Recruiting Trail – Offense

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Recruiting Trail – Offense

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… Nota bene … The NCAA has moved Signing Day from the first Wednesday in February to the third Wednesday in December. Signing Day for the Recruiting Class of 2018 is Wednesday, December 20th. As is my custom on Signing Day, “I take the day off so you don’t have to”. There will be continuous coverage on December 20th, with “The Ticker” returning at 7:30 a.m. (MT), with up-to-the-minute news all the way through to the afternoon press conference … mark your calendar!

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Previously posted … “Recruiting Trail – Defense“

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Quarterback

Players lost (with 2017 season stats) … T.J. Patterson (did not take a snap at quarterback, but was the holder on kicks. His one pass of the 2017 season was an incompletion on a fake field goal attempt against UCLA).

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2018 Projected Roster

Seniors … none

Juniors … Steven Montez

Sophomores … Sam Noyer … Casey Marksberry … Tyler McGarry

Red-shirt freshmen … Tyler Lytle

Recruiting Class of 2018 … Blake Stenstrom

Bold = returning starter … Italics = non-scholarship player … * = denotes red-shirt season still available

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Class of 2018 – Commitments (1)

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Blake Stenstrom – QB

Just the facts … Committed December 17th … Stenstrom is a 6’3″, 202-pound quarterback from Valor Christian high in Highlands Ranch, Colorado  Rivals bio 247Sports bio

What others say about Stenstrom … Stenstrom is considered to be a three-star prospect by both Rivals and 247 Sports. Rivals has Stenstrom as the No. 4 player out of Colorado from the Class of 2018, and the No. 26 pro-style quarterback in the nation. At 247Sports, Stenstrom is listed as the No. 4 overall player in Colorado, the No. 30 pro quarterback prospect in the nation, and the No. 762 overall prospect in the country.

2017 statistics: 75-of-121, 832 yards, 6 touchdowns, 5 INT … 53 carries, 327 yards, three touchdowns

Stenstrom accounted for 1,159 yards of offense and nine touchdowns this past fall. He was one of 25 quarterbacks nationally invited to the Elite 11 Finals last summer and he has been selected to play in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl in Jacksonville in mid-January.

2016 statistics: 49-of-74, 500 yards, 7 touchdowns

Blake is the son of Steve Stenstrom, who had a record setting collegiate career at Stanford and played in the NFL for seven seasons, including four year stint with the Chicago Bears.

Stenstrom had other offers from … no stated teams. Washington, Wake Forest, Northwestern, Duke, Purdue, Stanford and Nebraska were some of the other programs that showed early interest in him, but Stenstrom was a very early commit for Colorado (December 17th last year), and shut down his recruitment.

In his own words … Despite not being a full-time starter at the high school level, Stenstrom believes he will arrive in Boulder well-prepared.

“I was working with (former NFL quarterback and current quarterback trainer) Jordan Palmer the other weekend in Orange County and we were going over the top five Pac-12 defenses: what everybody’s responsibility was, how to recognize the coverage, what type of tweaks they might add to try to confuse you,” Stenstrom told 247 Sports. “And once I sign with Colorado, I can get the playbook and get my workouts from the strength coach. I am going to keep studying and working hard so I am ready to go play college football.”

Here is a link to Stenstrom’s Hudl.com highlights.

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Class of 2018 – Prospects

(Three-star or higher prospects offered by Colorado who remain uncommitted) … none.

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Comments … It is one of the oldest cliches in football: “The most popular player on the team is the backup quarterback”.

In the midst of “The Rise” in 2016, after Sefo Liufau was injured during the Michigan game. There was serious debate last fall, when Liufau recovered from his injuries, as to whether Liufau should return to the starting lineup. After all, Liufau’s backup, Steven Montez, has posted the first 300-yard passing/100-yard rushing game in school history in the season-altering win over Oregon, and was performing quite well.

Forget the fact that Liufau was a three year starter, the leader of the team, and was in possession of dozens of school records … we liked Montez.

