The ESPN author mentions how recruiting is a fickle thing, but hey I will take the top recruits any day.  Having a team with some threatening  superstars could be just what we need.  Of course imagining Folsom Field chanting Munchie is interesting to say the least.

It’s Signing Day. I feel some big news coming up.
Tune in for updates throughout the day
You can find the official updates over at cubuffs.com
First step Byron Moore Jr live on ESPN at 8am MST
Diante Jackson at 11:10 am (MST)
UPDATE
Andre Simmons 3 Star JC Receiver will become a Buff
Josh Moten has chosen the Buffs
Bryce Moore chose to go with the Trojans
Emory Blake chose Auburn

After a disappointing year, 2009 seems to be off to a good start. Yesterday, Nick Kasa from Broomfield, Colorado de-committed from the National Champion Florida Gators and decided to play as a Buffalo! The 6′-6″ defensive end will bring some talent to the defensive line where we will be losing some key guys (Hypolite, Nicolas).
Kasa is the #4 and #5 ranked defensive end according scout.com and rivals.com. Let’s hope this brings an end to the slow recruiting we’ve been having. Keep checking back for more news during the offseason. Buffs.tv will have some more coverage on recruiting and some other stuff to come. Until then, happy off-season!

Sonsini, the Runningbacks coach/recruiting coordinator at St. Bonaventure, Scott’s high school, has been dismissed from his position…
I stumbled across the link in the dallas news yesterday that reported this, but considering that was the same paper that reported the “allegations”, I refused to a) give them a link, and b) trust them until I got some other sources.
Say it with the hippies now!

In other news, Hawk is working on an extension with the school (who else thinks this is a good idea?)

4 or 5 spots open. 1 day left. Lots of rumors about certain WR’s and DE’s decommiting from bad places and re/committing to good places. Guess we will know soon!

Per Scout, now rivals, and soon, the WORLD.

Well, it may not be flooding yet, but we still have 5 scholarships left and signing day is Wednesday, so it better start flooding soon!
Mr. Wallace is a 6’4 TE (not that fast at a 4.8 40…. Mr. Scary Big man Keni Kafusi down below runs that and he is 275) who liked how we use the TE in the offense as a sort of constantly moving target. I think he really liked that a TE caught most of our TD’s last year. Mr. Wallace his the third Ryan of this class and the 2nd TE commit named Wallace at that!
With the proliferation of the spread offense leading many teams to have lots of small and fast guys on the field, I think the example of Missouri and the offensive show they put on us last year has sunk in. The spread offense does not necessarily have to rely on small guys to “spread” the field. Mizzou runs the spread with two TE’s and some very very fast guys on the outside. This lets them run with authority (Temple, Tony – 300 yards in their bowl game!) and cause lots of miss-matches with those tall TEs. It sure seems to help their short QB Chase Daniels find receivers down the field with those big boys running around.
I am getting a vision of the future… WRs= Jfly & Simas/McKnight. Offensive line = Hulking, Deep, and NASTY. RB = Scott/Polk, and Hawk/Ballenger at QB with Deehan/Wallace/Pericak as our base package. I think it sounds pretty scary. Our TE’s need to put on a bit of speed, but damn, that as a base package can do almost anything. Max Protect, spread, smashmouth, you name it, its coming!
As an aside, Kafusi called him and CU a “perfect fit”. He just needs to qualify academically. He takes the SAT 2/9. Lets hope he really is ready for success!

