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Spring Practices … First Look: Offensive Line
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Program Note … Spring practices begin March 18th (Spring Game: April 27th). Between now and the start of spring ball, previews will be posted for each unit of the 2019 Colorado roster.
… Previously posted: Quarterbacks … Running Backs … Wide Receivers/Tight Ends …
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The roster:
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (18 scholarship):
Seniors: Tim Lynott, Jr.; Brett Tonz
Juniors: Kary Kutsch; Hunter Vaughn; Va’atofu Sauvao
Sophomores: Colby Pursell; William Sherman; Jacob Moretti; Chance Lytle; Heston Paige; Frank Fillip
Redshirt freshmen: Casey Roddick; Kanan Ray; Josh Jynes
True freshmen: Austin Johnson*; Jake Wiley; Valentin Senn; Nikko Pohahau
* Early enrollees, will be on campus for spring practices … bold: denotes returning starter
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The stats (2018)
— Colby Pursell … 830 plays … Grade: 2.53 … 12 career games; 12 starts (all in 2018; all at center) … third on team in both touchdown blocks (13) and perfect plays on passing touchdowns (13)
— William Sherman … 750 plays … Grade: 2.45 … 12 career games; nine starts (all in 2018; all at left tackle) … third on team with 14 knockdown blocks
— Tim Lynott, Jr. … 644 plays … Grade: 2.55 … 36 career games; 33 starts (most on team; nine starts in 2018; all at right guard) … led the team in knockdown blocks (18); tied for the team led in perfect plays on passing touchdowns (15)
— Brett Tonz … 569 plays … Grade: 2.54 … 30 career games; six starts (all in 2018; all at left guard) … second on team in knockdown blocks (16); third on the team with 14 perfect plays on passing touchdowns
— Frank Fillip … 207 plays … Grade: 2.66 … Eight career games; two starts (both in 2018; both at right tackle)
— Jacob Moretti … 65 plays … Grade: 2.50 … Seven career games; two starts (both in 2018; both at left guard)
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There’s a new sheriff in town
Klayton Adams, one of the least favorite of Mike MacIntyre’s assistant coaches, is no longer in Boulder. After six seasons as CU’s offensive line coach and part-time offensive coordinator, Adams wasn’t unemployed for long. A month or so after being relieved of his duties at Colorado, Adams was hired as Wyoming’s offensive line coach. Four weeks later, Adams pulled a Kliff Kingsbury and headed off to the NFL, where he is now as assistant offensive line coach for the Indianapolis Colts.
Like Klingsbury, Adams was fired for being ineffective at the collegiate level, took another college job, then bolted for the NFL.
Go figure …
Love him or hate him, Adams is no longer at the Champions Center, replaced by Chris Kapilovic.
Kapilovic is the offensive line coach and run game coordinator, and was the third coach hired by new CU head coach Mel Tucker, joining the Buffalo staff on Dec. 13, 2018.
Kapilovic (pronounced kuh-pil-oh-vick) came to Colorado from the University of North Carolina, where he spent the previous seven seasons (2012-18) coaching the offensive line under head coach Larry Fedora. He was also the run game coordinator his first two seasons there, and then was the co-offensive coordinator for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. For his last three seasons on the Tar Heel staff, he was the associate head coach and offensive coordinator along with his offensive line coaching duties.
In his seven seasons at UNC, he was part of an offensive unit that established over 60 school records, including points per game (2012, 2014), total offense (2012, 2014), passing yards (2012-13-14-15-16) and first downs (2014-15). North Carolina averaged more than 170 rushing yards per game from 2012 through 2016, the highest five-year average for the Tar Heels since Mack Brown was their head coach some two decades earlier. The 2018 squad allowed just 10 sacks all season, the .91 per game figure seventh best in the nation while the team also averaged 193 rushing yards per game (5.3 per carry) and a healthy 442.1 yards per game, 35th best nationally.