Now, after what many would label a mediocre sophomore campaign, returning quarterback Steven Montez is looking over his shoulder, as the Buffs have two other quarterbacks waiting in the wings. Sophomore Sam Noyer is next in line on the roster. Noyer saw action in four games in 2017, completing 13-of-27 passes for 119 yards (no touchdowns; no interceptions).

But the quarterback the Buff fans want to see is Tyler Lytle. The red-shirt freshman to be joined the team last February, after choosing CU over dozens of other schools, including Arizona State, Cal, Washington State and Oregon State from the Pac-12, as well as schools like Miami, Indiana, Boston College and Pitt.

Will Lytle be the answer? Or will Montez pick up his game under CU’s (yet-to-be-named) quarterback coach and play-calling of new co-offensive coordinators Darrin Chiaverini and Klayton Adams?

It would be an interesting spring to watch practices … if we were allowed to do so …

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Running backs

Players lost (with 2017 season stats) … Phillip Lindsay (50 career games; 30 starts … 1,474 rushing yards; 14 touchdowns … 23 receptions; 257 yards; one touchdown) … Michael Adkins (32 career games; four starts … 11 rushes; 25 yards … one reception; four yards) … Tanner Grzesiek (walk-on; no stats)

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2018 Projected Roster

Seniors … Donovan Lee … Kyle Evans

Juniors … Beau Bisharat*

Sophomores … Riley Hillis … Chase Sanders

Red-shirt freshmen … Alex Fontenot

Recruiting Class of 2018 … Deion Smith … Jarek Broussard

Bold = returning starter … Italics = non-scholarship player … * = denotes red-shirt season still available

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Class of 2018 – Commitments (2)

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Jarek Broussard – RB

Just the facts … Committed June 23rd … Broussard is a 5’9″, 165-pound all-purpose back from Bishop high school in Dallas, Texas Rivals bio  247 Sports bio

What others say about Broussard … Broussard is considered to be a three-star prospect by Rivals and 247 Sports. At 247 Sports, Broussard is listed as an athlete, and the No. 82 in the nation at that. He is also rated as the No. 153 overall player out of Texas this year.

Broussard played all over the field for Bishop Lynch H.S. and totaled 2,478 total yards and 23 touchdowns his junior season alone. He has played as outside receiver, in the slot, in the backfield as a running back, and racked up many yards in the return game.

2017 statistics: While helping Bishop Lynch to 12 wins this past season, Broussard rushed for 761 yards, had 379 yards receiving, 282 yards returning punts and 192 yards returning kicks … an average of 13.9 yards per touch.

2016 statistics: 77 rushes, 842 yards, 13 touchdowns … 44 receptions, 830 yards, 9 touchdowns … 1 kickoff return touchdown.

From Rivals recruiting analyst Nick Krueger: “Broussard is not a very big guy, but he’s as elusive a player as you’ll find with the ball in his hands. My favorite memory of him – and video clip I often use of him in tweets – was during last season’s state championship win over Bishop Dunne, and he cut a jet sweep back across the grain with Damion Daniels and Calvin Avery both bearing down on him. He simply cut and took off right between them without a second thought. That vision and quickness is going to make him a slippery offensive weapon wherever he lines up.”

Broussard had other offers from … a number of schools, including TCU, Houston, and Illinois. Other offers came from schools like Colorado State, Arkansas State and New Mexico State.

In his own words … “I’ll be all over the field: Running back, slot (receiver), special teams,” he said. “Lil’ Broussard will be everywhere.”

Here is a link to Broussard’s Hudl.com highlights

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Deion Smith – RB

Just the facts … Committed June 24th … Smith is a 6’0″, 180-pound running back from Second Baptist high school in Houston, Texas Rivals bio 247 Sports bio

What others say about Smith … Smith is rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals and 247 Sports. Rivals lists Smith as the No. 19 all-purpose back in the country, Meanwhile, at 247 Sports, Smith is listed as the No. 42 running back in the country, and the No.112 overall player out of the state of Texas.

