Transfer Portal Tracker

Home // 2021 Season // Postseason

Postseason - 2021 Season

There have been 246 comments, post your CU memory now

—

—

Transfer Portal Report Card: 88% of Power Five Transfers Find New Homes (But Only 32% at Another Power Five School)

From The Athletic … A transfer cycle that shook up college football in so many ways officially ended on Sunday. The NCAA’s transfer portal database considers Aug. 1 the start date for these cycles. It’s time to pull out the calculator, review all these transactions and seek greater understanding of the mysterious portal realm.

The Athletic tracked the movement of the more than 2,000 FBS scholarship players who entered the portal in the 2021-22 cycle. Let’s start with some good news: More than 80 percent of scholarship players who transferred have found new homes for the 2022 season. That’s a much better outcome than the percentage the NCAA put out in April, when it estimated that just 54 percent of FBS players who entered in 2021 transferred to another NCAA school.

There were 2,069 scholarship portal entries in the last 12 months, which represents a 25 percent increase from the previous year’s cycle. Surpassing 2,000 scholarship transfer entries and more than 3,000 total entries means that close to 20 percent of all FBS players put their name in the portal in the last 12 months.

If the NCAA drops the one-time transfer rule and doesn’t limit how many times a player can transfer going forward, we’re heading toward a much more chaotic future. But it appears those reforms are now in limbo and unlikely to be passed soon. Coaches do have more roster flexibility going forward to stay at the 85-man scholarship limit, but larger recruiting classes will necessitate more attrition.

What might we be able to learn from all this roster attrition over the last year?

How the Power 5 transfers fared

There were 1,054 scholarship players in this transfer cycle who left Power 5 programs. So far, 88 percent have found a new home and 66 percent will get to keep playing at the FBS level this fall, though less than one-third ended up signing with another Power 5 school. The updated scorecard on where these players are going:

Power 5 transfers

STATUS	TOTAL	%
Committed	926	88%
Power 5	340	32%
Group of 5	356	34%
FCS	184	17%
JC/DII/other	46	4%
Unsigned	128	12%

Here’s an oversimplified way of summing it all up: The average Power 5 program lost 16 transfers in the last year. While 14 of them found a home, nine are going to Group of 5 programs or lower. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, since those players often have a better chance to play and potentially shine. But that’s the reality of how this process goes when there’s so much competition for a limited number of roster spots at Power 5 schools.

Of course, there were some more extreme examples of roster flips this cycle. Maryland lost 28 scholarship players to the portal in the last year and Indiana lost 27. Arizona had 24 departures in Year 1 under Jedd Fisch. Florida State, West Virginia and Colorado are trying to rebuild and each had 23 players enter the portal.

On the opposite end of that spectrum, Dave Aranda and Big 12 champion Baylor only lost five scholarship players. Iowa (six) and Northwestern (eight) were right there with the Bears, and Texas Tech lost nine transfers in this cycle with first-year coach Joey McGuire taking over.

If you sort these transactions by conference, there weren’t dramatic differences between leagues in terms of outcomes for their departing players. SEC schools did lose the most transfers — 241 total — but their players fared best in terms of finding homes (89 percent) and staying at the FBS level (71 percent).

Interestingly, the conference that attracted the most Power 5 talent on a per-school basis was the Pac-12. Their league imported a total of 73 players from other Power 5 rosters, with the new coaching staffs at USC (18 signees) and Oregon (nine) doing the most damage, as expected. Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff actually touted these portal recruiting feats at Pac-12 media day, noting that his conference added the highest-rated transfer in the country (Caleb Williams) and the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner (Jordan Addison).

… Continue reading story here …

–

—–

June 4th

The Athletic: Pac-12 Transfer Portal Winners and Losers (CU at least not a “loser”)

From The Athletic … A full month has passed since college football’s May 1 deadline for players to enter the transfer portal while maintaining eligibility to play this fall. Overall, the spring portal wave wasn’t as active as some probably expected, with the exception of a few attention-grabbing names.

In January, we examined the Pac-12’s winners and losers from the early portal wave. As June arrives, almost all of the offseason’s major transfer decisions have been made, and the transfer portal rush has seemingly slowed to a halt.

Now that the season is getting closer and teams have a better picture of what they will look like on the field this fall, let’s look at which Pac-12 programs benefited the most from the second transfer portal wave this spring — and which one was hurt most from it.

Winner

USC: Lincoln Riley telegraphed just how active USC was going to be in the portal when he said the Trojans would add “double-digit” transfers following their first spring practice. He has followed that up by making USC the Pac-12’s most active program in the portal over the past two months.

The Trojans have added eight transfers since April, none more impactful than former Pitt receiver and Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison, who gives USC’s offense a true No. 1 target in the passing game. Addison raises the ceiling for USC’s first year under Riley.

The addition of Arizona State linebacker Eric Gentry, a freshman All-American last fall, raises the floor of a suspect defense. The Trojans needed to elevate the talent level at inside linebacker, and Gentry helps them do just that.

USC did not fill all of its needs. It could still use another offensive lineman for depth, and it didn’t come away with a difference maker on the defensive line. Those will continue to be pressing roster issues going into the fall and next offseason. But Addison and Gentry are more than enough to make USC the biggest beneficiary from the portal this spring.

Loser

Arizona State: It’s been almost a year since word of the NCAA’s investigation into Arizona State became public, and the hits to the program haven’t stopped coming since. Herm Edwards has seen five assistants be fired or leave for other jobs, and his roster has felt the effects of the uncertainty through the transfer portal. The Sun Devils have lost their starting quarterback Jayden Daniels, two of their top three receivers from 2021 (Ricky Pearsall and LV Bunkley-Shelton) and two talented defensive standouts, lineman Jermayne Lole and Eric Gentry. All have landed at Power 5 programs: Daniels picked LSU; Pearsall and Bunkley-Shelton ended up at Florida and Oklahoma, respectively; Gentry went to USC and Lole chose Louisville.

That has made for quite the talent drain in Tempe. But it hasn’t been all bad for Arizona State in the portal this offseason. The Sun Devils recently brought in former Florida starting quarterback Emory Jones, on top of the earlier lauded additions of Wyoming running back Xazavian Valladay and Miami defensive lineman Nesta Jade Silvera. Keeping Omarr Norman-Lott, who briefly entered the portal but chose to return to the program, was another positive.

But it’s hard to argue those additions will offset the losses the Sun Devils have suffered. No other program in the conference has lost as much since the initial portal wave ended.

Late portal activity elsewhere across the Pac-12

Arizona: The Wildcats did most of their transfer portal work before the spring, adding standout UTEP receiver Jacob Cowing, Washington State quarterback Jayden de Laura and UCLA defensive lineman Tiaoalii Savea during the winter.

Colorado: The Buffaloes dealt with a ton of attrition during the initial transfer portal wave, but things have calmed down of late. Colorado did make a solid recent addition in West Virginia linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo, who led the Mountaineers with 110 tackles in 2021.

… Read full story here …

–

—–

May 31st

Interview: Andy Wang, CU assistant director of player personnel, talks about recruiting and roster management in the new age

From The Athletic … About a year ago, a few dozen personnel and recruiting staffers from across the country gathered in Las Vegas to network and share ideas.

The grassroots effort, spearheaded by UNLV chief of staff Gaizka Crowley and Colorado State director of player personnel Lucas Gauthier, was a way to feed a desire for more professional development in their space. On-field coaches assemble often, whether it’s at the annual AFCA Convention or while they’re on the road during spring recruiting.

Recruiting and personnel staffers — the behind-the-scenes folks in the back offices — haven’t always had those same opportunities. So Crowley and Gauthier started one, using the 2019 Personnel Symposium in Nashville as a template.

“We just felt like we needed to represent ourselves if no one else was going to do it,” Gauthier said.

Said Crowley: “We wanted an organic feel, where people could sit, talk and network.”

As soon as the inaugural Personnel/Recruiting Spring Clinic ended, Gauthier said, they knew they wanted to do it again. So earlier this month, at Caesar’s Palace, Crowley and Gauthier hosted their second spring clinic, which doubled in size, drawing nearly 100 staffers from more than 30 colleges across the country, including Power 5, Group of 5, FCS and Division II programs. It drew positive reviews from many who attended, and Gauthier and Crowley intend to make it an annual affair.

The clinic featured a mix of networking, panels and roundtables on topics everyone in college football is discussing — the transfer portal, name, image and likeness (NIL), roster management, recruiting rules changes — and more.

“To go to something like this and be around 90-plus other people that have a perspective on that, it’s invaluable,” Gauthier said. “If you’re asking the right questions and engaged, you’re going to pick up something that you can take home and make your program better and make you better.”

After the clinic’s completion, The Athletic surveyed eight personnel staffers from Power 5, Group of 5 and FCS programs who attended on a range of current college football and recruiting topics. Here is the panel:

Gaizka Crowley, chief of staff, UNLV
Chaz Davis, director of football operations and player personnel, Northern Arizona
Lucas Gauthier, director of player personnel, Colorado State
Andrea Hollis, director of on-campus recruiting, Mississippi State
Sam Popper, recruiting coordinator and director of player personnel, Akron
Luke Walerius, chief of staff, North Texas
Andy Wang, assistant director of player personnel, Colorado
Nik Valdiserri, director of recruiting, Vanderbilt

(Editor’s note: Answers are edited for length and clarity.)

The NCAA Division I Council recently waived the annual signing and initial counter limits for the next two years. How will that impact roster management?

Wang: I like the idea behind it. My concern is it encourages certain programs to start nudging players out the door and replace them with players they might like better. It really benefits new head coaches. It allows them to flip a large amount of their roster as they see fit. It’s not necessarily a great thing for the kids because a lot will be pushed out the door and will end up in the portal and not gonna be able to find homes.

What are your thoughts on the potential for “transfer windows” for athletes to enter the portal vs. the current setup?

Wang: It would benefit players and programs, just so that there’s some uniform timeline across the country. … Right now the portal is open during the season and that is not good for anyone. … You might not start the season where you want to be on the depth chart, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to end the season there.

Personnel staffs seem to be growing. For programs that are investing more here, how has it helped recruiting success and efficiency?

Wang: I guarantee if you look at the programs that are at the top of the recruiting rankings every year, just look at the size of their (personnel) staffs. One thing that is concerning is those bigger staffs, a lot of those staff members are so specialized. While in a sense that’s good for the program, and it’s great that that person is very good at that thing they specialize in, I think it hurts the growth of the individual. If you’re great at one thing, that’s fantastic for your specific program. But how are you going to go somewhere else and do something else or run the show somewhere else?

What are the biggest challenges facing personnel departments right now? Resources? Staffing? Workload? Pay?

Wang: It’s the pay-to-workload ratio. Everyone in this industry loves what we do. It’s not necessarily the amount of hours that we have to work, it’s just the pay that comes with those hours. … The reason you see so many in our industry leave, it’s either due to burnout or not being able to financially maintain a decent lifestyle. It can be difficult to make enough money to have a family.

Some programs are investing more on the scouting side, whether it’s dedicating a staffer to monitor the transfer portal or mirroring a pro-style evaluation process, with some staffers scouting college talent and others dedicated to high school prospects. Do you see this trend increasing and if so, how will it change recruiting?

Wang: Coaches are going to be able to just coach more and be able to rely more on their scouting department and hire more people trained in scouting. With the portal now, it’s basically like NFL free agency. In the past, before the portal, there weren’t nearly as many kids transferring, so you didn’t need somebody who could scout college players. Now you do need someone who can do that.

High school and junior college recruiting has been significantly impacted by the transfer portal. What is the future of recruiting at those two levels?

Wang: (The portal) really, really hurts jucos. Teams are going through the portal, whereas in the past, they would have had to go the juco route. It hurts high school recruiting, too. I think over the next couple of years, it’ll balance out a little more. But it’s not going to be like it was before. … There are programs out there like ours that still believe that high school recruiting is going to be the lifeline. It’s what we’re gonna be focusing on.

If you could make one recruiting-related rule change, what would it be?

Wang: (Increasing) the number of official visits schools are allowed to give. It’s a double-edged sword because not every school in the country can afford more visits. But with no initial counter limits … you used to sign 25 kids and have 56 official visits (available). There’s gonna be programs who maybe have to sign 35 kids but you still have only 56 official visits? That ratio is going to be a lot harder. And the honest truth is once a lot of those programs run out of official visits, if they haven’t signed what they need to sign, do you think they’re going to just give up recruiting and signing kids and building the roster? They’re going to find other ways to make it happen.

… Read full story here …

–

—–

May 20th

Running back Ramon Jefferson officially de-commits from Colorado

Tweet from Jefferson … After further consideration i have decided to decommit from University of Colorado.

—

Story from January 31st …

CU picks up a senior transfer running back, Ramon Jefferson

From the Daily Camera … After losing their top running back to the transfer portal in mid-January, the Colorado Buffaloes are replacing him with one of the top backs from the Football Championship Subdivision.

On Monday, former Sam Houston State star Ramon Jefferson announced that he is coming to CU as a graduate transfer. The 5-foot-9, 215-pounder will be a sixth-year senior and has one season to play. He will join the Buffs in the summer.

This past season, Jefferson rushed for 1,155 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. He was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press after helping the Bearkats reach the FCS semifinals. SHSU was 11-0 before a loss to Montana State in the semifinals, snapping a 21-game winning streak.

FCS did not play in the fall of 2020 because of COVID-19, but last spring, Jefferson helped the Bearkats go 10-0 and win the national title. During that season, he rushed for 752 yards and seven touchdowns, while averaging 6.0 yards per carry.

With Sam Houston beginning the transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision and not eligible for postseason play in 2022, Jefferson elected to play his final season in Boulder.

“For me as a senior, having something to play for (was important),” he said. “I entered the portal and the (CU) coaches reached out. The welcoming of the coaches and just the different personalities on staff; I got a chance to meet all the staff this past weekend.

“What (head coach Karl Dorrell) told me is we’re a few pieces away from being a really good team. He said, ‘We have a lot of great players in place,’ and I met them and obviously you can see that there. … That’s something that I noticed when I looked at CU, just a phenomenal team and great people also.”

… Continue reading story here …

–

—–

May 3rd

CBS national Transfer Portal Grades: Two Pac-12 “winners”; Two Pac-12 “losers”

From CBS Sports … The deadline for players to enter the transfer portal and receive immediate eligibility for the 2022 college football season passed on Sunday, May 1, which brings a moment of calm to what has been one of the most chaotic periods of college football in recent memory.

More than 2,000 players entered the transfer portal during the 2021-22 school year with a large number coming during major coaching changes or system revamps. Virtually every Power Five program has taken a handful of transfers to immediately fill holes. With hundreds of players remaining in the portal, more could be making decisions on their futures soon.

Here are eight programs that stand apart as winners and losers from the 2022 transfer portal cycle.

Winners

USC: Rebuilding looks a little different these days. After spurning Oklahoma, coach Lincoln Riley nabbed the No. 1 spot in the 247Sports transfer rankings in his first offseason to quickly build a Trojans roster in his image.

Bringing quarterback Caleb Williams from Oklahoma was the headliner, but USC also added receiver Mario Williams, linebacker Eric Gentry and running back Travis Dye as sought-after playmakers. Four receivers transferred to join Riley’s high-flying offense — Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison could also join the fold — but more than half of the class’s transfers came on the defensive side of the ball as defensive coordinator Alex Grinch worked to build some depth. Granted, the Trojans also lost a handful of key players to the portal, like quarterback Jaxson Dart and tight end Michael Trigg, but if the Trojans compete for a Pac-12 title right away, Riley will owe the transfer portal a debt of gratitude.

Arizona: It’s flown under the radar at a relatively anonymous program, but coach Jedd Fisch is recruiting his butt off. The Wildcats pulled in the the Pac-12’s No. 3 recruiting class for 2022 and followed it up with a dynamic transfer class. Wazzu quarterback Jayden de Laura will emphatically answer the glaring question under center, and he will have the freakishly dynamic Jacob Cowing from UTEP to target. Linebacker Anthony Solomon (Michigan) and edge Hunter Echols (USC) bring some dynamic play on the defensive end. The Wildcats went 1-11 in Fisch’s miserable first season, but players don’t seem dissuaded from his plan. That alone makes Arizona’s signing class one of the most important in the Pac-12.

Losers

Arizona State: The Sun Devils might as well put up a “Help Wanted” sign after the vast majority of their top players decided to leave the program in the midst of NCAA troubles. Quarterback Jayden Daniels left the program for LSU in a surprising decision, which set off another round of transfers. Top receiver Ricky Pearsall and star defender Eric Gentry were expected to play central roles, while DeaMonte Trayanum left for Ohio State. Linemen Spencer Lovell, Ezra Dotson-Oyetade and Jermayne Lole all entered the portal in the last weekend.

In all, 14 key scholarship players entered the portal. Granted, the Sun Devils got some help back in the form of a top-15 transfer class, but it features only one blue-chip transfer prospect (Miami DL Nesta Jade Silvera). Ultimately, the transfer portal was a net loss for ASU.

Colorado: The Buffaloes roster seems to think the 4-2 season during Karl Dorrell’s debut was a fluke, as more than 20 key players from that squad entered the portal. Running back Jarek Broussard was the headliner, but receivers Brenden Rice and Dimitri Stanley ranked among the few sources of offense for an anemic unit. The losses will make finding offense even more difficult for a Colorado squad that ranked second-to-last nationally with just 257.4 yards per game. Quarterback Brendon Lewis will have new toys in Baylor transfer R.J. Sneed and Sam Houston running back Ramon Jefferson, but it remains to be seen whether that can transform the unit.

… Read full story here …

–

—–

April 30th

CU picks up an important piece to the puzzle – transfer middle linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo commits

With few Transfer Portal slots left to fill, the CU coaching staff had to be particular in where they filled their needs. Interior offense line, inside linebacker and safety appear to be the biggest needs.

Well, one of those needs has been filled.

West Virginia senior linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo announced on social media that he has committed to Colorado, announcing his intention to transfer to Colorado for his final season of college eligibility on Saturday, days after taking a visit to Boulder. Texas A&M and USC were among the other colleges involved in recruiting Chandler-Semedo after he hit the transfer portal in late February.

A three-star prospect out of Canton, Ohio, Chandler-Semedo was a member of the West Virginia Recruiting Class of 2017.

Returned for an NCAA COVID eligibility year
Has played in 44 career games, including 31 starts
WVU’s active leader in career tackles (260)

2021 highlights …

Started 13 games at mike linebacker
All-Big 12 Third Team (Phil Steele)
All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (Coaches)
Led the Mountaineer defense with 110 stops, including 68 solo stops, 1.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, three pass breakups and six quarterback hurries
Has eight career 10-plus tackle performances, including five
Ranked No. 36 nationally and No. 3 in the Big 12 in total tackles (8.5)
Also ranked No. 20 nationally and No. 5 in the league in solo tackles (5.2)

–

—–

April 25th

Pac-12 Transfer Portal Winners and Losers: “If the portal were a balance sheet, the Buffs would be staring at bankruptcy”

From the San Jose Mercury News … Since the end of the regular season, 243 football players have passed through the transfer portal on their way out of or into the Pac-12.

And more could follow.

With the May 1 transfer deadline fast approaching, we expect a handful of transfers — and perhaps multiple handfuls — in the final days before the window closes.

(Players who transfer after the deadline must sit out the 2022 season or receive a waiver from the NCAA.)

Where do teams stand at this point in the transfer cycle?

Here’s our look at the winners and losers based on the latest information in the 247Sports database.

Winners

Arizona
Biggest gain: QB Jayden de Laura (from Washington State)
Biggest loss: WR Jalen Curry (to Buffalo)
Comment: The Wildcats have lost 21 players to the portal but few of significance. Meanwhile, a handful of additions could make a deep impact — not only on Arizona but on the shape of the South race. Atop the list is de Laura, of course, but he’ll have immediate from receiver Jacob Cowing, who caught 69 passes for UTEP last season. Defensively, keep an eye on defensive end Tiaoalii Savea, a UCLA transfer and former four-star recruit who should bolster a position of extreme need.

USC
Biggest gain: QB Caleb Williams (from Oklahoma)
Biggest loss: K Parker Lewis (to TBD)
Comment: The Trojans would be a portal winner if Williams were their only newcomer, but coach Lincoln Riley has completely rebuilt the skill positions with Dye (Oregon), Austin Jones (Stanford), Brendan Rice (Colorado), Mario Williams (Oklahoma) and Terrell Bynum (Washington). Defensively, USC has added three players, cornerback Mekhi Blackmon (from Colorado) and linebackers Shane Lee (Alabama) and Romello Height (Auburn), who should play significant roles in the salvage operation.

Utah
Biggest gain: LB Mohamoud Diabate (from Florida)
Biggest loss: DE Xavier Carlton (to Cal)
Comment: The combination of Diabate, who will face his former team in the season opener, and Gabe Reid (from Stanford), should help with the momentous task of replacing Devin Lloyd in the middle of the defense. The attrition from Utah’s two-deep has been limited — almost non-existent — as the program prepares to defend its conference title and make a run at the playoff. In contrast to so many peers in the South, and in the best of ways, the Utes are the epitome of dull.

Losers

Arizona State
Biggest gain: DL Nesta Jade Silvera (from Miami)
Biggest loss: QB Jayden Daniels (to LSU)
Comment: Tough to imagine a worse scenario for the Sun Devils, who lost their starting quarterback, top receiver (Ricky Pearsall) and most talented young defender (linebacker Eric Gentry) — and the exodus could continue for a program reeling from a recruiting scandal. Silvera’s presence bolsters what should be a stout defensive front. We considered quarterback Paul Tyson (from Alabama) as the newcomer likely to make the greatest impact, but his lack of experience (16 career attempts) creates uncertainty.

Colorado
Biggest gain: WR R.J. Snead (from Baylor)
Biggest loss: CB Christian Gonzalez (to Oregon)
Comment: With 18 players departing the program since the end of the season, CU is on the short list of FBS teams hit hardest by the portal. The exodus includes most of the Buffaloes’ top performers in the secondary and at the skill positions (receiver Brenden Rice and tailback Jarek Broussard, to name two). The arrival of Snead and running back Ramon Jefferson (from Sam Houston State) will help. But if the portal were a balance sheet, the Buffs would be staring at bankruptcy.

UCLA
Biggest gains: LBs Grayson and Gabriel Murphy (from North Texas)
Biggest loss: LB Mitchell Agude (to Miami)
Comment: The attrition continues under Chip Kelly, with 18 players entering the portal (most of them on defense). But the Bruins have done well to minimize the losses. We selected the Murphy brothers, who committed to UCLA in early March, because of the two-for-one nature of their arrival and the deep need for edge rushers after Agude’s departure. Two more arrivals to watch: Gary Smith, a 320-pound defensive tackle (from Duke), and Raiqwon O’Neal, a former All-Big Ten offensive lineman (from Rutgers).

… Read full story here …

–

—–

April 15th

CU picks up an offensive tackle from the Transfer Portal

Luke Eckardt – OT

Just the facts … Committed April 15th … Eckardt is a 6’7″, 290-pound offensive tackle from Richmond, Illinois … Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio …

What others say about Eckardt … As part of the Recruiting Class of 2021, Eckardt was rated as a three-star prospect by 247 Sports and a two-star prospect by Rivals. Eckardt was rated as the No. 174 offensive tackle in the nation, and the No. 55 prospect out of the state of Illinois.

The connection: Eckardt was coached by new CU offensive line coach Kyle DeVan, who was the offensive line coach/run game coordinator for Arizona 2019-20.

Eckardt did not play for Arizona last year, and will have four years of eligibility remaining at Colorado.

Eckardt had other offers from … a number of other schools, though most were from MAC schools close to Eckardt’s Illinois home. Eckardt had committed to play for Northern Illinois before committing to Arizona.

In his own words … “It was an easy decision, to be honest,” Eckardt told CUSportsNation. “I know Coach DeVan wants me so I will have a little more drive and competitiveness being able to play for him. I am excited.

“Coach DeVan knew when i came out of high school I wasn’t very experienced as far as pass pro and moving my feet. I had a lot of things I needed to work on. So this past year at Arizona, I worked on those things a crazy amount. I know how to pass pro now as opposed to when I first got here and didn’t.”

–

—–

April 1st

Getting stuck in the Portal: One All-Conference player’s story

… Related … According to the 247 Sports Transfer Portal Tracker, the following 2021 Buffs are still looking for teams to play for in 2022: cornerback Chris Miller; punter Josh Watts; offensive lineman Kanan Ray; running back Joe Davis; linebacker Zephaniah Maea …

… CU players who have signed to play for schools outside of the Power Five conferences: linebacker Alec Pell (Northern Colorado); defensive lineman Jayden Simon (Tulsa); wide receiver Chris Carpenter (UTSA); safety Trustin Oliver (Central Arkansas); wide receiver Keith Miller (Texas A&M Commerce); wide receiver La’Vontae Shenault (Alabama State); running back Ashaad Clayton (Tulane); defensive lineman Blayne Toll (Arkansas State); defensive lineman Lloyd Murray (Sam Houston) …

From The Athletic … Where is Kris Moll these days? His current location is Miami, if you want to be precise. He moved back home for the spring and is staying busy lifting, training and waiting.

But figuratively? For now, yes, he’s stuck in the transfer portal.

It’s hard to believe a player with Moll’s resume is in this predicament. The UAB grad transfer linebacker was a three-year starter with 51 college games under his belt. He has produced 234 tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, six forced fumbles and two interceptions in his career. He made first-team All-Conference USA in back-to-back seasons. Phil Steele even named him an honorable mention All-American in 2020.

Yet four months after putting his name in the portal, Moll is still struggling to convince college coaches to take a one-season shot on him. How does this happen?

The process had seemingly started off quite well. So many coaches were calling and texting when he entered the portal on Dec. 3, including several at Power 5 programs. Moll can say in hindsight that he misplayed his situation, missing out on some potentially great opportunities. He’s living in uncomfortable uncertainty as he awaits his next one.

“I felt like I was one of the best players in the country a year ago, and now I don’t even have a spot to go to,” Moll said. “I’m just like, ‘Wow.’ It’s kind of weird. I understand it. But it’s just crazy.”

There are hundreds more players just like him these days, still available in the NCAA transfer portal and hunting for their next home. They believed the portal would send them somewhere better. Maybe, in time, it still will. But over the course of his own stressful search, Moll had to learn the tough lessons about how portal recruiting actually works.

The first lesson: You need to understand how to play the process.

UAB was Moll’s only FBS offer coming out of Coral Gables High School. He didn’t go through the big-time recruiting experience like many of his Dade County peers. So when the transfer offers started coming in quickly, he figured this was going to be fun.