Katoa started classes on the 11th, but sadly, PT Gates did not.
The Colorady Daily is reporting that PT Gates did not get his paperwork from Saddleback to the CU admissions office in time. He will not be eligible for spring ball, and must take a full course load over the summer in order to meet the same progress guidelines that kept Bernard Jackson off the field this last year.
Since the big Givens/Rippy/Josh Williams signing, really, not much has happened except for the defection of Williams back to NU. Nebraska has a class with almost all 3 star recruits that ranks #27 with 19 recruits. CU is still ranked in the top 25 with only 16 recruits. Only USC has less verbals in the top 25. As an aside, Givens and Rippy are both still solid.
As far as Scott, its way up in the air. Some signs point to Texas, and others point to CU.
My take? At least Polk still seems solid, even though he did take an official visit to ASU recently. I know the door is wide open at CU for Scott, while the backfield at Texas seems to get more crowded by the minute… Mack Brown is scheduled to have an in home visit with Mr. Scott, but guess who gets the last one? The Hawk!
Here is a nice little article about our lone QB (2 star) recruit, Tyler Hansen. Seems like he would even be ok Redshirting. Diamond in the Rough ala Kai Maiava? We hope so!
And we end with a little article that looks at the Buffs off-season program
Hey Mr. Scott, did we mention the weather is better in Colorado? And please note that the article above talks about the impact that bubble is going to have this winter!
Till signing day (barring really crazy news),
lata

Under an interview titled “Darrell Scott: I love everything about Texas”
In it, to keep a long story short, Scott talks about how starting is so important to him and the fact that Jamaal Charles has left for the Pros makes him really want to go there. Also, he mentions that if Florida “shows him a good time” they could be in the drivers seat as well.
The killer quote is this one:

IT: With Jamaal Charles gone, does that make Texas more enticing than Colorado?

Scott: Oh yeah. No doubt.

Pretty nice complement to the stable of backs CU currently has coming in since Scott thinks he doesn’t have a good chance to start compared to Texas, huh? I don’t know what the hell Scott is thinking. The talent level (star wise) is way higher at Texas, Florida, or LSU. Texas has been recruiting highly rated RBs forever, and Florida has Moody (5 star) who transferred in…
I think hes just enjoying himself for the most part here. I mean, he even mentions that CU doesn’t have indoor facilities and how the weather is an issue…. CU DOES have indoor facilities and has a way nicer climate through the majority of the year then Texas. I don’t blame the kid at all for pumping up Florida or LSU, I mean, those schools sure know how to recruit!
In the end, I would love for CU to have a back of his caliber, but we all know how Marcus Houston turned out right? Lets hope the coaches put a full court press on the guy towards signing day and that Scott shows himself to be a man of his word (reporters with sources inside the program say that Scott gave Hawkins a verbal commitment during his visit, which of course, the guy denies… He is on a reality TV show!)

Via Rocky Mountain News

Katoa, a chiseled 6-foot-2, 220-pounder who has played only two years of football, put any inkling to rest he might reconsider his CU commitment and sign with Oklahoma.
An early graduate, he is scheduled to arrive in Boulder on Jan. 10 or Jan. 11 and enroll for the spring semester. He called Oklahoma “a great school, but the coaches from Oklahoma didn’t really tell me they wanted me to get my degree. Coach (Brian) Cabral was really strict on that, and I really went on that (with the decision).”

Integrity and such when it comes to academics being a plus? Who knew? I like where this kid has his head. Also, really says something about OU eh?
Also, Katoa is shining in the East/West Game practices.
Hell ya!
Update via Z in the comments (great link, I like Katoa more and more every time he opens his mouth): http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?cid=757769

Are you soild to CU?
- 1mac$
Katoa – Yeah I am solid. I just believe in the coaching and feel confident in my decision.

So, here is just a quick update for you guys. One line per news item, with a little bit of reaction.
Josh Berard: Switched his commitment from CU to Kansas State. Scout thinks so well of this he goes from a 3 to 2 star. Meh.
Darrel Scott narrowed his final list to four: Colorado, Florida, LSU, Texas. Rumors continue to abound that he is already a lock for CU on certain websites. He also won a state championship.

Lynn Katoa: His verbal is no longer “soft”. Nice…
TWO NEW COMMITTS UPDATE: MAKE IT THREE
Josh Williams: A defensive end without great size (6’4″, 220), but another solid 3 star commit. Hell ya baby!
Doug Rippy: A three star SLB with 4.5 speed and solid size. We don’t need no stinking JC LBs! Rippy has a really sweet name, but more importantly, switched from the Huskers. Stoked!
Last but not least:

Bryce Givens: This top 100 in the nation ranked player (# 11 OT) and very large (6’6″) man switched from Nebraska to CU as well. This is very important as Mr. Givens is from Colorado and nearly made the mistake of his life going to NU. Hell yes! (Scott, Darrel, this item is of interest to you!)
That new Husker coaching staff sure has impressed the recruits, hasn’t it?
Also, Scout.com has updated their recruit rankings. This has dropped CU from what would have been a top 20 spot to 30th.. The biggest change is dropping Jon Major from a 5 to a 4 star and Ray Polk down to a 3 star… Who cares? I like um and so should you! Rivals still has us at 21 so roll on!

Max Tuioti-Mariner, a Three or Four Star Lineman from Corona, CA committed to CU today. At about 6’3″ and 300 pounds, this kid has a “mean streak” that people love to see in run blockers (Ahem, Darrel?). He picked CU over Oregon and Cal, among others. This gives CU a respectable two offensive linemen in the 2008 class. While not flashy (last year we had what, 8?), the number is one that builds depth and keeps runners happy. Max’s signing puts CU’s class rank currently around 22nd in the nation. The class is starting to fill up rapidly. CU is hoping to sign between 18 and 20 recruits, and this signing brings the total number of commitments to 15, including a Mr. Lynn Katoa. Oh yes, did you think we had forgotten about him?
Lynn Katoa is now being listed as a “soft verbal” by Scout and Rival. Frankly, I don’t know how much stock to put into these rumors. They were started by Soonerscoop.com, not Katoa, via a quote that the youngster acknowledges but says does not take mean he is decommitting. A nice little article helps sum this up for us. A quote:

“I’m still solidly committed to Colorado,” he said, acknowledging he had heard about the Web site’s report. “There’s been a lot of mixed-up communication, back and forth. . . . The commitment to Colorado is still there.”

Basically, when people hound you and won’t stop until they get the answer they want *cough* Sooner website *Cough*, why wouldn’t you say there is still a chance? It is called “pity”. Isn’t that what the girl told Lloyd in a certain movie?
As we all know, it is still early in the process. So many of these kids are going to be harassed that we will almost certainly lose a few of them…. But who knows who we will gain? There have been rumors on certain Defensive Linemen.
Life as a Buff is pretty good for a 6 and 6 team!

Some good news, some bad news…
First, the medicine: Lynn Katoa got a bunch of in home visits from OU coaches after his verbal commitment to CU (honor and integrity in the NCAA!). I know this is common these days, but they visited TWICE in the week since his commitment. Stoops must have been pissed! Anyways, Katoa now says that OU is “back in the running”. I think we can put his verbal as “soft” at best. I will keep you all updated on what Hawk and boys can do to keep this guy committed.
Sometimes life throws you a bone. In this case, even though we no longer have Katoa, we got Shaun Mohler instead. Mohler was committed to Nebraska, but changed his ways when it became clear that Callahan would not be back. Talk about coming into the light!
Katoa was ranked the #2 MLB, and Mohler is ranked the #2 JUCO LB. They even have similar 40 stats and weight, etc. Mohler will bring some experience to the line backing corps that even with all these high level commitments was going to be very young next year. Even though he is a JUCO and won’t be at CU for long, he is a welcome addition.He committed after Cabral gave a speech during his recruitment. Welcome to the Stampede, Mr. Mohler!
Cabral is one heck of a coach on the field and on the recruiting trail. Buff fans everywhere should be thankful for this guy.
UPDATE: The OU Linebackers Coach, Brent Venables (the guy who visited Katoa), is being reported by Rivals to be a frontrunner for the Arkansas coaching vacancy. As in, top 2. Be careful who you listen to Mr. Katoa, those OU coaches have a reputation for promising more then they deliver to recruits…

Lynn Katoa has committed to CU. Ranked the #2 MLB in the US by Scout and Rivals, he is also listed as #62 in the nation overall by Rivals. He joins Will Pericak and Jon Major as interesting LB prospects in this years class. Major, btw, despite being listed as a DE at Rivals, ranks #75 in the nation. Things are looking painful for future Buff opponents.

