Class of 2010 – Defense / Special Teams
Defensive End Kirk Poston
The commitment from defensive end Kirk Poston from Houston, Texas, came back in December. Poston is 6’2″, 235-pounds, and is listed as a three-star defensive end prospect, who had offers from Kansas State and Baylor from the Big 12, as well as from Georgia Tech, Duke, Arizona, and Houston.
“I really liked (defensive line coach Romeo) Bandison”, Poston told BuffStampede.com. “We talked about me playing outside, or gaining weight and playing inside. I like playing outside better, but it really doesn’t matter much to me.” In his senior season, Poston registered 13 sacks in 12 games for Houston’s St. Pius X high school. His team made it to the state semi-finals in 2009.
Poston looks to be ready to play for the Buffs as early as this fall. “I’d really like to play as soon as possible,” said Poston after his commitment. “I’d like to play definitely during my sophomore year, but if I play during my freshman year, that would be fine, too.” Poston plans to study business at CU. He reported that academics were a key component in his decision. “I really liked the whole environment and everything,” said Poston after his official visit in November. “I liked the look of everything. It looked legit, like a good school.”
Linebacker Evan Harrington
Colorado loses its three top linebackers from 2009, so it is not surprising that the Buffs looked to the junior college ranks for a little immediate help. Playing the past two seasons for the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California, Evan Harrington has raised his grades and his prospects. At 6’0″, 220-pounds, Harrington is ready to step into the spot vacated by Marcus Burton. “They told me they wanted me at middle linebacker, to take advantage of my quickness, strength, and anticipation,” Harrington told JCFootball.com after committing to the Buffs.
Grades (and size) were a concern for Harrington out of high school, but he is now considered – at least by Rivals.com – to be a three-star prospect. “I got out here (to California, from his native Maryland), and my focus was on school and football.” Harrington will have three years to play two in Boulder, though he won’t be as much help this fall as he might have been – he has three classes to complete in junior college, and so will miss spring practice.
“What really made me want to be a Buff was the coaching staff,” said Harrington. “Linebackers coach (Brian) Cabral is just an excellent coach. I look forward to having him be my coach, and also be like a mentor for me.”
Harrington had offers from Nevada, UTEP, and Utah State, as well as interest from Iowa State.
Defensive back Jered Bell
Cornerback prospect Jared Bell, from Ontario, California, is 6’0″, 179 pounds, and runs a reported 4.45 in the 40. Bell is considered a three-star prospect, the 34th-best cornerback in the nation, according to Rivals.com. Ironically enough, Bell had an in-home visit with Colorado defensive backs coach Greg Brown the day before Brown’s announcement that he was leaving Colorado to coach at Arizona. “At first I was super worried, but then I found out a little bit about Coach (Ashley) Ambrose,” Bell told BuffStampede.com, “and how he played in the league for 13 years and even played under coach Brown … I know Coach Ambrose knows what he is talking about, so it won’t be a problem at all.”
In 2009, Bell had roughly 50 tackles and five interceptions. His high school team went 10-2, with Bell earning first-team all-league honors.
Bell, who had interest from a number of Pac-10 schools, including both Washington schools, UCLA, USC, and Arizona State, only had offers from Colorado and Colorado State. Bell visited both schools in the summer of 2008, and liked what he saw in Boulder. Bell is the son of Richard Bell, who played as a wingback for Nebraska (1985-89). “I like the tradition and playing in the Big 12,” said Bell.
Defensive End Chidera Uzo-Diribe
A potentially overlooked star in the making, defensive end Chidera Uzo-Diribe committed to Colorado early. A 6’4″, 227-pound prospect from Corona, California, made his pledge in September. Uzo-Diribe was a participant in the Buffs’ summer camp, and liked what he saw. “I went to camp, and I did really well there”, said Uzo-Diribe. “(Colorado) was my first offer, and I wanted to get done (with the recruiting process)”. As a result of his early commitment, Uzo-Diribe may not have received the number of offers, and national attention, that he might have otherwise. Still, Uzo-Diribe is considered by Rivals to be the 37th-best defensive end in the nation, and other schools, including Nebraska, Arizona, and UCLA, had expressed an interest in him.
Considered a three-star defensive end, Uzo-Diribe had 70 tackles this past fall, including seven sacks. Quite the athlete, Uzo-Diribe also caught eight passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Other schools were interested in moving Uzo-Diribe to linebacker, but Colorado wants him as a rush end. “I’m very athletic and fast coming off the edge,” said Uzo-Diribe. “I have a high motor, too. I like to get after it.” Uzo-Diribe was also a teammate of Colorado offensive lineman Maxwell Tuioti-Mariner, giving the Buffs two hyphenated player names from Corona, California.
Uzo-Diribe also might have been ranked higher if he had a more extensive resume – he only has two years of football under his belt. In order to get ready for the Big 12, Uzo-Diribe is not going to play basketball this winter. “I want to spend a lot of time in the weightroom instead,” Uzo-Diribe told BuffStampede.com. “I’d say the biggest thing I need to do is work on my upper body strength. I want to get that squared away before I get to Boulder.”
Kicker Justin Castor
There is one kicker in the 2010 Colorado recruiting class, and he has generated about the same amount of excitement as Zach Grossnickle’s recruitment did last February. Kicker/punter Justin Castor was a Kansas commit from August until January. When Kansas head coach Mark Mangino was fired, though, Castor re-opened his recruitment. Colorado and Arizona State quickly offered, and Castor set up visits for mid-January. After his official trip up from Arvada to Boulder on January 15th, Castor cancelled his trip to Tempe, signing on with the Buffs. “I always envisioned myself playing at CU, so it is just one of those things where it is a dream which is going to become a reality,” Castor told BuffStampede.com. “I feel really blessed and glad that it worked out.”
Castor is considered by both Rivals and Scout to be the 22nd-best kicker prospect in the nation. Castor made 15-of-24 attempts, with most of his misses coming from more than 50 yards out. Castor also averaged 43 yards/punt, and was good enough of an athlete to play wide receiver for Arvada West, posting 30 receptions for 607 yards and seven touchdowns.
Linebacker Lowell Williams
Lowell Williams comes to Boulder from Missouri City, Texas. Considered a three-star prospect, the 6’2″, 210-pound linebacker committed to Colorado back in September. The poor season for the Buffs did not deter Williams, who was recruited by other Big 12 schools including Kansas, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. “I committed to Colorado on the last day of my trip (September 20th), and I am still committed to Colorado,” Williams told BuffStampede.com in November. “It is a wonderful place. The school is excellent.”
The Buffs usually like to tout how well a recruit’s teams have done, but in Williams’ case, there is not much good news to report. Fort Bend Marshall finished the 2009 season with a 2-8 record, losing two games by one point, and two others by a field goal. “We just needed to have more desire as a team,” said Williams. “We should have been more focused on one goal, which is to win.”
An inside linebacker his senior season, Williams put up some impressive numbers – 50 tackles; eight sacks; four forced fumbles. With his size and speed, Williams will likely move to the outside in college, and may be used as a rush end. “I still prefer to have my hand on the ground,” said Williams. “I got a chance to play some defensive end our last two games.”