season, he has made some waves in the first practices and has gotten kudos from many.  Adam M. said he is actually a very quiet and laid back guy, although he did say last year that his favorite thing about university living was the “parties” (and the kool aid?).  This is a position where there is a lot of rotation so we will see a lot of the second string guys as well: DTs So. Justin Solis, So. Tyler Henington and R-Fr. Kory Rasmussen, and Jr. Kirk Poston, R-Fr. John Stuart and T-Fr. Derek McCartney outside. Surprisingly R-Fr. D’Jon Wilson, who was the defensive scout team MVP, is buried deep at tackle.

The defensive secondary is always interesting and there are a lot of bodies here.  As mentioned, Jr. Josh Moten is listed as the starter at one safety spot, with Sr. Terrel Smith at the other.  Parker Orms is next and also listed at Nickel #2 (with Moten Nickel #3) and Marques Mosley is behind him with Jered Bell backing up Smith.   

Greg Henderson (also Nickel #1) and Kenneth Crawley are the number one cornerbacks.  Adam M. said Crawley not only looks more comfortable on the field, but he says himself that he definitely does since he feels like he has more support over the top with this defense. R-Fr. John Walker will backup Henderson while So. Yuri Wright is buried behind walk-on Harrison Hunter (will Wright leave?) behind Crawley; Jeff Hall already switched to offense.

Special Teams:P Darragh O’Neill is gunning to be the best punter in the country and is psyched to have a full-time special teams coordinator that can work with the kickers and punters throughout every practice.  Wil Oliver appears to have the kicker position solidified as well, and he is listed with Justin Castor for kickoffs. O’Neill is also trying to win the holder job from Justin Gorman and Ryan Iverson is trying to hold off a ton of walk-on freshmen for the long snapper position.  Punt and kickoff returners are still “TBA”.

Here’s the remaining Spring practice schedule, most sessions 3:45-6:15PM on the lower Boulder Creek fields.

Thursday, April 4                                                                                                                 Practice
Friday, April 5                                                                                                                       Practice (scrimmage)
Tuesday, April 9                                                                                                                   Practice (no tackling)
Thursday, April 11                                                                                                               Practice

Saturday, April13                                                                                                       Spring Game, 10:30AM, Pac-12 Network

Tuesday, April 16                                                                                                                 Final practice (shorts/helmets only)

Spring Break Notes

We are wrapping up spring break and it was pretty quiet on the Buff front.  We were hoping to see a “pencil” depth chart, but unless the coaches release one today, we won’t know where anyone stands until the players take the field Tuesday.  I can’t be there so we’ll have to hope that someone else leaks some information.  Anyway, there were a few important items that crossed the sports pages and internet forums while some were on vacation and others were sitting at home.

Part II of CU Video Dept’s “Proving Grounds” is out: http://vimeo.com/62310984 It gives some nice insight into the coaches, their main mantras being “hard work” “toughness” “fundamentals” “doing the right thing” and “having fun”.

Athlon named OC Brian Lindgren as one of the top assistant coach hires of 2013. “At 32 years old, Lindgren is a name to watch in future head coaching searches…Expect Colorado to show marked improvement on offense this year, which only figures to raise Lindgren’s profile even more going into the offseason.” This makes it all the more surprising that bohnhead is negotiating one of CU’s precious long-term contracts with DC Kent Baer, whom I don’t see a threat to leave at all as he has never been named a head coach candidate anywhere, even with his extensive experience as a coordinator.

Troy Walters tweeted that his WRs Nelson Spruce and Justin Gorman (also current holder and former QB/DB/RB) made the Pac-12 All-Academic team and that Tyler McCulloch was an honorable mention. I didn’t see anything else about this in general though.

Dave Plati did some deep stat work tracking returning starters (CU is 9^th nationally with 345 total returning “starts” under belts) and ESPN gave him kudos for it: http://espn.go.com/photo/preview/130401/espn_returning_starter_counts2.pdf

Since nothing has been made public yet, here’s a little check in at the main position groups:

QB Battle: It appears that MacIntyre and Lindgren may not be satisfied with what they have seen so far in the first 8 spring practices.  Even though they have already been ridiculed for having five scholarship QBs, and a sixth on the way (plus a walk-on), CU may be adding yet another signal caller in the form of Nelson Fishback.  The 6’1” 185-pound “pro-style” QB was unrated and not offered a scholarship by any big schools in the 2011 recruiting cycle, although he was looked at by San Jose St.  Fishback spent last year at Butte College (of the California Community College Athletic Association) and completed 108 of 201 passes for 1, 482 yards with 12 TDs and 7 Ints.  Although an inside source says MacIntyre has had his eye on Fishback for a long time (I guess the kid had to get some things together), the fact that no one did anywhere else does not give me a lot of confidence moving forward.

Consensus on the internet is that Dillon, Hirschman and Webb (gets a nod due to his injury, although most are scared to death of the notion of any more Webb) will continue splitting reps after break, while Stevie Joe Dorman and John Schrock hold clipboards and water bottles.  However, Connor Wood is the biggest wild card, with some speculating he is gone, and others that he is the leader of the group.

Running Backs: NetBuffs poster “Black and Gold All Over” said his “sources” told him that both Davien Payne (suspended anyway) and Tony Jones will both seek to transfer after spring ball.  Payne and his problems are no surprise, but Jones is a little bit, although maybe he sees that his services are not as valuable with this group and offense.