According to Scout.com, this makes two 5 star recruits for CU and brings CU’s class up to 28th in the nation with only 13 recruits. I did a quick count, and only two schools are ranked higher with less recruits. I love playing with these rankings, but really, once you get up to a certain level, I think it comes down to how you utilize that talent (See Clemson or Florida State). CU is fast approaching the level where “talent” or “athletic ability” will not be an excuse in another year or two, especially if we get some more classes like this and our promising underclassmen mature.
Don’t forget, but depending on who you ask, CU is still the frontrunner for Mr. Darrell Scott’s services as well. IF Scott commits, one has to wonder what becomes of Ray Polk, the 4 star RB recruit. The plan was to move him to LB if Scott committed, but now it seems the Buffs have some serious talent at the position already. Where will Polk fit? I think a team can never have to many RB’s, but Cabral seems like King Midas to me, so I would have no problem seeing him get another young talent to work with.
Now, about the defensive and offensive lines…

Ryan Deehan, a 3star (or 4 star if you like rivals) Tight End from San Diego commited to CU today. He is not that fast (4.75 40) but he his BIG at 6/5 and 230 pounds. Lots of room to grow there and with that height he can be useful in the red zone if his hands are as good as they say.
All in all, another solid recruit for CU in what is shaping up to be a damn fine class. After watching what Hawk got out of his first two much less heralded classes this year, I am pretty excited to see what this class adds to the mix. Hopefully we won’t set any records for games started by Freshmen next year, but hey, these guys have some big shoes to fill in Dizon, Wheatley, and Huge.

Well Buffs and Buffets (hehe, sorry, had to do it once!), rumors abounded that the Buffs could expect some new recruits after the Mizzou game. The rumors pointed to Sunday, but it looks like they were wrong. It was a Tuesday instead!
The total number of Buff football recruits is now up to 12. Coach Hawk wants to get “about 18″ recruits for this year, so he only has 6 spots left to fill… (Darrel Scott, hurry up:). Hopefully he will use those spots to concentrate on the Defensive side of the ball, especially the line. I, like the ever quotable Coach, think that you can never have to many linemen.
Without further adieu, I give you the next two Buffs!
Stephen Hicks
This guy is a great safety prospect, and depending on how he develops, could play corner. At the age of 18 he already has 4.5 speed at 6’1″ and 185 pounds. The #25 ranked Safety prospect in the nation, the thing I like about this guy is that he plays the run very well. Give him a year or two in the strength and conditioning program and he could be a veritable beast! Considering we lost the #48 Safety prospect last week to Stanford (Harold Bernard), this is a nice response, especially since Mizzou was also recruiting Hicks.
Jameson Davis
A kicker, this guy is apparently a devout soul, as instead of going to school at Boise St. in 2004 he decided he wanted to be go on a church mission to Guatemala instead. He was ranked #13 in the nation that year. He will join transfer Aric Goodman, a kicker from Colorado who made the mistake of going to Wyoming *shudder* and walk-on Tyler Cope in the kicking game competition next year. This is good news, because if you all will remember 2002, not having a decent kicker can just ruin a team.
Join us tomorrow for Thursday Buff-Bits!
Oh, and here is a nice little story on Mr. Scott (It has a video, sweet)

Well, yesterday wasn’t the best of days. Woke up sick on my only day off, Mizzou does a clinic of the spread offense against a prevent defense (sickening defense, I hate it!), and CU suffers its worst loss at home since the 2nd year of the McCartney era (also to Mizzou, 59 to 20). Lets hope that the similarities continue, if only at an increased rate.
In good news, Darrell Scott (#1 RB in the nation), has declared that CU has a huge advantage in recruiting him due to the presence of Josh Smith on the team.
The linked article says the Buffs are in the lead when it comes to getting him to sign. The quotes they attribute to him do not say that exactly. The quotes are simply:

“”Family comes first,” Scott said. “It is a big deal. It’s weird cause I really do want to play with him. Colorado has an advantage over everybody else with that.”