2017 statistics: 81 rushes, 783 yards, 6 touchdowns … 9 receptions, 140 yards, one touchdown

2016 statistics: 122 rushes, 1,223 yards, 19 touchdowns … 22 receptions, 494 yards, 5 touchdowns … 1 interception returned for touchdown

From Rivals recruiting analyst Nick Krueger: “I really like Deion Smith as a rising all-purpose back prospect here in Texas. I think he has great size, good instincts as a receiver, and is a mismatch maker out of the backfield. He’s not the burst-iest runner, but just naturally has finds the daylight and gets to it. At the beginning of the spring, it sounded like he was very interested in Northwestern, regardless of who else offered, and he recently picked up an offer from Notre Dame, so for Colorado to win his commitment is an encouraging side for the staff’s ability to continue closing on Texas kids”.

Smith had other offers from … multiple Power-Five conference schools, including Boston College, Indiana, Iowa State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Notre Dame, TCU and Vanderbilt. Among his several dozen other suitors were UCLA and Utah from the Pac-12.

Here is a link to his Hudl.com highlights 

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Class of 2018 – Prospects

(Three-star or higher prospects offered by Colorado who remain uncommitted)

Four-star prospects: Jashaun Corbin (Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio)

Three-star prospects: Kirby Bennett (Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio) … Jermar Jefferson (Rivals bio … 247 Sports) … Branden Rankins (Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio) … Kevon Abrams (JC) (Rivals bio … 247 Sports)

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Comments … If you want to save yourself some cash next summer on preseason magazines, I can tell you right now that the primary discussion concerning the Colorado offense in those prognostications will be about the loss of Phillip Lindsay, and the lack of a true heir apparent in the Buff rushing attack.

Lindsay finished his CU career as the No. 1 all-time leader in all-purpose yardage (combined rushing, receiving and returns), and second on the all-time list in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns (behind only Eric Bieniemy on both lists). No argument can be made that he won’t be missed.

So … now what?

Hard as it may be to believe, Beau Bisharat will be a junior next fall. The Buffs’ former four-star recruit has been languishing behind Lindsay in the lineup, finishing the 2017 season with just 21 carries for 61 yards.

If not Bisharat, then who? CU will have two senior running backs on the roster in 2018. Kyle Evans suffered a hip dislocation last spring, and, while he did return for the fall, did not see much playing time (two carries for two yards; one reception for six yards). Donovan Lee was also injured last spring (fractured fibula), but took a red-shirt season in 2017, sitting out the entire fall.

Should the three upper-classmen not deliver, the Colorado offense will need to turn to a player who has yet to see the playing field in a CU uniform … and, oddly enough, all three options are from Texas.

In addition to the two incoming true freshmen above, CU has Alex Fontenot, a red-shirt freshman who was rated as the No. 55 overall running back in the nation from the Recruiting Class of 2017. He is 6’0″, 190-pounds, and has received positive reviews this fall.

Three – arguably – under-performing upper-classmen, or three Texas prep stars who have yet to carry the ball in a college game.

We’ll see how that plays out …

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Fullbacks/Tight Ends

Players lost (with 2017 season stats) … George Frazier (one catch for nine yards … also saw time on defense, with over 130 snaps on that side of the line, collecting 11 tackles and a sack).

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2018 Projected Roster

Seniors … Eddy Lopez … Dylan Keeney

Juniors … Chris Bounds

Sophomores … Jared Poplawski* … Derek Coleman

Red-shirt freshmen … Brady Russell … Eric Klemmer

Recruiting Class of 2018 … Darrion Jones (JC)

Bold = returning starter … Italics = non-scholarship player … * = denotes red-shirt season still available

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Class of 2018 – Commitments (1)

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Darrion Jones – TE

… Junior College transfer …

Just the facts … Committed December 11th … Jones is a 6’6″, 250-pound tight end from Wilmington, California, by way of Los Angeles Harbor Community College  Rivals bio  247 Sports bio

What others say about Jones … Jones is rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals. This past fall, his sophomore year at Los Angeles Harbor Community College, Jones (in eight games) had 41 receptions for 795 yards and five touchdowns.

