After reading the news about recruiting that everyone has been contributing, I noticed a reoccurring theme. That theme was top football prospects that have left the state of Colorado over the past few years. That prompted me to write about the top recruits since 2012, that have left the state. I did research on each recruit and compiled a list of their accomplishments as well as where they are now. I did this because, like everyone else, I would like Colorado to land top recruits within our state and not let them go elsewhere.
*Note - I only added 4 stars or higher according to Rivals
2012:
Joey O'Connor, 4 Star OL, Ohio State - O'Connor never played for Ohio State. He was on the team and after redshirting his Freshman year, he than decided to transfer to Colorado State. News broke that O'Connor chose to retire from football shortly after arriving on campus in Fort Collins due to chronic knee issues.
Alex Kozan, 4 Star OL, Auburn - Koza, was a highly recruited offensive lineman out of high school. He ultimately chose to attend Auburn University. He has started 25 games over the past 3 years. He has been called the anchor of their OL and is set to be the leader as a senior this upcoming fall. He started against Florida State in the 2013 National Championship. He is also likely be a top NFL draft prospect after graduating.
Cyler Miles, 4 Star QB, Washington - Miles was another highly recruited prospect from the 2012 class. He decided to redshirt his Freshman year after arriving in Seattle. After doing so, he ended up being quite productive during two seasons for the Huskies. He was slated to compete for a starting job during the 2015 season, but has since ended his career due to chronic rip injuries. This will be debated as Jake Browning a 5 star recruit also had stepped on campus.
2013 - 37/61 (60.7%) 418 Yards Passing, 4 TD / 2 INT
2014 - 219/329 (66.6%) 2397 Yards Passing, 17 TD / 4 INT
Shane Callahan, 4 Star OL, Auburn - Callahan and Kozan both elected to attend Auburn the same year after high school. Their college careers has been drastically different. Callahan saw the field briefly as a Freshman against non-conference foes. He decided to transfer during the summer after not seeing much playing time his Sophomore year to Colorado. He is likely to start for the Buffaloes this upcoming fall.
Paul Thurston, 4 Star OL, Nebraska - During his time at Nebraska he served as the backup center. He never started and has since decided to transfer. He has found a new home in Fort Collins at Colorado State for this upcoming fall. He is a graduate transfer and will be eligible to start immediately. He is expected to start at center for the Rams.
Evan Baylis, 4 Star TE, Oregon - Redshirted his Freshman year after leaving Colorado. Since than Baylis has been somewhat productive. Oregon runs their high octane offense and TE's are usually used as receivers and not blockers, so his production is likely to continue to increase this fall.
2013 - 71 Yards Receiving (0TD)
2014 - 143 Yards Receiving (1 TD)
2015 - 229 Yards Receiving (1 TD)
2013:
Mitch Parsons, 4 Star TE, Vanderbilt - Although being a highly recruited TE out of high school, Parsons never played for the Commodores. He redshirted his Freshman year and has since transferred to Colorado State where he will be seeking a starting role this fall.
Chris Fox, 4 Star OL, Michigan - Chris chose to enroll at Michigan over a handful of suitors. He ended up only playing 1 game in his two years with the football program. He was forced to leave the team because of medical injuries. He has since joined the Michigan football team again as a student assistant.
2014:
Christian McCaffery, 4 Star RB, Stanford - Like his father Ed, Christian decided to attend Stanford University. He is, as many know, a legitimate star running back, punt and kick returner as well as receiver for the Cardinal. He has contributed since his Freshman year and will likely be a first round pick in the 2017 NFL draft. Not to mention, that he was the runner-up to Derrick Henry for the 2015 Heisman Trophy and will be the front-runner for the 2016 trophy.
2014 - 300 Rushing Yards (0TD), 251 Receiving Yards (2TD), 245 Return Yards (both kick and punt) = 796 All-Purpose Yards
2015 - 2,019 Rushing Yards (8TD), 645 Receiving Yards (5TD), 1200 Return Yards (both kick and punt) = 3,864 All-Purpose Yards
Kalen Ballage, 4 Star ATH, Arizona State - Ballage was a coveted and highly recruited prospect out of Colorado during his senior year of high school. He chose ASU over what some speculated Colorado in the dying days of recruiting. Ballage has seen his minutes steadily increase over his time with the Sun Devils. He is expected to have a starting role this fall.
2014 - 126 Rushing Yards (3 TD), 64 Yards Receiving (1TD)
2015 - 653 Rushing Yards (4TD), 60 Yards Receiving (0 TD)
2015:
Avery Anderson, 4 Star DB, Nebraska - Anderson chose to attend Nebraska. He redshirted this past year as a Freshman and looks to contribute on the field this fall for the Cornhuskers.
Eric Lee, 4 Star DB, Nebraska - The second of the Colorado 4 Star commits, Lee also redshirted his Freshman year and looks to compete for a starting roll this fall.