“A lot of schools hit me up the first day,” he said. “I really wasn’t too sure how to take it, but I felt like a big dog and an All-American. I was like, ‘You know what? I wanna go Power 5. I wanna prove to everybody I’m the best.’ I was trying to just talk to the Power 5 schools.”

Louisville was one of the first to call and extend an offer. Inside linebackers coach Derek Nicholson visited Moll in Birmingham the next week and expressed serious interest, so Moll got an official visit scheduled for Dec. 8. He heard from a lot of coaches at Group of 5 schools during those early weeks and admits he wasn’t great about responding to many of them.

Moll went on the Louisville visit and thought it went great. He felt so good about this potential new home, in fact, that while he was on the Louisville trip, he decided to cancel the official visit he was going to take next, to SMU. He was just that sure he’d commit to Louisville.

When he called a few days later to check in and share that he was considering committing, Moll was told Louisville was going in a different direction. He contacted SMU and learned they’d already filled their spot. UCF told him the same. Arizona had talked about setting up an official visit but went with someone else as well. He tried to hit up Louisiana, Coastal Carolina and the Group of 5 schools he hadn’t taken seriously at first. No luck.

“I had a lot of G5 schools and I didn’t pay attention to any of them,” he said. “I was just so big-headed about trying to go Power 5, which was so dumb of me. I didn’t really know how to work all of this.”

The moral of the story isn’t just about the folly of putting all your eggs in one basket. It’s not that simple. What Moll experienced is the stark difference in the speed and urgency of portal recruiting. As one college coach summed it up to The Athletic: High school recruitments take two years. Transfer recruitments take two weeks.

… Continue reading story here …

–

—–

March 25th

USC coach Lincoln Riley got to Brenden Rice “within a half hour – maybe 15 minutes” after Rice entered the Transfer Portal

From the Los Angeles Times … In his first practice as USC’s head coach, Lincoln Riley projected an abundance of youthful coaching energy on Tuesday, running and clapping and injecting vitality back into the Los Angeles’ most popular football team.

This wasn’t a Clay Helton practice.

This was closer to a Sean McVay training session.

Wearing a white visor and sunglasses, Riley was dressed in a gray shirt with rolled-up sleeves and black shorts.

… Riley’s vibrancy played a critical role in the makeover of a team that finished 4-8 last year under Helton and interim replacement Donte Williams, who remains with the Trojans as a defensive backs coach.

Receiver Brenden Rice said he wasn’t certain he would leave Colorado when he entered the transfer portal on New Year’s Day.

Within a half-hour — “maybe 15 minutes,” Rice said — Riley called him.

“I’m like, ‘Wow, OK,’” Rice said.

When the conversation ended, Rice called his mother. Next, he texted his father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.

“I’m going to Cali,” the message to his father read.

“As soon as I heard Lincoln call,” Rice said, “you know you have to go.”

… Continue reading story here …

–

—–

March 12th

Transfer Portal update: Dimitri Stanley to Iowa State

CU is over the Pac-12 average of just over 50% of its transferees finding new homes, with over two-thirds of CU transferees having committed to new schools …

Offensive lineman Chance Lytle (1/19) … (one year of of eligibility left) … Started in the 2021 opener; but in for only 46 snaps the remainder of the season … New home: TBD …
Wide receiver DiMitri Stanley (1/18) … (two years of eligibility left) … Stanley was fourth on the team with 15 receptions for 130 yards and one touchdown … Stanley started seven games in 2021 … New home: Iowa State
Safety Chris Miller (1/18) … (one year of eligibility left) … Started in the opener, but was injured for 10 of the remaining games in 2021 … New home: TBD
Punter Josh Watts (1/18) … (one year of eligibility left) … 66 punts in 2021 – 47.79 average (6th in the nation); 39.5 net … New home: TBD
Running back Jarek Broussard (1/13) … (two years of eligibility left) … Led the Buffs in rushing with 661 yards on 142 carries, with two touchdowns … New home: Michigan State
Offensive lineman Kanan Ray (1/12) … (two years of eligibility left) … Was in for 145 plays in 2021 … Started first two games; did not play in final five games … New home: TBD …
Running back Joe Davis (1/11) … (three years of eligibility left) … Five carries for 22 yards in 2021 … New home: TBD …
Cornerback Mehki Blackmon (1/9) … (one year of eligibility left) … 50 tackles (33 unassisted) … six third down stops … One of four captains … New home: USC
Wide receiver Brenden Rice (1/1) … (three years of eligibility left) … Second in catches (21) and yards (299) … Led team in touchdown catches (3) … New home: USC
Safety Mark Perry (12/28) … (three years of eligibility left) … (three years of eligibility left) … Second in plays (761) to Christian Gonzalez … 72 tackles … team leading three interceptions … New home: TCU
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez (12/23) … (three years of eligibility left) … Started every game in 2021 … Arguably CU’s best player … New home: Oregon
Tight end Alec Pell (12/13) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in ten games in 2021 … One catch for 17 yards … New home: Northern Colorado
Defensive lineman Jayden Simon (12/6) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in nine games in 2021 … 72 plays; four tackles … New home: Tulsa
Wide receiver Chris Carpenter (12/5) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in seven games in 2021 … Seven catches for 45 yards … One kickoff return for 15 yards … New home: UT-San Antonio
Running back Ashaad Clayton (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 20 carries for 84 yards; one touchdown … New home: Tulane
Wide receiver Keith Miller, III (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Dressed for three games, did not play … New home: Texas A&M Commerce
Defensive lineman Zephaniah Maea (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 13 plays; one tackle … New home: TBD
Safety Trustin Oliver (11/30) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in eight games in 2021 … 18 plays; one special teams tackle … New home: Central Arkansas
Wide receiver La’Vontae Shenault (11/21) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in three games; starting one … Six receptions for 60 yards … New home: Alabama State
Defensive lineman Blaine Toll (9/28) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 32 plays; three tackles … New home: Arkansas State
Defensive lineman Lloyd Murray (9/27) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 43 plays; one tackle … New home: Sam Houston State

–

—–

February 17th

ASU starting quarterback Jayden Daniels enters the Transfer Portal

… Update … Daniels transfers to LSU … from CBS Sports

From CBS Sports … Arizona State starting quarterback Jayden Daniels has entered the transfer portal, according to 247Sports’ Chris Hummer. Multiple members of the Sun Devils coaching staff have already been informed of his plans, per 247Sports, and his request has been processed by the school. Daniels is expected to consider several Power Five suitors, including some within the Pac-12.

The impending portal addition comes after Daniels announced in December that he would be returning to Arizona State for his senior season. However, the program underwent significant coaching staff changes to start 2022 in the wake of the NCAA’s investigation into allegations of improper contact during the COVID-19 dead period. Among them were offensive coordinator Zak Hill and tight ends coach Adam Breneman, both of whom resigned in January after initially being placed on administrative leave.

Daniels made history in 2019 when he became the first true freshman quarterback to start a season opener in Arizona State history — a 30-7 win over Kent State — and he went on to throw for 2,943 yards, 17 touchdowns and just two interceptions that season. He has been the full-time starter for coach Herm Edwards and thrown for 6,025 yards, 32 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in three seasons — one of which (2020) was limited him to four games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

… Continue reading story here …

–

—

ESPN: CU and Cal among Power Five schools losing the most through the Transfer Portal

From ESPN … The transfer portal has become an everyday part of college football roster management as more players switch teams each season.

With more and more players opting to transfer, we have seen quite a few schools lose key contributors this offseason. Looking at the schools that have seen the most transfers since the end of the season, we outlined 10 teams that have lost a number of transfers since November.

We compare what the schools have lost with what they have coming in through the portal to see how well they’re replacing the talent this offseason.

Cal …

Who’s leaving

Cal has had 10 players enter the transfer portal since November, and that includes offensive lineman McKade Mettauer, who will play at Oklahoma. The team’s leading rusher, Christopher Brooks, is transferring to BYU. Brooks ran for 607 yards and four touchdowns this past season.

Corner Chigozie Anusiem is transferring to Hawai’i, receiver Nikko Remigio transferred to Fresno State and tight end Gavin Reinwald went to Rice. Defensive end JH Tevis, who had 37 total tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss, is transferring to Indiana, as are a handful of others.

Who’s coming in

The big name joining the roster is Washington linebacker Jackson Sirmon, who had 91 total tackles and four tackles for loss last season for the Huskies. Utah defensive lineman Xavier Carlton and Purdue quarterback Jack Plummer are also transferring in, but the team is losing quite a bit of production at wide receiver and in the run game without much immediate help coming in.

Colorado …

Who’s leaving

Remarkably, Colorado has had 20 players enter the portal since November, and quite a few are big contributors. Receiver Brenden Rice, who was second on the team in receiving yards, transferred to USC. Running back Jarek Broussard, who led the team in rushing with 661 yards, transferred to Michigan State.

Defensive backs Christian Gonzalez and Mekhi Blackmon both transferred out — they had nine pass breakups between the two of them. Safety Mark Perry was second on the team in tackles with 66 and also had two interceptions. Perry transferred to TCU, leaving Colorado thin in the secondary.

Who’s coming in

The staff has Alabama offensive tackle Tommy Brown joining the program, which will help offset some of the losses along the line. Baylor wide receiver R.J. Sneed transferred in as well and will bolster some of the production at receiver lost from Rice and Dimitri Stanley.

Defensive lineman Chance Main and running back Ramon Jefferson are also transferring in, but the Buffaloes are still losing a lot of production for next year.

… Read full story here …

–

—–

February 8th

Pac-12 Transfer Portal Winners (7) and Losers (5)

From the San Jose Mercury News … Dozens of players have passed through the transfer portal on their way into, and out of, Pac-12 football programs since the fall.

To be more precise: 18 dozen.

The 247Sports database shows 214 players have entered or departed the conference. The figure includes intra-league moves, but every talent gained is a talent lost.

We cannot make full sense of the situation. After all, the portal never closes, and there are bound to be dozens more comings and goings before the 2022 rosters are set.

But we felt compelled to examine the situation to this point, with another assessment planned for the late spring.

Winners:

Arizona
Arizona State
Cal
Oregon
USC
Utah
Washington State

Losers:

Colorado
Biggest arrival: receiver R.J. Snead (from Baylor)
Biggest departure: cornerback Christian Gonzalez (to Oregon)
Comment: While the departure of Brenden Rice (to USC) drew the headlines, CU has a capable replacement arriving in Snead, who caught 133 passes in his Baylor career. We should note the loss of tailback Jarek Broussard, as well. But Gonzalez will be the most difficult to replace with the limited returning talent and lack of newcomers with equivalent credentials. All in all, the Buffaloes have been hit hard by the portal — arguably harder than any team in the conference. The climb to securing a net-positive offseason will be steep.
Oregon State
Stanford
UCLA
Washington

… Read full story here …

–

—–

February 7th

Transfer Portal abuse: “There’s definitely tampering going on”

From The Athletic … The standout running back from a Group of 5 program got an unsolicited call from a coach at a Power 5 program.

The coach made a promise: Come here, and we can make sure you make the most of your name, image and likeness.

And he put a number on it: $200,000.

The problem? This particular running back wasn’t one of the more than 1,000 FBS scholarship football players who entered his name in the transfer portal during the past year.

“It’s a reality,” a Group of 5 assistant coach told The Athletic this month. “(Tampering) is going on right now.”

Roster management never has been more difficult in college sports. In April, the NCAA eliminated the requirement for first-time transfers to sit out a season before resuming their playing career. Three months later, athletes were allowed to monetize their name, image and likeness for the first time.

The power balance in college athletics has shifted, and college football is in the midst of a never-before-seen roster turnover tornado.

None of the coaches The Athletic spoke with on the condition of anonymity for this story oppose free transfers or NIL, but the two seismic rule changes have combined to create an environment they feel is untenable and, on the issue of transfers specifically, could end up hurting the careers of more players than it helps.

Like it or not, it’s the new reality in the sport. Every coaching staff is wrestling with how to answer one question: How do we keep our players out of the portal?

“That’s the golden question right there,” a Group of 5 head coach said.

The portal launched Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III’s career into the stratosphere after he left Wake Forest, and it turned Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams into one of the sport’s biggest stars after he left Ohio State. At Kentucky, Wan’Dale Robinson’s production in 2021 surpassed what he did in two seasons at Nebraska combined.

But the portal isn’t a fairy tale for everyone.

As semesters begin across college campuses, just more than 50 percent of players who have entered the portal have announced new homes. The longer a player is stuck in the portal, the more questions coaches have about why, like when a house is stuck on the market for months on end.

“The portal was invented for Joe Burrow-type guys. It’s not a bad thing,” a Group of 5 assistant said. “It’s just like anything. We have to educate our players about the tool and if it’s best for them.”

… Continue reading story here …

–

—–

February 1st

CU picks up a commitment from JC Defensive back Jeremy Mack (with four years to play three)

From CUSportsNation … Jeremy Mack, coming to CU from East Mississippi Community College, is 6’0″, 189-pounds, and will have four years to play three at Colorado. Mack spent time playing both safety and nickel back this past season. (EMCC bio)

Mack posted 40 tackles and four interceptions in 10 games played. For his efforts, he earned first-team All-MACCC (Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference) honors, one of 16 Lions to be recognized by their league following the season.

“I really like the coaching staff,” Mack said. “I feel like they’re a coaching staff that will love me and help me grow into the man I want to be one day. The state of Colorado was big for me, too.”

“The way they want to play me is something I feel like I can do and do at a good level.”

… Continue reading story here …

–

—

Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams officially commits to USC

From CBS Sports … USC has landed a monumental commitment from star quarterback Caleb Williams, who will reunite with coach Lincoln Riley after transferring from Oklahoma. Williams was the No. 2 quarterback in the 2021 recruiting class before enjoying a breakout freshman season for the Sooners this past season.

“I wanted to go somewhere I thought would provide me with the best development both on and off the field,” Williams told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “Getting to know Coach Riley and gaining familiarity with his offense definitely played a part in my selection, as well as already knowing some the guys on the team.”

Williams’ transfer is part of a new era in college football, one in which high-profile players can use the portal to follow coaches who have taken different jobs while maintaining immediate eligibility. In November, Riley became the first Oklahoma coach since 1946 to leave for another collegiate job. USC then lost quarterbacks Kedon Slovis and Jaxson Dart to the transfer portal. But Williams, who has two years of eligibility left before he’s eligible for the NFL Draft, gives the Trojans an immediate impact player for the program to build around. He joins fellow 2021 recruit Miller Moss as the only scholarship quarterbacks on the roster for USC.

As a true freshman, Williams sat behind Oklahoma incumbent QB Spencer Rattler to start the 2021 season but stepped in at halftime of the Red River Showdown against Texas to lead the biggest comeback in the history of the rivalry. After accumulating 300 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in the 55-48 win over the Longhorns, Williams went on to start the next seven games and ultimately led the Sooners to a 47-32 Alamo Bowl victory over No. 14 Oregon.

–

—–

January 31st

CU’s newest offensive lineman, Alex Harkey, is a JC transfer (with three years of eligibility remaining)

From BuffStampede.com … Colorado only inked two offensive linemen during the early signing period in December, but the Buffaloes have been adding offensive linemen since then. Tommy Brown has transferred in from Alabama, high school center prospect Van Wells committed on Jan. 16, and Junior Tyler College offensive tackle Alex Harkey announced his intention to transfer to Colorado on Monday.

“It was my first time being in Colorado and it was nice,” Harkey told BuffStampede.com shortly after returning from his trip to the Front Range. “I had been on some unofficial visits before, but nothing like that. We got to see the mountains, had a bunch of food to eat, checked out the facilities, and we finished up with the academic side. It felt like a big family and it felt like somewhere I could make a home.”

Colorado complimented the 6-foot-6, 300-pound Harkey on his quick feet and his passion for the game.

Harkey drew some interest from FBS programs during his prep career at Buda (Texas) Hays, where he stood out as a tight end and defensive lineman. But he needed to go the Junior College route in order to shore up his academics. Harkey quickly gained weight and developed as an offensive lineman at Tyler Junior College. He lined up at right tackle for the Apache and was named honorable mention all-conference despite missing the first four games.

… Read full story here …

–

—

CU picks up a senior transfer running back, Ramon Jefferson

With Sam Houston beginning the transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision and not eligible for postseason play in 2022, Jefferson elected to play his final season in Boulder.

… Continue reading story here …

–

—–

January 30th

Former Buff running back Jarek Broussard commits to Michigan State

Only half of Pac-12 players who entered Transfer Portal have found new homes

From NCAA Transfer Portal …

Power Five conference breakdown; what % of players who entered since 8/1 have found a new school:

PAC 12 = 50%
SEC = 62.7%
Big 12 = 51%
ACC = 56.8%
Big Ten = 61.3%

Group of Five conference breakdown; what % of players who entered since 8/1 have found a new school:

Sun Belt = 37.6%
Mountain West = 45.2%
Independent = 29.3%
AAC = 50%
CUSA = 32.2%
MAC = 42.3%

By my count, CU is a little above the Pac-12 average, with 14 of 21 transferees (67%) having committed to new schools …

Offensive lineman Chance Lytle (1/19) … (one year of of eligibility left) … Started in the 2021 opener; but in for only 46 snaps the remainder of the season … New home: TBD …
Wide receiver DiMitri Stanley (1/18) … (two years of eligibility left) … Stanley was fourth on the team with 15 receptions for 130 yards and one touchdown … Stanley started seven games in 2021 … New home: TBD
Safety Chris Miller (1/18) … (one year of eligibility left) … Started in the opener, but was injured for 10 of the remaining games in 2021 … New home: TBD
Punter Josh Watts (1/18) … (one year of eligibility left) … 66 punts in 2021 – 47.79 average (6th in the nation); 39.5 net … New home: TBD
Running back Jarek Broussard (1/13) … (two years of eligibility left) … Led the Buffs in rushing with 661 yards on 142 carries, with two touchdowns … New home: Michigan State
Offensive lineman Kanan Ray (1/12) … (two years of eligibility left) … Was in for 145 plays in 2021 … Started first two games; did not play in final five games … New home: TBD …
Running back Joe Davis (1/11) … (three years of eligibility left) … Five carries for 22 yards in 2021 … New home: TBD …
Cornerback Mehki Blackmon (1/9) … (one year of eligibility left) … 50 tackles (33 unassisted) … six third down stops … One of four captains … New home: USC
Wide receiver Brenden Rice (1/1) … (three years of eligibility left) … Second in catches (21) and yards (299) … Led team in touchdown catches (3) … New home: USC
Safety Mark Perry (12/28) … (three years of eligibility left) … (three years of eligibility left) … Second in plays (761) to Christian Gonzalez … 72 tackles … team leading three interceptions … New home: TCU
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez (12/23) … (three years of eligibility left) … Started every game in 2021 … Arguably CU’s best player … New home: Oregon
Tight end Alec Pell (12/13) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in ten games in 2021 … One catch for 17 yards … New home: Northern Colorado
Defensive lineman Jayden Simon (12/6) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in nine games in 2021 … 72 plays; four tackles … New home: Tulsa
Wide receiver Chris Carpenter (12/5) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in seven games in 2021 … Seven catches for 45 yards … One kickoff return for 15 yards … New home: UT-San Antonio
Running back Ashaad Clayton (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 20 carries for 84 yards; one touchdown … New home: Tulane
Wide receiver Keith Miller, III (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Dressed for three games, did not play … New home: Texas A&M Commerce
Defensive lineman Zephaniah Maea (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 13 plays; one tackle … New home: TBD
Safety Trustin Oliver (11/30) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in eight games in 2021 … 18 plays; one special teams tackle … New home: Central Arkansas
Wide receiver La’Vontae Shenault (11/21) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in three games; starting one … Six receptions for 60 yards … New home: Alabama State
Defensive lineman Blaine Toll (9/28) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 32 plays; three tackles … New home: Arkansas State
Defensive lineman Lloyd Murray (9/27) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 43 plays; one tackle … New home: Sam Houston State

–

—-

January 27th

CU tied for the lead nationally in Transfer Portal players

From the NCAA Transfer Portal tweet …

Power Five schools with the highest # of portal entries (scholarship players) since 8/1:

Maryland: 21
Colorado: 21
Virginia: 20
Indiana: 19
Ole Miss: 18
Arizona: 18
Michigan State: 18
Arkansas: 18
Auburn: 17
Syracuse: 16
USC: 16
Florida State: 16

–

—-

January 26th

The Athletic: Pac-12 Winners and Losers (Guess where CU fits?)

From The Athletic … It’s been almost two months since the end of the Pac-12 regular season, and peak transfer portal season has been going strong for even longer than that. The player movement cycle is far from over, but the first days of class across the Pac-12 and this semester’s looming add/drop deadlines mean rosters are pretty much what they will be for spring football — with a few exceptions.

As this transfer wave settles down a bit, let’s step back and look at who and what won out, who suffered notable losses and what to watch for later this offseason.

Losers

Colorado

In the new era of player movement, losing double-digit players to the transfer portal isn’t necessarily a referendum on the program. But Colorado has lost some significant contributors this offseason, starting with running back Jarek Broussard, who was the conference’s offensive player of the year in 2020 and led the team with 661 rushing yards in 2021. Two of the Buffaloes’ top four wideouts in terms of yardage entered the portal — Brenden Rice picked USC, while Dimitri Stanley has not yet announced a destination — as well as three starters from the defensive backfield in Christian Gonzalez, Mekhi Blackmon and Mark Perry.

To make matters worse, several of those players have transferred within the conference. Blackmon joins Rice at USC. Gonzalez is now at Oregon, which is also recruiting Broussard.

Last season was tough for the Buffaloes, who went 4-8, and the 2022 outlook isn’t great, either. The addition of Baylor’s R.J. Sneed, who caught 46 passes for 573 yards last season, was a good recent pickup, though.

Arizona State’s 2020 signing class

There was plenty of hype around the Sun Devils’ 2020 class — mainly because of the success Arizona State enjoyed recruiting Southern California, landing five of the state’s top 25 prospects.

Four-star wideout Johnny Wilson was the top-rated player in that class, but he was not able to make a real impact in two seasons with the Sun Devils and has transferred to Florida State. Linebacker/defensive end Jordan Banks, another four-star California native, entered the portal after the end of the season. Banks was the fifth-highest rated recruit in Arizona State’s 2020 class. The sixth-highest rated signee was Trayanum, and he just transferred to Ohio State, where the Ohio native will move to the defensive side of the ball after playing running back for the Sun Devils.

Arizona State signed eight four-star prospects in that heralded 2020 class, and three are already gone.

USC’s quarterback depth

The Trojans had expected some version of this for a while. USC exited the 2021 season with three-year starter Kedon Slovis weighing his options, promising freshman Jaxson Dart likely to start in 2022 and another four-star prospect, Miller Moss, in the position room.

Slovis needed a fresh start after a disappointing season and transferred to Pitt, where he’ll play with a solid supporting cast led by Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison. The writing had been on the wall that Slovis wouldn’t be back in 2022, and leaving was the smart play when it came to his long-term future. His NFL Draft stock would benefit from a final good year of film.

Dart’s departure for the portal was more surprising but not too hard to comprehend as speculation swirled around Caleb Williams’ potential transfer. If Williams does transfer to USC, Moss will have a decision about his own future to make, considering that he’s in the same class as Williams.

The only other scholarship quarterback on the roster is Mo Hasan, a former walk-on who transferred from Vanderbilt. But if these depth issues are the cost of landing Williams, then USC will likely be willing to pay that price.

… Read full story here …

–

—–

January 25th

Only half of Pac-12 players who entered Transfer Portal have found new homes

From NCAA Transfer Portal …

Power Five conference breakdown; what % of players who entered since 8/1 have found a new school:

PAC 12 = 50%
SEC = 62.7%
Big 12 = 51%
ACC = 56.8%
Big Ten = 61.3%

Group of Five conference breakdown; what % of players who entered since 8/1 have found a new school:

Sun Belt = 37.6%
Mountain West = 45.2%
Independent = 29.3%
AAC = 50%
CUSA = 32.2%
MAC = 42.3%

By my count, CU is a little above the Pac-12 average, with 14 of 21 transferees (67%) having committed to new schools …

Offensive lineman Chance Lytle (1/19) … (one year of of eligibility left) … Started in the 2021 opener; but in for only 46 snaps the remainder of the season … New home: TBD …
Wide receiver DiMitri Stanley (1/18) … (two years of eligibility left) … Stanley was fourth on the team with 15 receptions for 130 yards and one touchdown … Stanley started seven games in 2021 … New home: TBD
Safety Chris Miller (1/18) … (one year of eligibility left) … Started in the opener, but was injured for 10 of the remaining games in 2021 … New home: TBD
Punter Josh Watts (1/18) … (one year of eligibility left) … 66 punts in 2021 – 47.79 average (6th in the nation); 39.5 net … New home: TBD
Running back Jarek Broussard (1/13) … (two years of eligibility left) … Led the Buffs in rushing with 661 yards on 142 carries, with two touchdowns … New home: Michigan State
Offensive lineman Kanan Ray (1/12) … (two years of eligibility left) … Was in for 145 plays in 2021 … Started first two games; did not play in final five games … New home: TBD …
Running back Joe Davis (1/11) … (three years of eligibility left) … Five carries for 22 yards in 2021 … New home: TBD …
Cornerback Mehki Blackmon (1/9) … (one year of eligibility left) … 50 tackles (33 unassisted) … six third down stops … One of four captains … New home: USC
Wide receiver Brenden Rice (1/1) … (three years of eligibility left) … Second in catches (21) and yards (299) … Led team in touchdown catches (3) … New home: USC
Safety Mark Perry (12/28) … (three years of eligibility left) … (three years of eligibility left) … Second in plays (761) to Christian Gonzalez … 72 tackles … team leading three interceptions … New home: TCU
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez (12/23) … (three years of eligibility left) … Started every game in 2021 … Arguably CU’s best player … New home: Oregon
Tight end Alec Pell (12/13) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in ten games in 2021 … One catch for 17 yards … New home: Northern Colorado
Defensive lineman Jayden Simon (12/6) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in nine games in 2021 … 72 plays; four tackles … New home: Tulsa
Wide receiver Chris Carpenter (12/5) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in seven games in 2021 … Seven catches for 45 yards … One kickoff return for 15 yards … New home: UT-San Antonio
Running back Ashaad Clayton (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 20 carries for 84 yards; one touchdown … New home: Tulane
Wide receiver Keith Miller, III (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Dressed for three games, did not play … New home: Texas A&M Commerce
Defensive lineman Zephaniah Maea (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 13 plays; one tackle … New home: TBD
Safety Trustin Oliver (11/30) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in eight games in 2021 … 18 plays; one special teams tackle … New home: Central Arkansas
Wide receiver La’Vontae Shenault (11/21) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in three games; starting one … Six receptions for 60 yards … New home: Alabama State
Defensive lineman Blaine Toll (9/28) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 32 plays; three tackles … New home: Arkansas State
Defensive lineman Lloyd Murray (9/27) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 43 plays; one tackle … New home: Sam Houston State

–

—–

January 21st

Oregon star running back Travis Dye transferring to USC

From ESPN … USC has added running back transfer Travis Dye, who led Oregon in rushing and receptions this past season.

