Welcome to the Black & Gold

—

Welcome to the Black and Gold

—

… Program Note … Today is the first day of classes for seven new Buffs – two grey-shirts from the Class of 2014, four new junior college transfers and one early enrollment from the Recruiting Class of 2015. Below are the profiles for linebacker Grant Watanabe, offensive lineman Isaac Miller, offensive lineman Dillon Middlemiss, defensive back Afolabi Laguda,  defensive lineman Leo Jackson III, defensive lineman Blake Robbins, and defensive lineman Jordan Carrell.

—–

GRANT WATANABE – ILB – Grey-shirt from the Class of 2014

Just the facts … Committed May 29, 2013 … Watanabe is an inside linebacker prospect from San Antonio, Texas. Watanabe is 5’10”, 225-pounds. Rivals bio Scout bio

What others say about Watanabe … Watanabe is rated as a three-star linebacker by Rivals, but it not yet rated by Scout. Watanabe was named the Defensive Player of the Year in San Antonio in 2012 after he recorded 167 tackles, 27 for a loss, three sacks and four interceptions. He was also a junior All-American, first-team all-state, first-team all-city and unanimous first-team all-district selection. Grant’s older brother, Ethan Watanabe, is a tight end at Hawai’i. Watanabe has two uncles that played collegiately at BYU. And he currently has three relatives playing in the NFL: cousin Stanley Havili plays fullback for the Indianapolis Colts, uncle Tony Moeaki plays tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and second cousin Paul Soliai plays defensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins … impressive lineage.

Watanabe had other offers from … only Utah, though there was considerable interest in Watanabe this spring as he made the rounds. Watanabe was in Colorado before touring the state of Texas, taking in a UTSA practice, visiting SMU, and then attending Baylor’s spring game. The athlete visited SMU the following day before heading to the Dallas Nike Football Training Camp. Watanabe also tripped to Boise State and Utah.

In his own words … “I play with passion,” Watanabe told BroncoCountry.com. “To play linebacker you have to have passion, intensity, and football smarts”.

You Tube highlights (he may not be big, but he can hit, and he has a nose for the ball):

——-

ISAAC MILLER – OL – Grey-shirt from the Class of 2014

Just the facts … Committed May 24, 2013 … Miller is an offensive tackle prospect from Longmont, Colorado. Miller is 6’ 7″, 250-pounds. Rivals bio  Scout bio Hudl video highlights

What others say about Miller … Miller is rated as a three-star offensive lineman by both Scout and Rivals. Miller is rated by Rivals as the No. 8 prospect out of the state of Colorado this year, while Scout has Miller rated as the No. 95 offensive tackle in the nation. Other accolades: All Region First Team bocopreps.com … All State First Team 3A Denver Post … All State First Team 3A CHSCA, Academic All State … Number 15 rated overall junior by ColoradoPrepReport.com.

Miller has a 4.2 GPA, so qualifying should not be an issue. “I’m extremely excited for Isaac for a lot of reasons,” Raptors head coach Mike Apodaca told the Daily Camera. “One, he can concentrate now on his senior year, both academically and athletically. That’s a great thing when you have that out of the way. And I’m excited for Isaac to be close, to be honest.”

Miller had other offers from … Washington State, Wyoming, New Mexico State and Northern Colorado. Miller also took unofficial visits to Michigan State and Purdue this spring. Arizona State was also reportedly interested in Miller’s services. Miller was up in Boulder for Junior Day this spring, and received his first scholarship offer from the Buffs. “Every coach went out of their way to introduce themselves and tell you what they were about,” Miller told ColoradoPrepReport in March. “I appreciated that a lot.”

In his own words … “I’m pretty fired up about being a Buff,” Miller told BuffPlayBook.com. “I called Coach MacIntyre this morning, he was very excited to have me as a member of his football family.”

What did Coach MacIntyre say to Miller when he received the news? “He sounded very excited,” Miller said. “He asked me if both of my feet were in the Colorado boat. He doesn’t rush a commitment, but once you make a pledge he wants to make sure that I’m completely committed to him and his football program. I’m completely committed to being a Buff”.

