Recruiting Trail – Defense

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Recruiting Trail – Defense

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Defensive Line

Players lost (with 2017 season stats) … Leo Jackson III (38 career games; 22 starts … 60 tackles – 46 unassisted) … George Frazier (49 games; 11 starts … 11 tackles 8 solo) … Timothy Coleman (41 games; three starts … six tackles; six unassisted)

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2018 Projected Roster

Seniors … Javier Edwards* … Chris Mulumba … Jase Franke

Juniors … Mo Bandi

Sophomores … Terriek Roberts

Red-shirt freshmen … Terrance Lang … Nico Magri

True freshman … Jalen Sami (grey-shirt from Class of 2017)

Recruiting Class of 2018 … Tava Finau … Israel Antwine

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

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Class of 2018 – Commitments (2)

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Israel Antwine – DL

Just the facts … Committed December 20th … Antwine is a 6’3″, 286-pound defensive lineman from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Rivals bio  247Sports bio

What others say about Antwine … Antwine is considered to be a three-star prospect by both Rivals and 247 Sports. Rivals considers Antwine to be the No. 52 defensive tackle in the nation, and the No. 12 overall player out of the state of Oklahoma, while 247 Sports has Antwine as the No. 55 defensive tackle in the country, and the No. 14 overall player out of Oklahoma.

Antwine had other offers from … numerous Power-Five conference schools. An Oklahoma State commit since October, Antwine had offers from most of the Big 12 conference schools, including Texas, Kansas State, Baylor, Texas Tech, TCU and Iowa State. He also had offers from Arkansas, Georgia and Mississippi (Antwine was an Ole Miss commit last summer, before switching to Oklahoma State in October).

In his own words … “I was just thinking about what’s best for me and what’s the best decision for my future,” Antwine told the Oklahoman. “I saw a chance to play early as a freshman and to spend more time at defensive end which is my favorite position.”

Antwine’s father, Dwayne, said they understood turning from Oklahoma State wouldn’t be the popular decision but one he felt was best for his son’s future.

“Based on his interests and goals we felt like the University of Colorado would be the best for him,” Antwine said. “We have a lot of family that are associated with Oklahoma State so it was a very difficult decision.”

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Tava Finau – DE

Just the facts … Committed September 19th … Finau is a 6’4″, 255-pound defensive end from Sacramento, California  Rivals bio  247 Sports bio

What others say about Finau … Finau is considered to be a three-star prospect by Rivals and 247Sports. Rivals has Finau as the No. 98 overall player out of the state of California. 247Sports has Finau rated as the No. 70 weakside defensive end in the nation, and the No. 127 player overall out of the state of California.

2017 stats: 43 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery

Analysis from Rivals: “Finau is a versatile defensive lineman who has the ability to play outside but also the power and toughness to line up as a defensive tackle and be a difference-maker there. Either way, the Colorado commit can be a contributor along the defensive front. What I like most about Finau is his aggressiveness and his relentlessness to beat offensive linemen and cause havoc in the backfield”.

Finau had other offers from … multiple schools, including Washington State from the Pac-12 (Finau took an official visit to Washington State on November 17th, two months after committing to Colorado). Other schools who reportedly offered Finau included a good chunk of the Mountain West Conference: Boise State; San Diego State; Nevada; Hawai’i; Utah State; and Fresno State.

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

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Class of 2018 – Prospects

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

Four-star prospects: Caleb Tremblay (JC) (Rivals bio … 247 Sports) … Tyler Manoa (Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio) … Leonard Taylor (Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio) … Jeremiah Martin (Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio)

Three-star prospects: Dominic Livingston (Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio) … Daeqwan Bailey (JC) (Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio) … Dantrell Barkley (JC) (Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio) … Jordan Allen (JC) (Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio) … Andy Koch (Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio)

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Comments … It was not a secret heading into the 2017 season that the Colorado defensive line was at risk of being the weakest unit, not only on the defense, but on the team. August dawned with the three starters from CU’s 2016 defensive line in NFL camps, with Buff fans being told that junior college transfers Javier Edwards and Chris Mulumba were ready to step in and take their place.

Edwards and Mulumba stepped in, but failed to produce the same results. Frank Umu, a promising young prospect, was dismissed from the team for violating team rules. George Frazier, one of the returning upperclassmen – and a team captain – was suspended for the first two games of the season.

