2012 was an interesting recruiting cycle when it comes to defense. The Buffaloes had a big haul along the defensive line, taking 9 players, and grabbed their only two 4-star players at cornerback, where they took five total kids. And most importantly: no linebackers. Which makes LB a definite position of focus in the next recruiting cycle.
But class balancing is still going to be an issue this time around, plus we're working with fewer available scholarships. As Phil pointed out in the last article, we currently only have something like 14 scholarships slated to open up. But I believe (though I might be counting incorrectly) that we will be carrying fewer than 85 scholarship players in 2012, so I'm predicting a class that is closer to 20 kids than 14.
Okay, lets take a look at how the next year in recruiting might go!
Defensive Back:
We signed 5 DBs in 2011, so we don't need to sign quite so many this time around. And it looks like we might be in on some pretty good ones, specifically a few safety prospects out of California. But we'll be fighting off the traditional Cali powers for them, and perhaps Stanford as well.
While we may move another cornerback or two to safety in the continued mission to increase team speed, we also may see a safety or two move to linebacker. Will Harlos is the primary candidate, as long as his bulking up is going well. So it may be important for us to take one true safety prospect in 2013; one that can hit and fill against the run. I think we nab one safety this cycle.
Follow the jump because there's cornerbacks to discuss!
Now that we've wrapped up the 2012 recruiting class, it's time to start looking ahead. The coaching staff did what they had to do in order to 'balance the classes,' but we will still have to think about that going into 2013. We need balanced classes at every position so we don't deplete our numbers at any one position through attrition, whether it's graduation, not qualifying academically or (and hopefully we have this problem soon) guys leaving early for the NFL.
So lets take a look at where we're at now and what the roster will look like after next season! We begin on the offensive side of the ball.
Quarterback:
Though not everyone agrees, many will tell you it's good to take a scholarship QB each year. We finally have some balance on the depth chart here, so we should be able to fall into that pattern. We will lose Brent Burnette, though his impact mostly likely won't be that great next year. The West has some talented QB prospects, including Colorado's own Ryan Novak. It remains to be seen whether he is one of CU's top targets there, but we'll keep an eye on this.
So basically, look for the Buffs to be looking for one QB in the 2013 class. I can't imagine them wanting to sign more than one (this year, once they got a commitment from Shane Dillon, they basically stopped looking at other QBs. They don't want more than one per cycle). So if we get an early commitment from someone, that's probably the end of the QB discussion.
Follow the jump because Chumbawumba says so!
Colorado's football recruiting class has now been officially complete for a week, though effectively for longer than that. You've had the chance to digest things, and now you're wondering, "what about that conference we're in? How did they do?"
Pac-12 Recruiting Recap: A Comparative Grid
If the college football offseason is like settlers journeying along the Oregon Trail, then recruiting is the food and water supply you've brought with you. You hope it will carry through the trip, and you're about to eat the last of the beef jerky.
In the spirit of examining Pac-12 Recruiting, we'll now take a closer look at how our state-mandated rivals fared on National Letter of Intent Day, and also Utah. One of them did well, and the other did... not so well.
If you were wondering what our conference-mandated rival Utah fans think of their class, look no further than Block U:
Block U: Utes Land Best Class In Program History
Make the jump to see Utah and CSU's recruits listed individually, and to see the rest of the hardtack disappear...
College Football recruiting is comparative by its very nature, and why not? "This class is better than that class," it helps us through the winter months. I just think the way recruiting classes are ranked is wrong, wrong, wrong. So last year I used maths to make my own way to assess recruiting classes that has since been co-opted by other online writers, but don't despair: you're reading the genuine article!
For anyone unfamiliar, the chart reads like-a-so: the total number of 2012 recruits is beneath each school's name, and each subsequent number is the percentage share of their class that a particular group comprises. For instance how 3.7% of Colorado's class is a Quarterback, or how Stanford's and Utah's classes are over 55% Linemen.
