Sexton Hardcastle
Club Member
It's almost here! Anyone going to make it to some practices?
Here are some spring ball notes from CUBuffs.com
General Spring Notes:
Offensive lineman Erick Fataagi is academically eligible and he should be able to step in and play this fall...Cornerback Benjamin Burney has a couple more surgeries to go through this spring and it is questionable if he will play this fall. “His (available) redshirt year is a window for him not to play,” Hawkins said... True freshman Lynn Katoa will start out spring practices at the inside linebacker position...Hawkins said the new depth at linebacker with four incoming recruits and the return of sophomore Michael Sipili will help in several ways: “Special teams guys are typically bigger running backs, linebackers and safeties,” he said. Having more of those guys will be big on special teams and not just the defense.”...Speaking of linebackers, Hawkins had some words of praise for junior Jeff Smart. After reviewing game film from the Independence Bowl, he said him and his assistants would be amazed at some of the plays they thought senior linebacker and Butkus Award finalist Jordon Dizon was making before seeing the pile unearth the unheralded Smart. “He is fully capable of having a Jordon-type season,” Hawkins said.
Position Battles:
The cornerback position will be an area of focus this spring and fall with the Buffs losing departed senior Terrence Wheatley and with Burney’s availability a question mark. Sophomore Jimmy Smith and redshirt freshmen Anthony Wright and Lamont Smith are three true corners who could get a crack at the starting spots. Senior Gardner McKay and junior Cha’pelle Brown have been used primarily in nickel and dime situations, but they are the two most experienced players at the cornerback position. Sophomore Jalil Brown and redshirt freshman Anthony Perkins have been working mostly at safety, but Hawkins said they could be in the mix at cornerback as well. “Like the O-line and the D-line, you can never have enough corners,” he said. “Especially in this league where you play a lot of nickel and dime.”...Junior tailback Kevin Moyd and sophomore tailbacks Demetrius Sumler and Brian Lockridge have a chance to show their worth this spring before a trio of talented running back recruits arrive in Boulder this summer. Said Hawkins: “Brian only knows one speed and tempo. It doesn’t matter if he’s competing against Walter Payton or Eric Dickerson—he’s going 120 mph. Clearly it’s their time and they have to know that. There needs to be a sense of urgency there.”...For the third time in three seasons, the Buffs will have a different starting placekicker. Hawkins said he is not worried about how the battle will unfold. “I don’t have any doubts. Aric (Goodman) is a good kicker and so is Jameson (Davis). I just don’t know who it is going to be right now.” Goodman is a sophomore who transferred from Wyoming after his freshman season as the Cowboys’ starting kicker. He sat out last season at CU due to NCAA transfer rules. Davis is a high school recruit who has already enrolled in school at CU (along with Katoa), and thus is eligible to participate in spring drills...Hawkins also had very good things to say about redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Ballenger, who he called “very, very, very competitive.” Hawkins said that in high school, Ballenger’s basketball growth (he was Idaho’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior) was considerably higher than his football growth. Before coming to a football camp at CU, Hawkins said Ballenger always envisioned himself playing basketball. “I’m looking to see him get more confident as a football player,” he said. “He is a very smart kid. If we had a couple of quarterbacks go down last year and we had to put him in there I think he would have managed it.”
http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3843&SPID=255&DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=1407044
Here are some spring ball notes from CUBuffs.com
General Spring Notes:
Offensive lineman Erick Fataagi is academically eligible and he should be able to step in and play this fall...Cornerback Benjamin Burney has a couple more surgeries to go through this spring and it is questionable if he will play this fall. “His (available) redshirt year is a window for him not to play,” Hawkins said... True freshman Lynn Katoa will start out spring practices at the inside linebacker position...Hawkins said the new depth at linebacker with four incoming recruits and the return of sophomore Michael Sipili will help in several ways: “Special teams guys are typically bigger running backs, linebackers and safeties,” he said. Having more of those guys will be big on special teams and not just the defense.”...Speaking of linebackers, Hawkins had some words of praise for junior Jeff Smart. After reviewing game film from the Independence Bowl, he said him and his assistants would be amazed at some of the plays they thought senior linebacker and Butkus Award finalist Jordon Dizon was making before seeing the pile unearth the unheralded Smart. “He is fully capable of having a Jordon-type season,” Hawkins said.
Position Battles:
The cornerback position will be an area of focus this spring and fall with the Buffs losing departed senior Terrence Wheatley and with Burney’s availability a question mark. Sophomore Jimmy Smith and redshirt freshmen Anthony Wright and Lamont Smith are three true corners who could get a crack at the starting spots. Senior Gardner McKay and junior Cha’pelle Brown have been used primarily in nickel and dime situations, but they are the two most experienced players at the cornerback position. Sophomore Jalil Brown and redshirt freshman Anthony Perkins have been working mostly at safety, but Hawkins said they could be in the mix at cornerback as well. “Like the O-line and the D-line, you can never have enough corners,” he said. “Especially in this league where you play a lot of nickel and dime.”...Junior tailback Kevin Moyd and sophomore tailbacks Demetrius Sumler and Brian Lockridge have a chance to show their worth this spring before a trio of talented running back recruits arrive in Boulder this summer. Said Hawkins: “Brian only knows one speed and tempo. It doesn’t matter if he’s competing against Walter Payton or Eric Dickerson—he’s going 120 mph. Clearly it’s their time and they have to know that. There needs to be a sense of urgency there.”...For the third time in three seasons, the Buffs will have a different starting placekicker. Hawkins said he is not worried about how the battle will unfold. “I don’t have any doubts. Aric (Goodman) is a good kicker and so is Jameson (Davis). I just don’t know who it is going to be right now.” Goodman is a sophomore who transferred from Wyoming after his freshman season as the Cowboys’ starting kicker. He sat out last season at CU due to NCAA transfer rules. Davis is a high school recruit who has already enrolled in school at CU (along with Katoa), and thus is eligible to participate in spring drills...Hawkins also had very good things to say about redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Ballenger, who he called “very, very, very competitive.” Hawkins said that in high school, Ballenger’s basketball growth (he was Idaho’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior) was considerably higher than his football growth. Before coming to a football camp at CU, Hawkins said Ballenger always envisioned himself playing basketball. “I’m looking to see him get more confident as a football player,” he said. “He is a very smart kid. If we had a couple of quarterbacks go down last year and we had to put him in there I think he would have managed it.”
http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3843&SPID=255&DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=1407044