Dye, who entered the transfer portal last week, joins the Trojans as a graduate transfer. He rushed for 1,271 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2021, and led Oregon with 46 receptions.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Dye earned honorable-mention All-Pac-12 honors in each of the past two seasons. He took over for the injured CJ Verdell as Oregon’s primary ball carrier in October, and he had 153 yards and a touchdown in the Ducks’ Alamo Bowl loss to Oklahoma.

Dye became one of the Pac-12’s most versatile players at Oregon, recording 3,111 career rushing yards, 869 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns.

USC recently has added several notable transfers under new coach Lincoln Riley, including wide receiver Mario Williams and cornerback Latrell McCutchin from Oklahoma, cornerback Mekhi Blackmon from Colorado and running back Austin Jones from Stanford. The Trojans are replacing leading rusher Keaontay Ingram, who is entering the NFL draft.

USC also remains one of the favorites to add Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams, who entered the transfer portal Jan. 3 and played last season for Riley at OU.

–

—–

January 20th

Former Alabama offensive lineman Tommy Brown joins the Buffs

Tommy Brown – OL

Just the facts … Brown is a 6’7″, 315-pound offensive lineman who comes to CU from Alabama … 2018 Rivals bio … 2018 247 Sports bio …

What others said about Brown … Brown was considered to be a four-star prospect by both Rivals and 247 Sports as a part of the Recruiting Class of 2018. Brown, who played for national high school power Mater Dei in California, was listed as No. 13 offensive tackle in the nation, the No. 29 player out of the state of California, and the No. 196 player nationally. At 247 Sports, Brown was rated as the No. 4 offensive guard in the nation, the No. 17 player out of California, and the No. 132 player nationally. (For comparison, CU’s highest rated player in the Class of 2018 was Dimitri Stanley, considered to be the No.438 player nationally).

This past season, Brown played in 10 games, mostly as a reserve and on special teams, but he made one start at right guard. Seeing time at both tackle and guard, as well as on special teams, he played in 28 games during his four seasons with the Tide.

Brown will still have two years of eligibility remaining to play in Boulder.

Out of high school, Brown had other offers from … over 18 Power Five conference teams, including Colorado. Before signing with Alabama, Brown entertained offers from over half of the Pac-12 conference, including Oregon, UCLA, Utah, Washington State, Arizona State, and California. Other offers came from schools like Michigan, Auburn, Florida, Missouri and TCU.

–

—

From the Daily Camera … A former four-star recruit with a national championship ring is coming to Boulder.

On Thursday, offensive lineman Tommy Brown announced that he is transferring from Alabama to play for the Colorado Buffaloes. A graduate transfer, he has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Listed at 6-foot-7, 320 pounds, Brown played the past four seasons at Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide to a College Football Playoff national title in 2020 and CFP runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2021.

A 2018 graduate of Mater Dei (Calif.) High School, Brown was a four-star recruit and rated by 247Sports.com as the No. 5-ranked guard in the 2018 class. He had 17 scholarship offers, including from CU and six other Pac-12 schools, as well as six SEC schools.

… Continue reading story here …

–

—–

January 19th

OL Chance Lytle makes it 20 CU scholarship players in the Transfer Portal

From the Daily Camera … Colorado offensive lineman Chance Lytle has decided to play his final season of college football elsewhere.

On Wednesday, Lytle put his name in the NCAA transfer portal after five seasons with the Colorado Buffaloes. The NCAA did not count the 2020 season toward eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so Lytle has one bonus season to play.

During his time at CU, Lytle played in 30 games with four starts. He played 88 snaps on offense last season. He started the season opener but saw only 46 offensive snaps in the final 11 games.

The 6-foot-7, 340-pound Lytle was slated to be CU’s only senior offensive lineman for the 2022 season.

The updated CU list:

To date, there are 20 scholarship Buffs who have already declared their intention to move on:

Offensive lineman Chance Lytle (1/19) … (one year of of eligibility left) … Started in the 2021 opener; but in for only 46 snaps the remainder of the season … New home: TBD …
Wide receiver DiMitri Stanley (1/18) … (two years of eligibility left) … Stanley was fourth on the team with 15 receptions for 130 yards and one touchdown … Stanley started seven games in 2021 … New home: TBD
Safety Chris Miller (1/18) … (one year of eligibility left) … Started in the opener, but was injured for 10 of the remaining games in 2021 … New home: TBD
Punter Josh Watts (1/18) … (one year of eligibility left) … 66 punts in 2021 – 47.79 average (6th in the nation); 39.5 net … New home: TBD
Running back Jarek Broussard (1/13) … (two years of eligibility left) … Led the Buffs in rushing with 661 yards on 142 carries, with two touchdowns … New home: TBD
Offensive lineman Kanan Ray (1/12) … (two years of eligibility left) … Was in for 145 plays in 2021 … Started first two games; did not play in final five games … New home: TBD …
Running back Joe Davis (1/11) … (three years of eligibility left) … Five carries for 22 yards in 2021 … New home: TBD …
Cornerback Mehki Blackmon (1/9) … (one year of eligibility left) … 50 tackles (33 unassisted) … six third down stops … One of four captains … New home: USC
Wide receiver Brenden Rice (1/1) … (three years of eligibility left) … Second in catches (21) and yards (299) … Led team in touchdown catches (3) … New home: USC
Safety Mark Perry (12/28) … (three years of eligibility left) … (three years of eligibility left) … Second in plays (761) to Christian Gonzalez … 72 tackles … team leading three interceptions … New home: TCU
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez (12/23) … (three years of eligibility left) … Started every game in 2021 … Arguably CU’s best player … New home: Oregon
Tight end Alec Pell (12/13) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in ten games in 2021 … One catch for 17 yards … New home: Northern Colorado
Defensive lineman Jayden Simon (12/6) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in nine games in 2021 … 72 plays; four tackles … New home: Tulsa
Wide receiver Chris Carpenter (12/5) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in seven games in 2021 … Seven catches for 45 yards … One kickoff return for 15 yards … New home: UT-San Antonio
Running back Ashaad Clayton (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 20 carries for 84 yards; one touchdown … New home: Tulane
Wide receiver Keith Miller, III (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Dressed for three games, did not play … New home: Texas A&M Commerce
Defensive lineman Zephaniah Maea (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 13 plays; one tackle … New home: TBD
Safety Trustin Oliver (11/30) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in eight games in 2021 … 18 plays; one special teams tackle … New home: Central Arkansas
Wide receiver La’Vontae Shenault (11/21) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in three games; starting one … Six receptions for 60 yards … New home: Alabama State
Defensive lineman Blaine Toll (9/28) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 32 plays; three tackles … New home: Arkansas State
Defensive lineman Lloyd Murray (9/27) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 43 plays; one tackle … New home: Sam Houston State

–

—–

January 18th

Punter Josh Watts and safety Chris Miller enter the Transfer Portal

… Josh Watts … This may actually make more sense than it appears. Watts was a senior in 2021, and CU signed a scholarship punter in Ashton Logan. It may have been that Watts was never going to be a part of CU’s plans for 2022, and was not expected back (before he set a school record for improvement year-over-year, with his punting average almost seven yards better in 2021 than it was in 2020). Or it may just be that CU is struggling to find open scholarships on their roster for transfers, didn’t feel they could keep two punters on scholarship, and opted to go with the freshman. Or it could be that Watts, who is on pace to graduate in May, wanted to go to a school with a graduate program which CU didn’t offer …

… Chris Miller … Another good example of a mutually beneficial parting. Miller graduated last May, and will be lucky to find a new spot. In his four years in Boulder, Miller was often injured, participating in only 14 games (starting five). Miller started in the 2021 opener against Northern Colorado, but played in only one other game (Minnesota). Despite his potential, Miller was in for only 45 plays last fall (with four tackles) …

… DiMitri Stanley … This one I don’t get. Stanley was a starter for a depleted receiver corps. We’ll see where he lands, but I can see this being another K.D. Nixon situation, where Stanley transfers … and ends up with three catches for 35 yards as Nixon did …

—

The updated CU list:

To date, there are 19 scholarship Buffs who have already declared their intention to move on:

Wide receiver DiMitri Stanley (1/18) … (two years of eligibility left) … Stanley was fourth on the team with 15 receptions for 130 yards and one touchdown … Stanley started seven games in 2021 … New home: TBD
Safety Chris Miller (1/18) … (one year of eligibility left) … Started in the opener, but was injured for 10 of the remaining games in 2021 … New home: TBD
Punter Josh Watts (1/18) … (one year of eligibility left) … 66 punts in 2021 – 47.79 average (6th in the nation); 39.5 net … New home: TBD
Running back Jarek Broussard (1/13) … (two years of eligibility left) … Led the Buffs in rushing with 661 yards on 142 carries, with two touchdowns … New home: TBD
Offensive lineman Kanan Ray (1/12) … (two years of eligibility left) … Was in for 145 plays in 2021 … Started first two games; did not play in final five games … New home: TBD …
Running back Joe Davis (1/11) … (three years of eligibility left) … Five carries for 22 yards in 2021 … New home: TBD …
Cornerback Mehki Blackmon (1/9) … (one year of eligibility left) … 50 tackles (33 unassisted) … six third down stops … One of four captains … New home: TBD
Wide receiver Brenden Rice (1/1) … (three years of eligibility left) … Second in catches (21) and yards (299) … Led team in touchdown catches (3) … New home: USC
Safety Mark Perry (12/28) … (three years of eligibility left) … (three years of eligibility left) … Second in plays (761) to Christian Gonzalez … 72 tackles … team leading three interceptions … New home: TCU
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez (12/23) … (three years of eligibility left) … Started every game in 2021 … Arguably CU’s best player … New home: Oregon
Tight end Alec Pell (12/13) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in ten games in 2021 … One catch for 17 yards … New home: TBD
Defensive lineman Jayden Simon (12/6) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in nine games in 2021 … 72 plays; four tackles … New home: Tulsa
Wide receiver Chris Carpenter (12/5) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in seven games in 2021 … Seven catches for 45 yards … One kickoff return for 15 yards … New home: UT-San Antonio
Running back Ashaad Clayton (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 20 carries for 84 yards; one touchdown … New home: Tulane
Wide receiver Keith Miller, III (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Dressed for three games, did not play … New home: Texas A&M Commerce
Defensive lineman Zephaniah Maea (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 13 plays; one tackle … New home: TBD
Safety Trustin Oliver (11/30) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in eight games in 2021 … 18 plays; one special teams tackle … New home: Central Arkansas
Wide receiver La’Vontae Shenault (11/21) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in three games; starting one … Six receptions for 60 yards … New home: Alabama State
Defensive lineman Blaine Toll (9/28) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 32 plays; three tackles … New home: Arkansas State
Defensive lineman Lloyd Murray (9/27) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 43 plays; one tackle … New home: Sam Houston State

–

—–

January 16th

Graduate Transfer wide receiver RJ Sneed II added to the roster

From the Daily Camera … One of the top receivers for the Big 12 champs is coming to Boulder.

On Sunday, RJ Sneed II (247 Sports bio, Sneed is considered to be a three-star transfer prospect) announced that he will play his final season of college football at Colorado after spending the previous five years at Baylor.

Also on Sunday, Van Wells, an offensive lineman from C.E. King High School in Houston, announced his verbal commitment to the Buffaloes after spending the weekend in Boulder on an official visit.

Listed at 6-foot-1, 203 pounds, Sneed helped Baylor go 12-2 and win the Big 12 championship game, as well as the Sugar Bowl this season. He was second for the Bears in catches (46) and receiving yards (573) and caught two touchdown passes.

During his career, Sneed has 133 catches for 1,564 yards and eight touchdowns. After playing minimally in 2017 and redshirting in 2018, Sneed finished third on the team in receptions (42) and yards (437) in 2019. In 2020, he led the Bears in receptions (39), receiving yards (497) and touchdowns (three) and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors.

A 2017 graduate of Cypress Ranch (Tex.) High School, Sneed was a three-star prospect who had 20 scholarship offers, including from Colorado. He had offers from 17 Power 5 schools, including Alabama, Mississippi, TCU, Arizona State, California, UCLA and Utah.

Sneed graduated from Baylor with a degree in health, kinesiology and leisure studies in August of 2020 and has been working on a master’s in sports pedagogy. He will have one season to play at CU and is expected to begin classes this week.

… Continue reading story here …

–

—–

January 14th

CU picks up an edge rusher from Incarnate Word, Chance Main

From BuffStampede.com … Chance Main has been on a long and winding road since graduating from Cherryvale High School in Kansas in 2018. His college journey will conclude in Boulder.

The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Main will join the mix as an edge player in Colorado’s defense. He previously spent time at Independence Community College and Incarnate Word, and he took an official visit to Florida State earlier this month.

“A lot of ups and downs, a lot of uncertainty and questions and communicating with coaches during this process,” Main told BuffStampede.com while making the 10 hour drive from his home in Kansas to Boulder on Friday morning. “Football is a business, colleges are going to do what is best for their program, so at times it has been emotional. You feel like you are so close to getting something and getting what you want but you can still be so far away.

“So, at times it got frustrating, but I feel very happy with where I am at with it now, having an opportunity to go out to Colorado and play my final year of eligibility. Not only that, one of my best buddies (Jamar Montgomery) that I played with at Independence is out there so I am excited to be able to play with him again.”

Main entered the transfer portal eight months ago, after graduating from Incarnate Word. “A lot” of Power 5 programs reached out initially, but they cooled when Main informed them he needed to go in for shoulder surgery.

“Since I wouldn’t be able to play during the 2021 season, they didn’t want to take the chance,” he said. “I couldn’t lift or do anything that I had been doing, so I got down in a little hole there for a little bit. But I dug myself out of it.

Incarnate Word bio … 2020 (Junior): (Spring 2021) Appeared in five games and recorded 22 tackles (10 unassisted, 12 assisted)…led the team with four sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss…forced one fumble against Southeastern Louisiana on March 20…named to the Southland All-Conference third-team.

2019 (Sophomore): Played in 10 games and started five… registered 28 tackles with 12 unassisted and 16 assisted… tied a team-high 11.5 tackles for loss for 38 yards, including 2.5 sacks for 15 yards… also recorded five pass breakups and one quarterback hurry… had a season-best eight tackles at SFA… had a season-high 3.5 tackles for loss twice, first against Lamar (for 10 yards) and then at SFA (for 15 yards).

Previous: Appeared in seven games for Independence CC, accumulating 10 tackles and 1.5 sacks… recorded best statistical game at Highland CC, making six total tackles and recorded a sack for a 12-yard loss on the day… appeared on Last Chance U.

High School: Played varsity for two seasons at Cherryvale HS… put up serious numbers on both offense, as a tight end, and defense, as a defensive lineman… finished senior season 17 catches for 378 yards and eight touchdowns while recording 51 total tackles, five in the backfield, and three sacks… forced two fumbles and recovered one of them as a senior in just nine games played.

–

—–

January 13th

Running back Jarek Broussard enters the Transfer Portal

The updated CU list:

To date, there are 17 scholarship Buffs who have already declared their intention to move on:

Running back Jarek Broussard (1/13) … (two years of eligibility left) … Led the Buffs in rushing with 661 yards on 142 carries, with two touchdowns … New home: TBD
Offensive lineman Kanan Ray (1/12) … (two years of eligibility left) … Was in for 145 plays in 2021 … Started first two games; did not play in final five games … New home: TBD …
Running back Joe Davis (1/11) … (three years of eligibility left) … Five carries for 22 yards in 2021 … New home: TBD …
Cornerback Mehki Blackmon (1/9) … (one year of eligibility left) … 50 tackles (33 unassisted) … six third down stops … One of four captains …
Wide receiver Brenden Rice (1/1) … (three years of eligibility left) … Second in catches (21) and yards (299) … Led team in touchdown catches (3) …
Safety Mark Perry (12/28) … (three years of eligibility left) … (three years of eligibility left) … Second in plays (761) to Christian Gonzalez … 72 tackles … team leading three interceptions … New home: TCU
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez (12/23) … (three years of eligibility left) … Started every game in 2021 … Arguably CU’s best player … New home: Oregon
Tight end Alec Pell (12/13) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in ten games in 2021 … One catch for 17 yards … New home: TBD
Defensive lineman Jayden Simon (12/6) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in nine games in 2021 … 72 plays; four tackles … New home: Tulsa
Wide receiver Chris Carpenter (12/5) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in seven games in 2021 … Seven catches for 45 yards … One kickoff return for 15 yards … New home: UT-San Antonio
Running back Ashaad Clayton (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 20 carries for 84 yards; one touchdown … New home: Tulane
Wide receiver Keith Miller, III (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Dressed for three games, did not play … New home: Texas A&M Commerce
Defensive lineman Zephaniah Maea (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 13 plays; one tackle … New home: TBD
Safety Trustin Oliver (11/30) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in eight games in 2021 … 18 plays; one special teams tackle … New home: Central Arkansas
Wide receiver La’Vontae Shenault (11/21) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in three games; starting one … Six receptions for 60 yards … New home: Alabama State
Defensive lineman Blaine Toll (9/28) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 32 plays; three tackles … New home: Arkansas State
Defensive lineman Lloyd Murray (9/27) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 43 plays; one tackle … New home: Sam Houston State

–

Utah star linebacker Devin Lloyd to enter the NFL Draft

From ESPN … Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd will enter the NFL draft, he announced in a social media post Wednesday.

The decision was widely expected after he opted to return to Utah following the 2020 season despite the possibility of being a first-round pick in the 2021 draft.

Lloyd is the No. 8-ranked player overall on ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest big board.

Lloyd was a consensus All-American in the 2021 season, leading Utah to its first Pac-12 championship and an appearance in the Rose Bowl. He is a two-time Butkus Award finalist and was The Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year this season after finishing the season with 110 tackles, including 22 for loss.

–

—–

January 12th

Offensive lineman Kanan Ray joins the list of former Buffs

From the Daily Camera … Offensive lineman Kanan Ray has added his name to the list of players leaving the Colorado football team.

A former four-star recruit, Ray announced Wednesday he has put his name in the NCAA transfer portal. He is a graduate transfer and will have two seasons to play.

Ray is the 17th scholarship player from CU to enter the transfer portal since September and the 13th since the season came to a close on Nov. 26. Despite the high number of transfers, CU is still projected for 83 scholarship players in 2022, just two below the NCAA maximum. The Buffs are looking to add several players through the transfer portal or the high school ranks.

A star at Sierra Canyon (Calif.) High School, Ray originally signed with UCLA and head coach Jim Mora as a member of the 2017 class. Ray then grayshirted and delayed his enrollment until January of 2018. Mora was fired after the 2017 season and replaced by Chip Kelly and Ray elected to transfer to CU before enrolling at UCLA.

At CU, Ray played for three head coaches (Mike MacIntyre, Mel Tucker and Karl Dorrell) and four offensive line coaches during his four seasons.

The 6-foot-4, 295-pound Ray played in 22 games, partially on special teams, during his time with the Buffs. He did start three games at guard, however, including two this past season. After rotating at right guard with Casey Roddick early last season, Ray was relegated to a backup role for the second half of the campaign. He played 140 snaps on offense, but did not see the field the last five games.

… Continue reading story here …

–

—

Washington State template: How boosters secured one of the top quarterback transfers

… And where are the CU boosters? No reason this couldn’t (shouldn’t) happen in Boulder … Bueller? … Frye? … Anyone? Anyone? …

From Cougfan.com … NEWLY COMMITTED Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward will be highly visible in Coug Nation in the coming months but not just because of his work on the football field. Via the independent business networking organization CougsFirst!, which encourages Cougs to do business with fellow Cougs, Ward once enrolled will be doing promotional work for the likes of Valley Buick GMC in Auburn, Coug Housing property management and CougsFirst! itself — as well as commentary for Cougfan.com, among other endeavors.

It’s all allowed under the NCAA’s NIL (name/image/likeness) rules in which college athletes can be paid for endorsements and more.

The NIL package for Ward, who starred at FCS Incarnate Word the last two seasons, was crafted in a whirlwind of collaboration late last week and over the weekend among dozens of WSU alums, including an array of one-time Cougar football players.

“This started with a phone call from Paul Sorensen,” said Jack Thompson, the WSU legend who co-founded CougsFirst! 12 years ago with fellow WSU football great Rob Tobeck and devout WSU donor and advocate Glenn Osterhout.

“Paul is incredibly well-wired in the FCS football landscape for obvious reasons and he put out a call to arms here in the Cougar family about Cameron,” Thompson noted.

Sorensen, a WSU Hall of Famer and periodic CF.C columnist, has been broadcasting FCS games at Eastern Washington for two decades and built a nationwide network of connections.

“Paul called and said, one, FCS or FBS, Cameron Ward is the real deal. And two, he knows on good authority that NIL considerations are a very real part of his recruitment at some other schools,” Thompson said.

Ward is rated by 247Sports as one of the nation’s top 10 transfer portal recruits. Last season, the 6-3, 220-pounder from West Columbia, Texas, was 384 of 590 passing (65 percent) for 4,648 yards with 47 TDs while leading Eric Morris’ Incarnate Word Cardinals to a 10-3 record. The Cards advanced to the second round of the FCS playoffs and nearly knocked off No. 1 Sam Houston State.

COMPLETELY UNRELATED TO WARD, Sorensen late last year began securing pledges from fellow WSU football alums to create “some sort of modest NIL pool of funds so student-athletes weren’t stuck eating Stan Webb’s pellet-filled chukar at the end of the month like I was when I was playing ball,” he said. “More than 40 guys have stepped up to be part of our pool but we were a ways off from formally launching anything.

“When I learned what WSU was up against in recruiting Cameron Ward, I called Jack because CougsFirst! started work months ago to create a formal NIL organization — the Cougar Collective — around which Coug Nation can coalesce in support of NIL opportunities. CougsFirst! has the structure and credibility to make things happen quickly. And that’s exactly what transpired here this week. Jack and Rob took the bull by the horns, and our modest group folded our pledges into those efforts.”

Jed Collins ran the point for CougsFirst! in pulling together a kitchen cabinet of business owners and allies (including one-time Super Bowl winners Brett Carolan and Mark Rypien) and then communicating with Ward’s representative. Tony Poston, the founder of College Hill, also played a key role.

“The first question we asked ourselves was how seriously does WSU need this young man,” said Collins, the former WSU standout and retired NFL fullback who now is an author and speaker focused on teaching young people about financial management.

“The various articles on Cougfan and 247 pretty much answered the first question, especially in the wake of Jayden de Laura’s departure,” he added. “And while we’re not in position — or of the mind — to arrange anything extravagant, we have an array of alumni-owned businesses which can put Cameron to work under NIL … And I’d like to add, it was heartwarming to see how people like Ron Claudon (Valley Buick GMC); Greg Beckel (Coug Housing); and really every single person we reached out to, dropped whatever they were doing to help brainstorm.”

… Continue reading story here …

–

—–

January 11th

Washington State’s QB Jayden de Laura lands in Tucson

From ESPN … Former Washington State quarterback Jayden de Laura will transfer to Arizona, he announced Monday on Twitter.

De Laura appeared in 16 games over the past two seasons for the Cougars, throwing for 3,684 yards with 28 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He led the Pac-12 in both passing yards and touchdowns during conference play this past season.

He will have three years of eligibility remaining.

With de Laura’s arrival, Arizona will have five scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, including Will Plummer, Jordan McCloud and WSU transfer Gunner Cruz, all of whom started games for the Wildcats in 2021. Three-star recruit Noah Fifita is an early enrollee.

De Laura’s announcement came just hours after Incarnate Word quarterback Cameron Ward announced he is headed to Washington State, where he will presumably replace de Laura as the starter.

–

—–

January 9th

Dagger: Cornerback Mehki Blackmon becomes the third starting defensive back to leave the team

From the Daily Camera … Colorado’s secondary took another hit Saturday night.

Senior Mekhi Blackmon, who has started each of the past two years at cornerback, announced his intention to put his name in the NCAA transfer portal.

Blackmon’s announcement came just hours after the Buffs’ other starting cornerback, Christian Gonzalez, announced that he will play at Oregon next season. Gonzalez entered the transfer portal last month. Starting free safety Mark Perry is also in the transfer portal.

In a message posted on social media, Blackmon wrote, “It’s been a journey of trials and tribulations, but I’ve appreciated all 4 years at Colorado. Everyone goes through tough times, it’s inevitable, and I will say it make us stronger. Since I arrived in Boulder in 2018 with Coach (Mike) Macintyre, I knew change needed to be made and I committed to the mindset that we were capable of getting the program back to where it needed to be.

“Through many coaching changes, I remained positive and I never considered running from the challenge of adjusting. I am still confident in what Coach (Karl) Dorrell will do for the Colorado Buffaloes, but I am sad to say that I will not be a part of it as I have decided to enter the transfer portal as a grad transfer. I cannot stress the respect I have for each and every coach, teammate, staff member, and fan I’ve crossed paths with.. I wish you all the best and I am excited to see what new opportunities God will bring for me and my career.”

… Continue reading story here …

–

—–

January 8th

Dagger: Christian Gonzalez follows Demetrice Martin to Oregon

Christian Gonzalez has posted a tweet that he will be following his position coach, Demetrice Martin, to Oregon.

Gonzalez becomes the second Buff in the past two seasons to leave CU and sign with a Pac-12 rival (joining wide receiver K.D. Nixon, who signed last year with USC).

