Don’t Forget About Us!

Don’t Forget About Us!

Before we get started on confirmed members of the Class of 2013, let’s remember that there are already six new Buffs (okay, one is “old”) in the fold.

Linebacker Markeis Reed has already signed his Letter of Intent, and is enrolled for the Spring semester.

Wide receiver Jeffrey Thomas was a heralded member of the CU Class of 2012. Thomas came to Boulder for the summer, but returned to Texas midway through fall camp.

Linebacker Addison Gillam was a grayshirt for San Jose State, but instead of enrolling in school with the Spartans, he enrolled at CU this January.

Defensive end Derek McCartney was a grayshirt from the Class of 2012. After Jon Embree’s firing, there was speculation that McCartney might go elsewhere for school.

Offensive lineman Gerrad Kough was a grayshirt from the Class of 2012. Kough stuck with his commitment, and enrolled in January.

Wide receiver Austin Vincent was a member of the CU Class of 2011. He played in one game in 2011, but was suspended from the team last January. He has re-enrolled at CU this spring, and will try to make the team as a walk-on.

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Markeis Reed – LB

Just the facts … Committed January 5th … Reed is a defensive end prospect from Napa California, who is being recruited to play the Sam linebacker position at Colorado. Reed is 6’3 1/2″, 221-pounds. Reed reportedly runs a 4.68 in the 40. Reed has already enrolled at Colorado for the Spring semester, and will be eligible to begin practices this spring. Rivals bio Scout bio

What others say about Reed … Reed is considered to be a three-star prospect by Rivals; a two-star prospect by Scout. Reed is considered by Scout to be the No. 133 defensive end prospect in the country. For his hometown Vintage high, Reed had 69 tackles his senior season (49 solo), three sacks and a fumble recovery. Reed also played fullback for the 4-6 Crushers, rushing for 730 yards on 125 carries (5.8 yards per rush) and nine touchdowns.

Here is what a Rivals scout Adam Gorney had to say about Reed: “Undersized guy, but fast. He was going to walk-on at USC and I thought that he definitely had the ability to play FBS football. He was really good at the B2G Camp last summer; really fast, has a lot of speed, has a little bit of power to him, too. So I like him a lot. He is a guy at 6-foot-5 that definitely has great length but was really lean when I saw him at 210-pounds. (Quote from Reed: “I saw Adam Gorney at B2G and he said I looked like a wide receiver. I had my physical on my visit to Colorado and I weighed in at 221-pounds. I have been in the weight room trying to put the weight on and trying to eat a lot.”) He could be a guy that could kind of be a hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end type until he puts on enough weight to be more of a traditional defensive end.”

Here is a link to some video highlights of Reed in action.

NorCalPreps.com had this to say about Reed this past October: Reed’s strengths: The Vintage senior has a really long frame and looks like he should be able to start filling out pretty quickly. He’s not your typical long defensive end that just specializes in pass rushing, either. Reed seems to do pretty well against the run and that’s something that not enough guys at this level who are headed to the BCS level are comfortable with. Problem areas: The physical side of things is where Reed’s future makes it tricky and tough to project how he will pan out. At 6-foot-5 and 210-pounds he would have an outstanding build as a wide receiver or perhaps even a pass-catching tight end (maybe someone will give him a look there), but it’s a stretch to list him as a defensive end. But that may be his best hope at the next level.

Reed had other offers from … Colorado State, San Diego State and Iowa State. Reed had indicated back in August that his intention was to become a preferred walk-on at USC. Reed took his first official visit to Colorado on January 4th, and committed to the Buffs without taking any other official visits. There were relatively few offers for Reed, but he attributes that to his early commitment to USC. “Pretty much the whole Pac-12 except Stanford, Cal and the Arizona schools” Reed told BuffStampede.com. “USC, UCLA, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State were the big schools that were recruiting me and I had a lot of Mountain West interest with Boise State and Colorado State had offered me and San Diego State offered me as well and Iowa State offered me from the Big 12. But when I put my mind towards a USC preferred walk-on, I kind of shut my recruiting process out so it kind of slowed me down for other things.”

In his own words … “They need linebackers, that is the biggest thing that they need right now,” Reed told Rivals.com. “I have played defensive end and linebacker in high school. I know college is different but my main position in high school was defensive end and my second position was linebacker but I think they can mold me into a good linebacker. They told me that I would play Sam linebacker, where I would be putting pressure on the quarterback and not dropping back as much but I will be covering tight ends so that is what the big talk has really been, playing that linebacker spot.”