Jones had other offers from … a few other schools, including North Carolina State, Kansas, San Diego State, UNLV, and Hawai’i.

Here is a link to his Hudl.com highlights.

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Class of 2018 – Prospects

(Three-star or higher prospects offered by Colorado who remain uncommitted)

Four-star prospects:

Three-star prospects: Darrion Jones (JC) (Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio)

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Comments … What is there to say? Ever since Mike MacIntyre came to Colorado from San Jose State, Buff fans have been waiting for the tight end position to become a force for good instead of evil. Instead, the position has become virtually non-existent in the CU passing game.

There were some glimpses of the possible in 2017. Chris Bounds had only seven catches (for 102 yards) all season, but six of the seven game in the final seven games, with a few more balls thrown his way. Jared Poplawski did not have a catch all year, but seems to have the tools to become a weapon.

A new offense, with new offensive coordinators … could make a significant difference for Bounds and Poplawski in 2018.

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Wide Receivers

Players lost (with 2017 season stats) … Bryce Bobo (50 career games; 28 starts … 62 catches for 693 yards; five touchdowns) … Shay Fields (50 career games; 46 starts … 46 catches for 623 yards; four touchdowns) … Devin Ross (49 career games; 31 starts … 43 catches for 508 yards; two touchdowns) … Kevin Dement (walk-on; no stats)

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2018 Projected Roster

Seniors … Jay MacIntyre … Kabion Ento … Lee Walker …  Juwann Winfree … Xavier Cochrane

Juniors … Tony Brown (JC) … Johnny Huntley* … Cameron Frazier

Sophomores … Laviska Shenault* … K.D. Nixon* … Erik Lawson

Red-shirt freshmen … Maurice Bell … Jaylon Jackson … Curtis Chiaverini

Recruiting Class of 2018 … Daniel Arias … Dylan Thomas … Dimitri Stanley

Bold = returning starter … Italics = non-scholarship player … * = denotes red-shirt season still available

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Class of 2018 – Commitments (4)

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Tony Brown – WR – Junior college

Just the facts … Committed June 19th … Brown is a 6’1″, 187-pound wide receiver from La Mirada, California, who comes to Colorado by way of a two-year stint at Texas Tech  Rivals 2015 bio  Scout 2015 bio

What others say about Brown … Brown was considered to be a three-star prospect by Rivals, and a four-star prospect by Scout as part of the Recruiting Class of 2015. Rivals considered Brown to be the No. 67 wide receiver prospect in the nation, while Scout had Brown as the No. 30 wide receiver in the nation, and the No. 216 overall national prospect.

Brown had other offers from … over a dozen other schools, including Colorado, UCLA, Utah and Washington from the Pac-12. Other suitors included Nebraska, Purdue and Iowa State. Brown took an official visit to Boulder on December 5, 2014, but committed to Texas Tech on December 18th. Brown was recruited to Lubbock by Red Raider assistant coach Darrin Chiaverini.

Brown’s past and future … Brown did not take a red-shirt season at Texas Tech. As a freshman in 2015, Brown had 14 catches for 250 yards and a touchdown. As a sophomore, he played in 11 games and caught 13 passes for 128 yards.  Brown has already enrolled at Colorado, and will have two years to play two.

In his own words … “I did talk to some other colleges, too, but Colorado was always the main one because of Coach Chiaverini,” Brown said shortly after his arrival in Boulder on August 30th. “When I got here, he was pretty excited and I was pretty excited. It felt like we were back at Texas Tech but now I am wearing black and gold. The connection clicked again.”

