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CU Roster - burning questions for each position group

Buffnik

Buffnik

Real name isn't Nik
Club Member
Junta Member
Quarterback
1. Will Davis Webb enroll at CU?
2. Will Sefo be healthy enough to play?
3. Will Montez be ready in his development if called upon?
4. Will Awini have any "wildcat" packages?
5. Will Gehrke have a role? Will he graduate/transfer?

Running Back
1. Will Carr or Adkins be able to seize the feature back role?
2. Will Bisharat become the "big back" in the 2-back set? Or does Lindsay fill that role?
3. Will Julmisse fit in at RB in the Lee role as expected or might he move to WR or defense?

Wide Receiver
1. Can Shay Fields be a #1 WR?
2. Is Juwann Winfree an instant star?
3. Does Devin Ross finally break out this season?
4. Will Awini, Bobo, Ento, Jan and/or MacIntyre provide quality depth or even earn a starting job?
5. Will a freshman emerge from Huntley, Rakestraw or Julmisse?

Tight End
1. Is Irwin ready to be a consistent receiving threat?
2. Will Frazier bounce back from a disappointing 2015 as a short yardage & red zone playmaker?
3. Are Keeney or Bounds ready to step up and contribute in significant ways?

Offensive Line
1. Will Jeromy Irwin be back at full health anchoring the line from the LT position?
2. Will Gerrad Kough build on his strong spring and solidify the left side of the OL from LG?
3. Will Alex Kelley benefit from being pushed by Tim Lynott and be the leader as a 6th yr C/ 3-year starter this line needs from the C position, calling protections and recognizing defenses?
4. Who will emerge at RG in one of the deepest position battles we'll see this fall from among Lynott, Jonathan Huckins, John Lisella, Josh Kaiser and maybe even Shane Callahan?
5. Who will emerge at RT to answer the biggest question mark on the OL among Callahan, Sam Kronshage and Aaron Haigler?
6. Will the coaches find a grad or juco transfer to solidify the right side of the OL?

Nose Tackle
1. Will Josh Tupou be back at 100% and play to his potential as a guy who can make an All Pac-12 team?
2. Will the youth rotating behind Tupou (Franke, Lopez, Tuiloma) hold up and allow him to stay fresh?

Defensive End
1. Is Jordan Carrell able to take his game to the next level with an All Pac-12 team type season?
2. Will Samson Kafovalu fulfill all his obligations and make it back to start on the opposite side?
3. Will Coleman gain the weight he needs to play more downs as a backup? Same for Mathewes?
4. Will Leo Jackson take a step forward and provide reliable every-down depth?
5. Will Tyler Henington come back and shore up this position group?

Outside Linebacker
1. Will Derek McCartney take the next step as a pass rusher and become a consistent playmaker?
2. Will Jimmie Gilbert improve against the run so his ability as a pass rusher can be on the field more?
3. Will NJ Falo remain on the team after his offseason arrest to be the primary backup at OLB?
4. Might Addison Gillam be able to play OLB at times as Jim Leavitt experimented with last fall?
5. Can Deaysean Rippy give the team anything here as a senior?

Inside Linebacker
1. Will Addison Gillam return to form and play like the guy who was a freshman All American 3 years ago?
2. Will Kenneth Olugbode take another step forward as a senior who has started a ton of games?
3. Will Drew Lewis provide immediate impact as a juco transfer?
4. Will Rick Gamboa build on a surprisingly strong freshman year?
5. Will either Ryan Severson or Trent Headley emerge for depth?
6. Will Akil Jones force his way onto the field as a true freshman?

Cornerback/ Nickelback
1. Will Chidobe Awuzie be able to shut down half the field and play like the All Pac-12 talent he is?
2. Can Isaiah Oliver build on a great spring to be a playmaker at the other CB?
3. Will Ahkello Witherspoon find the consistency to allow Awuzie to slide in to NB against spread?
4. Will Afolabi Laguda build on his spring at NB1 and allow Awuzie to stay outside against spread?
5. Does Nick Fisher push at NB after showing promise in the spring while moving to S?
6. Is juco transfer Kyle Trego the answer at NB?
7. Do any of the freshmen emerge at CB from among Ronnie Blackmon, Trey Udoffia and Ca'Ron Baham?

Safety
1. Will Tedric Thompson put it all together as a big hitter and ballhawk for an All Pac-12 senior year?
2. Will Ryan Moeller take the next step as a great battery mate to Thompson?
3. Will at least 2 guys step up from Laguda, Fisher and Trego to provide quality depth?
4. Might Baham or Julmisse move to safety to shore up the depth chart?

Specialists
1. Has Diego fixed the yips from the left hash to be a reliable PK as a senior?
2. Will Alex Kinney take the next step from how he finished 2015 and become a player who can make an All Pac-12 team as a sophomore?
3. Will JT Bale build on a great spring to make us not notice long snapping the same way we didn't notice it the past several years with Wyatt Tucker-Smith?
4. Will Jay MacIntyre hold onto the PR duties or will one of the electric freshmen emerge - Ronnie Blackmon, maybe?
5. Who will emerge from the open camp battle for KR? Severson, Lee, Ross, Carr, Lindsay and others are possibilities along with a number of freshmen who bring a lot of speed and HS return highlights?
 
Buffnik said:
1. Can Shay Fields be a #1 WR?
2. Is Juwann Winfree an instant star?
Click to expand...

If 2 is true, then 1 doesn't need to be, right? Having a big, physical WR like Winfree could be a huge boon to the offense and allow the quicker, shiftier Fields to get some 1 on 1 opportunities. Still a lot of this depends on line and QB play which is my biggest worry. I'm a big Sefo fan, but even if Webb doesn't come here Sefo might not be ready to start the season.
 
To me it all boils down to your 1st question.

Quarterback
1. Will Davis Webb enroll at CU?
2. Will Sefo be healthy enough to play?

If the answer to 1. is yes then all the other Q's become way less meaningful.
If ans=no then 2. and every other single question need to be answered with a resounding YES.
 
I am trying to hold down my normal summer football enthusiasm but eager to see what results Coach Chev and Coach Wilson will have with the team.
Getting Webb as our QB, Tupou Back at Nose would thrill me. I would love to see a healthy Sefo, Gillam and Irwin but not sure we get those guys back at 100%.
Also look forward to see what Coach Adams does with the OL. We have talent there but it was never used appropriately. Kelly at center, Callahan at tackle looked good at the spring game so not as concerned about that. We have Kough, Weifels, Huckins and Lisella ready at guard. Callahan, Kronshage and Kaiser at tackle with Miller, Lynott and Haigler available but needing time.
 
Offensive Line...matters most. Journeymen at other positions can look like Heisman candidates with good O line.
 
Buffnik said:
Quarterback
1. Will Davis Webb enroll at CU? Nope
2. Will Sefo be healthy enough to play? Yep
3. Will Montez be ready in his development if called upon? TBD
4. Will Awini have any "wildcat" packages? TBD
5. Will Gehrke have a role? Will he graduate/transfer? Not transferring. TBD on role.

Running Back
1. Will Carr or Adkins be able to seize the feature back role? Carr gone. Adkins or Lee now.
2. Will Bisharat become the "big back" in the 2-back set? Or does Lindsay fill that role? Beau impressed over summer. Expected to play.
3. Will Julmisse fit in at RB in the Lee role as expected or might he move to WR or defense? Sounds like WR for AJ. Impressed over summer.

Wide Receiver
1. Can Shay Fields be a #1 WR? TBD
2. Is Juwann Winfree an instant star? TBD
3. Does Devin Ross finally break out this season? TBD
4. Will Awini, Bobo, Ento, Jan and/or MacIntyre provide quality depth or even earn a starting job? TBD
5. Will a freshman emerge from Huntley, Rakestraw or Julmisse? Summer whispers are the Huntley might be so good that Shay could end up playing in the slot quite a bit.

Tight End
1. Is Irwin ready to be a consistent receiving threat? TBD
2. Will Frazier bounce back from a disappointing 2015 as a short yardage & red zone playmaker? TBD
3. Are Keeney or Bounds ready to step up and contribute in significant ways? Chatter about Keeney being ready to be a big play guy. TBD.

Offensive Line
1. Will Jeromy Irwin be back at full health anchoring the line from the LT position? TBD, but looking good.
2. Will Gerrad Kough build on his strong spring and solidify the left side of the OL from LG? TBD
3. Will Alex Kelley benefit from being pushed by Tim Lynott and be the leader as a 6th yr C/ 3-year starter this line needs from the C position, calling protections and recognizing defenses? TBD
4. Who will emerge at RG in one of the deepest position battles we'll see this fall from among Lynott, Jonathan Huckins, John Lisella, Josh Kaiser and maybe even Shane Callahan? Looks like Lynott's job, but TBD
5. Who will emerge at RT to answer the biggest question mark on the OL among Callahan, Sam Kronshage and Aaron Haigler? TBD. Is Kaiser in the mix? Miller after gaining what looked like 50 lbs this summer?
6. Will the coaches find a grad or juco transfer to solidify the right side of the OL? Nope

Nose Tackle
1. Will Josh Tupou be back at 100% and play to his potential as a guy who can make an All Pac-12 team? TBD. Fitness the big question.
2. Will the youth rotating behind Tupou (Franke, Lopez, Tuiloma) hold up and allow him to stay fresh? TBD. My eyes are on Tuiloma and Lopez. I'd like to see Franke able to move to DT/E.

Defensive Tackle/End
1. Is Jordan Carrell able to take his game to the next level with an All Pac-12 team type season? TBD. He's bigger & stronger, though.
2. Will Samson Kafovalu fulfill all his obligations and make it back to start on the opposite side? TBD. Looking good.
3. Will Coleman gain the weight he needs to play more downs as a backup? Same for Mathewes? TBD. Need these guys and Franke.
4. Will Leo Jackson take a step forward and provide reliable every-down depth? TBD. Also keep an eye on Tonz.
5. Will Tyler Henington come back and shore up this position group? Moved to OLB. TBD if he'll contribute.

Outside Linebacker
1. Will Derek McCartney take the next step as a pass rusher and become a consistent playmaker? TBD
2. Will Jimmie Gilbert improve against the run so his ability as a pass rusher can be on the field more? TBD
3. Will NJ Falo remain on the team after his offseason arrest to be the primary backup at OLB? TBD
4. Might Addison Gillam be able to play OLB at times as Jim Leavitt experimented with last fall? TBD
5. Can Deaysean Rippy give the team anything here as a senior? TBD. Post-spring depth chart points to Nope.

Inside Linebacker
1. Will Addison Gillam return to form and play like the guy who was a freshman All American 3 years ago? TBD. He is listed over 230 now and photos seem to back that up.
2. Will Kenneth Olugbode take another step forward as a senior who has started a ton of games? TBD
3. Will Drew Lewis provide immediate impact as a juco transfer? TBD
4. Will Rick Gamboa build on a surprisingly strong freshman year? TBD
5. Will either Ryan Severson or Trent Headley emerge for depth? TBD. More confidence in Headley. I'd also keep an eye on Shaver either inside or outside.
6. Will Akil Jones force his way onto the field as a true freshman? TBD. Supposedly one of the most impressive freshmen this summer.

Cornerback/ Nickelback
1. Will Chidobe Awuzie be able to shut down half the field and play like the All Pac-12 talent he is? TBD, but not a lot of concerns with Chido.
2. Can Isaiah Oliver build on a great spring to be a playmaker at the other CB? TBD
3. Will Ahkello Witherspoon find the consistency to allow Awuzie to slide in to NB against spread? TBD - and this one is HUGE.
4. Will Afolabi Laguda build on his spring at NB1 and allow Awuzie to stay outside against spread? TBD. Spoon's development at CB has more upside.
5. Does Nick Fisher push at NB after showing promise in the spring while moving to S? TBD
6. Is juco transfer Kyle Trego the answer at NB? TBD
7. Do any of the freshmen emerge at CB from among Ronnie Blackmon, Trey Udoffia and Ca'Ron Baham? TBD. Need 1 or 2 to do so.

Safety
1. Will Tedric Thompson put it all together as a big hitter and ballhawk for an All Pac-12 senior year? TBD
2. Will Ryan Moeller take the next step as a great battery mate to Thompson? TBD
3. Will at least 2 guys step up from Laguda, Fisher and Trego to provide quality depth? TBD
4. Might Baham or Julmisse move to safety to shore up the depth chart? TBD, but AJ looks like a WR

Specialists
1. Has Diego fixed the yips from the left hash to be a reliable PK as a senior? TBD
2. Will Alex Kinney take the next step from how he finished 2015 and become a player who can make an All Pac-12 team as a sophomore? TBD
3. Will JT Bale build on a great spring to make us not notice long snapping the same way we didn't notice it the past several years with Wyatt Tucker-Smith? TBD
4. Will Jay MacIntyre hold onto the PR duties or will one of the electric freshmen emerge - Ronnie Blackmon, maybe? TBD
5. Who will emerge from the open camp battle for KR? Severson, Lee, Ross, Carr, Lindsay and others are possibilities along with a number of freshmen who bring a lot of speed and HS return highlights? TBD
Click to expand...

Thought I'd go ahead and update this ahead of Fall Camp. Some questions answered since the OP.

Did I miss anything that anyone is curious about/ looking for?
 
Huge. With Samson in full mode for the season, I really like our dline makeup of Tupou, Carrell, and Kafovalu. All three could push for Pac 12 mentions. Might be CU's best Dline to start the season in a while, IMO. Now if we can get the LB's to make plays, we will be in business on defense.
 
buffaholic said:
Tupou involved students (and their safety). That is the difference.

Kafovalu was an non-incident with a Boulder PD. No campus implication whatsoever.
Click to expand...

Could have been CUPD. They share jurisdiction. The bouncer could have been a CU student.

While I understand what you are getting at, I think that still is an overreach of the councils power. How is what Tupou did any different than getting in a fight with a guy at a bar, who happens to be a student too? I don't see any reason why an off campus altercation of any kind, completely removed from academics, should be punishable by the honor council. That is what the police and the boulder court system are for.
 
Shldr2Shldr said:
Could have been CUPD. They share jurisdiction. The bouncer could have been a CU student.

While I understand what you are getting at, I think that still is an overreach of the councils power. How is what Tupou did any different than getting in a fight with a guy at a bar, who happens to be a student too? I don't see any reason why an off campus altercation of any kind, completely removed from academics, should be punishable by the honor council. That is what the police and the boulder court system are for.
Click to expand...

Probably worked out for the best with all these cases. Samson being gone for a year and Tupou also getting suspended for a year are the only reason we have them this season. Last year's team wasn't ready to win and since both those guys played as true freshmen we wouldn't have them on the DL this year if not for the kangaroo court.

So, no harm done.

For the future, though, I hope that the issues you bring up are considered. There are implications with federal and state statutes that have to be considered here (i.e., off campus sexual assaults must be addressed by the school despite what policies they may have had at **** bailer!). And with the Falo/Dino situation, I'm not sure that additional discipline from the school is required on top of their pleas and whatever discipline HCMM has/will implement.
 
Buffnik said:
Probably worked out for the best with all these cases. Samson being gone for a year and Tupou also getting suspended for a year are the only reason we have them this season. Last year's team wasn't ready to win and since both those guys played as true freshmen we wouldn't have them on the DL this year if not for the kangaroo court.

So, no harm done.

For the future, though, I hope that the issues you bring up are considered. There are implications with federal and state statutes that have to be considered here (i.e., off campus sexual assaults must be addressed by the school despite what policies they may have had at **** bailer!). And with the Falo/Dino situation, I'm not sure that additional discipline from the school is required on top of their pleas and whatever discipline HCMM has/will implement.
Click to expand...

IMO the University's realm of authority should be narrowed to events that happen on campus and things that happen off campus that explicitly compromise academics or academic integrity. We have police and a court system for a reason. We don't need the legal system ruling that no charges be filed and some student run organization determining that the party was guilty anyway.

I understand that it works out for our interests better the way that it went down, doesn't mean it was right.
 
Shldr2Shldr said:
IMO the University's realm of authority should be narrowed to events that happen on campus and things that happen off campus that explicitly compromise academics or academic integrity. We have police and a court system for a reason. We don't need the legal system ruling that no charges be filed and some student run organization determining that the party was guilty anyway.

I understand that it works out for our interests better the way that it went down, doesn't mean it was right.
Click to expand...

Just doesn't work that way and it can't. Student safety is impacted by other students even when they aren't on campus. You'll never get your wish on this one.
 
Back to the topic in @Buffnik opening post.

Our Defense lost:

Solis - but we get Tupou back to replace him. That's a plus.
Plus Carrell and Jackson will no longer be cutting their teeth in D1. Everyone else is back, most will benefit from another year.
Crawley gone - but everyone back a year older and most benefit from another year. Overall, DB unit is matured and improved.
Linebacker core - won't be playing freshmen with zero experience (Falo, Gamboa).
Addition of Lewis and a healthy Gillam just add to that.

Here's the depth chart from the Hawaii game last year. Looks very much the same as what we left spring with on Defense, minus above changes.

Defense should be noticeably better in year 2 of this system. I see no scenario where they take a step back.
 
Last edited:
Offensively, we lost Spruce and Nembot. Most of the OL gets a year older, and that always makes a difference.

My view of our offensive woes
1. O-line - could not handle blitzes. Pass protection was constantly an issue.
2. WRs - couldn't get off the line and get open, against single coverage, causing QB to wait too long.

I won't go into the QB dept, because I think he's taken most of the darts already, some deserved.

Both issues above are part talent, and part scheme. I'm confident that another year and better coaching will fix many of the OL woes. I am hopeful that an injection of speed and talent will push the WRs corp to be better (if not average). I'm not sure about scheme....
 
buffaholic said:
Offensively, we lost Spruce and Nembot. Most of the OL gets a year older, and that always makes a difference.

My view of our offensive woes
1. O-line - could not handle blitzes. Pass protection was constantly an issue.
2. WRs - couldn't get off the line and get open, against single coverage, causing QB to wait too long.

I won't go into the QB dept, because I think he's taken most of the darts already, some deserved.

Both issues above are part talent, and part scheme. I'm confident that another year and better coaching will fix many of the OL woes. I am hopeful that an injection of speed and talent will push the WRs corp to be better (if not average). I'm not sure about scheme....
Click to expand...

On the OL, not only being a year older and very experienced with a lot of starts in the 2-deep, but we're also looking to see what kind of impact Drew Lewis's program makes for these guys. With size and strength gains also comes a lot more confidence. Then you've got a much more charismatic and energetic position coach, which should have them playing with more fire. And they've gotten to practice every day against a good Pac-12 DL. I think the OL is going to surprise people this year.
 
Buffnik said:
On the OL, not only being a year older and very experienced with a lot of starts in the 2-deep, but we're also looking to see what kind of impact Drew Lewis's program makes for these guys. With size and strength gains also comes a lot more confidence. Then you've got a much more charismatic and energetic position coach, which should have them playing with more fire. And they've gotten to practice every day against a good Pac-12 DL. I think the OL is going to surprise people this year.
Click to expand...

If the OL surprise than so will this team. Arguably the biggest weakness is the OL so if they can play well, CU should look pretty good.
 
Buffnik said:
And they've gotten to practice every day against a good Pac-12 DL. I think the OL is going to surprise people this year.
Click to expand...
I like this point so much. Not just DL but everything. If Leavitt is using all kinds of exotic blitzes, that OL will have to be quick and make adjustments. I know there are better edge rushers out there, but man, our offense will be competing day in and day out against one of the better defenses they will face this season. Newcomers who might end up contributing like Huntley, Julmisse, Bisharat, and even RS guys and the jucos will get a taste of pac12 play in camp and in practice.

And if our OL develops, with some of the weapons we have and a senior QB, that should help the defense as well. Much excitement.
 
Good point by TDforTD is edge rushers. We've lacked sorely and if we can improve in that area, this defense starts to look length a real strength. Need to get more push up the middle, and more explosion off the edge. Definitely something that (this year) would have to come from internal development of guys we had.

Another point is Hennington - wonder what he will be? I know he's penciled in as a OLB. The guy had a knack for pass rushing when he was younger and on the DL and showed more than anyone when he moved to DE in our 4-3, before the two season ending injuries. He may have nothing left after injury, but we won't know for awhile. And I have big doubts that he'd fit this scheme if he got it all back. But I wouldn't count him out for sure either. Will be interesting to see.
 
buffaholic said:
Good point by TDforTD is edge rushers. We've lacked sorely and if we can improve in that area, this defense starts to look length a real strength. Need to get more push up the middle, and more explosion off the edge. Definitely something that (this year) would have to come from internal development of guys we had.

Another point is Hennington - wonder what he will be? I know he's penciled in as a OLB. The guy had a knack for pass rushing when he was younger and on the DL and showed more than anyone when he moved to DE in our 4-3, before the two season ending injuries. He may have nothing left after injury, but we won't know for awhile. And I have big doubts that he'd fit this scheme if he got it all back. But I wouldn't count him out for sure either. Will be interesting to see.
Click to expand...

Henington brings up a great point of how far this program has come. Tupou-Henington-Kafovalu : that was our starting DL in 2012.
 
Position groups:
D-Line - Upgrade +
LBs - Upgrade
Secondary - Upgrade
DEs - Upgrade

O-Line - Upgrade
WR - Upgrade +
TE - Upgrade
TB - No Grade
QB - No Grade

Lot of Kool Aid for me to this point.

Intangibles: Sefo is most experienced QB in Pac.
If everything falls into place the defense could be very good this season.
 
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