—–

DILLON MIDDLEMISS – OL

Just the facts … Committed April 12th … Middlemiss is a 6’5″, 275-pound offensive lineman from Westminster (Pomona), Colorado Rivals bio Scout bio

What others say about Middlemiss … Middlemiss is rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals and by Scout. Middlemiss was rated as the No. 4 overall prospect out of the state of Colorado by Rivals, and the second offensive lineman (behind only Tim Lynott, also a CU commit). Scout also ranked Middlemiss as the No. 4 overall prospect out of Colorado this year, as well the 26th-best offensive tackle in the west, and the 136th-best offensive tackle in the nation. Middlemiss was named the Colorado Lineman-of-the-Year, helping Pomona reach the state 5A quarter-finals for the third consecutive year. Middlemiss was also named to the MaxPreps All-State First-Team.

In 2013, Middlemiss helped Pomona Panthers rack up nearly 3,600 yards rushing and almost 400 points on their way to a 9-3 record. This past fall, Pomona also had a 9-3 overall record, with 2,783 rushing yards and 39 rushing touchdowns.

PrepColorado.com had this to say about Middlemiss: “Middlemiss, 6-6 270 pounds, is a very good run blocker, who can move and reach multiple levels. Film review shows the big tackle can not only get to linebackers, but finish once he is there. As a pass blocker, Middlemiss is solid and shows good feet. Middlemiss is long and can use his reach to take on rushers. This reach and frame are keys to his future in college. Building on his skill set, Middlemiss needs to get stronger to get stronger in preparation for the rigors of college offensive line play”.

Middlemiss had other offers from … Wyoming and South Dakota State. Middlemiss committed to Colorado after the 2014 Spring game, which may have limited his other offers.

Here is a link to video highlights from his senior season.

—–

AFOLABI LAGUDA – JC – DB

Committed December 15th … Laguda is a 6’2″, 200-pound defensive back coming to CU from Butler County Community College in El Dorado, Kansas. Laguda reportedly a runs a 4.5 in the 40. Rivals bio  Scout bio

What others say about Laguda … Laguda is a two-star prospect according to Scout, but was unrated by Rivals at the time of his commitment. Laguda was a member of the Recruiting Class of 2013, playing for Brookwood high in Snellville, Georgia, and will have three years to play two. Laguda played safety for Butler County C.C. the past two seasons, but his position at CU is yet to be determined.

Laguda had other offers from … Utah State, North Dakota, Eastern Michigan and Georgia State, with interest from California, Washington, and Illinois.

In his own words … “Colorado talks to me everyday,” Laguda told Scout.com the week before his commitment. “Coach MacIntyre, the head coach, calls me weekly. My recruiting coordinator is Coach Walters and we talk every day. If we don’t, something is wrong. We talk all the time and they’ve really showed big interest in me.”

“They’re a team on the rise,” Laguda added. “I know they used to be a powerhouse in the 1990’s. Coach MacIntyre is going to do great things with that program.”

Here is a link to Laguda’s Hudl.com video highlights.

Laguda tweet from his recruiting visit to Colorado:

—–

LEO JACKSON III – DL

Just the facts … Signed March 22nd … Jackson is already a Buff, but may have been forgotten by many Buff fans, as he signed with Colorado in March, two months after Signing Day. Jackson is a defensive lineman prospect from Decatur, Georgia. Jackson is 6’4″, 260-pounds  Rivals bio

What others say about Jackson … Jackson was unrated out of high school as a member of the Recruiting Class of 2013, and, though a full-qualifier, did not sign with a four-year college out of high school. Instead, Jackson played the 2013 season at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California. This past season, for the 2-8 Owls (playing in eight of those games), Jackson had 24 tackles and two sacks.

Jackson will enroll in January, and will have four years left to play three.

Mike MacIntyre and Foothill College … This is not the first time Mike MacIntyre and Co. have looked to Foothill College for help. In 2011, MacIntyre picked up three players from Foothill College, including offensive lineman John Meyer, who went on to become a three-year starter for San Jose State. Over the past few seasons, players from Foothill College have been signed by a number of schools, including: Oregon State; BYU, Louisiana Tech; Hawai’i; Nevada; Boise State; Utah State; and Indiana.