At wide receiver, Paul Richardson has sat out the scrimmages and will be not be overused.  They know he is going to be their main guy, want to make sure he stays healthy and they can see what else they have with the rest of the group. DD Goodson has made a very nice impression on his move to wideout.  This appears to suddenly be a deep position group, especially with three talented incoming freshmen who could play immediately, after being a liability last year.

Who is Wesley Christensen?  Nobody is really sure but the WR has been turning heads at practice and catching a lot of balls.  He is listed as a walk-on JC transfer from Butte College, the same school QB Nelson Fishback attended last year.

Also, P-Rich tweeted “no days off”, and that he was “spending my spring break working on springing up and down the field and getting in and out of my breaks!”

The offensive line had a bit of a setback when Jr. interior lineman Daniel Munyer broke a bone in his lower leg.  However, this has allowed/forced coaches to move guys around even more than they had planned to, in order see what they have got.  Munyer and Alex Lewis, who has been out all of the spring, are widely expected to win two of the five starting spots.  Jack Harris spent most of last season on the right side at tackle and guard, but has gotten a lot of reps at left tackle this spring; if he doesn’t win a starting job, then he will be the utility guy to spell everyone and fill in for any injury, much like Ryan Dannewitz was last season.  I had been hoping to hear more about Jeromy Irwin developing and making a push for one of the guard slots.

Linebacker was a position that MacIntyre was somewhat concerned about depth-wise when he arrived and he brought in a few new guys, including two, Markeis Reed and Addison Gilliam, which could start practicing right away this spring.  Conventional wisdom has Sr. Derrick Webb (probable captain) and Jr. Brady Daigh as starters, but a few others are still competing for playing time there. One of the biggest surprises of the spring appears to be Jr. Lowell Williams, who has played a lot of special teams (following in the footsteps of Webb who starred on Special teams before breaking through on the defense), but never really contributed as a linebacker.  So far this spring, he is leading the team in tackles (13) after two scrimmages and said he feels very comfortable with the defense.

There are actually a lot of guys competing for continued reps all across the defensive line and the depth chart will reveal a lot about who has impressed coaches.  DEs Chidera Uzo-Diribe and Samson “Kool Aid” Kafovalu have gotten the most press on the outside, with Justin Solis the most love inside.  I have heard very little about Sr. Nate Bonsu, who could be a leader of this defense or not play at all.  Underachieving DE Juda Parker, who was a huge four-star coup for Embree’s first class, has been injured.

The defensive secondary is similar in that there are a lot of bodies there, although it is a little clearer who will play, with S Parker Orms and corners Kenneth Crawley and Greg Henderson continuing to make plays.  I have not seen mention of Marques Mosley.

Injuries: CB Yuri Wright and WR Jeff Thomas were among those that missed time in the first half but are hoping to be full-go for the last 7 practices.

-OL Marc Mustoe was recovering from injuries from a bike accident and was also hopeful to participate in the second half as well.

-DE Juda Parker is dealing with a shoulder injury. and RB Terrence Crowder is still recovering from his ACL.
-LB Brady Daigh is cleared to start practice Tuesday (knee).

-S Parker Orms sat out the last scrimmage with some knee swelling, but that is mostly cautionary as he is expected to play and this gave them an opportunity to see others as well.

-QB Jordan Webb re-injured his hand and missed the second scrimmage, but should be back after break.

-Offensive linemen Daniel Munyer, thought to probably be one of the starting guards broke his leg and will miss the rest of the spring.

-OL Alex Lewis has been out all of the spring.

Here’s the remaining Spring practice schedule, most sessions 3:45-6:15PM on the lower Boulder Creek fields.

Tuesday, April 2                                                                                                        Practice (no tackling)
Thursday, April 4                                                                                                      Practice
Friday, April 5                                                                                                            Practice (scrimmage)
Tuesday, April 9                                                                                                         Practice (no tackling)
Thursday, April 11                                                                                                    Practice

Saturday, April13                                                                                                      Spring Game, 10:30AM,  Pac-12 Network

Tuesday, April 16                                                                                                        Final practice (shorts/helmets only)

Other Buff Notes:

Most folks are calling the Buffaloes 2013 schedule one of the more difficult ones in the country with Athlon writing: “The Buffaloes could have a hard time finding victories in 2013.,,there are few guaranteed wins…they are likely to be a double-digit underdog in most of their Pac-12 games.”   The NCAA has CU with the second hardest schedule in the Pac-12 and 14^th hardest in the nation, which seems surprising given their out-of-conference schedule of csu/Central Arkansas/Fresno St.; however, that is based solely on opponents’ previous season combined records.

Former Buff commit WR Peyton Williams is competing for a starting job at Texas Tech.  Williams tore his ACL in his high school playoffs and then grayshirted, paying his own way to attend CU the fall semester, before finally deciding he wanted to be closer to home.  It sounds like he would have gone back to Texas even without a coaching change.

An Oklahoma Blogger did a piece on former Big 12 teams and completely forgot to include CU but he also wrote that “nobody seemed to mind” or comment on the omission.  He didn’t have a whole lot of nice things or positive predictions anyway when he updated, calling the team’s outlook “dismal”.  He did say that they are “culturally” more aligned with the Pac-12 and “probably better off out west.”