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In Tuck We Trust*
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It’s been a whirlwind first few weeks for new CU head coach Mel Tucker. Named as the 26th head coach at Colorado on December 6th, Tucker had to put together some semblance of a staff, while still focusing on shoring up and adding to the CU Recruiting Class.
And do it in less than two weeks.
Tucker now has his two coordinators, and has five assistants on board … with three still to be named.
Tucker has also signed his first recruiting Class, adding 17 names to the Buff roster … with seven or eight (perhaps) still to be signed in February.
Tucker is saying all the right things at his press conferences. He is giving Buff fans renewed hope for the 2019 season and beyond.
But …..
… There are still reasons for concern …
—
CU to – finally – emphasize play in the trenches …
Eight of the 17 signees for the CU Recruiting Class of 2019 are linemen, with four offensive linemen and four defensive linemen.
“Big guy,” Tucker said in his evaluation of new offensive lineman Austin Johnson. “You’re going to hear me say that a lot. We need big guys on the offensive line, on the defensive line. This is what we’re looking for. We have to be stout in the trenches. We have to be able to move people, we have to be able to run the ball on our terms.”
Getting bigger along the lines plays into Tucker’s philosophy of getting CU to be a tougher team.
“There’s an element of toughness on our roster right now and we’re going to promote that”, said Tucker. “That’s going to be paramount to what we do: toughness, relentless attitude, playing physical on both sides of the ball and special teams. We’re going to be violent. I feel like we already have that on our team and we’re just going to add to it.”
Sounds great.
But …..
It’s not like CU hasn’t had an emphasis on recruiting linemen before.
Just two years ago, CU’s Class of 2017, Mike MacIntyre & Co. brought in no fewer than 14 – yes, 14 – new linemen, with five new offensive linemen and nine new defensive linemen.
And there were some quality recruits on the list (this was, after all, the Class coming in after CU’s 10-4 campaign in 2016).
Despite the influx of players, the results have been, to put it mildly, mixed.
So, while it is great to hear the new head coach preach about physical play, and to see the Buffs sign a ton (literally) of new talent, it may be too soon to start clinking glasses over CU’s new dominant lines.
(Here’s hoping for – and, in my view, expecting – better results out of new offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic).
—
Mel Tucker is taking CU recruiting national
Everyone knows that CU needs to recruit California and Texas to be successful.
Everyone except Mel Tucker, that is.
“We recruited nationally,” said Tucker. “A lot of the coaches we have on our staff are national recruiters. These are all players that were on everyone’s radar across the country. There’s really no secrets in college football in terms of prospects. It’s just a matter of finding the right fit and recruit, recruit, recruit.”
Tucker is not going to allow Colorado to be restrained by borders, or by the competition.
“We’re looking for the best football players, the guys that can fit in what we’re going to do here, how we’re going to play football,” he said. “Physical, fast, relentless, smart, tough, best conditioned – if that’s a defensive back, if it’s a linebacker, D-line, O-line, quarterback – we’re looking to fill the class with those type of guys.”
Again … sounds great.
But …..
If history is any guide, that’s not how Colorado has been successful.
For every Kordell Stewart (Louisiana) CU has ever signed, there is a Joel Klatt (Colorado), Koy Detmer (Texas) and Darian Hagan (California).
For every Rodney Stewart (Ohio) CU has ever signed, there is a Phillip Lindsday (Colorado), Hugh Charles (Texas), and Eric Bieniemy (California).
You get the idea.
I love the idea of CU being a national player when it comes to recruiting. I love that Mel Tucker & Co. are actually out there making offers to four- and five-star recruits for the Class of 2020.
All four of Mel Tucker’s new hires to date are “national recruiters”.
None of them, however, have a history recruiting in the Pac-12 footprint.
The Colorado Recruiting Class of 2019 is currently ranked 59th in the country (by Rivals; 49th by 247 Sports). The Class is ranked 10th in the Pac-12 by Rivals; 9th by 247 Sports.
Tucker & Co. get a pass on the overall quality of the Class of 2019, but won’t get a pass next December if the national recruiting campaign doesn’t bare fruit.
We’ll see how this works out …
—
Six wins per season should not be the ceiling for CU football, it should be the floor
This is the best part of the Mel Tucker hire to date … his expectations for the program.
“Obviously the expectations are high,” Tucker said at his introductory press conference. “We’re here to win championships. I’ve never been in a game, as a player or a coach, that we weren’t expecting to win. Ever. So there’s one thing that I can tell you, there’s no one on this planet that can put more pressure on me than I can put on myself. The expectations I have for this university and this program are extremely high. We’re going to start working today to get this thing going in the direction it needs to go.”
