Spring Practices – 2019

Questions abound for CU’s defense and special teams … Can Jalen Sami (out since 2016) adequately replace Javier Edwards at nose tackle? … Can Davion Taylor successfully transition from Buff Backer to “Star Backer”? … Will the Buffs start a converted wide receiver and a converted cornerback at safety? … Whatever happened to Sam Loy? …

The Post-Spring Depth is not written in stone (Kary Kutsch and Jack Shutack as starting guards?), but there certainly has been some movement on the roster since spring drills started, with some guidance as to what CU fans can expect from the Buff offense this fall …

CU one of only 15 FBS teams without an FCS team on its 2019 schedule … CBS Top 100 players for 2020 NFL Draft includes three Buffs … Defensive coordinator Tyson Summers on Spring game: “Too many points … we’ll figure it out” …

Steven Montez on Steven Montez: “Not God-awful, but not really good” … It’s Nate Landman’s world, we just get to live in it … Laviska Shenault was last spring’s breakout star – which young Buff made a name for himself in the 2091 Spring game? …

Spring Game: Gold 55, Black 27 – Mel Tucker: “I wanted to see guys compete, I wanted to see guys finish, I wanted to see guys strain, I wanted to see guys execute. We got that today” … Team and individual statistics … Rosters for Spring game – Montez v. Noyer/Lytle …

Game Day!! … Ten Questions for the CU Spring game, including: Does Steven Montez have a clear command of the Jay Johnson offense?; and, Who are No. 10, No. 13, No. 14, and No. 22? … ADDED: “Neill Woelk: What To Watch In Saturday’s Buffs Spring Finale” …

Compare: Neill Woelk’s Five Takeaways from Second Spring Scrimmage … According to head coach Mel Tucker, the Buffs “put some money in the bank” on Friday at CU’s second spring scrimmage … A unit-by-unit review of the numbers show a number of positives (and a few negatives) …

You can make an argument that CU will have four returning starters along the offensive line next fall, supplemented by a graduate transfer … You can also make an argument that CU only has one returning starter (and a sophomore at that), with the line in a dangerous state of flux …

Virginia went from bums to kings in one year, winning their first national championship a year after becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed … What is it like to win a title? It’s been a long wait for my teams …

What do Tasseography and Beau Bisharat have in common? … Will CU’s run in the Pac-12 tournament and the NIT act as a springboard for the 2019-2020 season? … Archived Games: Week Three in 1994 – that would be the “Miracle at Michigan” …

CU’s 2018 starting safeties graduated, and two potential replacements are out this spring with injuries … Will DC Tyson Summers be left with a starting lineup at safety consisting of a converted wide receiver, a converted cornerback … and an outside linebacker? …

CU OC Jay Johnson on his offense: “We’re going to try to be very, very multiple in all that we do” – Can a Jack-of-all-Trades (but Master of None) offense build a CU dynasty? … In need of some spare change? Call 662-915-1821 … McKinley Wright and Tyler Bey feat only accomplished one other time in the past 50 years …

Lance talks about the Buffs and the program going forward under Mel Tucker: “What we want – what Rick and I want – is to give those fans the opportunity to relive those great times again” … And the 2019 season? “Let’s look at the Pac-12 South – no one there should scare us” …

Lance talks about the philosophies of CU’s new coordinators, Jay Johnson and Tyson Summers … What the import of Georgia’s “quality control” coaches means to CU … Which position coach will be the biggest “surprise” this fall …

Only ten Division 1 programs can boast a national championship in football and basketball, but did you know that CU has a claim to being No. 11 on the list? … CU always looks good in the Learfield Director’s Cup standings (in December) … A stroll down memory lane …

In an exclusive interview, Associate Athletic director Lance Carl, half of the “Committee of Two” who brought Mel Tucker to CU, discusses the hiring process, and his first impressions of CU’s new head coach …

Mel Tucker in Las Vegas – a good sign for the 2019 Buffs? … CU breaks the Oregon State dam – also a good sign for 2019? … USC imploding – not a bad thing for CU athletics … Frank Fillip not only on campus, but doing well in the weight room …

The 2018 season was supposed to be a banner year for CU kickers, but James Stefanou and Alex Kinney were both felled by injuries … Will the CU special teams be special in 2019? … (and can someone teach Ronnie Blackmon not to field punts inside the CU ten yard line?) …

The Pac-12 has made some new deals in bowl alliances – why this is a win/win for the conference as a whole, and CU fans in particular … Spring practices are now just a week away – but worth the wait … CU offers the No. 2 recruit in the entire nation …

Buffs are solid at the cornerback position, with two eight-game starters returning – with one of them likely to be replaced by Chris Miller (if healthy) … Both safety positions, however, must be replaced – will linebacker Davion Taylor come to the rescue? …

What are the scenarios under which the Buffs can finish with a No. 4 seed in the Pac-12 tournament? … Know a Regent on the CU Presidential Search committee? Here’s a book to send them … CU ski team set for a run at national title No. 21 …

CU two linebackers coaches are a generation apart … Nate Landman: A superstar in the making? … Tyson Summers cut his coaching teeth with 4-3 defenses. Can he successfully make the transition to an attacking 3-4 defense under Mel Tucker? …

Only one starter returns on CU’s defensive line, and eight of CU’s 12 scholarship linemen are underclassmen (and nine of 12 have never played a down in a CU uniform) … Can new defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh pull it all together by August 30th? …

New offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic has a strong resume, but can he turn around a unit which was 99th in the nation in rushing (and 127th in tackles for loss allowed) last season? … Four offensive line starters return: Is that good news or bad? … Can Jacob Moretti still become a star? …

Laviska Shenault is out for spring ball, but there are multiple options for Darrin Chiaverini to work with this spring … Do you know K.D. Nixon’s full name (or the name of his dogs)? … Will this be the year CU puts “tight end pass over the middle” into the playbook? …

CU will have six scholarship running backs for spring practices – but four of them are freshmen (and the two returning players ran for a combined 186 yards in 2018) … Will the 2019 Buffs be able to produce a 1,000-yard rusher for the fourth consecutive season? …

Steven Montez and his fellow CU quarterbacks will be working with their third quarterbacks coach in three seasons this spring … Montez is set to break school records this fall, but will great stats translate into victories? … Who will be CU’s starting quarterback in 2020? …