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Dimitri Stanley – WR

Just the facts … Committed July 15th … Stanley is a 6’0″, 175-pound athlete from Cherry Creek high school in Denver Rivals bio 247 Sports bio

What others say about Stanley … Stanley is considered to be a three-star wide receiver by Rivals and 247 Sports, but was bumped up to a four-star prospect after the season at 247 Sports. Rivals has Stanley as the No. 3 prospect out of the state of Colorado, while 247 Sports has Stanley as the No. 3 player in Colorado, and the No. 35 “athlete” in the nation.

2017 statistics: 81 receptions, 1192 yards, 20 touchdowns

2016 statistics: 65 receptions, 970 yards, 13 touchdowns … 8 rushes, 87 yards, 2 touchdowns

Stanley is the son of former Buff Walter Stanley, who was drafted into the NFL in 1985, and played for five different teams over a seven year career. Stanley set a school record (not broken until Nelson Spruce came along) with 222 receiving yards (on only five catches), as the Buffs took down Texas Tech, 45-27, in the 1981 season opener.

Analysis from Rivals Adam Gorney: “Stanley is a really well-rounded wide receiver, who has a lot of speed to stretch the field. He has the physical ability to fight for the ball and win a lot of those 50/50 matchups. He’s especially potent on back-shoulder throws because defensive backs have to give the benefit of the doubt and not let him beat them deep. He’s excellent catching the ball in a crowd, making the tough grab when a cornerback is draped all over him, and then in open space, he gets to top-end speed quickly.”

Stanley had other offers from … over a dozen schools, including Pac-12 members Arizona State, California and Utah. Other Power-Five conference offers came from schools like Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas State, Louisville and Nebraska. Before announcing his decision on Denver local television, Stanley had narrowed his choice down to CU, CSU, Arizona State, Cal and Nebraska.

Here is a link to Stanley’s senior Hudl.com highlights.

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Dylan Thomas – WR

Just the facts … Committed July 23rd … Thomas is a 6’3″, 180-pound wide receiver from Santa Fe Springs, California Rivals bio 247 Sports bio

What others say about Thomas … Thomas is considered to be a three-star prospect by Rivals and 247 Sports. Thomas is ranked as the No. 77 wide receiver in the nation by Rivals, and the No. 59 player overall out of the state of California.  At 247 Sports, Thomas comes in as the No. 106 wide receiver in the nation, and the No. 69 player out of California.

2017 statistics: 25 receptions, 275 yards, 5 touchdowns

Analysis from Rivals Adam Gorney: “Thomas has all the attributes that makes me think he can be a special receiver in the Pac-12. He has length, speed off the line, and he’s great at beating defensive backs for 50/50 balls. I love his burst in the open field, and he’s surprisingly difficult to tackle in the secondary. I saw him a bunch this spring as well, and he has very good hands and can make difficult catches. My only concern is level of competition. He doesn’t play elite teams in southern California, so I wonder if he’d be as dominant in those settings, but still, he has a lot of qualities that make him one of the better receivers in the West.”

Evaluation by 247Sports … Thomas has good size and body control and makes plays down the field. He looks all of 6-2 and is very smooth with the ability to run past a defense and he’s strong after the catch as well. He shows good hands and concentration and has the ability to line up in the slot or out wide. He’s an advanced route runner, knows how to get open and has all the tools to be a very good player in college. 

Thomas had other offers from … over two dozen schools. From the Pac-12, Thomas had offers from Arizona State, Arizona, Cal, Oregon State, Utah, and Washington State.

Here is a link to his Hudl.com highlights.

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Daniel Arias – WR

Just the facts … Committed July 3rd … Arias is a 6’4″, 190-pound wide receiver from Mill Creek, Washington  Rivals bio 247 Sports

What others say about Arias … Arias is considered to be a three-star prospect by Rivals and 247 Sports. Rivals rates Arias as the No. 4 player out of Washington, and the No. 96 wide receiver in the nation. At 247 Sports, Arias is considered to be the No. 115 wide receiver in the country, and No. 7 player out of Washington state.

2017 Statistics … Arias hauled in roughly 60 passes for 900 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior, earning him first-team all-league and all-area honors. He was also a second-team all-league selection as a defensive back.

2016 Statistics … Arias caught 49 passes for 1,030 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior. Arias further showcased his speed while qualifying for three events at this spring’s Class 4A state track and field meet, placing second in the 400 meters and also reaching state in the 100 and 200 meters.

“When you’re a high school coach you don’t get kids like Daniel very often. He’s tall, he’s long, he’s fast, explosive vertical jumps,” said Joel Vincent, Arias’ high school coach. “He eats up ground on defensive backs. Before they know it he’s on top of them. It’s just fun, he’s a fun kid to coach.”

Arias has been a part of the Jackson program for four years, lacing up for the varsity squad since his sophomore season. While the physical tools have always been present, Vincent has seen Arias develop in the mental side of the game.

“Playing wide receiver is almost an art form. He’s become an excellent route runner. I wouldn’t say he was an excellent route runner as a 10th-grader,” Vincent continued. “He’s learned the art of route running. He’s learned to site read and know what kinds of coverages he’s seeing and where those vulnerable places and holes are in those kinds of coverage.”

Arias had other offers from … over a dozen other schools, including Power Five conference schools Utah, Oregon State and Michigan State (though not from in-state Pac-12 schools Washington State and Washington). Multiple Mountain West schools, including Boise State, Colorado State and Air Force had extended offers, as well as a number of Ivy League schools (so qualifying academically is apparently not an issue). Before committing to Colorado, Arias had his final six as being Colorado, Boise State, UConn, San Diego State, Oregon State and Utah.

In his own words … “I want a coach that’s going to believe in me the way the coaches at (Jackson) have believed in me ever since I was a freshman,” Arias told the Everett (Washington) Herald. “I saw that in (coach Darrin Chiaverini).

“The players were just treating me like I was already on the team, and I really liked that. I already felt like I was part of a family … and that’s what stood out to me.”

Here is a link to the Hudl.com highlights of Arias in action

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Class of 2018 – Prospects

(Three-star or higher prospects offered by Colorado who remain uncommitted) … none

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Comments … In most seasons, when the No. 3, the No. 7, the No. 8 receivers on a school’s all-time receptions list leave town in the same season, it’s cause for panic. However, many in the Buff Nation, while they thank and wish well Shay Fields (No. 3 in all-time receptions), Bryce Bobo (No. 7) and Devin Ross (No. 8), they aren’t too concerned about the future of the wideout position at Colorado.

That’s because CU is well-stocked in talent at wide receiver (some would say over-stocked). True enough, the leading returning receiver is Jay MacIntyre (28 catches for 298 yards and two touchdowns), but right behind him are some receivers who gave Buff fans a thrill or two during the 2017 season: Juwann Winfree (21 catches for 325 yards and two touchdowns); Laviska Shenault (seven catches for 168 yards); and K.D. Nixon (two catches for 17 yards; three carries for 20 yards).

Not enough? There are two upper-classmen who will also be vying for playing time this fall. Kabion Ento was a senior this past fall, but took a red-shirt season instead of receiving minimal playing time behind three senior starters. Also joining the mix is transfer Tony Brown. The former Texas Tech wideout (who played for Darrin Chiaverini in Lubbock) is already on campus taking classes, and will have two seasons to play two.

The three true freshmen who are expected to sign are among the highest-rated recruits of CU’s Recruiting Class of 2018, but Buff fans may have to wait until 2019 (or beyond) to see their full potential.

