Summer Grazing

It has been relatively quiet in Buff world of late but there are a few items of interest to report before I head out of town for awhile.

§  2013 Recruiting

§  It has been quiet for some time now and the Buffs are still standing at five verbal commitments next year’s recruiting class, but that is still ahead of last year’s pace.

§  The Buffs are targeting some big names, including some of the top-ranked linebackers in the country, but it does not appear that the most highly recruited prospects are really interested in CU.

§  QB Luke del Rio committed to Oklahoma St.

§  2012 Frosh

§  DB Yuri Wright has already landed in Boulder and many more of the new Buffs will be getting here this weekend and next week (QB Shane Dillon, RBs Davien Payne and Terrence Crowder, WRs Jeff Thomas and Peyton Williams, TEs Vincent Hobbs, Austin Ray and Sean Irwin, brother Jeromy Irvin, DT Tyler Henington, DB Jeffrey Hall).  Almost all of the rest of the 27 incoming recruits are scheduled to arrive by June 12 at the latest to participate in voluntary summer workouts with the returning players. DE John Stuart won’t get here until late June, and the only recruits who do not have an arrival date are DEs Kory Rasmussen and Kisima Jagne, the latter being the main academic question in this large group.

§  Dillon will begin throwing this week (after Feb. surgery) and expects to be full strength by the start of July.

§  Preseason Recognitions

§  C Gus Handler was one of fifty centers, including 4 others from the Pac-12, who were named to the preseason Rimington Award list given to the nation’s best center.

§  §  Phil Steele only put 5 Buffs on his top 4 All-Pac-12 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, and DE Chidera Uzo-Diribe get no love here!  Let’s hope they, and the rest of the team, are motivated to prove many wrong.

§  Other Program Notes

§  Steele also compiled some stats on returning letterman (i.e. experience) and no surprise that with 28 seniors on the roster last year, that the Buffs will be one of the least experienced teams in the country, 119^th of 124.  Also, remember that more of those are sophomores than seniors or juniors.  Interestingly, USC is 123^rd, but most of their players are 4 and 5-star recruits.

§  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, although it was announced that OG Gerald Kough will greyshirt along with DE Derek McCartney.

§  Work has begun on replacing the video boards at Folsom Field.  They will be a major upgrade, occupying the same space, but the HD screen will encompass all of that previous space will a full, clear image.  This is way overdue as it was embarrassing last year with a few “holes” in the image.  All of the old equipment is gone and the new boxes are being unpacked.  They should be up in the next week or so.

§  The Athletic Department received about $16 million this week to help offset costs of the Pac-12 transition.  While $10 million is in the form of a loan, to be paid back with Pac-12 TV bucks over the next few years, $6 million was to compensate for the value the rest of the university receives and will receive from the Pac-12 move.

§  Buffs in the NFL

§  I am reluctant to even “report” this but Kordell Stewart, after more than four years out of the NFL finally, officially retired after signing a one-day contract with the Steelers.