Update … Safety Mark Perry will be returning to Folsom Field … playing for TCU in the opener …

The updated CU list:

To date, there are 14 scholarship Buffs who have already declared their intention to move on:

Cornerback Mehki Blackmon (1/9) … (one year of eligibility left) … 50 tackles (33 unassisted) … six third down stops … One of four captains …
Wide receiver Brenden Rice (1/1) … (three years of eligibility left) … Second in catches (21) and yards (299) … Led team in touchdown catches (3) …
Safety Mark Perry (12/28) … (three years of eligibility left) … (three years of eligibility left) … Second in plays (761) to Christian Gonzalez … 72 tackles … team leading three interceptions … New home: TCU
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez (12/23) … (three years of eligibility left) … Started every game in 2021 … Arguably CU’s best player … New home: Oregon
Tight end Alec Pell (12/13) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in ten games in 2021 … One catch for 17 yards … New home: TBD
Defensive lineman Jayden Simon (12/6) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in nine games in 2021 … 72 plays; four tackles … New home: Tulsa
Wide receiver Chris Carpenter (12/5) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in seven games in 2021 … Seven catches for 45 yards … One kickoff return for 15 yards … New home: UT-San Antonio
Running back Ashaad Clayton (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 20 carries for 84 yards; one touchdown … New home: Tulane
Wide receiver Keith Miller, III (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Dressed for three games, did not play … New home: TBD
Defensive lineman Zephaniah Maea (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 13 plays; one tackle … New home: TBD
Safety Trustin Oliver (11/30) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in eight games in 2021 … 18 plays; one special teams tackle … New home: Central Arkansas
Wide receiver La’Vontae Shenault (11/21) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in three games; starting one … Six receptions for 60 yards … New home: TBD
Defensive lineman Blaine Toll (9/28) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 32 plays; three tackles … New home: Arkansas State
Defensive lineman Lloyd Murray (9/27) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 43 plays; one tackle … New home: Sam Houston State

–

—–

January 5th

247 Sports: Christian Gonzalez one of the ten best Portal players available

From 247 Sports … Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams announced his decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal this week, the latest big-name talent to explore his options in college football this season. Peeking at our updated 247Sports Transfer Portal Rankings, there are several top-end players available with starting experience available as of Tuesday afternoon with Oklahoma’s heralded freshman becoming the latest player to reveal his intentions. Ole Miss‘ QB-turned-WR John Rhys Plumlee hit the portal, too, likely with hopes of playing quarterback again.

Williams is the second Sooners quarterback to leave this cycle, joining Spencer Rattler, who announced he was transferring to South Carolina in December.

The transfer portal has seen a record number of entries this season, as more than 1,400 players have submitted their names for departure purposes since the end of the regular season, according to 247Sports’ Chris Hummer.

Here’s a look at the 10 highest-rated players available in the portal who haven’t yet committed to another program. Transfer ratings are in parenthesis next to each player.

Christian Gonzalez … Colorado

Overall rank: No. 31

Former school: Colorado

The word: Per Buffalo Stampede, “Gonzalez graded out by Pro Football Focus as Colorado’s third best defensive player in 2021, behind Carson Wells and Mekhi Blackmon. Gonzalez played more snaps than any other Buff in 2021, on either side of the ball, and if it weren’t for some incredible catches made by USC’s Drake London in week five, he might have graded out as CU’s best player. Gonzalez only allowed an average of 23.5 yards per game in coverage in the other 11 contests.”

… Read full story here …

–

—–

January 4th

Over 1,400 FBS players have entered the Portal since August: “How are we going to manage this?”

From Sports Illustrated … On Christmas Eve, Wyoming coach Craig Bohl posted a message on Twitter that many found flatly bizarre.

In the tweet, Bohl revealed that his program needed a quarterback—for starters, an unusual approach—and that he planned to acquire that quarterback through the transfer portal or a junior college. It was a loud and public cry to the dozens of quarterbacks in the portal.

HELP WANTED.

In its fourth year of existence, the transfer portal is impacting the sport more than ever before. It is resulting in curious public statements such as Bohl’s tweet, an outcry from frustrated coaches, new positions on coaching staffs and player movement like college football has never witnessed.

The last two months have seen more than 3,000 NCAA DI, D2 and D3 football players enter the portal, the highest number of entrants in the history of the operation.

The portal has become such a driving force that college officials this fall increased school signing limits as a way for coaches to replace their players who left for the portal. The portal has gained enough traction among college football’s fanbase that Dr. Pepper incorporated it into its “Fansville” ad campaign. The “transfer portal” appears in one commercial not as a glorified database with transferring players’ names but as a true portal, a mythical gateway that transmits players across space and time.

The transfer portal is impacting staffs. In fact, on Monday, new Florida coach Billy Napier announced the hiring of Bird Sherrill, a former NFL scout who will have the title of “director of college personnel” with a job description that focuses on “the evaluation of transfer portal and JUCO players.” In other words, Florida now has a Transfer Portal Recruiting Coordinator.

Later on Monday brought some of the most significant portal news in its short history.

The nation’s No. 1-ranked high school quarterback last year and one of the best passers in college football this year, Oklahoma’s Caleb Williams, announced his intentions to enter the portal. His decision sent the expected shockwaves through a sport that is accustomed this time of year to the coaching carousel, not the quarterback shuffle.

Well, buckle up, because it’s not ending anytime soon.

“I don’t expect it always to be like this, but I don’t expect it to ever return to how it was,” says Brian Spilbeler, co-founder of Tracking Football, an advanced scouting analysis company that provides its clients—more than 50 FBS schools—with aggregated and organized data on players in the portal. “This is a new reality emerging for some time that has hit the critical mass. Colleges are starting to accommodate it now. More and more programs have gotten over the shock and awe and said ‘OK, how are we going to manage this?’”

Since Aug. 1, the start of the 2021-22 portal cycle, more than 1,400 FBS players have entered the portal. That’s 11 players for every one of the 130 FBS schools. Most estimate that one-quarter to one-third of those players are walk-ons, though it’s tough to compute, Spilbeler says.

The majority of names popped into the database in November and December—both record-setting months. In November, 1,471 NCAA players entered the portal, and in December, that number rose to 1,618, says Spilbeler. Those monthly figures include all NCAA athletes: Division 1 (both FBS and FCS), Division II and Division III. About 35% of all portal entrants are from the FBS.

Williams became the latest former starting Power 5 quarterback to enter the database, joining Zach Calzada (Texas A&M to TBA), Kedon Slovis (USC to Pitt), Bo Nix (Auburn to Oregon) and Max Johnson (LSU to Texas A&M).

… Continue reading story here …

–

—–

January 3rd

Surprise entry: Oklahoma starting quarterback Caleb Williams enters Transfer Portal

… Will Williams follow Lincoln Riley to USC? Sounds like this might be the wave of the future for superstars. Williams can test the waters to find out his “market value” (i.e., how much NIL money he can “earn”), and transfer to the highest bidder (or stay with Oklahoma if he doesn’t get a better offer) …

From CBS Sports … Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 2 quarterback recruit in the Class of 2021, will enter the transfer portal after one year with the Sooners. However, staying at Oklahoma “will definitely be an option,” according the statement Williams posted to Twitter on Monday announcing the move.

“I came to Oklahoma with a game plan, but with all of the recent changes, I need to figure out what is the right path for me moving forward,” Williams wrote in a statement. “According to NCAA rules, as a student-athlete, the only way I can speak with other schools and see who may offer the best preparation and development for my future career is by entering the portal. Staying at OU will definitely be an option as I begin this process.”

Williams took Norman, Oklahoma, by storm after leading a 21-point comeback after halftime against rival Texas in the Red River Showdown, the second-biggest comeback in program history. He was named to the 247Sports True Freshman All-America Team after throwing for 1,912 yards, 21 touchdowns and just four interceptions after taking over for Spencer Rattler. The freshman also rushed for 442 yards and six touchdowns after playing meaningful snaps in eight games in the 2021 season.

In an unorthodox move, Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione and newly-hired football coach Brent Venables released a statement immediately after Williams declared his intentions.

“Caleb Williams enjoyed an exciting and impactful first season at the University of Oklahoma and we will continue to be engaged with him and his family on a comprehensive plan for his development as a student and a quarterback, including a path to graduation and strategic leveraging of NIL opportunities,” said Castiglione and Venables. “While we believe OU provides Caleb the best opportunity to develop as a player and realize his goals for college and beyond, we respect his right to explore his options following key staffing changes here.”

The decision comes more than a month after former coach Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma for the same position at USC in a shocking coaching carousel twist. In the weeks since, 2023’s No. 2 overall quarterback Malachi Nelson flipped his commitment from Oklahoma to Riley at USC.

The Sooners also lost Rattler to South Carolina. If Williams opts to leave, Penn State transfer Micah Bowens, who has not thrown a pass for the Sooners, will be the only remaining scholarship quarterback on the roster.

… Alabama and Ohio State have strong quarterbacks coming back, but Clemson and Georgia could use upgrades. Notre Dame, Ole Miss and Michigan State are also top-10 squads that could be looking for options. Really, any school in the country that isn’t starting Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud should at least consider their options if Williams is on the table. He can swing a conference, or even national, title race.

… Continue reading story here …

–

—–

January 1st

New Year starts on a down note: Wide receiver Brenden Rice enters Transfer Portal

From Rice’s tweet … “This is has been the hardest decision my family and I have endured. With that being said, I will be entering the Transfer Portal. Thank you, Colorado” …

With Rice’s defection, all four of the blue-chip signees in Colorado’s 2020 class have either transferred or are currently in the transfer portal … Brenden Rice, Ashaad Clayton, Jason Harris, and Christian Gonzalez …

The updated CU list:

To date, there are 11 scholarship Buffs who have already declared their intention to move on:

Wide receiver Brenden Rice (1/1) … (three years of eligibility left) … Second in catches (21) and yards (299) … Led team in touchdown catches (3) …
Safety Mark Perry (12/28) … (three years of eligibility left) … (three years of eligibility left) … Second in plays (761) to Christian Gonzalez … 72 tackles … team leading three interceptions … New home: TBD
Defensive back Christian Gonzalez (12/23) … (three years of eligibility left) … Started every game in 2021 … Arguably CU’s best player … New home: TBS
Tight end Alec Pell (12/13) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in ten games in 2021 … One catch for 17 yards … New home: TBD
Defensive lineman Jayden Simon (12/6) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in nine games in 2021 … 72 plays; four tackles … New home: Tulsa
Wide receiver Chris Carpenter (12/5) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in seven games in 2021 … Seven catches for 45 yards … One kickoff return for 15 yards … New home: UT-San Antonio
Running back Ashaad Clayton (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 20 carries for 84 yards; one touchdown … New home: Tulane
Wide receiver Keith Miller, III (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Dressed for three games, did not play … New home: TBD
Defensive lineman Zephaniah Maea (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 13 plays; one tackle … New home: TBD
Safety Trustin Oliver (11/30) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in eight games in 2021 … 18 plays; one special teams tackle … New home: Central Arkansas
Wide receiver La’Vontae Shenault (11/21) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in three games; starting one … Six receptions for 60 yards … New home: TBD
Defensive lineman Blaine Toll (9/28) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 32 plays; three tackles … New home: Arkansas State
Defensive lineman Lloyd Murray (9/27) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 43 plays; one tackle … New home: TBD

–

December 28th

Safety Mark Perry becomes the second starting defensive back to defect in the past week

The updated CU list:

To date, there are 10 scholarship Buffs who have already declared their intention to move on:

Safety Mark Perry (12/28) … (three years of eligibility left) … (three years of eligibility left) … Second in plays (761) to Christian Gonzalez … 72 tackles … team leading three interceptions … New home: TBD
Defensive back Christian Gonzalez (12/23) … (three years of eligibility left) … Started every game in 2021 … Arguably CU’s best player … New home: TBS
Tight end Alec Pell (12/13) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in ten games in 2021 … One catch for 17 yards … New home: TBD
Defensive lineman Jayden Simon (12/6) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in nine games in 2021 … 72 plays; four tackles … New home: Tulsa
Wide receiver Chris Carpenter (12/5) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in seven games in 2021 … Seven catches for 45 yards … One kickoff return for 15 yards … New home: UT-San Antonio
Running back Ashaad Clayton (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 20 carries for 84 yards; one touchdown … New home: Tulane
Wide receiver Keith Miller, III (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Dressed for three games, did not play … New home: TBD
Defensive lineman Zephaniah Maea (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 13 plays; one tackle … New home: TBD
Safety Trustin Oliver (11/30) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in eight games in 2021 … 18 plays; one special teams tackle … New home: Central Arkansas
Wide receiver La’Vontae Shenault (11/21) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in three games; starting one … Six receptions for 60 yards … New home: TBD
Defensive lineman Blaine Toll (9/28) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 32 plays; three tackles … New home: Arkansas State
Defensive lineman Lloyd Murray (9/27) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 43 plays; one tackle … New home: TBD

–

—–

December 25th – Merry Christmas!

Wyoming posts “help wanted” ad for Transfer Portal quarterback

From ESPN … Most coaches prefer to navigate college football’s transfer market in private, but not Wyoming coach Craig Bohl.

On Friday, less than 72 hours after ending their season with a win over Kent State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and then losing their starting quarterback to the transfer portal, Bohl took the unusual step of making a statement selling his team as a landing spot for a transfer quarterback.

In a message posted to Twitter, Bohl cited the one-time transfer rule and the ability for players to profit from their name, image and likeness. He said his staff “anticipated this movement and have a clear vision to navigate these uncharted waters.”

“Cowboy Football will address the need to sign a quarterback via the transfer portal or junior college,” Bohl said. “We believe this is a great opportunity for a transfer quarterback to make an impact on our program. We’ve seen that before when we brought Josh Allen into our program, and we’re excited for the next chapter of Cowboy Football.”

Allen started out at Reedley College — a junior college — before transferring to Wyoming before the 2015 season.

Three years later, he was the No. 7 overall pick of the Buffalo Bills in the NFL draft.

… Continue reading story here …

–

—–

December 24th

Christian Gonzalez, arguably CU’s best returning defensive player, enters the Transfer Portal

From the Daily Camera … Throughout his first two seasons with the Colorado Buffaloes, Christian Gonzalez developed into one of the best cornerbacks in the Pac-12.

In his third season of college football, he will play somewhere else. Late Thursday night, Gonzalez announced that he will put his name in the NCAA transfer port.

“Buff Nation, I want to say thank you for everything,” he wrote on social media. “Thank you for all of the support and all the love over the past 2 years. I also want to say thank you to the coaching staff and everyone who helped me make a mark in the Pac. 12. After long talks and consideration with my family, we have decided that it is best that I move on from the University of Colorado.”

Gonzalez’s announcement came just a few hours after it became official that CU cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin is leaving the Buffs to coach cornerbacks at Oregon.

Gonzalez is the 11th scholarship player from CU to enter the transfer portal since September, but he is without question the most impactful player to leave, as he has started all 18 of the Buffs’ games over the past two years.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Gonzalez came to CU as part of the 2020 recruiting class from The Colony (Tex.) High School. He was recruited to CU by former head coach Mel Tucker, who left CU before Gonzalez arrived.

–

—-

December 23rd

The Athletic: Has the Transfer Portal brought an end to the backup quarterback?

From The Athletic … After the first weekend without a full slate of big games, the avalanche began. By Monday afternoon, they were everywhere: starting quarterbacks who didn’t want to become backup quarterbacks.

Bo Nix left Auburn. Lincoln Riley’s arrival at USC didn’t dissuade Kedon Slovis from leaving L.A. And Zach Calzada, the only quarterback to beat Alabama since Nix did it more than two years ago, left Texas A&M.

All three spent most of 2021 as starters at some of college football’s proudest programs.

They joined Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler, UCF’s Dillon Gabriel, Nebraska’s Adrian Martinez, Indiana’s Michael Penix Jr. and LSU’s Max Johnson, who were already in the portal and seeking a new destination. Rattler, a five-star prospect out of high school who began 2021 as a Heisman frontrunner and ended it on the bench, committed to South Carolina on Monday.

He’s the first big domino in the ripest, most experienced market for transfer quarterbacks in college football history. It’s great news for programs looking for a Day 1 savior like Jack Coan at Notre Dame or Hendon Hooker at Tennessee, but it’s more than alarming news for coaches trying to build depth at the most important position on the field.

“Never seen anything like this,” one Power 5 coach told The Athletic on Monday.

All of those quarterbacks have two key things in common: They’ve all won big games at big-time programs. All conceivably could have been their program’s starting quarterback next fall.

Odds may have been against it, like in Calzada’s case, in which a healthy Haynes King and five-star freshman Conner Weigman’s arrival could have narrowed his path to the field.

But for each, there was a path to the field. The path to holding a clipboard may have been slightly wider for some, but it would have benefited each of the programs to have a quarterback of that caliber waiting in the wings.

Instead, the quarterbacks and programs are looking elsewhere. Time will tell what they find in an unprecedented market, and how it works come fall is an even bigger question.

Call it the death of the backup quarterback in college football: It never has been harder to have a roster with two experienced, highly recruited quarterbacks who have proved they can win games in a major conference.

“If they’re not the starter or about to start, they’re gone,” another Power 5 coach said.

From 2014 to 2017, nearly half of the top 50 quarterbacks in each recruiting class eventually transferred. That number continues to climb and has yet to show signs of slowing. And it seems likely transfers will come sooner than ever.

The cost of leaving never has been lower, and that’s a great option for players seeking to remove themselves from unfavorable conditions. It’s an option players should have had long ago.

For the better part of a decade, quarterbacks with a degree in hand have had the option of transferring without having to sit out for what is, in practice, a nine-month noncompete clause for an unpaid position.

But just eight months ago, the NCAA granted athletes one free transfer, eliminating the nonsensical noncompete clause and the growing practice of filing increasingly frivolous requests for exemptions that usually benefited athletes with the means to pay for a lawyer good enough to outwit the NCAA.

That means all the names listed above will be back on the field again this fall. Or not. Though the risks are lower than ever, the rewards remain unchanged. And often, that can mean mixed results. Sometimes, talent rises to the top of the depth chart.

… Continue reading story here …

–

—–

December 22nd

USC’s Kedon Slovis lands in (drum roll) Pitt

From CBS Sports … Former USC quarterback Kedon Slovis will transfer to Pittsburgh, the junior announced in the Players’ Tribune on Tuesday. Slovis has up to two years of eligibility remaining with the Panthers.

Slovis started three years at USC, throwing for 7,576 yards and 58 touchdowns with a 68.4% completion percentage. As a junior, he added 2,153 yards and 11 touchdowns in just nine games before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

His departure comes weeks after Lincoln Riley was hired from Oklahoma to take over the program. USC now has two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, one of whom, freshman Jaxon Dart, threw for 1,353 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions in six games for the Trojans this season.

“I was so excited when Coach Narduzzi called, because I knew that Pitt and this program were the right fit for me to keep developing into the best leader I can be,” Slovis wrote. “I’m ready to win now — and talking to the players who are returning, and seeing how hungry they are for next season, that got me pumped. They have a lot of talented players coming back. And, man … getting to throw the ball to the guy who just won the Biletnikoff?? That’s something you don’t pass up. The culture and identity that Coach Narduzzi has created is everything I want to be a part of.”

… Continue reading story here …

–

—–

December 20th

First one in! CU picks transfer portal quarterback from Houston, Maddox Kopp

Maddox Kopp, a Class of 2021 pro-style quarterback from Houston, Texas, has announced that he is transferring to Colorado.

Just the facts … Kopp is a 6’5″, 212-pound quarterback from St. Thomas high in Houston … Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio …

What others said about Kopp … Kopp was considered to be a three-star prospect by both Rivals and 247 Sports. At Rivals, he was rated as the No. 23 pro-style quarterback from the Class of 2021, and the No. 69 overall prospect out of Texas. At 247 Sports, Kopp was listed as the No. 53 quarterback in the nation, the No. 106 player out of Texas, and the No. 748 player in the nation.

… (Compare: CU’s quarterback from the Class of 2021, Drew Carter, who was listed by 247 Sports as the No. 66 quarterback in the nation, the No. 970 player in the nation. Other than having three stars, Kopp was not rated nationally by Rivals) …

… At St. Thomas High School in Houston, Kopp threw for more than 6,000 yards and 59 touchdowns in his career. As a senior, he threw for 3,134 yards and 30 touchdowns with four interceptions. In 2019, he threw for 3,089 yards and 28 touchdowns …

Rivals evaluation (out of high school) … Last season (2019), Kopp emerged as one of the top passers in TAPPS. He has a fantastic deep ball and takes advantage of the full field, able to attack inside and outside the numbers with enough arm strength to effectively complete those throws.

During the Elite 11 earlier this year (2020), Kopp flashed his ability to attack downfield with a smooth delivery and accuracy on his deep passes. He throws with adequate zip and is at his best when attacking downfield between the hashes. He’s also especially impressive in the red zone, which of course, is critical for the quarterback position. He also endured some hiccups on more rigorous passes requiring more zip, which was also noticed on film.

Kopp isn’t the most mobile quarterback. He rushed for 40 yards on 64 attempts last season and scored with his legs twice, but he is agile enough to move well within the pocket and evade the rush. That was evident during drills in the Elite 11 and on tape, where he extends plays and can get off throws on the move. His accuracy wanes when he’s on the move, but he’s able to get the ball out of his hands and in the vicinity of his receivers consistently.

The majority of Kopp’s passes come in the short and intermediate parts of the field with a few downfield attempts per game. He has good timing and ball placement and can effectively lead his receivers. He throws with anticipation, which is undoubtedly one of the best elements of his game.

Kopp had other offers from … a dozen other schools, including Colorado. Before Kopp committed to Houston, Kopp also had offers from Ole Miss, as well as schools like Wyoming, Central Michigan and Texas State.

… Kopp entered the transfer portal on Nov. 14th and he quietly took a visit to Boulder the weekend of Nov. 20th. Arizona, Indiana, Cincinnati and Maryland were contenders for his commitment as a transfer. Kopp will join the herd with four years to play four …

—

–

—–

December 19th

Auburn quarterback Bo Nix announces transfer to Oregon

From ESPN … Former Auburn starting quarterback Bo Nix announced on Sunday that he’s transferring to Oregon.

The move will reunite Nix, who posted his decision on Instagram, with his former position coach and offensive coordinator during his freshman year at Auburn, Kenny Dillingham, who left after one season.

Dillingham spent the last two seasons as Florida State’s offensive coordinator before he was hired by new Oregon coach Dan Lanning in the same position last week.

Nix, a talented dual-threat quarterback, was the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2019 and has spent the last three seasons as Auburn’s starter.

This season, Nix threw 11 touchdowns and three interceptions in 10 games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. He also ran for four touchdowns, but missed the last two games of the regular season, including the Tigers’ dramatic loss to Alabama in the Iron Bowl, which followed his surgery.

The son of former Auburn quarterback Pat Nix, Bo entered the transfer portal last week. He originally signed with the Tigers under former coach Gus Malzahn, who is now at Central Florida.

… Continue reading story here …

–

—–

December 13th

One-fifth of all Power Five schools have quarterbacks in the Transfer Portal (only one from Pac-12)

Tweet from Brett McMurphy … At least 18 QBs have entered NCAA Transfer Portal. A few listed below already have found new homes. Of these 18, one-fifth (15) of the 65 Power 5 schools have QBs in the portal

Myles Brennan … LSU
Zach Calzada … Texas A&M
Chevan Cordiero … Hawai’i … to San Jose State
Tommy DeVito … Syracuse
Quinn Ewers … Ohio State … to Texas
Dillon Gabriel … UCF … to UCLA
Layne Hatcher … Arkansas State
Max Johnson … LSU
Adrian Martinez … Nebraska
Jack Miller … Ohio State
Bo Nix … Auburn
Michael Penix … Indiana
Taisun Phommachanh … Clemson
Jake Plummer … Purdue
Spencer Rattler … Oklahoma … to South Carolina
Ta’Quan Roberson … Penn State
Kedon Slovis … USC
Jordan Yates … Georgia Tech

–

—–

December 11th

Ashaad Clayton becomes the second former Buff to find a new home

Ashaad Clayton, from New Orleans, is returning home to play for the Tulane Green Wave.

The updated CU list:

To date, there are nine scholarship Buffs who have already declared their intention to move on:

Defensive lineman Jayden Simon (12/6) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in nine games in 2021 … 72 plays; four tackles … New home: TBD
Wide receiver Chris Carpenter (12/5) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in seven games in 2021 … Seven catches for 45 yards … One kickoff return for 15 yards … New home: TBD
Running back Ashaad Clayton (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 20 carries for 84 yards; one touchdown … New home: Tulane
Wide receiver Keith Miller, III (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Dressed for three games, did not play … New home: TBD
Defensive lineman Zephaniah Maea (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 13 plays; one tackle … New home: TBD
Safety Trustin Oliver (11/30) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in eight games in 2021 … 18 plays; one special teams tackle … New home: TBD
Wide receiver La’Vontae Shenault (11/21) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in three games; starting one … Six receptions for 60 yards … New home: TBD
Defensive lineman Blaine Toll (9/28) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 32 plays; three tackles … New home: Arkansas State
Defensive lineman Lloyd Murray (9/27) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 43 plays; one tackle … New home: TBD

–

—–

December 5th

WR Chris Carpenter becomes the 8th Buff to enter the Transfer Portal

Freshman wide receiver Chris Carpenter has become the eighth Buff to enter the Transfer Portal, tweeting out: “Once again I anna thank the the Colorado community for accepting me and giving me a chance” (guessing “anna” is supposed to be “wanna”)

The list:

To date, there are eight scholarship Buffs who have already declared their intention to move on:

Wide receiver Chris Carpenter (12/5) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in seven games in 2021 … Seven catches for 45 yards … One kickoff return for 15 yards … New home: TBD
Running back Ashaad Clayton (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 20 carries for 84 yards; one touchdown … New home: TBD
Wide receiver Keith Miller, III (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Dressed for three games, did not play … New home: TBD
Defensive lineman Zephaniah Maea (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 13 plays; one tackle … New home: TBD
Safety Trustin Oliver (11/30) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in eight games in 2021 … 18 plays; one special teams tackle … New home: TBD
Wide receiver La’Vontae Shenault (11/21) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in three games; starting one … Six receptions for 60 yards … New home: TBD
Defensive lineman Blaine Toll (9/28) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 32 plays; three tackles … New home: Arkansas State
Defensive lineman Lloyd Murray (9/27) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 43 plays; one tackle … New home: TBD

–

—–

December 3rd

Arizona’s best player to forego senior season

From azdesertswarm.com … Arizona’s best wide receiver is going to make a run at playing in the NFL.

Stanley Berryhill III announced Thursday he was putting his name into the 2022 NFL Draft, passing up his final year college eligibility.

Berryhill led the Wildcats in receptions and receiving yards the past two seasons. The fifth-year junior had 83 catches this fall, tied for 3rd-most in school history, and his 749 yards ranked 4th in the Pac-12.

A former walk-on, Berryhill earned a scholarship in 2018 and this year was nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy given to college football’s top player that began his career as a walk-on.

