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'12 CO OG Alex Kozan (Signed to Auburn)

For the most-part, there is a lack of pride and passion about CU in the state of Colorado. That's damn sad. I see kids outside of the state repping it 10x better than the kids in-state. I don't think it's from a lack of trying, but I think Embree's statement to the state kids during the spring game fell on def ears. It's disappointing hearing that. With they had a little more pride about themselves and where they're at. Kozan was really the last home on the home front and it appears he is not coming.

Might as well turn all of our attention to Hemmila, and the kids we're in on in Texas, WA, HI, and Socal.
 
I agree with Highlander. Apparently there is very little state pride for kids in Colorado which is really sad since they have so much to be proud of living in such a beautiful state and one that generally has a cool factor to it. I wasn't expecting the staff to be able to lock down all or even the majority of the kids but I thought for sure we would get at least 1 or 2 OL guys this year from CO. I know its not for lack of effort on the coaching staff. Every report I see on our target guys, they always mention Colorado as one of the schools recruiting them the hardest. You would think that one of those guys would see the opportunity to play their freshman year and be a full tim starter their sophmore year, a chance to bring back the program and play in front of their family 5-6 times a year and jump on it but I guess its lost on them. Really strange thing to see the complete lack of pride in some of these guys since I grew up in Texas...not that I really care for the over the top Texas pride BS that everyone has down here but if you could get some kind of happy medium between what the Colorado kids feel now about their state and what Texas kids feel then I think we could be in good shape for recruiting. I think we will have to build our program from the outside in this time instead of what Mac did. We will get the good kids to come from out of state and once the program starts winning again the Colorado kids will start to stay.
 
The lack of "Colorado Pride" comes from the fact that most of these kid's families aren't natives themselves. Its a transient state and so when your parents moved to Colorado from the East Coast, Midwest or California you aren't raised in a household that values Colorado football. As the state's population continues to grow with more people establishing local roots that will begin to change but it takes generations. It also doesn't help that the program hasn't sniffed a bowl game going on 5 years now.
 
It's hard to connect with a program that has stunk since you were old enough to know anything about football. The recruits we are talking about never watched a Mac team play, they have seen CU get pummelled by Missouri, lose to Toledo and Montana State, and struggle to beat a pathetic CSU team.

Go out and represent well on the field, win some games, make it easier to wear a CU jersey in the halls of your HS and kids will be competing for a CU offer instead of having to be convinced.

This doens't mean we have to win conference titles or be a top 15 program to get these kids attention but it does mean we have to remove some of the embarrassment of the past 5-7 years.

KU and KjSU never got Kansas kids who were any good, they all went out of state. Grampa Snyder came in and won some games and lo and behold, there aren't a lot of quality kids from Kansas but he gets a lot of them without having to work real hard to do it.
 
UtterBuffLuv said:
If he's a true Coloradan he'll go to CU
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This is an interesting phenomenon that probably deserves more discussion on a non-recruiting thread. As a Coloradan myself, and one who is wildly patriotic for Colorado, I am often perplexed by the lack of love CU sports get as a rallying point for state pride (and by extension, how in-state recruits constantly slip away), but I have some theories. For one, very few are raised up on Colorado football the same way the Broncos or college teams in states without pro ball are followed (e.g., zeroes, cornholes). The constant attention the donkeys get in the Denver market is disproportionately greater than what CU deserves and being in that shadow has had a huge impact. Another factor is in the desire of young people to see something different, but most flock back to Colorado after their Freshman year (to CU, of course). Many kids who grow up in the homogeneity of suburban Denver (like some of our missed OL targets) want to see what else is out there... but what many realize, unfortunately too late, is that Colorado is just about as good as it gets anywhere. I think many of these in-state recruits will come to regret their choices and wish they had represented their great state on the gridiron. While it may be unfair to call an 18 year old out for lacking home state pride, this is a serious big picture issue that we should try to do everything we can to address. Winning again starts at home, IMO.
 
nycskibum said:
The lack of "Colorado Pride" comes from the fact that most of these kid's families aren't natives themselves. Its a transient state and so when your parents moved to Colorado from the East Coast, Midwest or California you aren't raised in a household that values Colorado football. As the state's population continues to grow with more people establishing local roots that will begin to change but it takes generations. It also doesn't help that the program hasn't sniffed a bowl game going on 5 years now.
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:iagree: Troof.
 
Hey guys im new to allbuffs but i thought id chip in. Im actually friends with kozan and went to middle school with him and played against him this year. From talking to him his leaders sound like osu and iowa. Cu is still in play since its close to home, but he isnt a big fan of je. He would be a huge get because i havent seen an athletic o lineman in Co like him in a few years. He knocks out the d lineman and then pancakes the lb. he has great feet from playing bball in middle school
 
Cubuffz26 said:
Hey guys im new to allbuffs but i thought id chip in. Im actually friends with kozan and went to middle school with him and played against him this year. From talking to him his leaders sound like osu and iowa. Cu is still in play since its close to home, but he isnt a big fan of je. He would be a huge get because i havent seen an athletic o lineman in Co like him in a few years. He knocks out the d lineman and then pancakes the lb. he has great feet from playing bball in middle school
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I can't imagine why somebody wouldn't like JE. Care to share what he didn't like about him if you know?
 