Coach Tucker had nothing but high praise for his new offensive line coach. “Kap is a veteran coach who has a great reputation for developing cohesive offensive lines,” Tucker said. “He had several great lines at North Carolina that were the backbone of some prolific offenses. He’s an outstanding recruiter, has high character and is a great family man. He came highly recommended from Andy Heck, who I coached with in the NFL with Jacksonville – Kap coached both of his boys.” (Heck is currently the offensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.)
Coach “Kap” has successfully recruited a number of four-star recruits over the years, and is credited with bringing into the fold CU’s first recruit from the Class of 2020, three-star offensive lineman Carson Lee from Cherry Creek high in Denver.
Chris Kapilovic will have a clean slate with Buff fans, as getting rid of Klayton Adams was seen as off-season priority No. 1 (even if Mike MacIntyre had been retained).
So we’ll see how “Coach Kap” does in reshaping the CU offensive line into an effect unit.
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Four returning starters: Good news … or bad news?
The good news for Coach Kapilovic is that the cupboard was not left bare by Coach Adams, with four starters returning.
The bad news is that, well … you know the rest.
In a year of injuries, only one offensive lineman, center Colby Pursell, started every game. Pursell will be a sophomore this season, and should provide a solid base from which the new offensive can be constructed.
The guard positions, at least at the outset, belong to two seniors, Tim Lynott, Jr. and Brett Tonz. Lynott started nine games at right guard last fall, while Tonz started six games at left guard.
The left tackle position may also be set, with sophomore William Sherman holding down the starting position for the final nine games of the 2018 campaign. Sherman, along with fellow sophomore-to-be Pursell, were the only two CU offensive lineman last year to reach double digits in knockdown blocks, touchdown blocks, and perfect plays on passing touchdowns.
The fifth offensive line spot, right tackle, is the only one where there isn’t a penciled-in starter. Aaron Haigler and Josh Kaiser, both seniors last year, had all but two of the starts at the position last year, with yet another sophomore-to-be, Frank Fillip, starting the Oregon State and Arizona games.
Overall, the line has a good mix of talent. The aforementioned starting guards – Tim Lynott and Brett Tonz – are the only two seniors. There are three juniors on the roster, with returning contributors Hunter Vaughn and Kary Kutsch (68 combined snaps last fall) joined by incoming junior college transfer Vastofu Sauvao.
With five upperclassmen on the roster, that means that Coach Kap has a whopping 13 underclassmen to mold. In addition to the three potential sophomore starters – Colby Pursell; William Sherman; and Frank Fillip – there are three other sophomore contributors – Heston Paige; Chance Lytle; and Jacob Moretti.
Which leads us to …
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Will Jacob Moretti ever be able to become a dominant lineman?
Jacob Moretti is one of CU’s most heralded offensive line recruits of the past decade. A four-star prospect from Pamona high in Arvada, Moretti originally pledged his services to Ohio State as a member of the Recruiting Class of 2017. A knee injury forced Moretti to miss his entire senior season, however, and Moretti switched his commitment from Ohio State to Colorado.
Still recovering from injury, Moretti sat out the 2017 season as his redshirt year. Last fall, his first time on the field since 2015, Moretti played in seven games, starting two. Even in those games, however, Moretti was unable to finish. For the season, Moretti was only on the field of play for 65 snaps.
So, if healthy, the former first-team all-state performer will be looking this fall for his first meaningful participation on the field … in four years.
Fingers crossed.
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Overall … Last year, the Colorado offense – despite producing a 1,000-yard rusher for the third consecutive season – finished 99th in the nation in rushing offense (143.0 yards/game). The Buffs were also 106th in the nation in sacks allowed (2.83/game) and 127th in tackles for loss allowed (8.67/game … better than only two teams in the FBS).
So, Coach “Kap” has his work cut out for him.
There are a number of players returning who have experience, and a number of players who have talent.
CU’s 2019 season will rise and fall on Coach Kapilovic’s ability to take that experience and talent, and mold it into a cohesive unit which can control the line of scrimmage.
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Stuart
Continue reading...
