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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 … Sam Bennion
Red-shirt freshmen … Terrance Lang … Carson Wells … Nico Magri
True freshman … Jalen Sami (grey-shirt from Class of 2017)
Recruiting Class of 2018 … Tava Finau
Bold = returning starter … Italics = non-scholarship player … * = denotes red-shirt season still available
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Class of 2018 – Commitments (1)
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 (formerly Scout). 247Sports has Finau rated as the No. 65 weakside defensive end in the nation.
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 –
coming later today
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—
Defensive backs –
coming later today
Stuart
Continue reading...
Recruiting Trail – Defense
—
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)
–
2018 Projected Roster
Seniors … Javier Edwards* … Chris Mulumba … Jase Franke
Juniors … Mo Bandi
Sophomores … Terriek Roberts … Sam Bennion
Red-shirt freshmen … Terrance Lang … Carson Wells … Nico Magri
True freshman … Jalen Sami (grey-shirt from Class of 2017)
Recruiting Class of 2018 … Tava Finau
Bold = returning starter … Italics = non-scholarship player … * = denotes red-shirt season still available
—
Class of 2018 – Commitments (1)
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 (formerly Scout). 247Sports has Finau rated as the No. 65 weakside defensive end in the nation.
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)
—
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.
–
—
Linebackers –
coming later today
–
—
Defensive backs –
coming later today
Stuart
Continue reading...