Without knowing it, Tucker even channeled Lawrence Vickers, who was a running back for the Buffs back in the early 2000’s – you know, back when CU was winning division titles with regularity?
“As you walk through the facilities,” said Tucker, “and you meet the people here, the leadership in place here, the question that comes to mind is: why not us? Why not the University of Colorado? Why not the Buffs? Why not CU? There is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to compete at a championship level and win championships. It’s been done here before. This is a great place. It’s a great University, great tradition, great facilities. The time is now.”
Tucker’s quote reminded me of what Vickers said after the Buffs defeated Kansas in 2004. CU had opened the season with a 1-4 Big 12 record, but, after defeating Kansas, 30-21, the now 2-4 Buffs were still alive in the Big 12 race.
“Why not us?”, Vickers said. “Anything that happens to us is meant to happen to us. We were put in this position for a reason, to show us that all of the stuff we’ve been through, and all of the losses we’ve been through, that it’s still meant for us to go.”
Of course, the Buffs won out, and went on to play for the Big 12 title.
So, “Why not us?” in 2019 … and beyond.
But …..
CU is swimming upstream against some pretty strong currents here.
The 2018 season was a down year for the Pac-12 overall, and the Pac-12 South in particular.
If ever there was a season for a good but not great CU team to claim a Pac-12 South division title, it was last year.
And yet, somehow, the Buffs not only managed to not take advantage of a weaker division … they finished last.
Now, for the 2019 season, the non-conference schedule picks up. Nebraska is showing signs of getting its act together, and Air Force is now on the schedule, not New Hampshire. The fifth- and sixth-place teams in the North, Cal and Oregon State, are being replaced on the schedule by Stanford and Oregon.
Colorado is going to be picked to finish sixth in the Pac-12 South by pretty much everyone next spring and summer.
It’s not going to be enough for Coach Tucker and his new staff to talk a good game.
The Buffs are going to have to start playing well, overcoming not only a seven-game losing streak, but also a decade of presumed inferiority.
In Tuck We Trust*
*at least for now …
–
—–
Stuart
Continue reading...
In Tuck We Trust*
—
It’s been a whirlwind first few weeks for new CU head coach Mel Tucker. Named as the 26th head coach at Colorado on December 6th, Tucker had to put together some semblance of a staff, while still focusing on shoring up and adding to the CU Recruiting Class.
And do it in less than two weeks.
Tucker now has his two coordinators, and has five assistants on board … with three still to be named.
Tucker has also signed his first recruiting Class, adding 17 names to the Buff roster … with seven or eight (perhaps) still to be signed in February.
Tucker is saying all the right things at his press conferences. He is giving Buff fans renewed hope for the 2019 season and beyond.
But …..
… There are still reasons for concern …
—
CU to – finally – emphasize play in the trenches …
Eight of the 17 signees for the CU Recruiting Class of 2019 are linemen, with four offensive linemen and four defensive linemen.
“Big guy,” Tucker said in his evaluation of new offensive lineman Austin Johnson. “You’re going to hear me say that a lot. We need big guys on the offensive line, on the defensive line. This is what we’re looking for. We have to be stout in the trenches. We have to be able to move people, we have to be able to run the ball on our terms.”
Getting bigger along the lines plays into Tucker’s philosophy of getting CU to be a tougher team.
“There’s an element of toughness on our roster right now and we’re going to promote that”, said Tucker. “That’s going to be paramount to what we do: toughness, relentless attitude, playing physical on both sides of the ball and special teams. We’re going to be violent. I feel like we already have that on our team and we’re just going to add to it.”
Sounds great.
But …..
It’s not like CU hasn’t had an emphasis on recruiting linemen before.
Just two years ago, CU’s Class of 2017, Mike MacIntyre & Co. brought in no fewer than 14 – yes, 14 – new linemen, with five new offensive linemen and nine new defensive linemen.
And there were some quality recruits on the list (this was, after all, the Class coming in after CU’s 10-4 campaign in 2016).
Despite the influx of players, the results have been, to put it mildly, mixed.
So, while it is great to hear the new head coach preach about physical play, and to see the Buffs sign a ton (literally) of new talent, it may be too soon to start clinking glasses over CU’s new dominant lines.
(Here’s hoping for – and, in my view, expecting – better results out of new offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic).
—
Mel Tucker is taking CU recruiting national
Everyone knows that CU needs to recruit California and Texas to be successful.
Everyone except Mel Tucker, that is.
“We recruited nationally,” said Tucker. “A lot of the coaches we have on our staff are national recruiters. These are all players that were on everyone’s radar across the country. There’s really no secrets in college football in terms of prospects. It’s just a matter of finding the right fit and recruit, recruit, recruit.”
Tucker is not going to allow Colorado to be restrained by borders, or by the competition.
“We’re looking for the best football players, the guys that can fit in what we’re going to do here, how we’re going to play football,” he said. “Physical, fast, relentless, smart, tough, best conditioned – if that’s a defensive back, if it’s a linebacker, D-line, O-line, quarterback – we’re looking to fill the class with those type of guys.”
Again … sounds great.
But …..
If history is any guide, that’s not how Colorado has been successful.
For every Kordell Stewart (Louisiana) CU has ever signed, there is a Joel Klatt (Colorado), Koy Detmer (Texas) and Darian Hagan (California).
For every Rodney Stewart (Ohio) CU has ever signed, there is a Phillip Lindsday (Colorado), Hugh Charles (Texas), and Eric Bieniemy (California).
You get the idea.
I love the idea of CU being a national player when it comes to recruiting. I love that Mel Tucker & Co. are actually out there making offers to four- and five-star recruits for the Class of 2020.
All four of Mel Tucker’s new hires to date are “national recruiters”.
None of them, however, have a history recruiting in the Pac-12 footprint.
The Colorado Recruiting Class of 2019 is currently ranked 59th in the country (by Rivals; 49th by 247 Sports). The Class is ranked 10th in the Pac-12 by Rivals; 9th by 247 Sports.
Tucker & Co. get a pass on the overall quality of the Class of 2019, but won’t get a pass next December if the national recruiting campaign doesn’t bare fruit.
We’ll see how this works out …
—
Six wins per season should not be the ceiling for CU football, it should be the floor
This is the best part of the Mel Tucker hire to date … his expectations for the program.
“Obviously the expectations are high,” Tucker said at his introductory press conference. “We’re here to win championships. I’ve never been in a game, as a player or a coach, that we weren’t expecting to win. Ever. So there’s one thing that I can tell you, there’s no one on this planet that can put more pressure on me than I can put on myself. The expectations I have for this university and this program are extremely high. We’re going to start working today to get this thing going in the direction it needs to go.”
Without knowing it, Tucker even channeled Lawrence Vickers, who was a running back for the Buffs back in the early 2000’s – you know, back when CU was winning division titles with regularity?
“As you walk through the facilities,” said Tucker, “and you meet the people here, the leadership in place here, the question that comes to mind is: why not us? Why not the University of Colorado? Why not the Buffs? Why not CU? There is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to compete at a championship level and win championships. It’s been done here before. This is a great place. It’s a great University, great tradition, great facilities. The time is now.”
Tucker’s quote reminded me of what Vickers said after the Buffs defeated Kansas in 2004. CU had opened the season with a 1-4 Big 12 record, but, after defeating Kansas, 30-21, the now 2-4 Buffs were still alive in the Big 12 race.
“Why not us?”, Vickers said. “Anything that happens to us is meant to happen to us. We were put in this position for a reason, to show us that all of the stuff we’ve been through, and all of the losses we’ve been through, that it’s still meant for us to go.”
Of course, the Buffs won out, and went on to play for the Big 12 title.
So, “Why not us?” in 2019 … and beyond.
But …..
CU is swimming upstream against some pretty strong currents here.
The 2018 season was a down year for the Pac-12 overall, and the Pac-12 South in particular.
If ever there was a season for a good but not great CU team to claim a Pac-12 South division title, it was last year.
And yet, somehow, the Buffs not only managed to not take advantage of a weaker division … they finished last.
Now, for the 2019 season, the non-conference schedule picks up. Nebraska is showing signs of getting its act together, and Air Force is now on the schedule, not New Hampshire. The fifth- and sixth-place teams in the North, Cal and Oregon State, are being replaced on the schedule by Stanford and Oregon.
Colorado is going to be picked to finish sixth in the Pac-12 South by pretty much everyone next spring and summer.
It’s not going to be enough for Coach Tucker and his new staff to talk a good game.
The Buffs are going to have to start playing well, overcoming not only a seven-game losing streak, but also a decade of presumed inferiority.
In Tuck We Trust*
*at least for now …
–
—–
Stuart
Continue reading...