| School | UA | ASU | Cal | CU | UO | OSU | Stan. | UCLA | SC | Utah | U-Dub | Wazzu |
| Total | 24 | 23 | 18 | 27 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 26 | 15 | 28 | 25 | 26 |
| QB | 8.3 | 0.0 | 5.6 | 3.7 | 9.5 | 4.3 | 0.0 | 3.8 | 0.0 | 3.6 | 8.0 | 3.8 |
| RB | 4.2 | 8.7 | 11.1 | 14.8 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 6.7 | 3.6 | 8.0 | 11.5 |
| WR | 16.7 | 13.0 | 22.2 | 11.1 | 14.3 | 8.7 | 18.2 | 19.2 | 13.3 | 7.1 | 4.0 | 11.5 |
| TE | 4.2 | 8.7 | 0.0 | 11.1 | 9.5 | 8.7 | 0.0 | 3.8 | 6.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| OL | 16.7 | 17.4 | 22.2 | 7.4 | 4.8 | 30.4 | 31.8 | 19.2 | 20.0 | 28.6 | 20.0 | 26.9 |
| Off% | 50.0 | 47.8 | 61.1 | 48.1 | 42.9 | 56.5 | 54.5 | 50.0 | 46.7 | 42.9 | 40.0 | 53.8 |
| DL | 12.5 | 17.4 | 5.6 | 29.6 | 28.6 | 4.3 | 22.7 | 15.4 | 20.0 | 28.6 | 20.0 | 19.2 |
| LB | 12.5 | 17.4 | 11.1 | 0.0 | 4.8 | 17.4 | 9.1 | 3.8 | 13.3 | 10.7 | 4.0 | 11.5 |
| DB | 16.7 | 13.0 | 5.6 | 14.8 | 14.3 | 17.4 | 13.6 | 15.4 | 20.0 | 10.7 | 16.0 | 11.5 |
| Def% | 41.7 | 47.8 | 22.2 | 44.4 | 47.6 | 39.1 | 45.5 | 34.6 | 53.3 | 50.0 | 40.0 | 42.3 |
| ATH/ST | 8.3 | 4.3 | 16.7 | 7.4 | 9.5 | 4.3 | 0.0 | 15.4 | 0.0 | 7.1 | 20.0 | 3.8 |
3 |
70.8 | 65.2 | 55.6 | 74.1 | 42.9 | 69.6 | 40.9 | 57.7 | 13.3 | 67.9 | 56.0 | 53.8 |
| 4 |
8.3 | 13.0 | 38.9 | 7.4 | 47.6 | 8.7 | 45.5 | 30.8 | 66.7 | 17.9 | 20.0 | 7.7 |
| 5 |
0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 13.6 | 3.8 | 20.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
Interesting numbers are bolded, notes and comments are after the jump...
I asked each of our football writers to help us recap the Colorado Buffaloes 2012 recruiting class last night to begin our breakdown of the new Buffs.
Feel free to throw your answers to the same questions into the comments below.
1) Do you agree with this staffs admitted philosophy of focusing on Colorado, California, and Texas?
Bob: Seems logical to me as that is where most of the coaches have roots and where the best players are (California and Texas that is). That being said, this class certainly isn't just centralized to those three states when you look at the talent brought in from the East coast especially the three players from DC and Yuri Wright from New Jersey. I think the coaches understand that they should focus in certain states and start pipelines in schools outside of California and Texas with continual talent like Don Bosco H.S. (NJ) and Woodson H.S.(DC).
Ash: Yes, yes, yes; all day long these three should be our recruiting home. Colorado for obvious proximity reasons; CA & TX for populational reasons. Any talent that the state of CO fails to generate will be found in Cali and Texas. We ignore them at our peril.
David: Absolutely! It's important for every program to lock up their in-state talent, and California and Texas are two of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the nation. If our staff isn't hitting TX and CA hard, we can't be successful.
Jon: I certainly think a large percentage of this staff's time should focus on those three states and there is only so much time that each coach can spend in multiple places while still being effective. But the DC3 this year showed that we can be successful anywhere, especially if the wins start coming. It would be nice to get back into Ohio some more and Pennsylvania seems ripe for the picking right now.
Well here we go! It's signing day and that means it's time to stare at the fax machine and hope that all of our signatures get in on time. This is the open thread part 2. Almost all of the signatures are in. Just waiting on Tyler Henington and Gerrad Kough.The other potential prospect that the Buffs are looking at, Louisiana athlete Jontrey Tillman won't likely be deciding today.
What does everyone think of this year's class?
2:37 p.m. - Barring any surprises, Gerrad Kough gives the Buffaloes their final letter.
11:35 a.m. - Colorado's own Tyler Henington is in! Only one more to go.
11:30 a.m. - Ewa Beach, Hawaii defensive lineman Kory Rasmussen is in. Only two more to go!
Colorado Buffaloes Recruiting: Signing Day Live Blog
10:26 a.m. - Marques Mosley completes the Upland, California trio.
10:20 a.m. - With Donta Abron faxing in his LOI, the running back position is now complete.
10:00 a.m. - Perris, California running back Davien Payne is in.
9:45 a.m. - Chandler, Arizona defensive lineman Kisima Jagne is officially a Buff!
9:00 a.m. - The DC three have sent in their letters! Kenneth Crawley, John Walker, and De'Jon Wilson are Buffaloes.Christian Powell was not deterred. His letter has also been received.
8:32 a.m. - Westlake, California defensive linemen Justin Solis and John Stuart are in.
