Colorado quietly putting together surprising recruiting 2017 class
Colorado’s last winning season came in 2005, Gary Barnett’s last season, and the decline that started toward the end of its Big 12 days rolled right into an abysmal start to life in the Pac-12.
Since they began Pac-12 play in 2011, the Buffaloes have gone 14-48 overall and an even more mind-numbing 5-40 in conference play. This began with two disastrous seasons under coach Jon Embree and has since continued under coach Mike MacIntyre.
And that's why Colorado's current 2017 recruiting class is such a stunner.
Currently 26th nationally in the 2017 team rankings, the Buffaloes might be the nation's biggest surprise of this recruiting cycle. Since 2011, the Buffaloes’ recruiting class has averaged a final ranking of 64.
So why the recruiting upsurge in Boulder coming off a 4-9 season that included a 1-8 finish in the Pac 12?
“They have some really good coaches and I really agreed on what the plan was and what they’re trying to do with CU,” four-star commit Jaylon Jackson said. “(Assistant) Coach (Darrin) Chiaverini with no doubt recruited me harder than any other coach and I like what he is going to do with the offense. Colorado met all the requirements that I had on my checklist for a school.”
Some of the more recent assistant coaching hires have definitely sparked interest amongst recruits.
“The addition of offensive coordinator and former Buff Darrin Chiaverini has been a big boost,” national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell said. “He's an excellent recruiter and has ties to Texas, which is where they've done some damage, and even better he has great ties to California. I think he's been a huge addition to a staff that is underrated in recruiting overall. Having a great coach like Jim Leavitt selling your defense is also a big key.”
The current coaching staff has worked overtime building relationships with the class of 2017.
“The entire staff was recruiting me pretty hard through the entire process,” three-star quarterback commit Tyler Lytle said. “... (They) made it clear that I was their No. 1 quarterback recruit. There was just a non-stop flow of communication that was consistent from all of the coaches to me and my parents.
"They also stressed there was an opportunity to compete for the job early, which was big for me. The fan base has also been very enthusiastic and welcoming. CU just had an overall feeling of home.”
Another new and important addition to the football program is the state-of-the art Champion Center facility, which cost $165 million to complete.
“The new facilities are extremely impressive,” said three-star commit Dante Sparaco, who recently transferred from Colorado to IMG Academy to play his senior season in Florida. “They are the best in the nation. The level of refinement and just the stuff they were able to put in the building are elite.”
However, as everyone knows, without more wins on the field it will be difficult for Colorado to maintain its current recruiting success.
These upsets will not come easily this fall, with a brutal stretch of games through the end of October. After the annual in-state rivalry with Colorado State to open the season, which is generally a toss-up, and their home opener against FCS Idaho State, the Buffaloes have road games at Michigan, Oregon, USC and Stanford in four of their next six games.
Can the Buffaloes pull off an upset in any of these four games or at least show signs of improvement before they finish with three out of four at home against UCLA, Washington State and Utah?
This may determine if this season and recruiting class will be a turning point for the program or just more of the same.
“It's an obvious key for them to start having some consistent success on the field,” Farrell said. “The Pac-12 is as wide open following last season as it has been in a while and the Buffs need to insert themselves into the bowl picture and pull off a few upsets.”