What he told me was that he brought in all the top recruits like bayliss, callahan, and some others and told them if they didnt go to cu they would just be scrubs on the bench at big time schools and kozan did not like that
 
Cubuffz26 said:
What he told me was that he brought in all the top recruits like bayliss, callahan, and some others and told them if they didnt go to cu they would just be scrubs on the bench at big time schools and kozan did not like that
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Seems like an odd way to convey the message but I assume Embo was saying that they all have the chance to start right away here.
 
I totally agree. He thought kiffin from usc was a dick too. He loved chip kelly though so oregon could be in play
 
Darth Snow said:
sometimes things go wrong :lol:
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If someone doesn't respond well to Embo's way, then I really don't want the kid to commit here anyway. Embo told the in-state guys that they have a chance to be part of something special by committing here versus being just another guy on the team. Some of them apparently took that as disrespect because he didn't tell them that they'd all be special players no matter where they went. No big loss. In fact, better to find out that they can't handle the culture now rather than after they commit.

Embo's personality isn't going to mesh with a lot of guys. He's in your face. He's brash. He's emotional. He's hypercompetitive. He was swag before the term "swag" existed. That environment is not for everyone. In fact, it's not for most. We need guys who fit the program.
 
Buffnik said:
If someone doesn't respond well to Embo's way, then I really don't want the kid to commit here anyway. Embo told the in-state guys that they have a chance to be part of something special by committing here versus being just another guy on the team. Some of them apparently took that as disrespect because he didn't tell them that they'd all be special players no matter where they went. No big loss. In fact, better to find out that they can't handle the culture now rather than after they commit.

Embo's personality isn't going to mesh with a lot of guys. He's in your face. He's brash. He's emotional. He's hypercompetitive. He was swag before the term "swag" existed. That environment is not for everyone. In fact, it's not for most. We need guys who fit the program.
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:nod: No upsetness needed here, except for the sadness that the guy is apparently not gonna fit at CU.
 
For someone with that offer list I can completely understand wanting to pursue athletic and academic options in a new place, especially at that age. There is also something to be said for getting position instruction from a coach who was recently on an NFL staff and getting to build something close to home while getting your college degree paid for at one of the nation's best just a short drive away from high school friends, family, girlfriend, and all the comforts of being close to home. It's probably a nice gig being a recognized senior prep athlete, but I can't begin to imagine the pressures of thinking over the pros and cons of where to spend the next 4-5 years of your life and to make a decision that will most benefit you for years beyond that.
 
Buffnik said:
If someone doesn't respond well to Embo's way, then I really don't want the kid to commit here anyway. Embo told the in-state guys that they have a chance to be part of something special by committing here versus being just another guy on the team. Some of them apparently took that as disrespect because he didn't tell them that they'd all be special players no matter where they went. No big loss. In fact, better to find out that they can't handle the culture now rather than after they commit.

Embo's personality isn't going to mesh with a lot of guys. He's in your face. He's brash. He's emotional. He's hypercompetitive. He was swag before the term "swag" existed. That environment is not for everyone. In fact, it's not for most. We need guys who fit the program.
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embo needs players. He needs to get a clue. The best coaches can work with many different personalities and bring them together and win.

BTW: I seem to recall our last two coaches having to have a "certain type of player" to win.
 
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If the team was 10-3, that message would be a lot easier to deliver and would be taken with a little more humility. As it stands, it looks like Kozan doesn't feel like he needs to be on board here, as he has options elsewhere. I've heard that Mac would make it sound as though if you're lucky enough to have CU offer you a scholarship, you damn well better take it. Perhaps that's the message Embree is trying to convey as well.
 
Buffnik said:
If someone doesn't respond well to Embo's way, then I really don't want the kid to commit here anyway. Embo told the in-state guys that they have a chance to be part of something special by committing here versus being just another guy on the team. Some of them apparently took that as disrespect because he didn't tell them that they'd all be special players no matter where they went. No big loss. In fact, better to find out that they can't handle the culture now rather than after they commit.

Embo's personality isn't going to mesh with a lot of guys. He's in your face. He's brash. He's emotional. He's hypercompetitive. He was swag before the term "swag" existed. That environment is not for everyone. In fact, it's not for most. We need guys who fit the program.
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This a great way to described JE. He is not only recruiting talent but an attitude, as well. I know during moments this past season JE's personality clashed with the some guys on the team because he was "hyper-competitive". I do recall a comment by JE when said some of the guys thought he was crazy for how bad he wanted to win. An attitude that wasn't emphasized during hawk's time here.

I am tired of seeing recruits that become so infatuated with themselves after hearing how great they are during the recruiting period that they commit and just expect that there will be no competition. Don't get me wrong, I want talent that can come in and play right away but I want guy's with some grit that won't shut down at the first sign something doesn't go their way.
 
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Thanx for the input '26. Altho I'd love to see Alex in Black-n-Gold, I wish him luck wherever he chooses. Especially considering what's he's gone thru already with the PSU ordeal.
 
RedDirtBuff said:
Thanx for the input '26. Altho I'd love to see Alex in Black-n-Gold, I wish him luck wherever he chooses. Especially considering what's he's gone thru already with the PSU ordeal.
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Wrong player. That was O'Connor who was a PSU commit.
 
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