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JEFFREY THOMAS – WR

Just the facts … Committed June 18th, 2011 … Thomas is a wide receiver prospect from Duncanville, Texas. Thomas is 6’3″, 180-pounds, and runs a 4.66 in the 40. Thomas was a member of the CU Recruiting Class of 2012. He came to Boulder last summer, and participated in the first half of fall camp before returning home for personal reasons. He is now considered a grayshirt. He enrolled in classes for the Spring semester, and is eligible to participate in spring drills. Thomas will still have five years to play four. Rivals bio Scout bio

Here are some highlights from Thomas’ senior season:

What others say about Thomas … Thomas was considered by both Rivals and Scout to be a three-star prospect as part of the Class of 2012. Scout rated Thomas to be the 117th-best wide receiver in the nation. For a 7-4 Duncanville high team in 2011, Thomas led the team with 59 receptions for 899 yards and 12 touchdowns. One report from Scout.com had this to say about Thomas: “Thomas is a big receiver with long arms who uses his body effectively to shield defenders from the ball. He will work the middle of the field and will make the sound catches. Because of the style of his game he will thrive once he gets in to college and starts to add on weight with maturity and conditioning.”

An Orangebloods.com’s scout had to say about Thomas: “I don’t know why things haven’t completely come together for the 6-3, 180-pound Thomas because he’s a guy that at his best has some absolute star upside as a receiver. Obviously, the kid has size, but he’s a guy that has flashed really good ball skills and big-play upside in his time at Duncanville. What you like about Thomas a big-play receiver is that he can stretch the field and go up to get the football. But he also has a little shake and bake after the catch that makes him a difficult player to defend in space. The knock on Thomas is that he’s not a burner and it’s fair to say that he’ll have average speed as a college receiver … At this point, he’s a work in progress, but there’s a lot there to work with. When we talk about three star prospects with four-star upside, he’s a perfect example.”

Thomas had other offers from … a number of schools, but only one other from a BCS conference school, Iowa State. Thomas did also hold offers from schools like Boise State, Memphis, Tulsa, Wyoming and North Texas. Thomas had attracted attention from Georgia, Cal, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Baylor, and Texas A&M.

In his own words … Former CU wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy’s used seven years of service as the recruiting coordinator at Texas to its advantage. “I met (coach Kennedy) at a Texas camp and when he changed schools he kept up with me,” Thomas told BuffStampede.com about his recruitment. “He came out to spring ball (in May) and offered me on the spot. I was excited about that.” Thomas said he’s intrigued by Colorado and the prospect of playing in the Pac-12. He also said he liked the idea of playing in a pro-style offense. ”I think my biggest strength is my ability to go up and make plays, I’d consider myself a physical receiver and I definitely like to use my size and strength to my advantage,” Thomas told the OldCoach.com, who says he wants to improve his straight line speed and his route running this summer.

“Out of all the schools that I talked to and possibly could get an offer from, Colorado just had everything right to offer and I see no downside to it. Now was a better time than ever,” Thomas told BuffStampede.com. “When I committed, I talked to every coach on their staff and they all loved me and can’t wait to get me out there. They were excited.” Thomas grew up in the Richmond area of Northern California. He moved to the Lone Star State prior to seventh grade. “I have a lot of family still out there in California and they can come see me play in the Pac-12,” Thomas said. “I wanted to play in the Pac-12 my whole life. Knowing that I am going to play against USC and Oregon and all those schools, it is just great.”

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Addison Gillam – LB

Just the facts … Committed January 8th … Gillam is a 6’3″, 215-pound linebacker from Palo Cedro, California. He was a 2012 high school graduate, who was to be a grayshirt for San Jose State. Instead, he is following coach Mike MacIntyre (and defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Kent Baer) from San Jose State to Colorado. Gillam will be on scholarship, and will still have five years to play four. Rivals bio Scout bio

What others say about Gillam … Gillam was rated as a two-star prospect by both Rivals and Scout. With a reported time of 4.53 in the 40-yard-dash, Gillam said he participated in track during the spring of his senior year in high school, running the 100-yard-dash, the 4×100 and 4×400 relays, and the 400. He played both linebacker and running back. On a season that saw Foothill high post a 10-2 record, Gillam averaged over seven tackles per game on defense, being credited with 139 tackles, three interceptions and nine pass breakups. On offense he averaged nearly 10 yards a carry and scored five touchdowns. Here is a link to YouTube videos of Gillam.

Gillam had other offers from … only UC-Davis. Gillam was a grayshirt for San Jose State as he was recovering from a shoulder injury. “He had his shoulder scoped [in March], nothing major, but San Jose State just felt like it would be better if he came on board in January, didn’t rush the rehab back being a freshman,” Gillam’s high school coach at Foothill, Bryon Hamilton, explained to BuffStampede.com. “He also got a chance to get a couple units under his belt here at the Junior College.”

In his own words … “I wasn’t really happy with the coaching change at San Jose State so I got a release and I started looking at other schools,” Gillam told BuffStampede.com. “I talked to some coaches at Washington State and Fresno State and of course I knew ‘Coach Mac’ so I got ahold of him and he got me a spot on the team at Colorado so I decided I am going to go there.

“I really like what he did with San Jose State. He really turned that program around. He is a great coach and he has a lot of qualities that I like. I like how he brought the team together and got them closer at San Jose State and I think that he will do the same thing at Colorado.”

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Derek McCartney – DE

Just the facts … Committed January 22, 2012 … McCartney is a 6’4″, 220-pound defensive end from Faith Christian high in Arvada, Calorado. Rivals bio Scout bio

What others had to say about McCartney … McCartney, son of former Buff Shannon Clavelle, and grandson of former CU head coach Bill McCartney, did not have much going for him other than his lineage coming out of high school.

Here are some YouTube highlights from McCartney’s high school career:

McCartney had offers from … no other schools. McCartney did not have any BCS conference scholarship offers coming out of high school, though he had been invited by both Baylor and Oregon to join their teams as a walk-on.

In his own words … There was speculation that, after Jon Embree was fired, that the grandson of Bill McCartney might look elsewhere for his education. “Personally I thought (Embree) would be able to turn it around,” McCartney told BuffStampede.com shortly after the firing. “I didn’t see it going down.

” I’ve just talking to my family,” he said. “We’ve got to figure out what is the best thing. I still love Colorado and I’ve always been a Buff.”

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Gerrad Kough – OL

Just the facts … Committed July 1, 2011 … Kough is an offensive line prospect from Pomona, California. Kough is 6’4″, 265-pounds. Rivals bio Scout bio YouTube highlights ESPN bio

What others had to say about Kough… Kough was considered a two-star prospect by both Rivals and Scout. Kough plays tackle for Pomona, but is being recruited by Colorado to play guard, and is considered by Scout to be the No. 102 offensive guard prosect in the nation.

Offensive coordinator and running backs coach Eric Bieniemy was responsible for Kough’s recruitment from the Buffaloes’ staff. Kough had also been in contact with head coach Jon Embree and offensive line coach Steve Marshall. Here is what an ESPN analyst had to say about Kough: “Kough is a tough run blocker who displays the upper body playing strength to dominate his present level of opponent. Has the size and athleticism for the offensive tackle position at the major level of competition. Will need to work on initial quickness and explosion as well as adding body mass to his frame. Playing out of a three point stance we detect some hip and ankle stiffness however it does not appear to affect his ability to play on his feet in space; comes off the ball aggressively but too high when establishing initial contact; does tend to narrow his base but is able to get movement and sustain due to his persistent leg drive. Flashes good pull around ability; we see the potential to set the edge and maintain leverage on “5″ technique defenders. With improved initial quickness and pad level we see the potential to consistently get a hat on active 1st and 2nd level defenders. Additional body mass along with the nasty finishing attitude this guy plays with, we see a lineman capable of making the necessary run blocks at the next level. Flashes nimble feet and along with his arm length and quick hands he should be an effective pass pro blocker. Shows the ability to quick set but must work on bend and balance; plays too high and gets caught up on his toes at times. Demonstrates good initial punch and placement, working to re-locate the hands inside the frame. Kough does not appear to be an immediate starter at the BCS level of play, rather a prospect in need of some time and perhaps a red shirt year to grow physically, improve his athleticism while polishing his technical skills.”

Kough had other offers from … only Army and Portland State. However, Kough was drawing interest from Arizona State, UCLA, Washington and Fresno State. “Since I committed (in July), it has just been Colorado that I have been talking to,” Kough told BuffStampede.com. “Colorado said they like me because I am a good run blocker and I have good feet. They want me to come in and compete at (offensive) guard.”

In his own words… “Colorado said they like me because I finish, I play through the whistle,” said Kough. As to his official visit in December, 2012, Kough told Scout.com. “It was real nice and real pretty out there. All the facilities were real nice and it’s just a real nice school and the best one I’ve been to.” Kough was hosted on his visit by Alex Lewis but also spent a lot of time with Jered Bell, his former teammate at Colony HS in Ontario.”I got to talk a lot with Jared,” said Kough.

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Austin Vincent – WR

Just the facts … Committed May 20, 2011 … Vincent was a wide receiver commit from DeSoto high school in Texas. Vincent is 6’1″, 176-pounds, and runs a 4.6 in the 40. Vincent was originally a commit to Iowa, but was not qualified by the NCAA when most members of the Class of 2011 signed their letters of intent back in February of that year. Iowa took other players instead of Vincent, freeing up Vincent to sign with Colorado when he did become qualified. Rivals bio Scout bio YouTube video highlights

Vincent’s suspension and return to CU … Vincent was suspended in January, 2012, for the spring semester by the CU Office of Judicial Affairs after he was arrested in the fall semester for allegedly exposing himself to an 18-year-old female CU student in the women’s bathroom at Willard Hall while she was showering. Vincent played in one game in his true freshman season. He did not dress for another game the rest of the season. Vincent re-enrolled at CU this January, and will try to make the team as a walk-on this spring.

What others said about Vincent as a member of the Class of 2011 … Vincent was considered to be a three-star wide receiver prospect by Scout, which had him rated as the No. 141 wide receiver out of the recruiting Class of 2011. Rivals had Vincent listed as a two-star prospect. A Scout.com evaluator had this to say about Vincent: “He is over six foot but is not very thick. He does a great job of getting open and beating the coverage. Tends to catch the ball too close to the body, but he holds onto the ball. His lack of size does not let him bounce off of tackles. He does not have a lot of speed, he gets extra yards by not hesitating once he catches the ball. Seems to get up for big plays around the end zone.”

In November, Vincent broke his fibula, ending his high school career eight games into his senior season. Vincent had surgery on his leg in November, with eight screws and a plate inserted. Before his injury, Vincent had 16 catches for 327 yards and six touchdowns. His 20.7 yards per catch average was one of the best in the state of Texas in 2010. Vincent may not have received as much attention as he deserved in 2010, as he committed to Iowa the June before his senior season.

Vincent had other offers from … many schools. Before his commitment to Iowa, Vincent had offers from a number of other BCS programs, including Kansas and Iowa State from the Big 12, as well as Arizona and Utah from the Pac-12. Vincent was not able to sign a letter of intent with Iowa in February, as he had not yet qualified. Vincent was scheduled to take the ACT in November, but suffered a broken fibula the night before the test. A night in the hospital forced him to miss the test, keeping him from being a February qualifier. “I have a 3.1 core GPA, but I need an 800 or 820 on my SAT,” Vincent told HawkeyeReport.com on February 1st. “All I can do is pray that my SAT score is good enough to get into school. I have the grades. I maintained an A/B average in the classroom, but didn’t make the score.”

By the time Vincent did qualify (in March, 2011), Iowa had moved on. “We communicated with Iowa initially when we found out his (SAT) score, and told them that he was re-taking the test, and we got the results back March 11th,” Vincent’s father, Graylind Vincent, told BuffStampede.com. “Apparently, Iowa did not want to wait. They didn’t think he was going to qualify.”

With Iowa out of the picture (the Hawkeyes wanted Vincent to enroll at Iowa Western or another local junior college, until they could free up roster space for him in two years), Vincent started looking around for other options. Kansas, UTEP, Colorado State and Oklahoma State were amongst those schools still showing an interest in a late addition to their 2011 recruiting classes. Colorado wide receiver coach Bobby Kennedy, fresh from his eight years as the recruiting coordinator for Texas, knew about Vincent, and Vincent knew and liked Kennedy. After taking an official visit to Boulder this past week, Vincent committed to the Buffs. ‘The atmosphere at Colorado is really nice, and the coaching staff is great,” Vincent told BuffStampede.com on May 20th. “I did research on Colorado and looked at the roster and their depth chart and their coaching staff. They don’t have many receivers … They are expecting me to compete. I just have to do my thing.”

In his own words … “My best attributes are my speed and my route running,” said Vincent. “Blocking is another thing I do well on the football field … I know I need to improve my hand-eye coordination, my ball catching, and that is another reason I am going to be coming back to Colorado this summer, to workout with the quarterbacks.”

This post, about the Recruiting game, from the 2013 Season, is filed under Article.
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