Overall, it has been a mixed bag for the top prospects that chose to leave the state of Colorado. Surprisingly, or as some might say not surprisingly, no 4 star in-state prospects have chosen to stay home out of high school. Even though all have left during this past few years, many have returned via transfer. It would be interesting to see how every recruit has panned out since leaving the state, but let's be honest, I aint got no time for that!
*Note - I only added 4 stars or higher according to Rivals
2012:
Joey O'Connor, 4 Star OL, Ohio State - O'Connor never played for Ohio State. He was on the team and after redshirting his Freshman year, he than decided to transfer to Colorado State. News broke that O'Connor chose to retire from football shortly after arriving on campus in Fort Collins due to chronic knee issues.
Alex Kozan, 4 Star OL, Auburn - Koza, was a highly recruited offensive lineman out of high school. He ultimately chose to attend Auburn University. He has started 25 games over the past 3 years. He has been called the anchor of their OL and is set to be the leader as a senior this upcoming fall. He started against Florida State in the 2013 National Championship. He is also likely be a top NFL draft prospect after graduating.
Cyler Miles, 4 Star QB, Washington - Miles was another highly recruited prospect from the 2012 class. He decided to redshirt his Freshman year after arriving in Seattle. After doing so, he ended up being quite productive during two seasons for the Huskies. He was slated to compete for a starting job during the 2015 season, but has since ended his career due to chronic rip injuries. This will be debated as Jake Browning a 5 star recruit also had stepped on campus.
2013 - 37/61 (60.7%) 418 Yards Passing, 4 TD / 2 INT
2014 - 219/329 (66.6%) 2397 Yards Passing, 17 TD / 4 INT
Shane Callahan, 4 Star OL, Auburn - Callahan and Kozan both elected to attend Auburn the same year after high school. Their college careers has been drastically different. Callahan saw the field briefly as a Freshman against non-conference foes. He decided to transfer during the summer after not seeing much playing time his Sophomore year to Colorado. He is likely to start for the Buffaloes this upcoming fall.
Paul Thurston, 4 Star OL, Nebraska - During his time at Nebraska he served as the backup center. He never started and has since decided to transfer. He has found a new home in Fort Collins at Colorado State for this upcoming fall. He is a graduate transfer and will be eligible to start immediately. He is expected to start at center for the Rams.
Evan Baylis, 4 Star TE, Oregon - Redshirted his Freshman year after leaving Colorado. Since than Baylis has been somewhat productive. Oregon runs their high octane offense and TE's are usually used as receivers and not blockers, so his production is likely to continue to increase this fall.
2013 - 71 Yards Receiving (0TD)
2014 - 143 Yards Receiving (1 TD)
2015 - 229 Yards Receiving (1 TD)
2013:
Mitch Parsons, 4 Star TE, Vanderbilt - Although being a highly recruited TE out of high school, Parsons never played for the Commodores. He redshirted his Freshman year and has since transferred to Colorado State where he will be seeking a starting role this fall.
Chris Fox, 4 Star OL, Michigan - Chris chose to enroll at Michigan over a handful of suitors. He ended up only playing 1 game in his two years with the football program. He was forced to leave the team because of medical injuries. He has since joined the Michigan football team again as a student assistant.
2014:
Christian McCaffery, 4 Star RB, Stanford - Like his father Ed, Christian decided to attend Stanford University. He is, as many know, a legitimate star running back, punt and kick returner as well as receiver for the Cardinal. He has contributed since his Freshman year and will likely be a first round pick in the 2017 NFL draft. Not to mention, that he was the runner-up to Derrick Henry for the 2015 Heisman Trophy and will be the front-runner for the 2016 trophy.
2014 - 300 Rushing Yards (0TD), 251 Receiving Yards (2TD), 245 Return Yards (both kick and punt) = 796 All-Purpose Yards
2015 - 2,019 Rushing Yards (8TD), 645 Receiving Yards (5TD), 1200 Return Yards (both kick and punt) = 3,864 All-Purpose Yards
Kalen Ballage, 4 Star ATH, Arizona State - Ballage was a coveted and highly recruited prospect out of Colorado during his senior year of high school. He chose ASU over what some speculated Colorado in the dying days of recruiting. Ballage has seen his minutes steadily increase over his time with the Sun Devils. He is expected to have a starting role this fall.
2014 - 126 Rushing Yards (3 TD), 64 Yards Receiving (1TD)
2015 - 653 Rushing Yards (4TD), 60 Yards Receiving (0 TD)
2015:
Avery Anderson, 4 Star DB, Nebraska - Anderson chose to attend Nebraska. He redshirted this past year as a Freshman and looks to contribute on the field this fall for the Cornhuskers.
Eric Lee, 4 Star DB, Nebraska - The second of the Colorado 4 Star commits, Lee also redshirted his Freshman year and looks to compete for a starting roll this fall.
Overall, it has been a mixed bag for the top prospects that chose to leave the state of Colorado. Surprisingly, or as some might say not surprisingly, no 4 star in-state prospects have chosen to stay home out of high school. Even though all have left during this past few years, many have returned via transfer. It would be interesting to see how every recruit has panned out since leaving the state, but let's be honest, I aint got no time for that!
Last edited: