Update from Boulder...As in CU Football Update

Hi Friends - Most of you know that I pretty much have focused on the Rockies over here at Colorado Homers this summer, but I just can't take it anymore. Five straight losses and the Bums from Blake Street get no love from me. I thought it would be refreshing, if for nobody else but myself, to write about something I care much more about. University of Colorado Football, baby. If you follow the recruiting sites even a smidge, you'll notice we spent the weekend receiving three more verbal commitments for 2008, bringing our total to five plus a "transfer" kicker. That's the good news. The bad news is simply that these poor kids haven't played a down during their senior year of high school yet and are getting trashed by some CU fans with the dreaded "sleeper" tag. See, in lots of ways, the term sleeper has been used to meen great things in sports parlance. The sleeper in the playoffs is definitely a good place to be. A sleeper in your fantasy draft is dynamite because its a fancy way for you to tell your friends that you're smarter than they are. But the sleeper in college football recruiting is a way of saying your favorite team's coaching staff really reached on a kid. Or two. Or three. I wrote a lengthy email to Homer JT about this this morning, and I'll add a little detail to my opinion here after I discuss our recruits. Tyler Hansen - QB - 6'1" 185lbs - Temacula, CA Hansen is a steal, in my humble opinion. He is a 2* kid at Rivals and not ranked yet on Scout.com, but I have read that he has really opened some eyes at camps this summer, especially at the Regional Elite 11 QB camp and our own CU Football Camp. He was offered on the spot and accepted shortly after. The big dogs are going to come calling this fall, and I just hope we hang on to him. His videos are really good, and he played in the CIF finals last year as a junior. Definitely a winner. Patrick Mahnke - S - 6'2" 190lbs - Highlands Ranch, CO This is one were I think the recruiting sites have really dropped the ball. Nolan Brewster from Mullen was one of the most sought after recruits in the country after his junior year and recently committed to Texas. He is ranked a 4*. Now, I have only seen Brewster play, but some say that Mahnke is better and their measurables are very similar. Same size, similar numbers, and similar speed at 4.62/40 for Mahnke vs. 4.55 for Brewster. But Brewster is the son of Tim Brewster, dear friend of Mack Brown and former Broncos Tight Ends Coach and current coach of the University of Minnesota. Basically, everyone knows him and people who recruit the Denver area know Dave Logan and Mullen. But they might not even know where Mountain Vista High School is. Hell, I really don't either. But that's my point. Sometimes, the tail wags the dog in recruiting. Guys get a lot of attention and then get ratings to support it. Texas would NEVER offer a 2* Safety, right? I also think its more prevalent for positions that are tough to evaluate, like Safety, DT, O-Line and Fullback. But that's just my opinion and what the hell do I know. For what it's worth, I think Mahnke will challenge for a 3* by the end of his senior year. Vince Ewing - S - 6'0" 190lbs - Carlsbad, CA This is one that I was a little worried about, but more and more stories make me think he could move up to a 3* as well. Ewing is a Chuck Cecil type of safety, from what I gather based upon his build and his own evaluation of his talents. I can't wait to see videos. Some on the Rivals board claim he has a good reputation in his area and he was All Avocado League as a junior. Don't laugh, that's for real. The 619 can play some serious football, so I think many offers await Mr. Ewing as his senior year unfolds. By all accounts, he must be a good student as the Air Force Academy is recruiting him as is Columbia from the Ivy, so admissions isn't a risk. All of these stories are, I believe, good news. The reason I think this is Dan Hawkins has produced a great track record, if not for his team's play on the field, then as a great evaluator of talent. He was the first to offer 5* JUCO WR Corey Surrency. He was the first to discover and offer WR Josh Smith (Darrell Scott's Uncle!) who later received tons of interest from Pac-10 schools as well as JUCO DT Chris Perri, who had a slew of offers right at signing day. So while I think it's still early to be loading up on "sleepers", this staff deserves the benefit of the doubt for the time being. Damn, I'm ready for the CU/CSU game right now. September 1st is just around the corner. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Speaking of dates, don't forget that July 7th is John Elway Day here at Colorado Homers and all across the great state of Colorado! Pretend everything you do that Saturday is like engineering "The Drive" to reminisce. Are you ready for some football? Peace.