The writing was on the wall … and it was a long season for the defensive line. Colorado went from 44th in the nation in rushing defense in 2016 (148.9 yards per game) to 107th (208.0 yards per game). The Buffs were 99th in team sacks (1.58 per game) and 112th in tackles for loss (4.5 per game). The defensive line was pushed around all season, failed to stop any team with even a modicum of a rushing attack, and failed to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

The prospects for 2018?

Sad to say … more of the same.

There is only one current commit from the Class of 2018, and while Tava Finau is an enticing prospect, he will not be a difference maker in 2018 (or even 2019). A review of the CU offer sheet along the defensive line indicates that the Colorado coaching staff is again hoping to mine a diamond in the rough from the junior college ranks … good luck with that.

Unless there is a shakeup in the coaching staff, or a surprise on Signing Day, what you saw in 2017 will be what you will see in 2018. We will hear during spring and fall practices how much Edwards and Mulumba have taken advantage of a full year in the weight room and in the CU system (of course, we heard all last spring and fall about great it was to have two junior college players – fresh from the heat of battle on the field – ready to step in and be competitive).

It’s tough to be discouraged about the 2018 season before the 2017 season has even come to an end. Unless you are looking at this unit through some rose-colored glasses, however, it’s tough to see how the CU defensive line in 2018 will be a dominant force.

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Linebackers

Players lost (with 2017 season stats) … Derek McCartney (38 career games; 36 starts … 55 tackles – 39 unassisted) … Trent Headley (one games … no stats) … Bryan Meek (no stats)

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2018 Projected Roster

Seniors … Rick Gamboa … Drew Lewis … Terran Hasselbach … Michael Mathewes

Juniors … Shamar Hamilton

Sophomores … Dante Sparaco* … Jacob Callier* … Nate Landman* … Akil Jones … Sam Bennion … Jacob Stoltenberg 

Red-shirt freshmen … Carson Wells … Chase Newman … Jon Van Diest … Nick Edridge

Recruiting Class of 2018 … Joshka Gustav … Davlon Taylor (JC) (decommitted November 27th) … Clyde Moore

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

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Class of 2018 – Commitments (2)

Clyde Moore – LB

Just the facts … Committed June 17th … Moore is a 6’2″, 225-pound linebacker from Newport Beach, California  Rivals bio  247 Sports bio

What others say about Moore … Moore is considered to be a three-star prospect by Rivals and 247 Sports. At 247 Sports, Moore is rated as the No. 49 inside linebacker in the country, and the No. 111 overall player out of the state of California.

2017 statistics: 23 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 pass break ups (Moore had a season-ending injury just three games into his senior year. His recovery is reportedly going well).

2016 statistics: 67 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 3 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble

“Clyde is built with the fierce, violent and mental processing capability to excel in the run game,” Dan O’Shea, his coach at Corona Del Mar High School told BuffStampede.com last summer. “He just plays at a physical level beyond his peers. It is kind of ridiculous to be honest with you.”

Moore had other offers from … at least a half dozen other schools, including Arizona State from the Pac-12. Moore also had offers from schools like Boise State, Colorado State, Hawai’i, Utah State and San Jose State.

Here is a link to Moore’s highlights from Hudl.com.

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Joshka Gustav – LB

Just the facts … Committed March 24th … Gustav is a 6’3″, 220-pound outside linebacker/defensive end from San Bernardino, California  Rivals bio 247 Sports bio

What others say about Gustav … Gustav is rated as a three-star strongside defensive end by both Rivals and 247Sports. Rivals had Gustav as the No. 84 overall player out of California from the Class of 2018 last spring, but he dropped out after the season. 247 Sports, meanwhile, has Gustav rated as the No. 83 outside linebacker in the nation, and the No. 130 overall player from California.

This past season, Gustav played outside linebacker (53 tackles, 34 solo, seven sacks), tight end (30 catches for 687 yards and 11 touchdowns), and interestingly enough, punt returner. At 6-foot-3, 220-pounds, Gustav isn’t your typical punt returner. He does have a punt return touchdown this season.

“Our team struggled with catching the ball as a punt returner, so they put me back there to fair catch it, but one time, I saw a lane and took off,” Gustav said. “But I’m pretty much back there to catch the ball for field position.”

As a junior Gustav had 78 tackles, four sacks and interceptions. On offense as a tight end, he caught 50 passes for 978 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Rivals analyst Adam Gorney on Gustav … “I saw Gustav at the Los Angeles Under Armour Camp and liked him a lot. I honestly don’t know which position is best for him, but I do know he’s a tremendous athlete with great size and a great frame. I can definitely buy him as an athletic outside linebacker who can play in space with the possibility of him bulking up even more and being more of a hybrid defensive end as well.

“I know a coach at his school really well and they rave about the kid, his mentality, work ethic and his athleticism, which I saw on display at the UA camp.”

Gustav had other offers from … Oregon State and UNLV, with interest from other schools, including Notre Dame, Washington, Nevada and Fresno State.

Here is a link to the Hudl.com highlights from Gustav’s junior year.

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Davion Taylor – LB – Junior college

Just the facts … Committed to Colorado June 22nd … Taylor is a 6’2″, 215-pound linebacker from Magnolia, Mississippi, who was coming to Colorado by way of Coahoma Community College Rivals bio  247 Sports bio

What others say about Taylor … Taylor is considered to be a three-star prospect by Rivals and 247 Sports. Last season, at Coahoma Community College, Taylor had 26 tackles (10 solo) in seven games. Taylor qualified for the NJCAA Championships with a time of 10.63-seconds in the 100-meter dash this spring. Taylor played safety at Magnolia high school, but played linebacker as a freshman, and was projected as an inside linebacker for Colorado.

Taylor had other offers from … only a handful of schools, like Mississippi, Middle Tennessee State and Southern Mississippi.

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

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Class of 2018 – Prospects

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

Four-star prospects: Solomon Tuliaupupu (Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio)

Three-star prospects: Salua Masina (Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio) … Halid Djibril (Rivals bio … 247 Sports) … Toa Taua (Rivals bio … 247 Sports) … Darien Butler (Rivals bio … 247 Sports)

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Comments … It wouldn’t seem that having two linebackers with over 100 tackles would be that much of a rarity, but what Rick Gamboa (117 tackles; 43 unassisted) and Drew Lewis (117 tackles; 46 unassisted) pulled off in 2017 was unique. The 2017 season represented the first time since 2006 in which the Colorado defense had two players with over 100 tackles on the season, and only the second time since 1994 in which two linebackers teamed up for over 100 tackles each.

With both Gamboa and Lewis coming back … it’s all good with the CU linebackers, right?

Well, not exactly.

In a season in which the defense as a whole suffered, the linebackers are not exempt from critique. Gamboa and Lewis had their moments, but they were few and far between. The pair made many tackles, but few were behind the line of scrimmage. Lewis had two sacks and two other tackles for loss, while Gamboa had one half of one sack all year, with 1.5 tackles for loss.

There are some talented young players on the roster, but some of those sophomores-to-be are going to have to have some marked improvement between 2017 and 2018 for the Colorado defense to be better overall.

The Buffs did have a junior college standout in the fold, but Davion Taylor, a three-star prospect from Clarksdale, Mississippi, who had been committed to Colorado since June, recently de-committed, pledging to Ole Miss.

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Defensive backs

Players lost (with 2017 season stats) … Ryan Moeller (39 career games; 25 starts … 44 tackles – 36 unassisted) … Afolabi Laguda (39 games; 26 starts … 67 tackles, 48 solo) … Andrew Bergner (27 games; no starts … six special teams points)

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2018 Projected Roster

Seniors … Isaiah Oliver … Evan Worthington … Nick Fisher* … Kyle Trego* … Jaisen Sanchez … Daniel Talley

Juniors … Dante Wigley … Lucas Cooper

Sophomores … Trey Udoffia … Ronnie Blackmon … Derrion Rakestraw … Kevin George … Uryan Hudson

Red-shirt freshmen … Chris Miller … Isaiah Lewis

Recruiting Class of 2018 … Delrick Abrams (JC) … Khalef Hallassie … Hasaan Hypolite … Lavon Wallace

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

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Class of 2018 – Commitments (4)

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Ray Robinson – DB

Just the facts … Committed October 23rd … Robinson is a 6’2″, 205-pound defensive back from Highlands Ranch, Colorado Rivals bio Scout bio 247Sports bio

What others have to say about Robinson … Robinson is considered to be a three-star prospect by Rivals, Scout and 247Sports. Rivals has Robinson as the No. 2 prospect out of the state of Colorado. At 247Sports, Robinson is rated as the No. 3 prospect out of the state of Colorado, the No. 59 safety in the country.

According to MaxPreps, Robinson, through the first seven games of 2016 (his junior season), has 39 tackles (24 solo) on defense. As a running back, Robinson has five carries for 38 yards, as well as 20 receptions for 337 yards and three touchdowns.

Robinson had other offers from … Air Force, Brown and Colorado State, with reported interest from Northwestern, Oregon State and Washington.

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

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Delrick Abrams, Jr. – CB

… Junior College transfer … 

Just the facts … Committed July 14th … Abrams is a 6’3″, 180-pound cornerback coming to Colorado from Independence Community College in Kansas. Rivals bio 247 Sports bio

What others say about Abrams … Abrams is considered to be a three-star prospect by Rivals and 247 Sports. At 247 Sports, Abrams is rated as the No.9  junior college cornerback in the nation, and the No. 73 junior college prospect overall.

2017 statistics: 28 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 fumble recovery, 4 break ups

2016 statistics: 30 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions

Abrams will graduate in December and he will have three years to play two following the 2017 football season.

Analysis from Rivals analyst Rob Cassidy:  “He’s a guy that you can move around the secondary and put in the nickel position, if need be. I think Colorado will like him. I think he’s a guy that can plug some holes right away, but I don’t think he’ll come in and be the star of your secondary. I don’t think the Buffs need that. I think they need a complementary piece, and they’re getting that in Abrams. They’re going to like him a lot in Boulder.”

Abrams had other offers from … an impressive list of Power Five conference schools, including UCLA, Arizona State, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Mississippi State and Arkansas.

Here is a link to his Hudl.com highlights.

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Kahlef Hailassie – WR/CB

Decommitted December 10th

Just the facts … Committed July 22nd … Hailassie is a 6’2″, 185-pound wide receiver/cornerback from Elk Grove, California Rivals bio 247 Sports

What others say about Hailassie … Hailassie is considered to be a three-star prospect by Rivals and 247 Sports. At 247 Sports, Hailassie is listed as the No. 97 cornerback in the nation, and the No. 109 overall player out of California.

2017 statistics: 13 receptions, 310 yards, 2 touchdowns … 40 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 pass deflections, 3 forced fumbles, 1 blocked FG

2016 statistics: 31 receptions, 614 receptions, 7 touchdowns … 64 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 7 pass deflections, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles

While listed by the recruiting services as a wide receiver for much of 2017, reports are that Hailassie will be a defensive back at Colorado.

Hailassie had other offers from … a number of other schools, though none from a Power-Five conference program. Many of the offers were from Mountain West schools, including Wyoming, Fresno State, UNLV, Hawai’i and San Jose State.

Here is a link to his Hudl.com highlights.

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Hasaan Hypolite – DB

Just the facts … Committed October 6th … Hypolite is a 6’0″, 205-pound safety from Missouri City, Texas  Rivals bio 247Sports bio

What others say about Hypolite … Hypolite is rated as a three-star prospect by both Rivals and 247 Sports. At 247Sports, Hypolite is listed as the No. 125 “athlete” in the nation. As a junior, Hypolite earned District 20-6A All-District First Team Defense honors.

2017 stats: 96 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 4 tackles, 2 fumble rec, 2 TD’s.

“We could be talking about Hypolite as a more high-profile prospect than he is at the moment if he would have embraced his future as a defensive back sooner,” Rivals.com state of Texas recruiting analyst Nick Krueger said. “The first time that I saw him he struck me as a safety playing wide receiver. I thought that his tape last fall looked good in his first full-time go at the position, but he didn’t participate in many events this offseason to try and show off his progress.

“I still think that he is one of the more athletic guys among players of his caliber and has a lot of upside.”

Hypolite had other offers from … over a dozen other schools, though most were from Group of Five conferences. The only other Power Five conference offer was from Texas Tech, though there were offers from Houston, Colorado State, East Carolina, New Mexico, and Southern Miss. Hypolite was also being recruited by schools like LSU and Oklahoma State, but did not have reported offers.

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

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Lavon Wallace – DB

Just the facts … Committed July 29th … Wallace is a 6’2″, 187-pound defensive back from Atwater, California  Rivals bio 247 Sports bio

What others say about Wallace … Wallace is considered to be a three-star prospect by Rivals and 247 Sports. 247 Sports rates Wallace as the No. 107 safety prospect in the nation, and the No. 135 overall player out of California this year. Wallace, who is expected to play cornerback at Colorado, has played many positions in high school.

A two-way starter for Buhach Colony, Wallace accounted for 557 all-purpose yards and 41 tackles during his senior campaign. The Thunder went 7-3 in the regular season before losing to Del Campo in the first-round of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs.

2017 statistics: 10 rushes, 91 yards, TD … 15 receptions, 231 yards, 3 touchdowns … 41 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass deflection

2016 statistics: 4 rushes, 34 yards … 10 receptions, 124 yards, 2 touchdowns … 37 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 4 pass deflections, fumble recovery touchdown, punt return touchdown

Wallace had other offers from … a number of western schools, including Cal and Oregon from the Pac-12. A number of Mountain West schools, including Nevada, Fresno State, Utah State, Wyoming and Fresno State also offered.