Colorado Buffaloes Recruiting: Closing In On Signing Day
8:20 a.m. - Defensive lineman Samson Kafovalu and Josh Tupou are both in. Colony, Texas wide receiver Gerald Thomas is in.
8:12 a.m. - Elite 11 quarterback Shane Dillon is in! Welcome Shane.
7:57 a.m. - Two more signatures are in. Texas tight end Vincent Hobbs, a late verbal that came in on Sunday, and Louisiana defensive back Jeffrey Hall, who also verbaled on Sunday. Duncanville, Texas wide receiver Jeff Thomas has also faxed in his LOI.
7:31 a.m. - Welcome Buff fans to National Signing Day. We will keep you updated on all of the happenings today. Currently Colorado has fifteen known verbal commitments with a potential of one more we will be watching today. We'll update you all day long as the National Letters of Intent find their way to the CU fax machine. So far, these 7 guys are already Buffs:
3* Colorado FB Clay Norgard
4* New Jersey DB Yuri Wright
3* Texas TE Sean Irwin
3* Texas OL Jeromy Irwin
2* Texas RB Terrence Crowder
3* Texas WR Peyton Williams
3* Missouri TE Austin Ray
A list of all known verbal commitments after the jump...
Well here we go! It's signing day and that means it's time to stare at the fax machine and hope that all of our signatures get in on time. Really only one uncommitted guy to keep an eye on today and that's California linebacker Seth Jacobs, who will announce his decision at 7:30 p.m. tonight and is choosing between Colorado, Oklahoma State and Arkansas. The other potential prospect that the Buffs are looking at, Louisiana athlete Jontrey Tillman won't likely be deciding today.
Colorado Buffaloes Recruiting: Closing In On Signing Day
10:26 a.m. - Marques Mosley completes the Upland, California trio.
10:20 a.m. - With Donta Abron faxing in his LOI, the running back position is now complete.
10:00 a.m. - Perris, California running back Davien Payne is in.
9:45 a.m. - Chandler, Arizona defensive lineman Kisima Jagne is officially a Buff!
9:00 a.m. - The DC three have sent in their letters! Kenneth Crawley, John Walker, and De'Jon Wilson are Buffaloes. Christian Powell was not deterred. His letter has also been received.
8:32 a.m. - Westlake, California defensive linemen Justin Solis and John Stuart are in.
8:20 a.m. - Defensive lineman Samson Kafovalu and Josh Tupou are both in. Colony, Texas wide receiver Gerald Thomas is in.
8:12 a.m. - Elite 11 quarterback Shane Dillon is in! Welcome Shane.
7:57 a.m. - Two more signatures are in. Texas tight end Vincent Hobbs, a late verbal that came in on Sunday, and Louisiana defensive back Jeffrey Hall, who also verbaled on Sunday. Duncanville, Texas wide receiver Jeff Thomas has also faxed in his LOI.
7:31 a.m. - Welcome Buff fans to National Signing Day. We will keep you updated on all of the happenings today. Currently Colorado has fifteen known verbal commitments with a potential of one more we will be watching today. We'll update you all day long as the National Letters of Intent find their way to the CU fax machine. So far, these 7 guys are already Buffs:
3* Colorado FB Clay Norgard
4* New Jersey DB Yuri Wright
3* Texas TE Sean Irwin
3* Texas OL Jeromy Irwin
2* Texas RB Terrence Crowder
3* Texas WR Peyton Williams
3* Missouri TE Austin Ray
A list of all known verbal commitments after the jump...
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Jon Embree and his staff are getting closer and closer to their second (and first full) recruiting class in Boulder. This years class has been nothing if consistent, with Tyler Henington pledging his college years to Colorado all the way back in March of last year and commitments coming nearly each month (outside of a slight slump in September and October) up until signing day tomorrow.
The two highest ranked commits in the class, cornerbacks Yuri Wright and Kenneth Crawley, both came aboard last week and were pretty big surprises to the outside recruiting community. The shift to a pro-style offense continues, with four running backs, two fullbacks (one of whom committed while I was writing this story and one who is already on campus), and three tight ends joining the team.
Most of the signing day intrigue for Buffs fans will come from the National Letters of Intent being faxed in from each of the current verbal commits. Colorado is nearing it's scholarship limit and may not have room for any more than one additional signature (if that) without heading into dangerous oversigning territory, which we would prefer to avoid.
The players that Embree would still accept signatures from are Seth Jacobs, the California linebacker prospect, and Jontrey Tillman, a Louisiana athlete who had formerly been committed to Stanford but recently found out that he would not be able to qualify.
Much more and and a list of current commits after the jump...
Showing 1 - 8 of 123 Older