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Offensive Line

Players lost … Jonathan Huckins (36 career games; 21 starts) … Jeromy Irwin (46 career games; 36 starts) … Gerrad Kough (43 career games; 35 starts)

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2018 Projected Roster

Seniors … Josh Kaiser

Juniors … Tim Lynott, Jr. … Aaron Haigler … Isaac Miller … Brett Tonz … Dillon Middlemiss … Jack Shutack … Justin Eggers

Sophomores … Hunter Vaughn … Kolter Smith

Red-shirt freshmen … Colby Pursell … Chance Lytle … Jake Moretti … Heston Paige … Grant Polley … William Sherman … Jacob Isen

Recruiting Class of 2018 … Casey Roddick (grey-shirt) … Josh Jynes … Frank Fillip … Josh McMullen (JC)

Bold = returning starter … Italics = non-scholarship player … * = denotes red-shirt season still available

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Class of 2018 – Commitments (4)

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Frank Fillip – OL

Just the facts … Committed June 9th … Fillip is 6’7″, 275-pound offensive lineman from Clear Lake high school in Houston, Texas Rivals bio 247 Sports bio

What others say about Fillip … Filip is rated as a three-star offensive tackle by Rivals and 247 Sports, and was a second-team all-district performer as a junior. After three straight losing seasons, the Falcons went 8-4 this year, qualifying for the state playoffs.

According to 247 Sports, Fillip is the No. 131 offensive tackle in the nation, and the No. 220 overall player out of the state of Texas.  When Fillip committed, offensive line coach Klayton Adams posted on Twitter, “The Buffs just got Bigger, Stronger and more PHYSICAL,” with the addition of Fillip.

Fillip had other offers from … over a dozen other schools, including Baylor, Houston, and Oregon State. Academics will not be an issue for Fillip, who also carried offers from Harvard and Yale. Filip was thought to be likely to stay in the state of Texas with his commitment, but changed his mind after taking an unofficial visit to Boulder June 7th.

Here is a link to Fillip’s senior year highlights from Hudl.com.

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Joshua Jynes – OL

Just the facts … Committed April 18th … Jynes is a 6’3″, 310-pound offensive lineman from DeSoto high school in Texas  Rivals bio 247 Sports bio

What others say about Jynes … Jynes is rated as a three-star offensive guard by Rivals and 247Sports.  247Sports has Jynes listed as the No. 32 offensive center in the nation, and the No. 249 player overall out of the state of Texas.

Rivals.com Texas analyst Nick Krueger on Jynes: “When Jynes is at his best, he’s getting in front of guys to get a solid push-and-seal block. He’s not the biggest or quickest player, but he’s a sturdy guy on the inside that will get things moving the right way across the line of scrimmage. DeSoto interior offensive lineman have a reputation as road-graders for the rushing attack, and Jynes is going to be a big part of that tradition this year. He saw a lot of time at center last season, so he’s capable of playing there, but I think right now he’s stronger as a guard where he doesn’t have to worry about snapping. Either way, he’s a stout player that should help get those tough yards on the ground.” 

247 Sports evaluation: Jynes is one of those offensive lineman who just gets the job done play in and play out. He controls the line of scrimmage, is not easy to move, and uses his hands well. Playing center, he matched up well with some of the more talented interior defensive linemen in one of the state of Texas’ top districts and on a playoff run that pitted him against high-level D1 caliber opponents. He is not a flashy player, but that is what you can come to love about his game, he plays consistent or even-keeled and does not make a lot of mistakes. Dependable. Smart.

Jynes had other offers from … only a handful of schools, with West Virginia and Rice being the most prominent. Other offers were from schools like Texas-San Antonio and Jackson State. The commitment from Jynes does continue the pipeline from talent-rich DeSoto high in Texas, the same school which gave CU wide receivers K.D. Nixon and Laviska Shenault from the Class of 2017.

In his own words … “After praying about it and talking with my parents and my coaches I have decided to commit to the University of Colorado,” Jynes announced on Twitter.

Here is a link to his Hudl.com highlights from his junior season.

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Casey Roddick – OL – Grey-shirt

Just the facts … From the Recruiting Class of 2017; agreed to take a grey-shirt and enroll as part of the Class of 2018 … Roddick is a 6’4″, 342-pound offensive line from Ventura, California Rivals bio 247 Sports bio

What others have to say about Roddick … Roddick is considered to be a three-star prospect by Rivals, Scout and 247 Sports. Rivals rates Roddick as the No. 33 offensive guard in the nation, and the No. 82 player overall out of the state of California. At 247 Sports, Roddick was listed as the No. 37 offensive guard in the nation, and the No. 74 player out of the state of California.

Roddick reports he is now in the 6-foot-5, 355-pound range. He will need to continue to lose some weight before playing for the Buffaloes, but Roddick does move surprisingly well for his size. He was named both the Ventura County and Marmonte League Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2016.

Roddick had other offers from … most notably, California. Roddick was a Bear commit since November 20th, but de-committed on January 14th. Roddick also had offers from Oregon, Utah, and Oregon State from the Pac-12. Other offers came from Iowa State, San Diego State, Fresno State, UNLV and Hawai’i.

In his own words … “I got to spend time with my family and got to workout a lot,” Roddick told Rivals.com when asked about his experience grayshirting. “I also got to work, too, which was nice to establish some income. But mainly I have been spending time with my little brother and my older brother, my siblings, so it has been a good experience. I am definitely excited to put the pads back on, though.

“I was trying to trim down while bulking up at the same time. It was more about improving my physique,” he explained. “I did the best of my ability to improve there. I wanted to lose 15 pounds, and I did that, so I am pretty happy.”

Here is a link to the Hudl.com highlights of Roddick’s senior season.

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Josh McMullen – OL

… Junior College transfer … 

Just the facts … Committed December 12th … McMullen is a 6’6″, 270-pound offensive lineman from Starkville, Mississippi, by way of East Central (Mississippi) Community College Rivals bio  247 Sports bio

What others say about McMullen … McMullen is rated as a two-star prospect, but is unrated by 247 Sports. McMullen was selected MACJC Second Team All-State South Offense this past fall.

A mid-year transfer, McMullen, who weighed only 210-pounds as a senior in high school, will have three years to play two at Colorado.

McMullen had other offers from … no Power-Five schools, and only one Group of Five Conference school (Central Florida). Otherwise, you need to get out a map to find some of the schools who offered McMullen … Lamar, McNeese State, Austin Peay, Campbell, Murray State, Northwestern State … you get the idea. McMullen actually as an Austin Peay commitment before he started to receive other offers.

Here is a link to McMullen’s Hudl.com highlights

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Class of 2018 – Prospects

(Three-star or higher prospects offered by Colorado who remain uncommitted) … none.

Four-star prospects: Chris Murray (Rivals bio … 247 Sports) … Sam Taimani (Rivals bio … 247 Sports)

Three-star prospects: Walker Culver – former CU commit (Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio) … Blake McDonald (Rivals bio … 247 Sports) …

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Comments … A look at the CU roster brings to mind the phrase from the game of bridge: Aces and spaces. The Buffs have plenty of upperclassmen with playing experience, including three returning starters. In addition to those three – Tim Lynott, Jr.; Aaron Haigler; and Isaac Miller – there are two other players (Josh Kaiser; Brett Tonz) with significant playing time under their belts.

After that, however, there is a significant gap in the roster. CU will only have one scholarship sophomore this fall, Hunter Vaughn. Once you get past Vaughn in the lineup, though, you are looking at a 2018 unit which will have nine players who have yet to play a down for the Buffs … half of the offensive line.

The good news is that there are several red-shirt freshman who should be able to make their presence known this fall. Buff fans should be excited to see Grant Polley, Chance Lytle, and Jake Morietti. If one or two of them can get into the rotation, the Buffs should be set for the next two seasons at least.

After that, we’ll have to see how the Buffs who sign this December play out …

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Tags: Blake Stenstrom, Casey Roddick, Daniel Arias, Deion Smith, Dimitri Stanley, Dylan Thomas, Frank Fillip, Jarek Broussard, Josh Jynes, Josh McMullen, Tony Brown
This post, about the Recruiting - Class of 2018 game, from the 2018 Season, is filed under Article.
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