In his own words … “I didn’t really get the ball thrown my way as much as I thought I was going to. I didn’t really get tested, so it was kind of disappointing. But it was also kind of a compliment at the same time”, Wallace told 247Sports.com.

The 6-foot-2.5, 195-pound Wallace is classified as a safety prospect but he hopes to play cornerback for the Buffaloes. “I kind of want to be a true cornerback,” he said. “Colorado might move me to safety, or just move me around the field to see where I fit in, but I believe I’ll be going in as a corner.”

Here is a link to Hudl.com highlights.

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Aaron Maddox – S

… Junior College transfer …

Just the facts … Committed December 11th … Maddox is a 6’2″, 192-pound safety from North Augusta, South Carolina, by way Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona Rivals bio  247 Sports bio

What others have to say about Maddox … Maddox is a rated as a three-star safety by Rivals, but is unrated by 247 Sports. Maddox was rated as a first-team all-state defensive back his senior year in high school (2016), and a freshman All-American at Pina Community College this fall.

Maddox was a full-qualifier out of high school, so he will be able to transfer as a true sophomore. He will be immediately eligible when he transfers in January, and will have four years to play three.

Maddox had other offers from … numerous Power-Five conference schools (which makes the lack of rating by 247 Sports all the more curious. Arizona State offered Maddox, as did Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, and North Carolina State. Maddox took official visits to Arkansas and North Carolina State before settling on the Buffs.

Here is a link to his Hudl.com highlights

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Class of 2018 – Prospects

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

Four-star prospects: Isaac Taylor-Stuart (Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio) … Aashari Crosswell (Rivals bio … 247Sports) … Julius Irvin (Rivals bio … 247 Sports bio) …

Three-star prospects: Byron Hanspard (Rivals bio) … Tyric Lebeauf (Rivals bio … 247 Sports) …  Isaiah Windmon (Rivals bio … 247 Sports) … Dayven Coleman (Rivals bio … 247 Sports) … Johnathan Edwards (JC) (Rivals bio)

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Comments … Will he or won’t he? … UPDATE … He will: “DB Oliver to Declare for NFL Draft”

For much of calendar year 2017, it has been almost a given that junior cornerback Isaiah Oliver would forego his senior season at Colorado, and declare for the NFL draft.

The final third of the 2017 season, though, may have had an impact on that decision. Oliver missed the Cal and Arizona State games with an injury, and was hampered in the final two games, collecting five total tackles in the games against USC and Utah.

“After things settle down, I’ll have talks with my family, with the coaches and we’ll go from there,” Oliver said after CU’s 34-13 loss to Utah to close out CU’s season.

“I’m sure it’ll be tough. I haven’t thought about it at all, because I didn’t want to focus on it throughout the season. It’s a lot to think about now, because it’s all going to come at once, but I have a great family. They’re a great supporting cast, so I know they’ll be there with me through it. We’ll get through it.”

One factor weighing in favor of Oliver’s return, he’s one of the top decathletes in the Pac-12, Oliver said his love of track could play a role in his decision to go to the NFL. If he declares for the draft this spring, he’ll have to give up track and field.

“Probably a lot,” he said when asked how much he’ll factor track and field into his decision, “just knowing that if I do decide to go out early this upcoming track season wouldn’t be there for me. I have a lot of expectations for this track season, a lot of goals that I set. It’ll play a part into it, but we’ll add all that in there.”

Even if Oliver, as it is still assumed, opts to put his name into the NFL draft, Colorado will return significant starting experience in the secondary.

At the safety position, Evan Worthington has 14 career starts, while cornerbacks Dante Wigley (seven starts this fall) and Trey Udoffia (eight starts) picked up some significant playing time at cornerback.

There are plenty of complementary pieces in place in the Colorado secondary, and there is a pretty good looking pipeline of younger players and recruits to supplement the roster.

What CU doesn’t have on the 2018 roster – especially if Isaiah Oliver is playing in the NFL next fall – are sure-fire pro prospects.

With a suspect defensive line, and an underachieving linebacker corps, a secondary which does not have a shut down cornerback and a star all-purpose nickel back/safety … will have a long 2018 season.

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Tags: Davion Taylor, Israel Antwine, Ray Robinson, Tava Finau
This post, about the Recruiting - Class of 2018 game, from the 2018 Season, is filed under Article.
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