At 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, Berryhill is undersized for a typical NFL receiver but his play this season as a gunner on punt coverage could help his chances making the pros via special teams.

–

—–

November 30th

Four more names added to CU’s Transfer Portal list on Tuesday

To date, there are seven scholarship Buffs who have already declared their intention to move on:

Running back Ashaad Clayton (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 20 carries for 84 yards; one touchdown … New home: TBD
Wide receiver Keith Miller, III (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Dressed for three games, did not play … New home: TBD
Defensive lineman Zephaniah Maea (11/30) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in four games in 2021 … 13 plays; one tackle … New home: TBD
Safety Trustin Oliver (11/30) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in eight games in 2021 … 18 plays; one special teams tackle … New home: TBD
Wide receiver La’Vontae Shenault (11/21) … (three years of eligibility left) … Played in three games; starting one … Six receptions for 60 yards … New home: TBD
Defensive lineman Blaine Toll (9/28) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 32 plays; three tackles … New home: Arkansas State
Defensive lineman Lloyd Murray (9/27) … (four years of eligibility left) … Played in three games … 43 plays; one tackle … New home: TBD

–

—–

November 29th

Transfer Portal numbers

… Just to get you ready for the onslaught …

From 247 Sports … There were 2,646 FBS players to enter the transfer portal during the 2020-21 transfer cycle. That’s up from 1,692 in 2019-20 and 1,717 in 2018-19.

–

—

Leading rusher at TCU (CU’s first 2022 opponent) to enter Transfer Portal

From 247 Sports … TCU running back Zach Evans plans to enter the transfer portal, sources tell 247Sports.

The former five-star running back spent two seasons in Fort Worth, finishing his Horned Frog career with 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns on 7.3 yards per carry. Evans averaged seven yards per carry this season on 93 attempts, which was the fifth-best clip in all of college football.

Sources indicate name, image and likeness will play a big role in picking Evans’ next destination.

Evans had a well-documented and eventful path to TCU. At one point he ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the 2020 recruiting class and he had a recruitment to match that sort of hype. During about a 12-month period, Evans had leaders that included Texas, LSU, Alabama and Georgia. Texas A&M, Ole Miss and even Tennessee entered the mix at various times. Evans signed with Georgia silently during the Early Signing Period but eventually asked out of that National Letter of Intent. Evans remained uncommitted for months following his exit from UGA before signing with the Horned Frogs.

The 5-foot-11, 212-pound Evans ranked as the No. 16 overall player and the No. 2 running back in the 2020 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.

… Continue reading story here …

–

—–

November 27th

Tracking the Tracker

An 85-man roster should be easy to track.

Every FBS team is allowed to have 85 scholarship players on their roster. The roster can be fluid throughout the off-season, with graduations, players leaving early for the NFL Draft, Recruiting Days in December and February, injury retirements, normal attrition, and now, the Transfer Portal.

When the dust settles every August 1st, however, the numbers have to add up to … 85 players.

So, how many players will Colorado be able to sign from the Transfer Portal this off-season?

It should be simple math … 85 from the 2021 roster, minus seniors and transfers, plus recruiting Class and transfers = 85.

It should be easy, but keeping tabs on CU’s roster, and predicting how the numbers will play out over the next eight months, is like nailing Jell-O to the wall.

But, we’ll give it a try, and give updates throughout the off-season as names are added and subtracted from the roster.

For starters …

We “know” that a total of 12 players ran out onto Folsom Field on Senior Day against Washington, and were set to play their last game in a CU uniform at Utah, including three seniors and one graduate transfer. Eight juniors, all in their second junior season due to the COVID exception and all who have either graduated or are in position to by May have indicated they will not return for 2022 (though they could always reverse their decision). The list: Graduate Transfer (1)—TE Matt Lynch; Seniors (3)—DL Mustafa Johnson, OG Kary Kutsch, OLB Nate Landman; Juniors (8): OL John Deitchman, TE Nico Magri, S Chris Miller, PK Evan Price, C Colby Pursell, TE C.J. Schmanski, ILB Jonathan Van Diest, OLB Carson Wells.

So, that gets CU down to 73 players (85 – 12) for the 2022 roster, right?

But …

From the above list, offensive lineman John Deitchman, tight end Nico Magri, kicker Evan Price, and tight end C.J. Schmanski are all walk-ons, and don’t count against the 85-man scholarship limit. Plus, Johnson, Kutsch and Landman were “super seniors”, and didn’t count against the 85-man roster this year.

So, instead of 73 players for the 2022 roster, we are actually at 80 returning scholarship players, right?

But …

As noted, above, all of the eight juniors listed above may opt to return next fall. Center Colby Pursell, according to an article in the Daily Camera, remains undecided:

Center Colby Pursell, a fifth-year junior, went through the senior day ceremony on Saturday but said he hasn’t decided if he’ll return next year or not. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pursell could take advantage of playing one more season.

Because Saturday might have been his last game at Folsom Field, he chose to go through the ceremony.

“It’s a big day for my family, as well,” he said. “It was awesome for them to be able to come out here and experience it. Especially since the uncertainty next year, I want to make sure that we have this opportunity together.”

So …

We really don’t know how many from the list of players who were honored on Senior Day are actually done.

We also don’t know, of course, how many other players from the remainder of the roster have decided that they don’t want to return, or have been told by the coaching staff to look for other opportunities. In the CU Game Notes for the Utah game, there were 13 senior/”super” juniors on the roster, with another 21 players set to graduate either in December or in May, 2022.

How many of those will choose to graduate and call it a career?

We’ll see …

Now, there are already three Buffs in the Transfer Portal …

In addition to the players who have exhausted their eligibility, the Colorado roster must see a great deal of attrition to make room for all of the incoming players which are expected.

To date, there are three scholarship Buffs who have already declared their intention to move on:

Defensive lineman Lloyd Murray (9/27) … new home: None
Defensive lineman Blaine Toll (9/28) … new home: None
Wide receiver La’Vontae Shenault (11/21) … new home: None

Now, about those additions …

Currently, there are 16 members of the Colorado Recruiting Class of 2022, and that includes the loss of two de-commitments during the final week of the regular season: Offensive lineman McKale Boley and defensive lineman Erick Conley. The losses of these two recruits can be looked at in one of two ways:

Boley, who is from Mississippi and a recruit of fired offensive line coach Mitch Rodrigue, was not likely to stay with the Buffs, anyway. Plus, neither Boley (no other offers), or Conley (with one other reported Power Five offer) were highly recruited, and CU needs higher rated recruits; or
Colorado needs better players in the trenches. Losing these two recruits leaves CU with only two offensive line recruits, and only one defensive line recruit, from the Class of 2022. The Buffs need more linemen on the roster, and losing two potential recruits hurts.

Oh …

And the 16-player count for the Class of 2022 does not include punter Ashton Logan. Originally a member of the CU Recruiting Class of 2021, Logan agreed to be a grey-shirt, delaying his enrollment until January, 2022. Now, with junior Josh Watts still having a year of eligibility remaining, Logan may or may not be a scholarship Buff in 2022.

So ….

If you start with 85 … then take out the assumed losses of five scholarship players … and the three known players in the Transfer Portal … that gets Colorado down to around 77 scholarship players returning.

Add in the 16 existing members of the Recruiting Class of 2022 (again, not including punter Ashton Logan or any other high school players who the Buffs may find between now and Signing Day on December 15th), that gets the roster up to 93.

Which leaves Colorado about five-to-ten players over the 2022 scholarship limit … before adding a single member to the team via the Transfer Portal.

Now, there are those who are expecting Colorado to make a number of quality additions to the roster through the Transfer Portal.

That may be possible.

Here is the list of current pickups by the CU program via the Transfer Portal (with years of eligibility remaining, counting 2021):

2020 – Matt Lynch, TE UCLA Gr.-2 1/1
2021 – Robert Barnes, ILB Oklahoma Gr. 2/2
2021 – Noah Fenske, OL Iowa Fr.-2 4/4
2021 – Jack Lamb, ILB Notre Dame Gr. (Soph.-3) 3/3
2021 – James Mott, QB Chicago Fr.-3 4/4
2021 – J.T. Shrout, QB Tennessee So. 3/3
2021 – Blayne Toll, DE Arkansas Fr.-2 5/4
2021 – Max Wray, OT Ohio State So.-3 3/3

From the list, it should be noted that Matt Lynch will be done after this year, James Mott is a walk-on (and not counted against the scholarship limit), and, as noted above, Blayne Toll is already back in the Transfer Portal.

As to 2021 contributions from Transfer Portal players, the results have been mixed. Matt Lynch had some quality catches; offensive linemen Noah Fenske (a freshman) and Max Wray (injured) have had a limited impact, J.T. Shrout was injured in August and never saw the field. Only linebackers Robert Barnes and Jack Lamb have had discernable contributions (including three of CU’s four turnovers against Washington).

Translation: While the Transfer Portal can pay dividends over time, it is not a panacea, even for a struggling program like CU.

And, for every new player who joins the team, that means that there is another current Buff on the roster who will be leaving the team. For those in the Buff Nation (myself included) who constantly complain about CU’s perpetual youth program, constant churning of the roster is not the best way to build Colorado back to a championship contender.

But that doesn’t mean we won’t spend the next nine months talking about the roster, and the hope that new players bring …

–

—–

Tags: Jeremy Mack, Josh Chandler-Semedo, Luke Eckardt, Maddox Kopp
This post, about the Postseason game, from the 2021 Season, is filed under Article.
You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment.