Here is a link to Jackson’s Hudl highlights from this past season

Here are YouTube highlights of Jackson in action in high school:

——

NATHANIEL “BLAKE” ROBBINS – DL

Just the facts … Committed October 1st … Robbins is a 6’5″, 260-pound defensive end, coming to Colorado from a junior college, Georgia Military College, in Milledgeville, Georgia  Rivals bio Scout bio

What others say about Robbins … Robbins is rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals; but only a two-star prospect by Scout. Robbins will have three years to play two at Colorado.

Out of high school, in Aiken, South Carolina, Robbins was a member of the Recruiting Class of 2013. With only one year of playing experience in high school, Robbins was an unrated prospect.  Still, in his senior year in Aiken, Robbins recorded 63 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and six sacks. His efforts earned him High School Sports Report Division II-AA All-State honors. Robbins was also a basketball standout for the Bulldogs. His only offer out of high school, though, was from Charleston Southern, which he accepted. Robbins did not become a Buccaneer, however, falling short on his ACT’s (if he had, he would have played against the Buffs in 2013 when the Buffs took on the Buccaneers in a replacement game). Instead, Robbins enrolled at Georgia Military College, and played as a true freshman in 2012, and as a true sophomore this fall.

Robbins had other offers from … As noted, only Charleston Southern coming out of high school. As a junior college prospect, Robbins had offers from South Alabama, Southern Mississippi, and Tennessee State.

Here is a link to the Hudl.com video highlights for Robbins.

—–

JORDAN CARRELL – DL

Just the facts … Committed November 13th … Carrell is a 6’3″, 275-pound defensive tackle playing at American River Community College in Sacramento, California. Carrell is on pace to finish his two-year degree in December, and will have three years to play two at Colorado  Rivals bio  Scout bio

What others say about Carrell … Carrell is rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals, but a two-star prospect by Scout. Carrell led the Beavers with eight sacks and 13 tackles-for-loss while posting 58 tackles, as American River went 10-2 this fall. For his efforts, Carrell was named the Northern California Football Conference defensive MVP. Head coach Jon Osterhout said that Carrell deserves the award. “He’s a tremendous player for us and an intricate player on the team,” Osterhout told The Current. “He’s a worker, loves the weight room, loves practice, (and) does well in the classroom.” He was chosen by a unanimous decision as a first team all conference player. They then sent him for consideration at the NorCal conference where other coaches voted to make him the defensive MVP. “I won this award because of my prep for the season. I didn’t take any time off and tried to be at the top in everything,” said Carrell.

“He’s been here for two years (and) has taken all of the steps necessary to be a tremendous football player,” said Osterhout. “(Carrell) is going to be a great player for the Buffaloes. He has a high football IQ and loves the game. He’s only going to get better. He’s a football player in the purest sense.”

As a freshman in 2013, Carrell had a solid season, racking up 30 tackles, four sacks, 10 tackles-for-loss, two fumble recoveries, an interception, four pass breakups and one blocked field goal.

Carrell had other offers from … Idaho, Cal Poly, Florida A&M, Northern Arizona and UC-Davis. No Power-Five conference offers, and only one FBS offer. Carrell took only one official visit, and that was to Colorado. Offensive lineman Sully Wiefels, who transferred to Colorado last December, was a teammate of Carrell’s at American River Community College in 2013.

In his own words … Carrell enjoyed a solid prep career at Roseville (Ca.) High School, but he was unable to get qualified for a scholarship to a four-year program.  “I actually took a year off from football because I had a broken bone in my wrist and during that time I decided to come here to American River,” Carrell told JCFootball.com this past summer. “I grew up with coach (Jon) Osterhout’s son and figured it would be a good place for me to be and it’s turning out to be a good move for me. I’m learning a lot and I think it’s getting me ready for the next level.

“I’m probably more of a run-stopper because my best attribute is my physical play,” Carrell noted. “My explosion off the ball is pretty good and that’s something that really helps me. This offseason, my big focus has been working on my strength and my overall Football I.Q. In high school, I mainly played offensive line, I was a center, so last year was really my first year of just concentrating on defensive line and I think it’s really going to help me now that I am just focusing on defense.”

Here is a link to the Hudl.com highlights for Carrell.

Tags: Afolabi Laguda, Blake Robbins, Dillon Middlemiss, Isaac Miller, Jordan Carrell, Leo Jackson III, Nathaniel Robbins
This post, about the Recruiting - Class of 2015 game, from the 2015 Season, is filed under Article.
You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment.