CU Skills Camp June 17th

[Mondonico]

Did anyone see or hear about any prospects at the camp last Friday?

 

[Jackal]

Yes there were a couple hundred prospects. Maybe a dozen D1 level prospects. Williams, Cope-fitzpatrick. A polynesian descent linebacker who I don't recognize, a couple of good linemen, one of which I was told was from Colorado and was blowing up the other OL there. Some kids from Oregon, another TE from WA. Nice weather. Pasta Jay's food caterred. Nice tour of Dal ward.
Eric Bieniemy is "the best coach ever" per a couple of rb recruits.

 

[Buffnik]

JCF just did an unofficial visit as did Williams. They didn't participate in the skills camp.

I want to compliment Norgard for attending the camp. It wasn't going to change his offer status, so most guys in his situation would have skipped it. I think it shows a ton of leadership and character that he wanted to represent and also take the opportunity for some coaching. He is definitely driven to get better and be as ready as possible to compete in the spring. He's gonna be a player. Mark it.

 

[Jackal]

JCF just did an unofficial visit as did Williams. They didn't participate in the skills camp.

Exactly. They watched and got lots of attention from Embree et al.

I was watching a specific lineman tear it up. His shirt said " A. Fitz.....". I couldn't make it all out but whoever he was... he did well. If you were there he had purple shorts.

 

[Jackal]

Also there was a Linebacker from Oklahoma. Last name Harding. Class of 2013. Looked really good.

 

[Buffs4Life]

JCF just did an unofficial visit as did Williams. They didn't participate in the skills camp.

I want to compliment Norgard for attending the camp. It wasn't going to change his offer status, so most guys in his situation would have skipped it. I think it shows a ton of leadership and character that he wanted to represent and also take the opportunity for some coaching. He is definitely driven to get better and be as ready as possible to compete in the spring. He's gonna be a player. Mark it.

Thanks for that compliment, Buffnik! Clay had a blast Friday and Saturday (was pretty sore Sat AM since they banged all morning on Fri, possibly a little regret on signing up for both days-LOL) and learned so much from Coach Cabral and Coach Smart. He was so jacked up at dinner Saturday night, couldn't stop talking about how excited he was to get up there and get going in Jan!

Some discussion on some other sites about these camps being useless or just a "money maker" for the coaches, and I just have to say if a kid attended and didn't come away with something they could use in their up-coming football season (regardless of whether they came away with an "offer" from CU or not) then they must not have been listening. We attended some spring CU practices this year and Saturday's camp had the exact same sights and sounds (just substitute younger players)-EB, Coach Kennedy, Coach Embree's voices echoing throughout the stadium. It was AWESOME and I don't know how you couldn't be inspired as an athlete if you were there. You're right when you say it didn't matter regarding Clay's eventual place at CU, but it mattered a TON relating to his progress as a player. He has some new tools to take into his SR season, which is the point, right? Striving for growth as an athlete and a player. A+++, loved what he took away from this weekend! Go Buffs!!!

 

[Mondonico]

I was there mostly watching the QBs. I guess they seperated them into under classmen and upper classmen. I saw one kid who stood out from the rest of the upper classman. He seemed to be gettng a lot of talk from the coaches. Saw Rip talking to him once or twice. Big kid 6'3" 6"4 210. Good foot work, accuracy, and a cannon for an arm. Thought I heard Mullen mentioned as the high school he went to. I know it wasn't Miles as he committed else were.

Any body else see him?

 

[Buffs4Life]

JCF just did an unofficial visit as did Williams. They didn't participate in the skills camp.

Exactly. They watched and got lots of attention from Embree et al.

I was watching a specific lineman tear it up. His shirt said " A. Fitz.....". I couldn't make it all out but whoever he was... he did well. If you were there he had purple shorts.

I think the OL in the purple shorts was Austin Hendrickson from A West, we thought he looked really good, too. I do hope they offer him, I think he would be a great fit. Marshall kept referring to him as "my center", but I think he plays OG for AWest? Could see him evolving into a nice stout center under Blacken's weight program. Being an OL, my husband was really enjoying watching Coach Marshall coach those boys up!

 

[Buffs4Life]

I was there mostly watching the QBs. I guess they seperated them into under classmen and upper classmen. I saw one kid who stood out from the rest of the upper classman. He seemed to be gettng a lot of talk from the coaches. Saw Rip talking to him once or twice. Big kid 6'3" 6"4 210. Good foot work, accuracy, and a cannon for an arm. Thought I heard Mullen mentioned as the high school he went to. I know it wasn't Miles as he committed else were.

Any body else see him?

That is Aaron Mispagel, Cyler Miles' backup at Mullen (could be a starter at almost any other program in CO). He looked really good both days--many were talking about him on Friday, too. It seemed like the CU coaches really liked him.

 

[Jackal]

Thanks for that compliment, Buffnik! Clay had a blast Friday and Saturday (was pretty sore Sat AM since they banged all morning on Fri, possibly a little regret on signing up for both days-LOL) and learned so much from Coach Cabral and Coach Smart. He was so jacked up at dinner Saturday night, couldn't stop talking about how excited he was to get up there and get going in Jan!

Some discussion on some other sites about these camps being useless or just a "money maker" for the coaches, and I just have to say if a kid attended and didn't come away with something they could use in their up-coming football season (regardless of whether they came away with an "offer" from CU or not) then they must not have been listening. We attended some spring CU practices this year and Saturday's camp had the exact same sights and sounds (just substitute younger players)-EB, Coach Kennedy, Coach Embree's voices echoing throughout the stadium. It was AWESOME and I don't know how you couldn't be inspired as an athlete if you were there. You're right when you say it didn't matter regarding Clay's eventual place at CU, but it mattered a TON relating to his progress as a player. He has some new tools to take into his SR season, which is the point, right? Striving for growth as an athlete and a player. A+++, loved what he took away from this weekend! Go Buffs!!!

Yes! it was an awe inspiring evening on Sat. These coaches can downright coach and each one was dedicated to giving each kid something to work on and improve on regardless of their status as a recruit. They were there to look at talent, but also to demonstrate to these players that Colorado has some serious coaches. I overheard several running back recruits talking about Bieniemy and how amazing he is as a coach!

 

[MtnBuff]

That is Aaron Mispagel, Cyler Miles' backup at Mullen (could be a starter at almost any other program in CO). He looked really good both days--many were talking about him on Friday, too. It seemed like the CU coaches really liked him.

Don't know a thing about him. What class is he in? If a sr. would he be a legitimate PWO candidate, if an underclassmen will he be a BCS level prospect as a Sr.?

 

[Mondonico]

Don't know a thing about him. What class is he in? If a sr. would he be a legitimate PWO candidate, if an underclassmen will he be a BCS level prospect as a Sr.?

Mullen website has him as a SR. Not sure about PWO. He certainly caught my eye and while I'm not an expert on QB's (Did stay a a holiday Inn express Friday night) this kid was smooth.

 

[slider]

Buffs4Life- I don't want to get greedy but does Clay have any younger brothers we can look forward to in the BnG?:thumbsup:

 

[DoWork]

JCF just did an unofficial visit as did Williams. They didn't participate in the skills camp.

Exactly. They watched and got lots of attention from Embree et al.

I was watching a specific lineman tear it up. His shirt said " A. Fitz.....". I couldn't make it all out but whoever he was... he did well. If you were there he had purple shorts.

What a lot of people don't realize is that there is limited time in getting through camps in 2 weeks in June, one piled on top of another. By Walker's visit on Friday to CO he had already attended 3 combines and 3 camps, all but 2 were out of state and at UCLA the following day. He had a medical procedure on Tuesday which required an incision and was told he might want to reconsider his travel plans but the trip was important to him so he went. On top of that he decided to still compete in the Lineman camp at UCLA Saturday (which he had committed to attend when UCLA offered him in March - and he honors his commitments) and really showed out. Out of 225 players there, Walker was one of the top 2, the first being Issac, the son of the D-line coach at Oregon State. At one point Coach Neuheisel had to stop the final "tournament" for the two undefeated players and tell Walker and Issac to back off, they were getting too aggressive and he didn't want to have to break out a stretcher but always a good sign in a lineman! Music was blasting overhead and to lighten the mood at that moment Walker broke out in dance, I think there was moon walking involved... everyone busted up. Keep in mind that at this point of the day, the final "one on ones" the entire camp, coaches and parents were in a circle around the remaining two lineman and their team of 4. He's not shy...

The CO lineman camp was on June 12th and had Walker not already committed to attend the University of Washington camp that day, he would have attended the Colorado camp on the 12th. Making the trip to CO was another grand out of pocket but it was an important stop, he wanted to connect with coaching staff and check out the academics (Nuclear Engineering - he is a 4.0 honor student) before deciding on his official visits. The trip was a great stop and he holds the coaches in high regard and is confident the direction of the Buffs is a great one. Coach Marshall and Embree are amazing as well as the conditioning program at CU.

So please keep in mind as you assess these kids, remember that many with offers are at home all summer (we know lots of them) but there are others like Williams still attending camps and making unofficial visits, some hundreds of miles away and at the expense of the family to keep absorbing as much information as they can to continue to improve and grow as players.

Not to sound defensive but perhaps to remind those that do not have players in this position that making these trips to make sure a good decision is made is exhausting and expensive. If it was about the attention Walker could stay home and just answer the calls from the reporters each day, instead he gave up June to attend camps and visit schools and not hang out at the lake with his friends. In the words of Walker Williams from just this past weekend, "always do the right thing because just when you think you're all that, life provides you with a humbling experience". Not bad for a 17 year old. He's further ahead at 17 then I was!

Only regret from the Colorado trip, not meeting Norgard! Next time, next time

 

[lawdogg]

Without question we definitely appreciate the investment that these players and their families put in during the recruiting process. We knew Walker was a kid with talent through the roof, but it sounds like he has the character to match that, which is really exciting. Don't worry about not meeting Norgard this time around, you'll have several more years to get to know him and his family if everything works out well. :thumbsup:

 

[Buffnik]

Thanks for the insight into the process, DoWork.

I can't speak for everyone else, but I wasn't being critical regarding Walker not doing the camp stuff... just reporting facts. I really appreciate all that these kids and their parents go through in this process.

At the risk of calling all the former CU linemen on this site out of the woodwork: Nuclear Engineering! As they're always telling us, the OLs are the smartest guys on the team.

Sounds like Walker's really got things together. He'll be a fine addition to whichever program he chooses and is on a great path to be very successful after football. Hope he got an opportunity to get a good look at CU's top-rated Engineering program. If you have any questions, we've got a several CU grads on here who work in the field.

 

[buffaholic]

Unfortunately, the problem with these camps is that they are costly and not a lot of kids can make them out-of-state. Given that CU must rely on kids that are 500 miles away or more, this becomes a bit of a problem. LA kids can go to USC and UCLA camps a lot cheaper than CU's.

I read somewhere that Cope-Fitzpatrick came here for the day but couldn't afford the overnight tariff to spend another day here and participate in the camp. A whole bunch of kids can't afford to do what he and his Grandmother did, which was observe the staff, meet the people and get a tour of campus, etc.

The fact that Colorado is a beautiful state and a great place to visit should help get some kids here who do have the resources and they want to turn it into a family vacation. I'm up in Vail right now for a high-school LAX tournament and there's teams from all over (as there were this weekend in Denver). Dallas families can deal with a long weekend in Colorado about now.

By the way, when Grandma get involved it could be a good thing now.

 

[DoWork]

Unfortunately, the problem with these camps is that they are costly and not a lot of kids can make them out-of-state. Given that CU must rely on kids that are 500 miles away or more, this becomes a bit of a problem. LA kids can go to USC and UCLA camps a lot cheaper than CU's.

I read somewhere that Cope-Fitzpatrick came here for the day but couldn't afford the overnight tariff to spend another day here and participate in the camp. A whole bunch of kids can't afford to do what he and his Grandmother did, which was observe the staff, meet the people and get a tour of campus, etc.

The fact that Colorado is a beautiful state and a great place to visit should help get some kids here who do have the resources and they want to turn it into a family vacation. I'm up in Vail right now for a high-school LAX tournament and there's teams from all over (as there were this weekend in Denver). Dallas families can deal with a long weekend in Colorado about now.

By the way, when Grandma get involved it could be a good thing now.

Right you are, the camp is not expensive, it's the travel that really gets you. Typically the camps are under $100 (UCLA was $50 and included lunch but we spend $800 on airfare and $125 on a CHEAP hotel, $100 on a rental car and ordered off the dollar menu and the same was true for Colorado except we splurged on Pasta Jay's.) We have made many sacrifices to make these trips happen. (Goodness I would love to replace my 1988 Crown Vic but it's not important in the big picture right now, right?) Some kids such as Cope-Fitzpatrick may have to wait until Sept. 1st to take an official visit to really get a sense of the University but I have to tell you that after visits to many schools Colorado does a great job of welcoming recruits, even for one day.

 

[Highlander27]

That is Aaron Mispagel, Cyler Miles' backup at Mullen (could be a starter at almost any other program in CO). He looked really good both days--many were talking about him on Friday, too. It seemed like the CU coaches really liked him.

And it's an effort like this which will eventually end our futility at Mullen, by planting these seeds nice and early. Props to the coaching staff.

 

[Highlander27]

What a lot of people don't realize is that there is limited time in getting through camps in 2 weeks in June, one piled on top of another. By Walker's visit on Friday to CO he had already attended 3 combines and 3 camps, all but 2 were out of state and at UCLA the following day. He had a medical procedure on Tuesday which required an incision and was told he might want to reconsider his travel plans but the trip was important to him so he went. On top of that he decided to still compete in the Lineman camp at UCLA Saturday (which he had committed to attend when UCLA offered him in March - and he honors his commitments) and really showed out. Out of 225 players there, Walker was one of the top 2, the first being Issac, the son of the D-line coach at Oregon State. At one point Coach Neuheisel had to stop the final "tournament" for the two undefeated players and tell Walker and Issac to back off, they were getting too aggressive and he didn't want to have to break out a stretcher but always a good sign in a lineman! Music was blasting overhead and to lighten the mood at that moment Walker broke out in dance, I think there was moon walking involved... everyone busted up. Keep in mind that at this point of the day, the final "one on ones" the entire camp, coaches and parents were in a circle around the remaining two lineman and their team of 4. He's not shy...

The CO lineman camp was on June 12th and had Walker not already committed to attend the University of Washington camp that day, he would have attended the Colorado camp on the 12th. Making the trip to CO was another grand out of pocket but it was an important stop, he wanted to connect with coaching staff and check out the academics (Nuclear Engineering - he is a 4.0 honor student) before deciding on his official visits. The trip was a great stop and he holds the coaches in high regard and is confident the direction of the Buffs is a great one. Coach Marshall and Embree are amazing as well as the conditioning program at CU.

So please keep in mind as you assess these kids, remember that many with offers are at home all summer (we know lots of them) but there are others like Williams still attending camps and making unofficial visits, some hundreds of miles away and at the expense of the family to keep absorbing as much information as they can to continue to improve and grow as players.

Not to sound defensive but perhaps to remind those that do not have players in this position that making these trips to make sure a good decision is made is exhausting and expensive. If it was about the attention Walker could stay home and just answer the calls from the reporters each day, instead he gave up June to attend camps and visit schools and not hang out at the lake with his friends. In the words of Walker Williams from just this past weekend, "always do the right thing because just when you think you're all that, life provides you with a humbling experience". Not bad for a 17 year old. He's further ahead at 17 then I was!

Only regret from the Colorado trip, not meeting Norgard! Next time, next time

He sounds like a great kid (can I call him that at his size?), you must be extremely proud. I've watched his film and he definitely seems to have a bright future. No matter the decision, best of luck to him. That being said, would LOVVVVVE to start getting back to the road grading we used to do on the OL, and his commitment would play a big role in that.

 

[DoWork]

Thanks for the insight into the process, DoWork.

I can't speak for everyone else, but I wasn't being critical regarding Walker not doing the camp stuff... just reporting facts. I really appreciate all that these kids and their parents go through in this process.



Thanks!

 

[Quattro]

Here's what to come at CU (same o line coach, not sure who else was there then and now back)

[video=youtube;OpwWcwc3oLA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpwWcwc3oLA[/video]

 

[Quattro]

Oh and....
[video=youtube;OI42ysYDX-4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI42ysYDX-4[/video]
and I can't think of anything better than running out behind Ralphie!
[video=youtube;UeXc-S9fov8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeXc-S9fov8&feature=related[/video]

 

[DoWork]

Thanks for sharing, great clips! Watched them several times!

 

[Quattro]

Embree (kickers/WR) and EB (RB) were also coaches on that 2001 team. Glad you enjoyed the videos though..what a great season minus getting kicked by Oregon and losing to Fresno State by two.