Post-Season

246 Replies to “Transfer Portal Tracker”

Bufftrax says:
June 1, 2022 at 11:49 am
ANOTHER RECRUIT GONE……….. WTH ?
Recruits will pledge here, GET NOTICED then wait for the BIG OFFERS………….Stars AIN’T EVERYTHING………….BUT….HOW MANY 4 STARS DOES ALABAMA HAVE ? How many Nat’l Championships have they won ?
POINT MADE. YESTERYEARS are pure HISTORY.
Reply
Eric says:
May 26, 2022 at 9:19 am
I thought this was an interesting piece:
https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa-transfer-tumult-talk-misses-124541450.html
If CU coaches and admin aren’t having those conversations with their players and families, they should. It may not help, but sure can’t hurt.
It’s in the same vein as helping kids learn how to manage whatever nil relationships and money they may get. Those are skills that will last way beyond their playing careers. Devin grant eloquently touched on the same things.
Go Buffs
Reply
BostonBuff says:
May 21, 2022 at 6:17 am
Anthony Hankerson pack yuor bags
Reply
1. ep says:
  May 21, 2022 at 3:50 pm
  looking at his offer sheet my money says he will make everyone forget “Ramon”
  Reply
57MAB says:
May 21, 2022 at 5:02 am
From an experience standpoint I’m a bit sorry to see Jefferson decommit. At present that only leaves 5 backs in the RB room where Fontenot and Smith probably top the pecking order. But barring anymore surprises, reinforcements in 2022 recruits Victor Venn and Anthony Hankerson will arrive soon to begin testing their mettle.
Reply
VKBerlin says:
May 20, 2022 at 4:33 pm
Jefferson is gone.
Thank God
Not a fitter in this group
Buffs
Reply
VKBerlin says:
May 2, 2022 at 7:11 pm
may 2
only one 4 star not committed in the transfer portal
Oregon OT
Buffs.
Also 3 Minny players entered today
OT
CB
WR
so???
Reply
MarcusJBuff says:
May 1, 2022 at 7:34 pm
Looks like CU scored with Josh Chandler-Semedo, he looks like the type of player CU needs and in a position of need no less. Welcome Mr. Josh Chandler-Semedo
Get a couple of line guys with those kind of (O-line) stats and CU’s QB is no longer running for his life all game long and can maybe execute to new offensive coordinator’s game plan.
And maybe one very nasty pass rusher.
Really liking the stats of Josh Chandler-Semedo, find some more Karl.
Reply
VKBerlin says:
April 26, 2022 at 6:12 am
It is clear Wilneress, did not complete his basic accounting or finance classes
Fact.
Buffs
Reply
ep says:
April 25, 2022 at 12:43 pm
Did ya like that little bankruptcy tag wilner had to throw in there?
Some how he missed Tommy Brown and Luke Eckhardt. Strange as wilner is always so thorough with his analysis and spot on with his predictions.
/s
This is the same guy who called LaViska Shenault and Tony Brown mediocre receivers.
And of course Wilner doesnt have a clue about anyone else already on the team who might step up to fill some voids. We are getting some koolaid about the guys competing in the secondary but I am still a little skeered there.
Not skeered at all about the Rice and Broussard departure. Rice had some explosive plays but just like everyone else on O last year they were muted by our offensive coordintator’s lack of coordination. He still has to make his mark and the name isnt going to be any help there. I feel we got gamers in the WR and the RB “rooms”
Reply
1. VKBerlin says:
  April 26, 2022 at 6:10 am
  Not scared about the skeered about the secondary at all. They had to cover “forever” last year. This year there is a focused Oline coach The DC admits he screwed up last year trying to do DLine as well. Too important of a position he said not to have a designated full time coach.
  Pretty sure the Buffs lost some experience in the secondary when the (what were their names again) decided to move on. But what the Buffs did not lose was talent in the secondary. RobO and others have confirmed this. I expect the secondary to get burned once in a while, but not as much as last year.
  Go Buffs. Strong summer =strong fall
  Reply
Eric says:
April 15, 2022 at 4:45 pm
Who knows about this new OL guy? But, with his 6’7″ 290lbs, he’s almost instantly one of the biggest and longest OL’s on the roster. With that, and that other large human they just signed for the 2023 class, it seems they’re trying to get height, length and strength for those tackle spots. Makes sense to me.
Go Buffs
Reply
Eric says:
February 17, 2022 at 4:37 pm
Jayden Daniels is out? Wonder where he’ll land. Also wonder if he feels Herm’s not going to see the season from the sidelines?
It’s a brave new world out there.
Go Buffs
Reply
1. Adam+Kenny says:
  February 19, 2022 at 4:20 am
  Did you see the video of several of Daniels’ now former teammates (posted by one of them on-line, of course) in the locker room ransacking his locker while cursing him out? As if Herm Edwards needed the world to see any more evidence of just how out-of-control things in Tempe have become under his leadership – affording that word its broadest possible definition.
  Reply
  1. Eric says:
    February 19, 2022 at 10:43 am
    I have not. Doesn’t sound great. Possible dumpster fire? Maybe asu can take root at the bottom of the pac 12 south?
    Go Buffs
    Reply
ep says:
February 8, 2022 at 5:47 pm
gotta say as far as the portal goes I see the Buffs as a net loser too. Not just Gonzales but the other 2 DBs as well. Brouhaha? Fried rice? meh
But this?
“All in all, the Buffaloes have been hit hard by the portal — arguably harder than any team in the conference. The climb to securing a net-positive offseason will be steep.”
Just more garbage from the PAC 12 garbage man {and I use the term “man” loosely)
Reply
bufffan62 says:
February 3, 2022 at 7:00 pm
Seems like CU needs to solve the offensive problems. until a QB can get the ball to the receivers, who would want to play here….
Reply
Old Man Buff says:
February 3, 2022 at 12:13 pm
Now is the time for one of our new coaches to do some portal recruiting. Defensive line coach Vic So’oto should note that one of his DL guys from USC has just entered the portal. Maninoa Tufono went to SC as a 220 lb linebacker in 2018, and has now grown to be a 290 pound behemoth on the defensive line in search of a new home. Bring this young man to Boulder Vic!
Reply
RobO says:
February 1, 2022 at 12:59 pm
I like the recent signees. I think a lot of the bigger programs are hunting each other’s stars and schools like CU’s. Though JBru to MSU is a bit strange. I suspect he is going to be a lot like KD at USC. But maybe the new o coach came in and said we want power running, big backs and JBru read the tea leaves….
But on to the new guys:
The lineman – I like this guy a lot. His technique is rudimentary but a good o line coach will bring that up to snuff. He has good feet, great balance uses his hands well and most importantly can find dudes in space. I can’t tell you how many times I saw our lineman pull and then wander around looking for someone to block…. He may need a year in the system to get his technique up but frankly I could seem him pushing Wiley and Philip or moving inside to guard where his pulling will be used a ton.
New rb- hard to tell if he has jbru’s vision, but frankly we need a guy who does not go down at the first tackle. This will be an upgrade. I suspect this signals a move away from stretch runs, which JBru excelled at, to power. I need to go watch the Minnesota game again and see if he was running more power, I think he was but I don’t recall.
Db – great hands, great vision, willingness to come up and make a hit. I really liked his eye discipline in the film on him. He is not getting caught up in the wash which Perry often seemed to and led to him getting beat deep more than once.
Reciever – better than rice. We upgraded here without a doubt.
D end – I like this guy a ton as well. I think he is going to push for a starter right now. Super strong, violent at the point of attack, the only thing will be shaking the rust and is the injury completely healed. I think this guy could be the one we are all talking about. Maybe the rb becuase he will get the ball and he is going to be successful in this offense but I suspect we are going to see a lot of tackles coming from this guy.
Overall, I agree with what a lot of people have been saying. The guys that left were not KD’s guys. They were not bought into him or being a buff under him. I wonder if they were more of a distraction than a help last year even with all of their talent.
I don’t see a single guy here that should not contribute in some way next year in the 2 deep.
It is all going to come down to qb though. Last year with better than Lewis we go bowling. I suspect, this year will be the same. If we get reasonable qb play we will end up in a bowl game. I honestly don’t think Lewis is going to be the qb next year though. I felt after the Texas game his freshman year he was a shoe in even over Shrout. But it is clear he is not seeing the field in the game (I suspect in practice he is just fine becuase it is at a slower tempo and when it is not he is used to seeing the defense). This cannot really be coached, it has to just be and I am not sure he can do it. I watched some of Shrouts game film from Tennessee and he can read and play, he isn’t always the most accurate passer but I think everyone will agree with a ball out and on time and off target (he skips balls occasionally) than never being thrown and taking a sack. Not sure on Kopp yet, no real film to watch but he looks the part….
Reply
1. VKBerlin says:
  February 1, 2022 at 1:40 pm
  OK you convinced me
  I’m in
  Bigtime
  Buffs.
  Note: Oh wait I already was in. Thanks for adding to the “in-ness”
  Reply
2. ep says:
  February 1, 2022 at 5:24 pm
  Maybe I’m hallucinating but I thought Jbru, as you call him bro, was pretty good at shedding tacklers. Moot of course because it appears we have suitable replacements plus Alex seemed to have a better year, for what ever that is worth.
  As for next year’s QB, if we average 21 flips a game again its not going to matter much who the QB is unless it is Lewis who has the best wheels. If Sanford is going to expand the running game the QB may be running more too.
  Reply
  1. VKBerlin says:
    February 2, 2022 at 6:36 am
    It will be interesting to see if Sanford will really “expand the running game” which has been speculated about continually. And in a negative vain. It may be he will just improve it. Cause it was bad last year. Improve it has to be the focus.
    The passing game? Just has to get better as well. And expanded? The qb? Other than Lewis is there a real dual threat qb in the bunch.??? Don’t know but don’t think so.
    Looking for that LA/SF offense.
    For the Buffs
    Long term RB coach.
    New OC/qb coach. Not “in training OC” = big improvement
    New WR coach. The last one was distracted. Expect improvement
    New TE coach. The fact he is passing game coord. = good change
    New OL coach. Finally a really good OLc…….improvement.
    New Players. New attitude. New focus. New vision.
    An efficient offense is what I am looking for. Efficient offenses score.
    Dang…..Hurry September
    Reply
ep says:
February 1, 2022 at 12:52 pm
kinda wonder why it took Williams so long to follow Riley to USC. Did USC finally win the bidding war?
Aside from the Tide O lineman, it appears KD is looking for the under the radar athletes below the FBS level who should be able to step up. Probably a better strategy than going after the 4 stars in the portal who feel they have been cheated.
Hope it works out.
Reply
Eric says:
January 31, 2022 at 1:08 pm
New RB transfer sounds like a push, or maybe an upgrade even. 5’9″ 215? Sounds good. Hopefully he’s fast, too.
And, on that front, in watching some of the 49ers over the last three weeks, it seems to me that is the offense Karl wants to have, as well as a their solid D. I’m not sure they’ve got the personnel for it, but we’ll find out in nine months or so. Kyle has a stud running back/wr in Deebo, stud TE, and some other weapons, and a great defense. Decent QB in Jimmy G. Although, seems like they’ll be all in on Trey next year.
If our Buffs have a QB, that’s going to go a long way to making anything/everything work.
Go Buffs
Reply
1. Don in Durango says:
  January 31, 2022 at 2:28 pm
  Doesn’t it always come down to the QB? Ravens had a killer D and Trent Dilfer who could do just enough to win baby.
  Reply
  1. Eric says:
    January 31, 2022 at 4:44 pm
    Totally. Going to be interesting to hear about the “very close” competition for the next 8 months. And it’ll be more interesting to see whoever gets the nod, and watch them play against TCU.
    Go Buffs
    Reply
2. VKBerlin says:
  January 31, 2022 at 2:44 pm
  Broussard had a great year in 2020
  Wasn’t the starter and played limited snaps.
  Why was that.
  Buffs
  Note: Against the top two teams faced………Utah=80 yards, Texas=82 yards FYI
  Reply
  1. VKBerlin says:
    January 31, 2022 at 2:49 pm
    Error
    Actually he had quite a few attempts in 2021
    sheesh………..wrong sheet
    Reply
VKBerlin says:
January 30, 2022 at 3:54 pm
I hope Broussard has a great career at MSU
good luck young man………..play hard
Buffs
Reply
VKBerlin says:
January 26, 2022 at 2:03 pm
Yo Buffs.
At least 15 of those guys in the transfer needed to be gone. Actually maybe all but 1. Either mediocre players (look at the schools they signed with) or “me and all about me” players so good riddance. They don’t fit the new HCKD play. So I say CU won.
Now let us talk about real losers.
The Athletic Lost over $100,000,000 in 2019/2020
2021 has yet to be reported.
And is projected to lose money through 2023
NYT going to buy for 550 million
But the NYT used to be supported by ads, but newspaper failure, has led them to go into the subscription business like the athletic which would add another subscriber business.
The NYT which really isn’t is buying the Athletic to get the big tax write off
So i guess those, opinion givers, as their research is never complete. get to keep their jobs. At least for a while before the NYT reorganizes it.
Frigging losers.
Reply
Robert says:
January 21, 2022 at 7:09 pm
Well I think it’s time to quit talking about those who don’t want to be part of the resurgent buffs and focus on those committed to the process. Only time will tell but better to go to battle with your brothers committed to the cause than those on the fence.
Reply
ep says:
January 20, 2022 at 6:21 pm
looked in the portal to confirm that Rice was at USC….confirmed. But I also noticed they picked up another guy with a higher rating than Rice named Mario Williams. Rice might have a chance to hit the field though because 5 star .99 rated Bru McCoy is in the portal . Wonder why he left. Can we get an NIL fund for big bucks to offer him? I’ll let all you guys who think Shrout is the savior talk to him.
Reply
1. BuffTime says:
  January 20, 2022 at 7:02 pm
  We need to stear clear of Bru McCoy. He is in the portal for like the 3rd time bouncing back and forth between Texas and USC. He was suspended from the team stemming from a domestic battery charge. No thanks.
  Reply
  1. ep says:
    January 20, 2022 at 9:56 pm
    ouch…gotcha
    whoever takes him will probably take Shenault too
    Reply
  2. VKBerlin says:
    January 21, 2022 at 5:14 pm
    No more prima donnas
    Give me a 3* that grows into a 4* everytime
    Buffs
    Reply
Darin M says:
January 20, 2022 at 4:05 pm
That’s the thing? Where do they go? Other than USC and Oregon where will they go, nowhere? Let’s face it, Rice has to carve his future and wasn’t happening here, probably not at USC either. Gonzalez, well that one hurts, but following his coach. But if you don’t want to be a buff and commit to it- then be gone!!! Tired of these people saying- good luck, wish you the best. No, it shows what kind of person you are- a quitter!!! A self involved, it’s about me… a quitter!!! Sorry!!! I’m tired of this ridiculous entitlement of these lil babies. And I’m also tired of what the NCAA has started with the NIL- thanks for ruining a sport that has become broken over money even more! NFL only now, NCAA is done unless you are the few elite.
Reply
GJBuff says:
January 20, 2022 at 3:16 pm
Good move.
Now let’s AGGRESSIVELY start making similar moves and maybe we can turn this thing around.
This weird new game of musical chairs is not for the timid, or the weak; so we need to move quickly and decisively. We’re now finally in the game. Hopefully there’s lots more in the works.
Don’t dare lose this tiny bit of momentum. Let’s go!
Go Buffs
Reply
Darin M says:
January 20, 2022 at 1:31 pm
He played under Saban for a couple years, learned championship mentality, HELL yes I will take it!!!
Reply
Eric says:
January 20, 2022 at 12:54 pm
Gotta like the new lineman. Hopefully that curse that may be real doesn’t move him the way of Wray who had to medically retire (or has he, not sure? Max that is, not his brother, although that wasn’t great either).
Hope they get a couple more.
Go Buffs.
Reply
BuffTime says:
January 20, 2022 at 12:23 pm
CU landed 6’7″ 320lb 4* OL from Alabama! Welcome to the heard Tommy Brown!
Reply
1. ep says:
  January 20, 2022 at 1:39 pm
  yeeeee Haaaaw
  dont stop there Karl
  a couple more and you might have Jarek asking to come back
  Reply
VKBerlin says:
January 20, 2022 at 6:18 am
So 20 players have left using the “Magic Machine” that allows a player to have one chance to correct an error either by the player or the coach. Sounds fair.
(Ok, RSF influence this but)
20 players gone.
It’s like a full senior scholarship class of seniors moving on. And certainly a large portion of these 20 seniors would have been starters. That is not the case of these 20. Minimal starters and actually even fewer plays or games participated in.
20 is a big number. But it’s a number that happens about every year if the recruiting has been great in the past. It hasn’t. Happens if there has been a good coaching staff that can give the players the tools to win and help them along the way and adjust in games. There hasn’t.
This is a cleansing.
60% coach cleanse
25% scholarship cleanse. (might be good to get a little more here actually)
So not concerned about the 20 leaving. Focused on the 85 that will be here as well as the new coaching stqff.
Buffalo Up
Note: If the 20 don’t move on there are 103 on scholarship right now
Note 2: Again look at the playing time. look at where they go,
Note 3: Worried? Not Worried
Reply
1. Cjbuffco says:
  January 20, 2022 at 4:27 pm
  I don’t post much but I agree with this. I view this as a program makeover with new coaching staff that I feel will be, all around, better than CU has had in years. Perhaps we aren’t attracting speedy 4 and 5 star skill players but we weren’t going to do that, at this point, anyway. But we should attract some good O linemen given the new O coordinator and new O line coach. And hopefully a strong RB through the portal as well that sees where this is heading. Watching the portal every day and worrying about who is leaving is like watching daily stock prices in a bear market, not something I’m going to do. I will ride it out. Though I’m not giddy and have some concerns, I’m not going to worry about this. Go Buffs!
  Reply
2. SCJBuffalo says:
  January 20, 2022 at 7:05 pm
  Here’s what I think all of these schools should do. If they enter the portal and don’t have a destination, or room on the roster, scholarship is pulled and they can request to be a walk on. At that point it is the schools choice.
  Reply
Jenda says:
January 20, 2022 at 12:01 am
I hope CU gets a few impact players in the portal, and lets the fat trim itself each year. This will require large recruiting classes each year.
The belief in the class you enter with being the class you’ll spend 4 years with is no longer. Between the portal and NIL hitting at basically the same time, the core of what college football as we know it is gone. It will be more like the nfl, but with a wider talent disparity. More explosive plays. But it sucks for the fans of college football as it has been.
It reminds me of the spirit of the opening of the movie baseketball.
https://youtu.be/d1-QAF8gLy0
Personally, I can feel myself caring a lot less. And that is not a good thing.
I also wonder about the kids testing out the portal waters. I assume CU will try to replace them with better. That means there won’t be a roster spot for some that change their mind and want back in. Others, may not be welcome back, with CU instead banking their scholly’s for the future.
I bet a lot of kids will regret testing out the waters in general, nationwide – especially with the bloated covid scholarship situation. I mean, if you know the butcher is coming by, don’t put yourself on the chopping block, right? Stay committed, be a man. Be smart.
That said, those that know they’ll never make it to the nfl, or a starter’s position, go for it… head to east southwestern podunk state tech and be the man. You’re only young once – enjoy your final years of childhood between the sidelines. Recruit huge classes, the fat will fall off, the best will head to Alabama, and the quality ones will stay.
I hope.
PS. Apparently you have to drink the super strong cool-aid to be a cool kid on this board.
PPS. The loudest mean kid personality type is not often the most popular. Though I assume they think they are. Others call them bullies, I think.
Reply
GJBuff says:
January 19, 2022 at 4:31 pm
And the beat goes on…
This will have to start going in the other direction very soon, if they plan to somehow turn this around.
Reply
VKBerlin says:
January 19, 2022 at 2:45 pm
Those wide receivers leaving. One could surmise that the ex wr coach didn’t do a good job coaching this group and didn’t always play the best players.
Out of touch.
Go Buffs
Reply
BostonBuff says:
January 19, 2022 at 6:59 am
Bloated rosters nationally due to the extra year of eligibility from covid
CU coaching changes on both sides of the line.
Firming of KD’s vision for Offense…time of possession, ability to run and pass, game will rely on winning in the trenches
This is hard process to watch as a fan, but if this is our turning point for the program, we will look back on this time favorably.
Pressure is on KD
Gonna hope and pray we have a good 2022 season (Bowling), what else am I going to do…
Reply
57MAB says:
January 19, 2022 at 6:22 am
This transfer portal is really something. So far I’ve counted 278 players enter since January 1st through the 18th. 109 of these players have announced new homes. Many others will find new homes. Some will find no new home. And some will even see if they can come back to their original home after testing the waters. People who are hand wringers could rub their skin raw in this new college football landscape. May as well just take care of your hands.
Reply
Grimpeeper says:
January 19, 2022 at 12:51 am
Can’t believe I am going to side with VK but while we are worse off, not by much. Rice…eh. Perry…eh. Gonzo…that hurts. Stanley? please. Brousard…maybe. Obvious coaching changes made an impact of the roster, but next year was going to look alot like this year either way. Now we have a coaching staff in place, with the ideology of the HC in place. Does it work out? I don’t know…but we should give it 3 years cause we don’t have the resources, the visibility or any other choice. Let’s hope and pray this works out, and if you don’t want to wait, get your freakin’ wallet out!!!!
Reply
VKBerlin says:
January 18, 2022 at 6:35 pm
Clearly the offensive staff was a disaster. Clearly the roster was exactly as it appeared to be. Clearly the new offense staff is a tremendous upgrade. 2nd real HKCD recruiting class. 45 Plus scholarship guys now on the roster are guys that fit the mold of what he wants a Buffalo Football Player to be. Next year it will be 70.
Go Bufs.
Note: Nothing against any student athlete, but “new” is a big part of life
Note 2: As HCBB does, you get rid of them before you think you don’t need them to fill a role on the team. Free agency? Don’t resign them, trade them??
Note 3: Ol wacky macky guys, midnight mel guys and yup even HCKD guys got to go if you can’t ” hoe the row”
Reply
bufffan62 says:
January 18, 2022 at 5:13 pm
Will the last player to leave please turn out the lights…..
Reply
1. VKBerlin says:
  January 18, 2022 at 6:37 pm
  That group turned them out quite a while ago. Good move for Team Buffs
  Up the Buffalo
  Reply
VKBerlin says:
January 18, 2022 at 4:03 pm
The roster is shaping up nicely.
Go Buffsi
Note: Rice belongs at usc. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. Okay he was an excellent punt returner. Wide receiver? Not impressed
Reply
1. Eric says:
  January 18, 2022 at 4:40 pm
  Has he confirmed he’s going there? If so, I think he’ll have a much larger role than Nixon did.
  But yeah, nothing wrong w/ losing all the starters from a team that went 4-8, I guess. In pretty embarrassing fashion.
  I wonder how many more will leave? They need like 10, to make the #s work, right? Will it be more? Heck, maybe through the portal, they can just go get a whole new team who’ve actually played some D1 snaps?
  Go Buffs
  Reply
  1. VKBerlin says:
    January 18, 2022 at 6:41 pm
    Yup
    All the starters? Ha?
    Embarrassing? Ha?
    How many more? As many that don’t want to be on this team! Good!!
    The whole new team will be HCKD built. Nice
    Buffs Yup Right Yup
    Note: Some still resent the wacky macky firing
    Reply
    1. Eric says:
      January 18, 2022 at 8:37 pm
      The only way this team gets more than two wins is if they find a stud qb or one emerges from the rubble.
      I would love nothing more than to be proven wrong.
      The sad part? The way this is setting up, they will get to 2023 before making the needed changes.
      Go Buffs
      Reply
      1. VKBerlin says:
        January 19, 2022 at 4:06 am
        When are you going to come clean. Using a moniker like Eric. There are 800,000 Erics in the U,S. What are you hiding. Why do you operate behind a name that does not identify who you are.
        go Buffs
        such a phony
      2. VKBerlin says:
        January 19, 2022 at 4:11 am
        Why are you hiding behind the name eric 830.000 in the us. Are you the matrix?
        What are the needed changes ?
        What?
        The needed changes have been made mister eric who are you and what are you hiding
        Go Buffs.
        They have several quarterbacks, now they have a real oc and qb coach. Yup Come clean trolley driver
2. Kevin says:
  January 18, 2022 at 8:33 pm
  Shaping up nicely? Ok. It’s clear why Dorrell was such a hot commodity when he was hired. Good thing we don’t play CSU this year. We’d lose by 40. Mr. George, please acknowledge the obvious. End this.
  Reply
  1. VKBerlin says:
    January 19, 2022 at 4:07 am
    Yup
    Why are like eric hiding behind a name that does not identify you
    lose by 40 ? so you are familiar with the little boys up north.
    Nice
    Go Buffs
    Reply
ep says:
January 18, 2022 at 3:37 pm
and the hemorrhaging continues
The D backfield is going to be almost all freshmen
Chance has his work cut out for him. I wonder if he signed on for this?
fingers crossed. salt tossed. Cracks missed. black cats shot…..just kidding about the cats
Reply
1. VKBerlin says:
  January 18, 2022 at 4:39 pm
  Yes the overall backfield will be greatly improved.
  No whiners
  They be gone
  Buffs
  Reply
2. Eric says:
  January 18, 2022 at 4:41 pm
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL9eO4-aDMs
  Go Buffs
  Reply
  1. ep says:
    January 18, 2022 at 6:08 pm
    Interesting which Stevie you chose. Stevie Ray, Janis, ZZ Top, T-bone Walker, maybe I will also go with Bob Wills and a few other musicians, some BBQ and a girl friend from Denton I met while skiing (in Colorado) are about the only good things I can think of that ever came out of Texas.
    Having said that I have never spent any time in Austin
    Reply
    1. VKBerlin says:
      January 18, 2022 at 6:53 pm
      https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=one+night+in+bangkok+murray+head
      Reply
    2. Eric says:
      January 18, 2022 at 9:55 pm
      Maybe you’d prefer this one.
      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xyyhm1D7zlI
      Lots of great versions. Including the original.
      But I am partial to Stevie ray. Loved it when big head Todd ripped that stuff at house parties.
      Go Buffs
      Reply
3. ep says:
  January 18, 2022 at 6:16 pm
  whoops did I forget the plethora of players on the team? not really. they are Buffs now. at least the ones who finally end up hanging around.
  Reply
Eric says:
January 16, 2022 at 7:15 pm
Sneed could be one upgrade. I’ll take it. Additional o-line guy can’t hurt either.
Go Buffs
Reply
1. Jason Oliver says:
  January 17, 2022 at 4:11 am
  Yeah, Sneed sounds like the real deal. Baylor fans speak highly of him:
  https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ourdailybears.com/platform/amp/baylor-bears-football/2022/1/4/22866957/rj-sneed-transfer-2022-football
  Reply
2. VKBerlin says:
  January 17, 2022 at 2:29 pm
  Wow,
  New Kool-aide
  buffanator
  Reply
3. ep says:
  January 17, 2022 at 5:04 pm
  “……he played every week with a passion, even if the ball wasn’t always coming his way. ”
  Good to know.
  Can we say the same thing about Rice and Broussard?
  Reply
Eric says:
January 14, 2022 at 7:12 pm
I got it! Jarek learned this guy is coming to town:
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/33066258/oregon-rb-travis-dye-enters-transfer-portal-1200-yard-season
Go Buffs
Reply
1. VKBerlin says:
  January 15, 2022 at 2:44 pm
  Everybody be transferring to be transferring
  Nice
  Go Buffs. Get the lineman that is al
  Reply
Luckyprof says:
January 14, 2022 at 4:19 pm
There is every indication that Victor Venn will become a VERY special running back for the University of Colorado. Maybe, JB read the tea leaves and saw that the carries for the 2022 season would be split between THREE running backs, rather than two, and wanted to be the featured running back for a team in his final year of eligibility.
Reply
Luckyprof says:
January 14, 2022 at 10:13 am
Although it looks bad that the team is losing such impact players on offense, defense, and special teams “return team,” I am making the choice to “wait and see.”
The younger players seem to “believe in the program’s upward trajectory.” By and large, the players who elected to transfer were recruited by someone else and have seen flux in the turnovers on the coaching staff. With “stability,” hopefully, players recruited to this “program” will remain. The future of the program will ride on that.
Yes, a few “gets” on both lines – either through the portal or the February signing date – would be HUGE.
Something is happening in Tucson. That team played hard in every game. There was only one “Minnesota effort” in their frustrating twelve game season. Players and recruits seem to be buying what that staff is selling. Maybe NFL pedigree, not sure. I hope that this staff will be able to “sell” what Coach McCartney was able to sell. In an age of NIL, and great change, there needs to be a solid plan in place. Coach Dorrell has a big responsibility going forward.
Reply
1. VKBerlin says:
  January 15, 2022 at 2:46 pm
  They didn’t have any real players. Lots of opportunity to start at ground zero
  buffs up
  Reply
RobO says:
January 14, 2022 at 1:08 am
I would trade all of the people we lost for a couple of elite o line. Maybe even just one stud tackle.
Reply
LoCoBuff says:
January 13, 2022 at 9:15 pm
Tallying up the score here. 17 players outbound via the portal (ok so not all have found other teams). How many inbound so far? The qb Kopp. So only 1 transfer inbound? Seriously?
Reply
Fish On says:
January 13, 2022 at 8:53 pm
J-Brou was a fan favorite, tough, hard working Buff. Would Utah have won with him? Nope.. Anyone heard from KD Nixon lately? Nope.. KD needs to get players that want to be Buffs and “practice what they preach”.. Lots of Blah blah blah in the past from these players leaving.. Shut up and play football 🏈 ( seams like it’s been forgotten in Boulder) … Go Buffs
Reply
Old Man Buff says:
January 13, 2022 at 7:00 pm
Let ’em go. 1 -2 3
1) Some of them realize that college is the last chance they will ever get to be paid to play football, and they can’t find out what they can get unless they enter the portal.
2) Some of realize they will never see the field in Power 5 Conference, and are moving down to Group of Five or FCS.
3) Some of them vastly overestimate their value in the portal, and will find themselves riding the bench wherever the end up, or wind up without a team at all.
Football is a team sport. It takes a TEAM to win. The Buffs don’t need any players who think they are above the team. If they are not committed to the team… Let ’em go.
Reply
1. VKBerlin says:
  January 13, 2022 at 7:45 pm
  Yup it’s a good thing.
  Up the Buffs
  Buffs.
  Note: There are new coaches and new kids in town.
  Reply
  1. LoCoBuff says:
    January 13, 2022 at 9:18 pm
    Yeah still disheartening to see 3 RBs leave after run-focused offensive coaches arrived.
    Reply
2. ep says:
  January 13, 2022 at 9:48 pm
  Still be nice to see some decent players coming in from the portal. Especially linemen.
  I’m going with GJBuff. Baby steps dont equal passion
  Reply
3. BuffDaddy says:
  January 14, 2022 at 2:22 am
  When every single one of your “star” players is leaving for greener pastures, I’m not sure that “committed to the team” means very much anymore. Team leaders have to be good players too. So, we let’em all go (not like we have any say in that), and what are we left with.
  I think A&M boosters have the right idea. Put a fund together for NIL, and then buy your players…but require their commitment to get the payout. The Buffs might be able to do that with some 2 and maybe 3-star recruits???
  Reply
Clark says:
January 13, 2022 at 6:07 pm
What a train wreck – all aboard!
The good news is we get to watch Rice play the next couple of years – he reportedly committed to USC. (I hope you can sense my sarcasm)
Reply
BuffDaddy says:
January 13, 2022 at 5:02 pm
I suppose VK and a couple of others are right. Maybe there is hope in the Transfer Portal itself. Some of those guys will not get the money they were looking for, and perhaps our coaches are really good at teaching them to play ball. Seems like identifying the “diamond in the rough” is THE new college football must have capability. Sure hope Dorrell has it.
Reply
BuffDaddy says:
January 13, 2022 at 4:54 pm
Even Hagen has now lost 2 boys in 2 days. No clue how we’ll ever recover from NIL. The pro sports all have a much better plan to ensure both freedom of movement and some semblance of parity. College football is the wild, wild west — and the Buffs aren’t even in the game.
It’s hard to see how we’ll ever field a competitive team again, at this point. That will lead to less money in the program. And that will lead to less sports at CU, probably in just 5 years time, if nothing is done to fix this (or if some Billionaire doesn’t drop out of the sky for us).
I love my Buffs… but this is a really hard pill to swallow.
Reply
Eric says:
January 13, 2022 at 4:44 pm
Oh man. I cannot see how Jarek leaving will be considered “good attrition.” Even by the berliner.
If Alex moves on, that’ll be a bummer, too. Why is it that all the best players are moving on? Will Venn be the savior of the backfield?
Go Buffs
Reply
1. VKBerlin says:
  January 13, 2022 at 7:33 pm
  Was he the number 1 tailback last year?
  Just wondering
  Was he gonna be the #1 tailback this year
  uh uh
  Reply
ep says:
January 13, 2022 at 4:28 pm
Ray leaving was the final straw for Broussard. The O line situation was bad enough to begin with.
are there any other D1 teams dissolving faster than the Buffs? All these departures are way way ahead of baby steps. Does the exodus hurt the Buff brand even more?
The crazy thing is AU, the worst team in the PAC 12 is screaming ahead in recruiting and transfers.
What is going on here?
Reply
1. GJBuff says:
  January 13, 2022 at 5:35 pm
  What’s going on here, is Arizona realizes the urgency and opportunity and is busting their a__ to get themselves out of the cellar. I admire that and it will undoubtedly pay dividends on the field and with their fans. It’s clear to see that we’re being out-worked.
  This proves that a school, in a relatively commiserate situation, can makeover their team to their advantage, if they want it bad enough. This shouldn’t have taken anyone by surprise.
  This is not the time for baby steps
  …It’s fast and furious and includes genuine conversations with current players, in assuring them that you’re doing everything in your power to move heaven and earth, in order to help them win. I realize this is happening to most teams, but the difference is how you deal with it.
  In my opinion, current players simply don’t see the passion.
  Time to stop watching the one way-parade and get in the game.
  Reply
Darin M says:
January 13, 2022 at 4:09 pm
What is Dorrell’s plan? Wipe the slate clean? If so, mission accomplished!
Reply
VKBerlin says:
January 13, 2022 at 3:58 pm
Transfer portal is so great
The players get one shot to go somewhere else and follow there plan and dreams
Go Big Transfer Portal
It’s all about the student Athlete which it should be
Up the Buffalo
Reply
ep says:
January 13, 2022 at 2:28 pm
Earache knows car dealers in Pullman?
Thats all I got ti hear. He is the ultimate networker and as such the right choice to get a real NIL program going at CU
Reply
1. Eric says:
  January 13, 2022 at 4:37 pm
  Unfortunately, I don’t know any in Boulder/Denver. I know several here. They’re not interested in supporting CU though.
  Go Buffs
  Reply
GJBuff says:
January 12, 2022 at 6:51 pm
The fact that the portal traffic seems to be a one-way street for us, gives me pause for concern.
While I understand that KD likes to take his time and hold his cards longer than most and there’s still more time; the fact is, there are schools with similar situations, who already seem to be landing quality players. I’m not talking about the WSU situation, (although that’s a breath of fresh air and an example of how it’s possible to compete creatively.) I’m talking about hungry teams, hustling to make their situations better. Is this one-way street situation a hustle issue? Lack of portal systems infrastructure? No feeling of urgency? Whatever it is… slow and steady doesn’t necessarily always win the race.
After the NIL whales, “buy” up all of the prime portal athletes, there is then the next wave of players who will find themselves suddenly out of the big money bonanza, and need to explore the next tier of opportunity. This is our time to act. Yes… I see us bringing in some, “adequate” talent, but not necessarily making this a priority. These candidates should be clearly better than the ones we’re losing. The idea here, is to go from good to great.
This should be where we come in and aggressively sell a real opportunity to compete for starting positions and a beautiful place to spend one’s college experience, etc.
We should really be able to successfully compete with the next wave of schools, if we have the urgency and desire to do so. Like it or not… the portal system is a strategic tipping point, for the next few years. Let’s Go!
Reply
VKBerlin says:
January 12, 2022 at 4:45 pm
The test of the HCKD strategies and tactics brought on by the transfer portal will be a little more telling next year and even more telling the following year .
Go Buffs embrace the new……………….historize the old
Reply
VKBerlin says:
January 12, 2022 at 3:41 pm
Man those boys are jumping ship. But look at where they are going?
Not big time except a couple
Don’t care. The transfer portal is a blessing for them.
Christian Gonzalez (Oregon)
Mark Perry (TCU)
running back Ashaad Clayton (Tulane);
receivers Chris Carpenter (UTSA), Keith Miller (Texas A&M Commerce) and La’Vontae Shenault (Alabama State);
safety Trustin Oliver (Central Arkansas)
defensive linemen Lloyd Murray Jr. (Sam Houston),
Jayden Simon (Tulsa)
Blayne Toll (Arkansas State)
Go Buffs. Keep upgrading
Reply
ep says:
January 12, 2022 at 2:18 pm
This is starting to get put of hand