Let us hope that Scotts Reality TV show about being recruited has a happy ending for the Buffs! In a way, Scott’s reasoning makes sense. With his talent, it’s pretty obvious that he will start almost anywhere, and if he does well, an NFL career is very possible. At the Buffs, he has very little heralded talent to contend with, an Offensive scheme that loves the run game, CU gets good national exposure, and he gets something he considers important along with everything he needs to be successful.
Is Scott keeping CU at #1? Its a silver lining on a very cloudy day.

It’s official Jon Major is going to be a Buff!

Jon Major, the top prospect in Colorado and the #1 SLB in the Nation, will be announcing his choice on which school he will attend this Saturday via email. He is choosing between Colorado, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma. He was at the OU game unofficially, and has been to just about every home game this year. Lets hope he realizes what is growing on our campus and joins the good guys.

I hope to god we get to see “The Major” in more pictures with Buff jerseys, especially on fall Saturday’s (Note, it would be even better to see him in January:)!
Also, Lynn Katoa really enjoyed his visit to campus last week, and now has Oklahoma and CU as his top two schools. He also is visiting LSU, so let’s hope he enjoyed the fact that Cabral and all the linebackers wore Samoan kilts (UPDATE: Lava Lava) out when they took him out on the town.
Come on boys, you know you want to go to the REAL Linebacker U!

Chance Blackmon from Tatum HS of Texas committed (some would say re-commited) verbally to the Buffs during his visit to CU this last weekend. I guess the guy figured there was some room on the depth chart for a talented WR. The 6’2″ 175 pound WR has a limited profile on scout.com, but a much better one at rivals. Rivals also lists him as 6’3″ and 185 pounds (thats a fast growing boy!). He initially commited to Colorado in April, but reopened his commitment as other Big12 schools came calling, as well as Florida. It looks like Blackmon has picked CU over Mizzou, KState, OSU, and even CSU. Lets hope it sticks this time. Rivals has the better profile, so I will go with their ranking as they put Blackmon as the #73 WR recruit in the country. They even have video, so go see what this boy who sports a 35 inch vertical and a 4.54 40 can do HERE.
And again, please god, have sticky mitts!
Welcome to the Buffs, Chance Blackmon!

After reflecting on the grades I gave our Running Backs last week, I realized that CU really has no backup that we can trust to do more then be a caretaker at the position. Once Hugh is gone, nobody on our roster scares anyone. Our running game definitely suffers without our #4 batter in there. With P.T. Gates having academic issues, and no lock for next year, I was a bit worried about our RB depth chart…. Not so much anymore!
I have some good news for those that felt the same way. Mr. Ray Polk (scout.com Profile) will be joining the Buffs next year. This guy is 6-0, 188 pounds and pretty damn quick with a 4.47 40 and he runs the 110 and 300 hurdles (I like the hurdles instead of the straight 40… shows acceleration a little better) He is a home run hitter. Scout.com thinks he isn’t quite ready to be an inside runner as he “runs to high between the tackles” and he also needs to work on his blocking. Thankfully, both of those issues are coachable. I bet we will see him in the mix from day 1, though he may not get on the field until the coaches feel safe putting the QB in his hands.
This guy picked us over Michigan and ASU, so props to Hawk for snagging him. He wanted to wait until signing day, but was so impressed with the running performance (3 guys had big games that day!) against Miami (OH) on his visit day that he signed on up.
I have no free media for you guys, and rivals.com has nothing on him. So unless you have a profile with scout.com, you are on your own.
Welcome to the Stampede, Ray Polk!