Spring Practices … First Look: Offensive Line
—
Program Note … Spring practices begin March 18th (Spring Game: April 27th). Between now and the start of spring ball, previews will be posted for each unit of the 2019 Colorado roster.
… Previously posted: Quarterbacks … Running Backs … Wide Receivers/Tight Ends …
—
The roster:
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (18 scholarship):
Seniors: Tim Lynott, Jr.; Brett Tonz
Juniors: Kary Kutsch; Hunter Vaughn; Va’atofu Sauvao
Sophomores: Colby Pursell; William Sherman; Jacob Moretti; Chance Lytle; Heston Paige; Frank Fillip
Redshirt freshmen: Casey Roddick; Kanan Ray; Josh Jynes
True freshmen: Austin Johnson*; Jake Wiley; Valentin Senn; Nikko Pohahau
* Early enrollees, will be on campus for spring practices … bold: denotes returning starter
—
The stats (2018)
— Colby Pursell … 830 plays … Grade: 2.53 … 12 career games; 12 starts (all in 2018; all at center) … third on team in both touchdown blocks (13) and perfect plays on passing touchdowns (13)
— William Sherman … 750 plays … Grade: 2.45 … 12 career games; nine starts (all in 2018; all at left tackle) … third on team with 14 knockdown blocks
— Tim Lynott, Jr. … 644 plays … Grade: 2.55 … 36 career games; 33 starts (most on team; nine starts in 2018; all at right guard) … led the team in knockdown blocks (18); tied for the team led in perfect plays on passing touchdowns (15)
— Brett Tonz … 569 plays … Grade: 2.54 … 30 career games; six starts (all in 2018; all at left guard) … second on team in knockdown blocks (16); third on the team with 14 perfect plays on passing touchdowns
— Frank Fillip … 207 plays … Grade: 2.66 … Eight career games; two starts (both in 2018; both at right tackle)
— Jacob Moretti … 65 plays … Grade: 2.50 … Seven career games; two starts (both in 2018; both at left guard)
—
There’s a new sheriff in town
Klayton Adams, one of the least favorite of Mike MacIntyre’s assistant coaches, is no longer in Boulder. After six seasons as CU’s offensive line coach and part-time offensive coordinator, Adams wasn’t unemployed for long. A month or so after being relieved of his duties at Colorado, Adams was hired as Wyoming’s offensive line coach. Four weeks later, Adams pulled a Kliff Kingsbury and headed off to the NFL, where he is now as assistant offensive line coach for the Indianapolis Colts.
Like Klingsbury, Adams was fired for being ineffective at the collegiate level, took another college job, then bolted for the NFL.
Go figure …
Love him or hate him, Adams is no longer at the Champions Center, replaced by Chris Kapilovic.
Kapilovic is the offensive line coach and run game coordinator, and was the third coach hired by new CU head coach Mel Tucker, joining the Buffalo staff on Dec. 13, 2018.
Kapilovic (pronounced kuh-pil-oh-vick) came to Colorado from the University of North Carolina, where he spent the previous seven seasons (2012-18) coaching the offensive line under head coach Larry Fedora. He was also the run game coordinator his first two seasons there, and then was the co-offensive coordinator for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. For his last three seasons on the Tar Heel staff, he was the associate head coach and offensive coordinator along with his offensive line coaching duties.
In his seven seasons at UNC, he was part of an offensive unit that established over 60 school records, including points per game (2012, 2014), total offense (2012, 2014), passing yards (2012-13-14-15-16) and first downs (2014-15). North Carolina averaged more than 170 rushing yards per game from 2012 through 2016, the highest five-year average for the Tar Heels since Mack Brown was their head coach some two decades earlier. The 2018 squad allowed just 10 sacks all season, the .91 per game figure seventh best in the nation while the team also averaged 193 rushing yards per game (5.3 per carry) and a healthy 442.1 yards per game, 35th best nationally.
Coach Tucker had nothing but high praise for his new offensive line coach. “Kap is a veteran coach who has a great reputation for developing cohesive offensive lines,” Tucker said. “He had several great lines at North Carolina that were the backbone of some prolific offenses. He’s an outstanding recruiter, has high character and is a great family man. He came highly recommended from Andy Heck, who I coached with in the NFL with Jacksonville – Kap coached both of his boys.” (Heck is currently the offensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.)
Coach “Kap” has successfully recruited a number of four-star recruits over the years, and is credited with bringing into the fold CU’s first recruit from the Class of 2020, three-star offensive lineman Carson Lee from Cherry Creek high in Denver.
Chris Kapilovic will have a clean slate with Buff fans, as getting rid of Klayton Adams was seen as off-season priority No. 1 (even if Mike MacIntyre had been retained).
So we’ll see how “Coach Kap” does in reshaping the CU offensive line into an effect unit.
–
Four returning starters: Good news … or bad news?
The good news for Coach Kapilovic is that the cupboard was not left bare by Coach Adams, with four starters returning.
The bad news is that, well … you know the rest.
In a year of injuries, only one offensive lineman, center Colby Pursell, started every game. Pursell will be a sophomore this season, and should provide a solid base from which the new offensive can be constructed.
The guard positions, at least at the outset, belong to two seniors, Tim Lynott, Jr. and Brett Tonz. Lynott started nine games at right guard last fall, while Tonz started six games at left guard.
The left tackle position may also be set, with sophomore William Sherman holding down the starting position for the final nine games of the 2018 campaign. Sherman, along with fellow sophomore-to-be Pursell, were the only two CU offensive lineman last year to reach double digits in knockdown blocks, touchdown blocks, and perfect plays on passing touchdowns.
The fifth offensive line spot, right tackle, is the only one where there isn’t a penciled-in starter. Aaron Haigler and Josh Kaiser, both seniors last year, had all but two of the starts at the position last year, with yet another sophomore-to-be, Frank Fillip, starting the Oregon State and Arizona games.
Overall, the line has a good mix of talent. The aforementioned starting guards – Tim Lynott and Brett Tonz – are the only two seniors. There are three juniors on the roster, with returning contributors Hunter Vaughn and Kary Kutsch (68 combined snaps last fall) joined by incoming junior college transfer Vastofu Sauvao.
With five upperclassmen on the roster, that means that Coach Kap has a whopping 13 underclassmen to mold. In addition to the three potential sophomore starters – Colby Pursell; William Sherman; and Frank Fillip – there are three other sophomore contributors – Heston Paige; Chance Lytle; and Jacob Moretti.
Which leads us to …
–
Will Jacob Moretti ever be able to become a dominant lineman?
Jacob Moretti is one of CU’s most heralded offensive line recruits of the past decade. A four-star prospect from Pamona high in Arvada, Moretti originally pledged his services to Ohio State as a member of the Recruiting Class of 2017. A knee injury forced Moretti to miss his entire senior season, however, and Moretti switched his commitment from Ohio State to Colorado.
Still recovering from injury, Moretti sat out the 2017 season as his redshirt year. Last fall, his first time on the field since 2015, Moretti played in seven games, starting two. Even in those games, however, Moretti was unable to finish. For the season, Moretti was only on the field of play for 65 snaps.
So, if healthy, the former first-team all-state performer will be looking this fall for his first meaningful participation on the field … in four years.
Fingers crossed.
–
Overall … Last year, the Colorado offense – despite producing a 1,000-yard rusher for the third consecutive season – finished 99th in the nation in rushing offense (143.0 yards/game). The Buffs were also 106th in the nation in sacks allowed (2.83/game) and 127th in tackles for loss allowed (8.67/game … better than only two teams in the FBS).
So, Coach “Kap” has his work cut out for him.
There are a number of players returning who have experience, and a number of players who have talent.
CU’s 2019 season will rise and fall on Coach Kapilovic’s ability to take that experience and talent, and mold it into a cohesive unit which can control the line of scrimmage.
–
—–
Stuart
Continue reading...