Should KD have a team meeting (if that is even possible under the rules during the offseason) to have everyone clear the air about their desire going forward. In other words cook or leave the kitchen now so all the other guys who want to stay including the coaches can plan for the coming season without this kind of disruption.
Reply
Eric says:
January 12, 2022 at 1:42 pm
Dang, look at dem cougs go. Not surprising. I know the owner of one of the car dealerships in town is a big coug fan, as are many of the other business owners. I wonder why CU’s NFL guys seem less engaged? Same with our wealthy alumni. There’s not a shortage of them.
In other news, I wonder where Kanan Ray will land? Sure, we can say he was recruited over, or never met his potential at CU, but he was still a big body w/ some playing experience, and not a freshman or sophomore needing to beef up more. Sure hope they bring in some reinforcements.
Go Buffs
Reply
CUAlum says:
January 12, 2022 at 12:59 pm
To answer your question from your WSU article………….ummmmmmmmm, we are the boosters, and wer’re all broke.😂😒
Reply
VKBerlin says:
January 12, 2022 at 4:25 am
Morning,
On the road. Looking for Transfer portal (and playing some golf) guys with depth in the mind and and the heart that can and will be able to understand the vision of HCKD. Depth in the mind, like in some real Buff Fans and fakey Buff fans, can be elusive and sometimes unavailable. (Faith leaves the weak in trying times) Been that way forever and that’s okay eh?
The Tranfer portal is great. Gives the kids an opportunity to fix a mistake. Either by them or the coaches. And they can do this and play right away………
There goes Jo Davis…………………….Another “midnight mel” recruit …..oh well ….
Some were “sold” a vision by a previous coach they agreed with? Now not some much……………..Hit the road baby……………..or maybe the new coach has recruited over them…………so given the “free pass” to the transfer train..
Go Buffs.
Note: The transfer portal is such a great thing for the players and the teams.
Note 2: I guess when you look at the buff players that took advantage of the portal, the telling tale is where they end up.
Note 3: The Buff db room has some really good players who are now going to be sophomores, and 6 db’s incoming from the 22 class.
Note 4: 2020 class was Midnight melons,
Note 5: 2021 class was HCKD first real class, but covid funny???
Note 6: 2022 a good class, but assistants play a big role in the recruiting so with the changes we will see.
Reply
LoCoBuff says:
January 11, 2022 at 10:57 pm
Golly gee whiz, sure would be swell to actually pick up a few players from the portal. I mean shoot, there are so many to pick from.
Reply
ep says:
January 11, 2022 at 9:42 pm
I hate to see 5 or6 of these mercenaries to go. And making it even worse is that so far their aint nuttin coming in from the portal to help on the lines. Has there been anyone but Kopp who has no PT?
As bleak as it looks (is that enough for ya VK?) if I was KD and one of these guys sent an email or a text or even a phone call asking to come back I wouldnt even bother to say no. just leave em with crickets.
Coach up the real Buffs….please
Reply
Eric says:
January 11, 2022 at 5:36 pm
There goes Joe Davis. I’d be bummed if Jarek or Alex opted to transfer. We know there’s going to be five or ten more. Hopefully it’s not the starters and/or other key contributors. Probably will be at least a couple though. Oh well. Will be interesting to see.
Go Buffs.
Reply
1. Jason Oliver says:
  January 11, 2022 at 5:56 pm
  Per ESPN “Tide have 7 players enter portal; 2 for Dawgs”… no one is immune
  Georgia just won a National Championship and guys are jumping into the portal (!)
  Reply
  1. Eric says:
    January 11, 2022 at 8:17 pm
    Totally. I have not paid attention to who is leaving where. And I know that CU isn’t the only team losing starters or other solid contributors. With many, they have depth to spare. With many, they do not, including CU. Unless some of the kids who have not played much, or never played yet, are studs we don’t know about. So hoping they can get some upgrades.
    Go Buffs
    Reply
  2. ep says:
    January 11, 2022 at 9:51 pm
    Its just trading a bench ridden 4 star for another 5 star recruit for these teams. So far it appears these defections think too much of themselves to wind up here.
    And what does Arizona have? I need to go down there, find out what that coach has going and use it to sell cars. Dealin’ Doug will be begging for mercy.
    Reply
Eric says:
January 11, 2022 at 10:23 am
Looks like wazzu and az’s qb rooms just improved. https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/33038424/jayden-de-laura-tranfers-arizona-wildcats-stint-washington-state-cougars-football-team
I hope ours has too.
Go Buffs
Reply
BostonBuff says:
January 11, 2022 at 7:21 am
Good Chat replay w/ Howell that sums up a lot of what Stu has been doing here for Buff Nation.
Currently at 85 scholies roughly, so actually need more room to bring in some help…
Howell mentioned more than once “IF” Rice does not stay
I found it interesting KD’s earlier comments that he laments not having a week after the season ends to meet/talk with his players as he was out on the recruiting trail (seems to reference players jumping into transfer portal)
and Howell said if you listen to KD about next years offense, it won’t be as run heavy as some fans are freaking out about
Happy for Bulldog win last night, good game
Bo Buffs
Reply
VKBerlin says:
January 10, 2022 at 5:37 am
Stuart,
Even each of your questions in your poll have become negative.
What are you a teenage girl who broke up with her boyfriend?
Your behavior, attitude, and actions are not good (I had other words but…)
Seriously, look in the mirror, talk to it, listen to it. Is that you?
I bet your wife would agree………………………Grow up and get back on track……………..
It’s gonna be fine…………….The Buffs will be fine…………….you will be fine
I just can’t handle your downer………………….
Stop it
I need you leading the fight……………not leading the withdrawl
Enough
Many Many agree
Reply
1. Stuart says:
  January 10, 2022 at 8:13 am
  Sorry that you will be leaving us to find a kinder, gentler, more optimistic website.
  P.S. Headline from Denver Post (I didn’t read it. I am boycotting the Post until Kiszla leaves): “CU Buffs football will have more of Karl Dorrell’s personal stamp in 2022. But after 4-8, is that a good thing?” … WTF? What does the Post want Dorrell to do – NOT put his personal stamp on the program?
  I call it as I see it. I am not a sunshine pumper, nor I am a shill for the athletic department. If things are bad – and they are – that’s the reality I am going to represent. If Dorrell & Co. pull in a half dozen four-star transfers to replace the starters they have lost, I’ll be the first to shout their praises. If CU continues to flounder in the Age of NIL and the Transfer Portal … that’s the way it is.
  Reply
  1. VKBerlin says:
    January 10, 2022 at 9:14 am
    You ain’t Kizla but yur drifting there.
    Point out the facts, fine. Always spin the negative words. Not fine
    Times are tough
    don’t go down the rat hole
    buffs
    Reply
  2. ep says:
    January 10, 2022 at 9:20 am
    just to be clear that reply was aimed at the irrational optimist
    Reply
    1. VKBerlin says:
      January 10, 2022 at 9:46 am
      Aha,
      Another rat hole dweller
      Smiling
      Buffalo Up
      Reply
      1. ep says:
        January 10, 2022 at 9:51 pm
        forget the anti depressant. Just get off the shrooms…or maui wowee or whatever the flavor of the month is down at live well..and come back up the rabbit hole
        in the meantime
        kuumbuya dude
2. ep says:
  January 10, 2022 at 9:18 am
  take an anti depressant
  Reply
3. Darin M says:
  January 12, 2022 at 8:31 am
  “Lighten up, Francis”
  Reply
CUAlum says:
January 9, 2022 at 1:09 pm
The good news for CU when they are out recruiting (mostly 2/3 star players) they can state for a fact that they will play early and often and once they prove themselves they can move on to a great NIL deal.😒
Reply
1. VKBerlin says:
  January 9, 2022 at 5:41 pm
  Writing on the wall for those old guys
  Good db class last year and 6 more coming in this year
  Gonna be fine
  Buffs
  Reply
CUAlum says:
January 9, 2022 at 12:25 pm
Effectively CFB is now pro level with an interesting revenue paradigm. The universities keep all the traditional sources of revenue (tickets and TV), while the players get paid by boosters.
Reply
1. ep says:
  January 9, 2022 at 1:14 pm
  and the NFL coops up the best players from their free farm teams
  Reply
Eric says:
January 9, 2022 at 11:16 am
To me, Mekhi leaving is the lesser indictment on Karl’s vision. He has his degree (or Will in the spring) and spent four years at CU with three different staffs. The fact he was a captain means he probably had the respect of both his teammates and the coaches. Talented kid – based on CU’s roster – and may get a crack at the nfl, so still a tough loss, but so be it.
Let’s hope the kids they have grow up and fill those db shoes quickly, and/or they bring in some talented transfers, or both.
Go Buffs
Reply
1. BostonBuff says:
  January 9, 2022 at 1:50 pm
  Yes, agree…and definitely time to do an evaluation of what we still have on roster at DB/S
  Talent and depth have taken a hit.
  Time to bring in some good news KD, I’d say lines and def backfield are in need of reinfrorcements
  Quick nod to Mekhi – you definitely stuck it out here, thanks and best of luck to you.
  Reply
2. VKBerlin says:
  January 9, 2022 at 5:43 pm
  Sheesh
  Please explain the indictment of HCKD’s. Vision
  You keep repeating it in different negative forms but you never explain it
  Buff-noted
  Reply
Wasatch Buff says:
January 9, 2022 at 10:27 am
College football is broken.
Reply
Darin M says:
January 9, 2022 at 10:24 am
While I realize some of these transfers were not his recruits, this doesn’t bode well For Darrell! What is he like behind closed doors, WTF is going on that all want to jump ship?!!
Reply
1. CUAlum says:
  January 9, 2022 at 12:06 pm
  It’s called NIL, in as CU has NIL money. Seriously, Blackmon may or may not be drafted and play in the NFL, wouldn’t you go for a $50-100K graduation present to go play one year for some other team. Yes, CF is broken.
  Reply
  1. ep says:
    January 9, 2022 at 1:10 pm
    I thought about it and was pretty sure I would turn it down. I wasnt on the team but 50k, even in 50 year old money wouldn’t have got me to go to another school. I could have received my degree elsewhere but my Boulder experience was worth more. And after graduating it turned out I was making twice that a year after 2 years.
    Reply
    1. Soldero says:
      January 9, 2022 at 6:54 pm
      I assume you say that would be your reaction but I also assume that you can afford to turn down $50k and thus, soak up the CU experience from your condo on the Hill. For many of these kids, their families often didn’t see $50k in any year of their lives. That’s big money to them and they can’t wait to jump at the opportunity to take it.
      Reply
      1. ep says:
        January 9, 2022 at 9:34 pm
        absolutely wrong. I stayed mostly in one room carved out in old houses like the ones on Marine and shared a pitiful bathroom. Made dinner most of the time on a hot plate in the room. 35 to 50 bucks a month. I couldnt afford the dorms but didnt want to stay there anyway.
        My mother passed away when I was thirteen. My father put her soc sec into my and my brother’s tuition and books and I worked washing dishes, building barb wire fence and other day work waiting at the labor union bldg. Missed several classes for that.
        Finally got on the Campus grounds crew my senior year and was able to get class scheduling around it. Still had to borrow a thousand bucks to finish.
        I just loved being at CU, in Boulder and most of the people I met.
        So take your assumptions and condo and shove em………
  2. Darin M says:
    January 9, 2022 at 1:30 pm
    True
    Reply
DrivebyPoster says:
January 9, 2022 at 4:43 am
HBCU’s
Reply
Fishon says:
January 8, 2022 at 7:42 pm
Yawn… Tell me which of the big three phole transfers won a game for us? Be gone…Back to the ice hole…
Reply
1. Eric says:
  January 8, 2022 at 8:08 pm
  Could probably make the case that Brenden and gonzo helped win the osu game. The other two Pac 12 wins, could probably argue the other team lost, more than our team won. That first win doesn’t count.
  Go Buffs
  Reply
2. VKBerlin says:
  January 9, 2022 at 4:13 am
  I agree.
  The team lost or won, and did so with poor offensive coaching period.
  I ain’t gonna miss those three period.
  or those 12
  Buffs
  Reply
VKBerlin says:
January 8, 2022 at 7:10 pm
Dagger Schmagger
I don’t care about this at all
Buffs
Note: Earache said the NIL was not even in the top 5 for HCKD not being able to sell the vision to the high-end players. Wonder what the top 5 are.
Reply
1. Eric says:
  January 8, 2022 at 7:46 pm
  No, that isn’t what I said. I said NIL was not the reason gonzo, rice and perry were leaving.
  It seems I was right, but we will see if any of them get massive sponsorships.
  But it seems gonzo left to follow his position coach and play for a winning team, despite an unproven head coach.
  Rice seems to have left for an offense that more suits his skills, specifically, that will pass more. Karl is now saying they will pass more, apparently. Also apparently, Brenden didn’t get the memo. Because, Karl had to be out recruiting. Apparently. Ok.
  Perry? We’ll see where he ends up.
  Either way, we all hope Karl and co can replace or upgrade those losses. I am not as confident as you are in their ability to do that.
  Go Buffs
  Ps- back to ignoring you. Was able to get past at least a few of your recent trolling attempts. Keep on keepin on
  Reply
ep says:
January 4, 2022 at 8:52 pm
Rivals listed 5 portal offers from the Buffs.
Barf
One O lineman from Georgetown described as a bust. Does Georgetown actually have a football team?
One D lineman with a high school 4 star rating “best described as a reservist” from Auburn.
I sure hope rivals is trolling the Buffs and there are other offers out there to at least some average starting athletes .
Reply
1. Stuart says:
  January 4, 2022 at 8:59 pm
  It may be a faint hope, but Rivals is reporting those who have posted tweets about receiving offers from CU.
  Perhaps … just perhaps … better players are not quite as enthusiastic about their offers.
  Brenden Rice says he has 30 offers, but isn’t listing them.
  Reply
  1. ep says:
    January 5, 2022 at 9:16 am
    still depressing we made the offers.
    Everyone has a “plan”
    The fact these 2 haven’t accepted the offer means they are looking for someplace they might get on the field and dont think its possible here.
    Cant get the good ones….or the dregs
    sheeesh
    Reply
    1. VKBerlin says:
      January 5, 2022 at 10:53 am
      You need to reinstate your anti-depressants
      Reply
      1. David says:
        January 5, 2022 at 11:48 am
        I agree, have you ever had a happy day in your life ep. You don’t like any of the coaches and very few players why do keep torturing yourself
      2. ep says:
        January 5, 2022 at 1:11 pm
        not sorry I am dragging all you koolaid drunks down with reality. I do kinda wonder about all your giddiness on all thats been happening with the program.
        If y’all are willing to accept way less than mediocrity then thats what you will get….there I go again and once again not sorry
      3. LoCoBuff says:
        January 5, 2022 at 7:27 pm
        I’ll have whatever VK is having…
    2. AZBuff says:
      January 5, 2022 at 5:35 pm
      I myself enjoy and appreciate ep’s reality check. I mean how long do we continue to get real excited about all this, particularly just before the season, and then by about the 3rd game or sooner if we have a quality opponent realize in Boulder it’s “Ground Hog Day” again?
      Old old hackneyed saying…. “Proof Is In The Pudding.” Don’t know about some of you but I’m running out of years.
      Reply
      1. VKBerlin says:
        January 6, 2022 at 4:38 am
        Yes ep is a treasure, albeit an old one.
        Just concerned about the mental stability (Lack of thereof) he is showing.
        It’s not about a reality check. Oh wait maybe it is….for him.
        It appears, he has just given up. And, that is not ep.
        That is what is concerning.
        Triple vaxed, triple masked and he still has the negativity disease.
        Praying for him.
        Note: Get well ep
GJBuff says:
January 4, 2022 at 4:14 pm
The game has now changed. We’re losing some of our very best players. There’s nothing to lose.
We need to get moving. NOW. It’s dog eat dog time.
At the risk of being repetitive and melodramatic, this bizzare free agency frenzy will make or break many teams. Teams will either rapidly adjust, get with the times and quickly improve their rosters, or go the way of sears/robuck. Who? …Exacly.
Hearing about Wyoming and Florida, making creative moves, makes me admire their moxy and their ability to be bold, agile and forward thinking. Maybe their moves will pay dividends, or maybe not; but at least, they’re out there swinging. Hats off to them. They have fire, passion and purpose. Those who think spending too much energy reworking their rosters, will lose out on a great opportunity.
Now is the time to identify the most coveted players in the portal, (given our needs) and actively focus on landing them. Given the ridiculous number of players now available in the portal, along with the scholarship limitations for all teams; an aggressive staff really has the chance to improve their rosters dramatically. I have a feeling that there are more players on our roster, that will decide to try their luck elsewhere, so we may have several spots to fill. This train is moving very fast. My hope is that KD sees the incredible value in this opportunity and quickly puts together his best effort to identify, target and successfully sign the players who will allow him to run whatever system he desires. He can possibly even take advantage of contacts and relationships of his new coaching staff.
This portal/NIL craziness is getting out of hand, so it may soon need to be somewhat regulated. In the meantime, smart aggressive teams will greatly benefit, (if they so choose).
The game has changed. We need to roll with it with agility and purpose. No excuses.
We need to get moving.
Go Buffs
Reply
Eric says:
January 4, 2022 at 10:19 am
I don’t usually agree with Dan wetzel’s opinions. It seems he’s often like finebaum and over the top with the sec. but I think in this piece he gets it pretty right:
https://sports.yahoo.com/caleb-williams-transfer-portal-entry-is-latest-and-loudest-example-of-free-agency-taking-flight-in-college-football-030744005.html
And importantly, caleb and his dad are focused on the long term plan. Not the nil flash in the pan. Sounds like they always have been.
Go Buffs
Reply
ep says:
January 3, 2022 at 7:39 pm
This is getting more nutso everyday
Coaches getting massive buyouts with total failure not just cause……..and being able to jump ship to double their salary. Small bet that Saban will threaten retirement if they dont shovel another 5 or 10 million at him.
Now we got players holding schools hostage in a salary…scuse me…..NIL bidding war. Williams will probably be in the next Aflac commercial with Nick and Deon….or maybe with Rogers and Mahomes
Reply
MarcusJBuff says:
January 3, 2022 at 10:25 am
Mac would have never won a NC had the transfer portal been around back then, if just one of the key players would have left, that hard and very close race would have ended up otherwise. Mac had a lot of buy in from Cal players and blue chippers just like the ones the Buffs are losing now.
Add NIL and the money and players like Rice will leave (especially with his name recognition); your 18-22 and money gets thrown your way (more than many make after college) along with an opportunity to also play on an already good team rather than be a part of building one.
I think it’s more of what they can get elsewhere rather than just who’s the new or out going coach, if midnight mel tells a player that he helped recruit that they could play for a highly ranked team and get paid six figures, and more if productive, than that kid is going to leave.
Your 20 years old and are going to make $100,000 this year and play on a winning team, how hard would it be to just go, knowing once there the fallout will go away? Very much “instant gratification”.
And a kid that saw a lot of poverty and finical struggle will make that decision even faster.
Reply
1. Eric says:
  January 3, 2022 at 4:58 pm
  I guess we’ll find out how much NIL is impacting the players leaving CU. I don’t think that’s the main reason. Probably not even top three, or five. I am curious to see where they land though. As well as to see if CU can land any.
  Christian’s probably going to declare for the draft after next year, which may put him in the first three rounds, which will pay him handsomely. Rice already has some NIL deals, and I don’t think he’s necessarily going to get paid a ton, at this point, based on his name alone. The other guys who left? None are going to get NIL money, I don’t think. Unless it’s just small stuff that they could get at CU or anywhere, if they work at it, and/or have the support from the school to try to create that revenue stream.
  I still think the NIL thing is way overblown, and we’ll see significant retraction of some of the dumb money that’s being tossed around right now. And, for those tossing their cash around only to support their team, without looking for a return on their investment? They were probably already out there doing that, just under the table. Now, it’s more visible.
  It’s an evolving story, for sure.
  Go Buffs
  Reply
  1. VKBerlin says:
    January 4, 2022 at 4:56 pm
    you said
    I don’t think that’s the main reason.
    so what are the main reasons?
    Reply
    1. VKBerlin says:
      January 5, 2022 at 7:39 pm
      Crickets
      Reply
RobO says:
January 1, 2022 at 7:45 pm
Rice is not buying into the run first run often offense. I get it…. Sad to see him go but frankly we don’t seem to have a an that can get him the ball at the pace he wants and I think our offensive coordinator is going to run a lot.
Reply
CUAlum says:
January 1, 2022 at 7:06 pm
I dunno, it seems like we’re starting to become the G League for other schools. We develop players so they can be called up to big leagues.🤔
Reply
1. BuffDaddy says:
  January 2, 2022 at 8:31 am
  This is EXACTLY what Colorado has become. All the guys that show that they can play … they will go where they can get paid!
  If I were a coach at any “well-backed” school, that’s exactly what I would be telling them (without any risk, by the way). Just jump in the portal, and we’ll put 6 figures on the table for you. Plus you’ll have the chance to play for titles and championships!
  I love CU … but the New Football Order is going to leave us behind like old trash. I know it’s pessimistic, so ANYONE that can produce a vision where something better is happening – please do it! I need it!!!
  Reply
BostonBuff says:
January 1, 2022 at 6:29 pm
Yikes, I was worried about Rice, oh well. Have a feeling there will be more, who’s next ?
Feeling more like defections rather than transfers.
Now I am thinking of comments during the season by a player (Broussard ?) saying the team needed to stick together and believe in what they were doing, hmm…
Maybe I am reaching too far.
Setbacks for sure, a lot of talent has walked out the door, but change is one of the few constants.
Love to hear KD talk about some of this, no matter what he owns where we end up, his ship.
And I am hanging on and willing to ride it out for 2 more years, he deserves that much.
Time to root for the Utes in Pasadena.
Oh the life of a Buff fan
Reply
1. Eric says:
  January 1, 2022 at 7:04 pm
  Yep. Support. Hope. Send money and hope he rights the ship. But dang if the optimism doesn’t keep taking hits. I have not felt this bad about our prospects since the embree hire. And I hoped I was wrong then too.
  Go Buffs
  Reply
ep says:
January 1, 2022 at 5:30 pm
Some people think coaches dont have much to do with a team’s success but I bet they believe they can be blamed for failure……by doing things besides coaching.
CB coach leaves….Blam….2 of the best DBs gone too.
And then there is the new OC who hasnt even begun coaching but because of his rep as run heavy offense, which doesnt seem to bother Kopp all that much…….Blam…..best receiver is gone.
cant blame him.
And only a team cursed like the Buffs would they have an ex WR for a HC who also wants a run heavy offense.
Reply
1. Eric says:
  January 1, 2022 at 6:08 pm
  Selling the vision is at least 90% of that 30% (to paraphrase some famous baseball guy). And so far, it doesn’t look like the team’s best players are buying that vision. And that may have been a part of the lack of offense last year. We’ll see if b-lew sticks around or not. I hope he does. He’s a tough kid who should improve a lot from last year to this one and he makes the competition stronger for the starting gig.
  Go Buffs
  Reply
Eric says:
January 1, 2022 at 4:56 pm
Oops. Ok. So transfers are going to happen. And maybe CU’s best players aren’t that great. But, they are still their best players. And they have been with Karl for two years. And they don’t seem to be buying what he is selling.
I will continue to hope the new coaches can turn that tide, but this doesn’t stoke me as a great harbinger of things to come. Prove me wrong, Karl. Please.
Go Buffs
Reply
VKBerlin says:
January 1, 2022 at 3:38 pm
No receiver coach
Just how it goes
Buffs.
The 2020 class and the transfers in is pretty much a disaster. Not wait it is a disaster. Those boys were all talk and no action. Whining all the way Yup even rice.
[
The 2020 class was midnight mels anyway so there is that.
Reply
1. Eric says:
  January 1, 2022 at 5:05 pm
  No receiver coach? Do you mean with chev, or now? Because I don’t think they have a receiver coach now, do they? And they still have to lose one, somewhere too.
  I love that you are carrying the optimistic torch these days, but I just don’t see it. I hope I am proven wrong. But this is looking like a slide right into an entirely new athletic department. If the administration cares enough to find a better team. Rick has done well raising and managing money. But football is staring to look like a smoldering dumpster fire the likes of which we have not seen in about 20yrs. I would like some of your shrooms, please. Maybe then I can see the illusion?
  Go Buffs
  Reply
  1. VKBerlin says:
    January 1, 2022 at 7:00 pm
    Well, I am convinced an entire culture and attitude change is required. And you are see it. The 21 class and the 22 class will set the standard with the new coaches. You can see it happening.
    HCKD has a thought process and it sells with the recruits he is after. It will turn this year.
    Mid note: Yes no real WR coach the last 2 years so as of right now, nothing has changed. Oh wait there now is a real OC, even if you don’t like his game philosophy. The difference is the Buffs will have an identity.
    So ya, I feeling more than ok with this whole deal. New players and more important, new coaches. Real coaches, which even you naysayers agree with (and your are wrong about the OC by the way)
    Bowl Buffs.
    Note: The Illusion. You will never see it cause you only see what you want to see. That is the beauty of the illusion.
    Reply
    1. Eric says:
      January 1, 2022 at 7:13 pm
      I hope you’re right. And I agree that Karl having an oc whose offensive vision aligns with his, is more important than what that philosophy actually is. It isn’t the X’s and O’s As much as the vision, and the jimmies and joes buying into it so they execute it to the best of their abilities.
      But, it’s stronger if you can sell that vision to the most talented and experienced players you have, and so far, that isn’t looking good.
      I really hope they open spring practices. That might be a good way to show the culture they are building. But won’t hold my breath for that.
      Go Buffs
      Reply
      1. VKBerlin says:
        January 1, 2022 at 8:00 pm
        The vision.
        Some players are blinded by their own vision. And admittedly for the 2020 class, this ain’t what midnight mel sold em. An those from previous classes well they didn’t do well anyway.
        It appears HCKD can sell his vision to the new guys and their parents. The new coaches bring a totally different attitude. And yes I guess some talent was lost but being the supposed “stats” best on a bad team “don’t impress me much”
        So yup I am bought in to HCKD. Haven’t seen anyone like him around here in 15 years.
        Buffs are Up
CUAlum says:
December 29, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Well we continue to lose our best players through the transfer portal and get mediocre/non starters in. How do you think that will play out long term?
Reply
ep says:
December 28, 2021 at 10:21 pm
Just read Perry’s gusher of a parting statement. Just like all the other “leavers” ….I want to thank everyone because it has been so awesome and everything has been great but I am really going to thank you (in slightly more diplomatic words) by stickin it to you.
Nothing but self centered cheap damage mitigation.
I know yo mama said dont say anything it all if you cant say anything nice and I would prefer that instead of a lot of hooey. The truth is they see CU as a sinking ship that wont be saved during their time here, even though they are going to do their part to keep it sinking, and think they are good enough to get themselves some of that NIL elsewhere.
Dr. Suess wrote a book about these guys titled “Marvin K. Mooney” Think of the last name with one less “O.”
I sincerely hope he apologized in person to most of his team mates and begged their forgiveness.
The one thing he said that really hurts is…”I would like to thank everyone around the Colorado Football program for helping shape me into the man I am today”
ouch
Reply
Eric says:
December 28, 2021 at 7:24 pm
Rest In Peace, John madden. The voice of a generation. Actually, many. Crazy the show aired Christmas Day, and he passes today.
Legend.
Go Buffs
Reply
GJBuff says:
December 28, 2021 at 3:56 pm
My hope is, that right now, we are aggressively moving from, “good, to great” via the transfer portal, and JC teams. We should be furiously heating up the transfer wires. We should be signing linemen, filling holes, finding solutions and even developing new strategies, if necessary; in order to emerge from this crazy new system, a leaner, meaner version of our former selves. We should be pairing down overloaded positions, (tight ends) to realistic numbers, to make room for positions of need, (lines). We should be having conversations with students who need to move on to other situations, where they’ll have a better chance to play. We should take advantage of this new cutthroat musical chairs and put together a team filled with talented athletes, who have a chip on their respective shoulders and are excited for a chance to prove themselves.
We can feel sorry for ourselves, or we can move.
If we work hard and move fast, we can turn this into a great opportunity to improve. This new system will make or break many teams. This is a tipping point and a chance to test leadership.
It’s now up to them to succeed or fail.
Let’s Go!
Go Buffs
Reply
1. Luckyprof says:
  December 28, 2021 at 5:12 pm
  Very well said, GJ Buff!!
  Reply
2. Cjbuffco says:
  December 28, 2021 at 7:48 pm
  Agree completely. It’s how leaders respond to changing circumstances that counts. There are opportunities here, not just doom and gloom because two guys (although good players) leave because their position coach departs. There will probably be more hits as this new environment shakes out. It seems inevitable so action plans need to be created and executed upon. Thanks for the positive post. Go Buffs!!
  Reply
  1. Eric says:
    December 28, 2021 at 9:55 pm
    Every pile of crap has nuggets of gold in it. For the intrepid willing to dive in. Or for the more eloquent, something about clouds and silver linings.
    Go Buffs
    Reply
Luckyrprof says:
December 28, 2021 at 2:45 pm
After watching the aftermath of the Miami Dolphins game yesterday, and seeing the upbeat interview with current Dolphin Phillip Lindsay, I was so encouraged about the direction of the Colorado football program. He described the family atmosphere in Miami that allowed for the players not to be too down following the 1-7 start (keeping in mind that the team is the first in history with a seven game losing streak and a seven game winning streak in the same season). Coach Flores selected Assistant Coach Dorrell to be his “Associate Head Coach” with Miami. There has been every indication that Coach Dorrell would be bringing an enhanced version of his generally successful UCLA experience to C.U. The entry to the portal of two outstanding young defenders shakes the “buy-in” foundation of these principles/ideals to the very core. The turnaround of the C.U. program cannot come soon enough, particularly as NIL, the portal, and the shortcomings of the past two decades are working against the type of “rebuild” Coach Dorrell is seeking to establish.
All the VERY best Coach Dorrell as you push the rock uphill. May your results unfold along the lines of Coach McCartney accomplishment rather than become a repeat the of the Sisyphus myth.
Reply
1. Eric says:
  December 28, 2021 at 3:57 pm
  I thought that was encouraging too. The other side to that is that in their run of wins, they have played against some pretty bad qb’s.
  If the Buffs have a qb who can read and react quickly and accurately, and get the ball out on time, that will go a long way to improving the offense.
  I also hope they can replace md improve upon the guys who are leaving. Here’s to hoping rice sticks around and keeps buying what Karl is selling.
  Go Buffs
  Reply
  1. Luckyprof says:
    December 28, 2021 at 5:20 pm
    Those two defenders will be difficult to replace through the portal, but, just may be replaced eventually through the recent recruits. There were some outstanding corners and safeties signed. Yes, we can also hope for a stop to the attrition through the portal. Regarding Rice, I thought it was noteworthy that #2, the young Mr. Rice, was prominently displayed (front and center) on the rollout video shown on signing day. So much hope he will be around C.U. for the long haul.
    Reply
Adam Kenny says:
December 28, 2021 at 2:38 pm
First, Christian Gonzalez and now, Mark Perry. Forgive me for captioning the obvious but this has not been a December to remember for the Buffs.
Reply
ep says:
December 28, 2021 at 2:36 pm
there are 2 defectors now that are going to be hard to live without. Both following the example of their position coach. One of the coach jobs is to build team moral, esprit de corps…band of brothers stuff. When they pick up and leave the players scratch their heads and say “it was all BS. I might as well head for the big time money too.”
I hope VK is right about Sanford. He may have to ante up chev’s 30 points a game joke quite a bit to win any games. I certainly wont a bet a dime on it but if he does I will bet the farm he will be gone just like dinner bell Mel
Reply
1. VKBerlin says:
  December 29, 2021 at 7:51 am
  Amazing how many defensive players that started this year will not be there next year. Graduation, moving on, transfer portal.
  It will be a challenge. But there are some young players signed by HCKD that have the talent to step into it and make it happen
  Go Buffs.
  Note: Recall all the rumors, quotes, interviews from the players that mentioned dissension, not on the same page, not bought in etc etc. Perhaps, not for sure the players left will fix those real/perceived issues.
  Reply
CUAlum says:
December 28, 2021 at 2:21 pm
The great migration continues. Proven players to better programs with NIL money. Unproven/Busts/Mediocre players to universities with little/no NIL money. I don’t know where this will end up but right now it will be the rich get richer and the poor will get poorer.
Reply
Bufftrax says:
December 25, 2021 at 9:31 am
THE PORTAL. Justification that college sports are a big business….not a means to get a free education.
Some lawyers representing collegiate athletes are gloating over their coup.
The big just get bigger. The rich just get richer. THE FANS GET SCREWED.
IT PROVES COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ARE JUST BIG BUSINESS….
Reply
1. cricky says:
  December 26, 2021 at 9:45 am
  College football has been a big business for a long time now. I think the TV revenue last year was something like $8B. It’s just that now the ones that generate that value (ie the players) want a bigger piece of the pie and I don’t think there is any way to stop them from getting it. The universities that understand this and adopt will still be fielding teams at the highest level and those that don’t will be relegated. This is my opinion about the future, but I don’t really see any other way it can go. It’s like what happened to Blockbuster Video. There used to be one of those on every block and then there weren’t.
  Reply
GJBuff says:
December 24, 2021 at 8:27 pm
Such news either takes a leader down because of their inability to change, or it fires them up to make sudden, bold moves in the heat of battle. This is where we find out if KD has the necessary fire in his belly, or if we baby step our way to another coaching search in a year or two, while bitterly complaining about funding disparity.
While I understand that KD’s DNA makes him uncomfortable when someone moves the stapler from the place he always likes to keep it on his desk; there is hopefully a place down deep in his soul, that cries out for quick action, once he realizes he may not have several years to comfortably, methodically play this out.
I think of Mac, many years ago, boldly deciding to completely switch offensive styles at what he recognized as a critical fork in the road. I recently gained much respect for Norvell, for moving heaven and earth, so that he’s virtually assured of having, “Nevada East” in place, once the season starts out in Ft. Collins. Reserved personalities will always call such moves foolhardy. No. I’m not asking for an option offense; just for a bit of bold creativity.
Such change makes people uncomfortable. They will insist that things aren’t that dire. I guess that’s a difference in perception. I respectfully agree to disagree.
Fact… The portal exists. You don’t have to be victimized by it. As long as you don’t hurt students, it can be a valuable tool. Other schools have lots more money. That’s reality. We can’t just sit still and complain. This sort of thing will keep happening to us, until we make bold moves that will level out an uneven playing field.
I’ve noticed talking heads and writers shaking their heads and patronizing fans for being impatient. There will always be however, differing opinions in this world.
I’m not personally saying throw the baby out with the bathwater, but my contention is, …we simply don’t have the talent and/or coaching infrastructure, to ground and pound successfully and the competitive landscape won’t disappear anytime soon; so we need to figure out some out of the box, creative solutions. Just my personal opinion.
I’m not angry at Oregon. (OK, I’m a little angry, but I can’t blame them for making bold moves to win.) Those ducks have the passion of hungry lions. Hungry to win. That’s unfortunate for us.
I don’t like it, but I respect it.
I also understand the funding disparity; but that should only make an effective leader more creative in making bold moves to break the cycle. You either do something about such circumstances, or become an organization that this sort of thing keeps happening to…
That’s reality.
Let’s do something about it.
Bold moves make heroes.
I know many will disagree. So be it.
Merry Christmas. Go Buffs
Reply
1. VKBerlin says:
  December 25, 2021 at 6:12 am
  MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD MORNING!
  
  Up early. Breakfast ingredients for the family all planned out.
  Gonna make a bold move here and gonna make a little chipped beef on toast.
  It will be very innovative to say the least.
  Kids have never had it but it is time to get them back on breakfast band wagon.
  I am gonna break the cycle
  Done with the baby steps.
  This will be a bold move
  It will be creative
  It will be outta the box
  I wanna be a hero.
  I’m gonna move the salt shaker from it’s usual place
  I am gonna be playing in the “Kitchen of Dreams”!!
  I may even dig out that ol wishbone from that long departed turkey.
  The fam is getting anxious, down right rude and has all the answers. Ha!
  I need to make this breakfast a success.
  Even though when they served it in Basic, and AIT and OCS, and Jump, and Jungle I would go hungry till lunch.
  I would try and attack right through it, be aggressive, be innovative, but that was always an error as the stomach eruptions (both directions) was cause for much misery and embarrassment
  The baby step eating and nibbling routine and slowly ingesting that concoction always was the smart plan.
  That baby step plan would get me to lunch where there usually was a nice belly filling, good tasting hunk of something. Win and a jam job. Hmmmmm
  Made it so there.
  Go Me……………..get that stuff ready……………those nice drinks too.
  Note: Merry Christmas again
  Note 2: Yup the fam is gonna be forced to take action and aggressively attack this wonderful meal they have never had before.
  Note 3: Me? I am gonna be using the baby step strategy cause this is what the situation calls for
  Reply
2. Eric says:
  December 25, 2021 at 10:12 am
  Have you seen my stapler? Hilarious.
  For anyone unfamiliar https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd4fj9Efl4s
  Go Buffs and merry Christmas!
  Reply
3. MDVanBuff says:
  December 25, 2021 at 11:02 pm
  Well said GJBuff! I respect, appreciate, and wholeheartedly agree with your candid comments about leadership. Although there are many circumstances that make winning at CU challenging that’s all they are is circumstances. Leaders who are great do so regardless of their circumstances if it’s truly important to them. Unfortunately, at the University of Colorado it isn’t that important.
  Reply
CUAlum says:
December 24, 2021 at 2:15 pm
It’s all over but the crying now. Top player that don’t pan out will transfer to lesser programs. Players from mid tier programs that pan out will transfer to top tier (those that have the money) programs.
Reply
EgreenBuff says:
December 24, 2021 at 11:01 am
If you don’t want to be a Buff( Mr. Gonzalez) then move on. And don’t let the door hit you in the a** on the way out. We have other corners that will fill your shoes adequately. It pisses me off that these kids think so highly of themselves yet have no loyalty to the program that gave them a chance out of high school. This is the new “ME” generation. These players develop bloated egos due to becoming social media darlings with lots of followers. I will cheer and support the players that are on this team. That what a Buff fan does! I have been doing this for 40 years and will continue until the day I die!!!
Reply
1. AZBuff says:
  December 24, 2021 at 3:27 pm
  Egreen, your comments are right on. I feel it is going to be very hard much of the time to be a real fan of college athletics now and in the future (NIL ERA is upon us). Mitch Albon with the Detroit Free Press had a very good article in USA Today a couple of days ago. I hope that Stuart would link to it.
  I too will remain a hard core Buff fan as I have for many many years and I guess maybe what has occurred with this down period of a football program over the last couple decades has inured many of us to present day reality and we’ll suffer through. We’ve had some good years and some real down years, but I will always try to keep in my memories the Glory Years during Mac 1’s latter years.
  Reply
2. Cjbuffco says:
  December 24, 2021 at 3:49 pm
  Hear, hear!
  Reply
cricky says:
December 24, 2021 at 10:49 am
Does anyone know anything about boosters organizing for NIL? I don’t have any idea how to find out about this. Maybe there is something discussed on the pay boards? If we don’t get something going there will be a lot more players leaving. All of the players that can get paid will go to the highest bidders. That’s college football now.
Reply
MarcusJBuff says:
December 24, 2021 at 10:42 am
I bet Gonzalez lands at Oregon, following his position coach… which sucks. This is a perfect example of how things have changed with players being able to be free agents and follow coaches. It’s great when we pick up a coach and/or players of need, but it sucks CU develops either and then loses them to a school with more money.
OU has poached CU before, and now with NIL and the portal it’ll only get easier.
Reply
1. AZBuff says:
  December 24, 2021 at 9:27 pm
  So right Marcus B. So Sad & just downright disappointing.
  Reply
DenverBuff says:
December 24, 2021 at 9:53 am
I feared this would happen. KD is moving too slowly to turn things around. He may think he has a plan, but so do the assn’t coaches and worse so do the players. Instead of a great QB we take another untested freshman as a transfer. Looking at HS lineman who didn’t get any offers at the early signing period. This isn’t building momentum, and CU badly needs momentum. I like KD as a man, but I don’t see the program doing great things next year. I do hope I am wrong, but I don’t see KD really taking CU back to its highest. Ask yourself, why did no other team ever see the “potential” in KD after all those years in the NFL?
Remember, UCF and Wake Forest were nothing schools with no recruiting reputations in football. In no time they turned into winners because of the head coach’s approach. I don’t see kids getting excited about CU, do you readers see it?
Of course Meat would leave for a better offer, we aren’t getting bowl money bonuses at CU and nothing is gonna change next year. Its hope JT will be our QB, but the newly hired O coor has a nice resume, but not real results. The Oline coach had a poor performing O line his last 2 years at AZ when he had the unit all to himself. Nice resume, but I fear they they turn out to be nothing burgers.
I want nothing but the best for my dear school of 2 degrees. But this is looking nothing like the old days of Tarver and Branch (who lived above me) or Bobby Anderson, or all the football players I prepped up in my science field to get them through their requirements.
I do hope I am wrong at the Football team, but I have to look at the situation without rose colored glasses and I fear things are only marginally better.
Merry Christmas CU, the teams, and all you fans. I wish us nothing but the best, and hope 2022 will be a peaceful, prosperous, and healthy New Year for all of us!
Reply
1. VKBerlin says:
  December 24, 2021 at 1:27 pm
  Welp,
  All those year in the nfl. Okay.
  Now he did try Vanderbilt. Bad decision.
  Now as far as enthusiasm he just signed a bunch of recruits.
  Missed on the oline recruits but now a new ol coach
  Ya we all got a plan till the first punch lands. But the good ones have backup and back up, and flexible alternatives. Certainly you have had them. I have.
  Yup gonna lose coaches. Losing Meat is a tough one. Steak is expensive. The ducks can afford it just like the spartasses whotook the really good oline coach.
  I figure when the new recruits show up in 2022 and then you have 2021 recruits and I figure half the 2020 class and the transfers last year and this year that 85% of the scholarship players are guys he wanted and or got.
  So there is that.
  Gonna have at least 4 new assistant coaches next year. Again his guys.
  Is he moving fast enough?
  When your dragging the millstones of the previous 4 head coaches speed is tough to obtain, but steady progress is required!
  Figure he has coached 1 year fully (2020 is not a counter even with a bowl)
  But in his first 13 conference games he has won 6
  Mikeymac one 2 in his first 27 games
  So it may appear slow and maybe it is, but the progress is there and continuing.
  Expectations and Patience…………….The dichotomy of a Buff fan
  Lets go Buffs…
  “I said go if you want to go
  Stay if you want to stay
  I didn’t care if you hung around me
  I didn’t care if you went away…..”
  Buffalo up
  Reply
Eric says:
December 24, 2021 at 9:13 am
Well? Gonzalez leaving is not great.
Go Buffs
Reply
ep says:
December 24, 2021 at 8:41 am
Nice Christmas present to the Buff fans from Gone…zalez
To Oregon with Martin?
Why do all these “thank yous” from these transfers ring so hollow?
The process I described earlier is now in play with the Buffs. Its not just the guys at the bottom of the depth chart looking elsewhere for PT that pack their bags. The bigger teams are now poaching the players on the other teams that blossom after a successful season or 2.
The portal is a 2 way sword. Teams like CU will now be exchanging their best players with guys from the bottom of other team’s depth chart.
The sucking continues and intensifies.
Reply
Luckyprof says:
December 24, 2021 at 8:10 am
Merry Christmas and Happy 2022 to Stuart and all who log on to this site!!
The Christian Gonzalez loss is a big one. He is an outstanding player. He may be following his position coach. He may be following NIL. He may be following a dream of playing for a National Championship. Regardless of the reason, his loss could possibly represent a sea change for C.U. Portal losses in the McCartney years would have come from the second stringers/fringe players and not from a Christian Gonzalez. His loss could, possibly, underscore, more than the other portal losses, the true stance of C.U. in “the pecking order.” I hope this loss is one of the last ones and only is because a player is following a position coach. I hope the other players are “all in,” and help turn the program around – the sooner, the better!!
Reply
1. iriebuff says:
  December 24, 2021 at 11:02 am
  He was the best player on the entire roster….for just one season too, as he will enter the draft as a RD1 pick the following season.
  Starting to think about the ‘definition’ for insanity…programs like CU need to figure out a new model as the traditional one no longer works for ‘our tier’ of schools.
  Reply
VKBerlin says:
December 24, 2021 at 6:17 am
Gonzo say it ain’t so………………..say it ain’t so
Okay say it’s to. Good luck where ever you go and thanks for stopping by it seems we hardly new ya.
Sheesh you lose your coach and bam you can’t handle it and have to leave.
Oh wait………………hmmmm…………….Mallard feathers in your hair……is that right. Or like the texas rb………………….homesick>?
Seriously good luck
It’s funny! Did midnight Mel have a real recruiting class at CU? 2019 was kinda mickymacs too.
Anyway the 2020 class was his class with a little input from HCKD
So
6 have jumped in the portal
several never showed up or couldn’t get in
a couple just left/quit
So out of 23 in the class
about half are no longer here?
Just how it is these days
Shed no tears for them or for CU
It appears that CU will be/could be a JC type situation for some players to prove themselves then head off to the big time football factories………
No Matter to Me.
Go CU
Buffs
Note: Gonna be HCKD team, His coaches, his players, his plan.
Note 2. Predict there will be more transfers from the 2020 recruiting class. The QB???? Maybe so…….and you know why right…….if this happens??
Reply
DenverBuff says:
December 22, 2021 at 10:17 am
Not to be too snarky but…. Let’s see, Oregon got NIX, CU got KOOP. What’s wrong with this picture?
Now I’m sure he is a great kid, and nothing on him, but these baby steps of KD are not building my confidence. Midnight Mel was trying to turn things around with passion. None of these hires strike me as going to get the ship turned around soon. Hope I’m wrong, but KD is going to need a bottle of extra strength Tums and Stresstabs come the Fall at the rate we are going.
Reply
1. Soldero says:
  December 22, 2021 at 11:11 am
  ….and how’s that Mel Tucker passion working out for CU?
  Reply
  1. DenverBuff says:
    December 22, 2021 at 1:17 pm
    Well I’d guess if MSU wasn’t in such horrible shape that they had to throw ridiculous money at Mel to get him to jump, we’d be a lot further along. Just think of the O line coach we would still have, the 4* kids that were looking at us and would probably have ben signing, etc. Mel had charisma and had the Buff Club so excited to support the team. Maybe you have forgotten how excited the fan base was. Plus, he might be using the scholarship on portal transfer players who could step right in and win now. Just saying Mel had many good features but we all feel burned by him but CU would be way further along had he stayed.
    Reply
    1. ep says:
      December 22, 2021 at 11:33 pm
      I think the point was any passion FOR CU. It looked like an incredible stroke of luck he actually got here in the first place. I bet he was having buyers remorse not long after he signed. If he isn’t going to church he ought to be after MSU cleaned out their bank vault for him.
      coulda woulda shoulda….pffft
      mercenary doesnt begin to describe college football anymore Martin just left for the shoe guy and the NIL pretty much has the rest of the bases covered.
      Ten bucks says When Kelly doesnt bring home the NC in 2 seasons and Mel has a couple more like the last one…………..
      Reply
2. VKBerlin says:
  December 22, 2021 at 5:57 pm
  Sorry,
  You are wrong.
  Look deeper
  HCKD team
  Buffs
  Reply
GJBuff says:
December 21, 2021 at 2:20 pm
Looks like a decent addition. It seems like he sees the field clearly, has a quick release and good route anticipation. Good attempts to picks ratio, shows he makes good decisions under fire. The lack of college football experience, still makes him a question mark; but I really like the potential.
He has the tools to pick a defense apart, if his O-line can give him half a chance. C’mon portal…
Hopefully a lively competition in the QB room will now bring out an obvious starter and backup.
Go Buffs
Reply
57MAB says:
December 21, 2021 at 6:30 am
I like the addition of the QB from Houston as he automatically makes that room better prospect wise. I too wonder about the addition of big bodies through the portal. I quietly hope that the situation on O-Line isn’t as dire as it appears with what we already have. Filip and Wray being healthy–the development of 2021 transfer Fenske–the development of young and body massive recent recruits like Lichtenhan and Amaya–and of course the ability of a high potential guy like Carson Lee getting on track and overcoming serious legal issues. In the case of Lee, the last I heard is that he is still a member of the team. All of that said, I wish one and all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and maybe a gift of a new and solid O-Line coach under the tree.
Reply
ep says:
December 20, 2021 at 10:11 pm
Thanks to my wife, who has control of the remote, with my welcome permission, she records most of the programs we watch including the sporting events. Anyone who has read a couple of my posts realizes I am an impatient SOB. the older I get the worse it gets. Especially with the commercials that have spread like cancer. TV was free and you had to put up with a few commercials but now its 85 bucks a month for the basic…real basic package and 10 times as many commercials. and to make things worse its the same damn ones over and over again for months. the Goebbels method of marketing.
Sorry about all the digressing and griping but we record the programs to fast forward throw all the huckster BS.
Getting to the point. I did see one that stuck with me. I have no idea what they were pushing. nowdays you have to listen to them equate their product with all kinds of emotions and heartstring stuff including patriotism till you glaze over what they are actually trying to sell you.
along those lines Matt Damon said “fortune favors the brave.”
Why cant that be true in college football any more? instead of baby steps. Its because the damn coaches are already making a fortune and will continue to make a fortune with what it seems like no matter how much they fail.
Its a strange world we live in.
mike drop in favor of another beer.
Reply
1. VKBerlin says:
  December 21, 2021 at 3:49 pm
  Excellent impression of a shroomer!
  Or was it real or memorex
  Buffs
  Reply
Eric says:
December 20, 2021 at 9:59 pm
Ok, new transfer qb is interesting. Young guy. Competition. Not a guaranteed 1 or 2. Less mobile. Allegedly. Gonna be, wait for it, interesting. I reckon. Dudemanbro.
Go Buffs
Reply
ep says:
December 20, 2021 at 9:51 pm
KD copped Kopp.
This kid was super prolific in high school. I couldn’t find any stats for him on the U. of Houston website, which has to be one of the worst college athletic websites I have ever seen. The portal told me he enrolled at Houston this year so that leaves him with a lot of playing seasons. Maybe this will challenge Sanford to come up with a passing game.
Was it a commenter, a coach or Howell? who came up with the we are going to emulate Stanford idea…..as a run heavy offense.
Wasnt the Stanford legacy mostly built with Jim Plunkett, John Elway and Andrew Luck? Yeah they could afford to run the ball now and then and all those O linemen, who are supposed to be the smartest position lined up to protect those guys. Lately however they got lucky with McCaffrey but it looks like the run first thing has caught up with them.
If Shaw cant find another guy who can throw the damn ball like Stanford QBs of yore he may decide to take his millions and go fishing soon.
Back to Kopp. If this guy turns out to be the real deal Tad better give Carter some PT to keep him at home. But how will we know in a run heavy offense?
Reply
ep says:
December 20, 2021 at 10:58 am
During one of those age induced periods of idleness I decided to see what was available in the portal in the way of linemen. I went back through the month of December before I got tired of scrolling.
I counted only players who were 3 stars and above the scouting service rating of .8500.
First the good news. D linemen are more than plentiful. Mostly interior D linemen but there were also 5 four star edge guys that still haven’t committed.
O linemen ….not so much. No 4 stars at all the haven’t committed elsewhere. Only 5 OTs above .8500. and 6 guys described as interior offensive linemen.
ouch
Maybe thats why KD is hesitant to sign up one of these guys…why I’m sure some of them may be hesitant to come here in spite of the considerable opportunity to start.
If Sanford can pick a winner OL coach that will help him greatly as well as the team. Tonight I will burn a soccer ball as a sacrifice to the football gods.
Reply
Eric says:
December 19, 2021 at 5:53 pm
Wait. Bo Nix is transferring to uo? What the hell? Why wouldn’t he want to come to Boulder?
Go Buffs
Reply
1. 83BUFF says:
  December 20, 2021 at 1:12 am
  Not great QB. Pretty erratic.
  Reply
2. VKBerlin says:
  December 20, 2021 at 6:33 am
  easy
  Academics are hard in boulder
  Auburn
  UO
  Not so much
  Buffs
  Reply
  1. CUAlum says:
    December 20, 2021 at 8:29 pm
    Hate to say this but they’re actually comparable.
    USNWR Rankings
    CU #99
    Auburn #99
    Oregon #99
    They are literally all tied for #99.
    Reply
    1. VKBerlin says:
      December 21, 2021 at 6:31 am
      I’m sorry but USNWR rankings are useless. Poorly done. Poor metrics. If you use these to pick your school (other than the top twenty or so which are the same in everyone’s rankings I would suggest (no offense) you are ill informed
      Buffs
      Reply
      1. VKBerlin says:
        December 21, 2021 at 7:03 am
        There are several if not least 7 well respected ranking organizations of universities, USNWR is not one of them.
        You can look them up.
        But in every ranking, no what the criteria and it is broad, narrow and diverse the rankings always look like this.
        CU in the 30 to 40 ranges
        OU in the 70 to 150 ranges
        Auburn in the 115 to 250 range.
        Buffs win
BuffTime says:
December 14, 2021 at 4:23 pm
Anyone hearing anything about transfers that are interested in CU? Or anyone it is believed that the coaches are targeting?
I’m a bit surprised at how large the incoming class is expected to be. Means a lot more current players will need to leave before transfers are factored in.
Brian Howell over at Buffzone has said that he is expecting at least 1 ready to start QB to push for the starting job incase Shrout isn’t ready by spring. I have to assume they go after some linemen on both sides (especially OT). Not sure where else they go after experienced transfers. Thoughts?
Reply
1. VKBerlin says:
  December 20, 2021 at 8:34 am
  I thought I read that with the transfers and the graduates that CU was at 85 scholarships already.
  So the new jc linebacker puts them at 86
  And assuming they get 5-7 from the portal then yup there will be more players who are not contributors will be gone.
  Tough times in Boulder in all areas
  Buffs
  Reply
2. BostonBuff says:
  December 21, 2021 at 6:03 am
  Carson Wells declares for draft…back to 85 ?
  Big holes to fill for those backing the line
  Go Buffs
  Reply
Adam Kenny says:
December 14, 2021 at 2:44 pm
Michael Penix, Jr., QB at Indiana, is going to be a Washington Husky. Has had problems
staying healthy but a heck of a player when he is.
Reply
Eric says:
December 13, 2021 at 9:55 pm
20% of p5 qb’s? I didn’t look closely but that is starters? Will be telling if Karl chills on his qb room, or not. I actually like it. Does he? We will see. At least to the point we know if they get one. No way to know if they pursued, but didn’t land one, I guess.
Go Buffs
Reply
ep says:
December 13, 2021 at 8:54 pm
I didnt realize Slovis was in the portal. Whats the story there?
No chance he arrives here I suppose
Reply
1. BuffTime says:
  December 14, 2021 at 4:20 pm
  Got injured early in the season and supplanted by true freshman Jaxson Dart. Plus Lincoln Riley is bringing with him a top QB recruit who had been committed to OU before Riley moved on.
  Reply
CUAlum says:
December 13, 2021 at 7:15 pm
Transfer portal is a pretty good thing for the universities and the players. Players who don’t pan out can transfer to a less competitive school and maybe get a chance to play. Universities get more scholarships to give out to HS players (or transfers from highly competitive programs) that may pan out.
Reply
Doug P says:
December 11, 2021 at 7:39 pm
Looking forward to reading your book – just ordered it
Reply
OregonBuff says:
December 11, 2021 at 5:21 pm
Hey Stuart.
How does one go about getting a signed copy of “Due North”?
Reply
1. Stuart says:
  December 11, 2021 at 5:31 pm
  Where are you in Oregon? I’ll be out in Portland for Christmas – December 22nd – 27th.
  Perhaps we could find each other then?
  Reply
Eric says:
December 5, 2021 at 9:28 pm
Bummer about carpenter. I thought he looked good the few times he played.
Go Buffs
Reply
ep says:
December 3, 2021 at 10:36 am
Here is one that ought to get a rise out of the bud ,light QB experts
Adrian Martinez is now in the portal
Reply
1. LoCoBuff says:
  December 8, 2021 at 11:17 pm
  I take that as an insult. I prefer a nice strong Belgian ale instead!
  Reply
  1. ep says:
    December 11, 2021 at 3:23 pm
    lol
    maybe I should substitute doctor pepper. I think most of their commercials are pretty pathetic but I did a “kick” out of the one where the punter comes out of the portal.
    Reply
Darin M says:
November 30, 2021 at 3:07 pm
Sorry to see anyone leave, especially Ashaad. But it’s another star recruit that didn’t live up to the hype.
Reply
Ryan says:
November 30, 2021 at 12:58 pm
You’re missing WR Keith Miller III.
Reply
BostonBuff says:
November 28, 2021 at 12:18 pm
https://www.buffzone.com/2021/11/28/cu-buffs-fire-offensive-coordinator-darrin-chiaverini/
Reply
iriebuff says:
November 28, 2021 at 12:12 pm
Chev out…being reported.
Reply
MFish says:
November 28, 2021 at 11:51 am
First proper long-hand overview of something fans continue to be somewhat oblivious about. We were not the young team we claimed to be this year with over 30 players graduating or finishing eligibility. But we may be just that next year! As important as recruiting is, managing who stays and who goes will be a critical part of the coaching staff’s offseason. Goal is to retain starters, playmakers and shed those who haven’t penetrated the depth chart after a couple years.
Likely key additions to list of players moving on:
Lang – Draft
Wray – med retirement
J Doss
Ma Bell
Ch Lytle
Reply
83BUFF says:
November 28, 2021 at 11:02 am
It starts on the OL. Doesn’t matter if all of the WRs transfer if we don’t get a competent OL, meaning a top notch OL coach and a top notch OC to direct it. The WRs and other skill positions are completely dependent on the competence of the OL and then the QB, who is in turn also dependent upon of competent OL. Fix the OL and you go a long way, almost all the way, to fixing the offense. That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it. ROLL TAD!!!
Reply
1. ep says:
  November 28, 2021 at 5:03 pm
  Stick me to it too
  2nd priority is getting some D linemen that can pressure
  Reply
ep says:
November 28, 2021 at 9:15 am
I’m not sure if there will be another slight adjustment to the math. That being Carson Lee. what is his status?
Reply
Clark says:
November 28, 2021 at 9:07 am
Thanks for the breakdown Stuart.
I just hope we don’t see players like Rice or Gonzalez transfer. Really need those young players (and others) if CU is going to be competitive next year.
Reply
1. Chris says:
  November 28, 2021 at 10:03 am
  Agree. We need those young guys that were 3 and 4 stars to stick around.
  We also need a new OC that will properly utilize the young guys he helped recruit.
  Reply
BostonBuff says:
November 28, 2021 at 7:08 am
Fingers crossed a couple of rising Buff players don’t enter the portal, I think we know of a couple guys this program needs to keep. Would also be a testament to buying in with KD et al, if we don’t lose any of these talent guys (WR,RB,DB)
Barnes certainly came on strong and Lamb had some moments this year.
Be nice if Wray and Frenske can make a difference in 2022 along with others on the roster…
A good OL coach is really important and can be successful with what they have
(Dante Scarnecchia, retired, proved this many times) and it all starts in the trenches
Well, like you said it will be interesting. KD is going to have a few difficult conversations with staff and guys on the roster.
Dang there were some good games yesterday !
Go Buffs
Reply

Transfer Portal Tracker

Postseason - 2021 Season