With lots of new offers having gone out recently with Chiaverini's arrival as recruiting coordinator, time to go ahead and get this thread started.
Some quick notes about the class in general:
1. It will be a big class. Currently, the junior class has 24 scholarship players on the roster. While it is expected that this number will decrease after spring practices, it should still number at least 20 when the season starts. A good early number for this class is an even 25, but that may go higher if you include gray shirts from this class like Hunter Vaughn and Colby Pursell. A full roster breakdown is available here: http://www.allbuffs.com/threads/2015-colorado-football-roster-with-16-commits.104835/
2. Expect the class to be mostly be balanced by position, although more linemen heavy than the 2016 class.
3. The Colorado prep class is likely to be the deepest class in a long time. The Buffs have offered nine juniors to date and several of those players have multiple P5 offers. Additionally, there are a handful of other juniors on CU's radar.
4. Expect an increased presence in So Cal and the DFW metroplex with the arrival of Chiaverini. Additionally, expect the Buffs to continue to recruit Georgia/Florida/Louisiana with the Jim Leavitt/Joe Thumpkin/Charles Clark trio.
Overall, some of the major questions to be answered with this class:
Can the Buffs parlay a winning season into in-state recruiting success?
A lot of recruiting success will come down to how well the Buffs perform on the field, but the Buffs could put themselves in good early position with a number of in-state prospects with the coaching staff shakeups that have occurred over the last couple years. With such a deep in-state class in 2017, the Buffs do not necessarily have to land the blue chips to be successful with in-state recruiting.
Will the Buffs be able to effectively recruit in the trenches?
With both Gary Bernardi and Jim Jeffcoat likely to be back in 2017, both coaches will be under the microscope as fans hope they can improve upon their recruiting results to date. By and large, most of the OL/DL recruits under this staff have either been lightly recruited or well off the radar. With plenty of scholarships to give in 2017, it will be vital for Bernardi and Jeffcoat to help land some quality players at their respective position groups.
Can the Buffs gain some traction in southern California and Dallas/Fort Worth?
As mentioned above, Darrin Chiaverini is expected to recruit both of these areas heavily for the Buffs. Additionally, the possible addition of Darian Hagan to the staff would likely give the Buffs a boost in Los Angeles. To date, the Buffs have struggled to gain the attention of even average P5 recruits in both areas, although they seem to be getting some attention late in the 2016 class.
Will the southern trio continue their success?
Without a doubt, the top players of the 2016 class currently all hail from the South. With a full recruiting cycle under their belts, the Buffs should be able to snag more players from the region in 2017. The state to watch may well be Louisiana. The Buffs were able to leverage the connection to Kordell Stewart's high school with getting a handful of teammates to visit last weekend. Can they expand that reach to other high schools in the New Orleans area?
Can the Buffs improve in the recruitment of Polynesian players?
Despite having a visible Poly player starting at QB in Sefo Liufau, the Buffs have largely struggled with Poly recruiting under Mike MacIntyre.
Some quick notes about the class in general:
1. It will be a big class. Currently, the junior class has 24 scholarship players on the roster. While it is expected that this number will decrease after spring practices, it should still number at least 20 when the season starts. A good early number for this class is an even 25, but that may go higher if you include gray shirts from this class like Hunter Vaughn and Colby Pursell. A full roster breakdown is available here: http://www.allbuffs.com/threads/2015-colorado-football-roster-with-16-commits.104835/
2. Expect the class to be mostly be balanced by position, although more linemen heavy than the 2016 class.
3. The Colorado prep class is likely to be the deepest class in a long time. The Buffs have offered nine juniors to date and several of those players have multiple P5 offers. Additionally, there are a handful of other juniors on CU's radar.
4. Expect an increased presence in So Cal and the DFW metroplex with the arrival of Chiaverini. Additionally, expect the Buffs to continue to recruit Georgia/Florida/Louisiana with the Jim Leavitt/Joe Thumpkin/Charles Clark trio.
Overall, some of the major questions to be answered with this class:
Can the Buffs parlay a winning season into in-state recruiting success?
A lot of recruiting success will come down to how well the Buffs perform on the field, but the Buffs could put themselves in good early position with a number of in-state prospects with the coaching staff shakeups that have occurred over the last couple years. With such a deep in-state class in 2017, the Buffs do not necessarily have to land the blue chips to be successful with in-state recruiting.
Will the Buffs be able to effectively recruit in the trenches?
With both Gary Bernardi and Jim Jeffcoat likely to be back in 2017, both coaches will be under the microscope as fans hope they can improve upon their recruiting results to date. By and large, most of the OL/DL recruits under this staff have either been lightly recruited or well off the radar. With plenty of scholarships to give in 2017, it will be vital for Bernardi and Jeffcoat to help land some quality players at their respective position groups.
Can the Buffs gain some traction in southern California and Dallas/Fort Worth?
As mentioned above, Darrin Chiaverini is expected to recruit both of these areas heavily for the Buffs. Additionally, the possible addition of Darian Hagan to the staff would likely give the Buffs a boost in Los Angeles. To date, the Buffs have struggled to gain the attention of even average P5 recruits in both areas, although they seem to be getting some attention late in the 2016 class.
Will the southern trio continue their success?
Without a doubt, the top players of the 2016 class currently all hail from the South. With a full recruiting cycle under their belts, the Buffs should be able to snag more players from the region in 2017. The state to watch may well be Louisiana. The Buffs were able to leverage the connection to Kordell Stewart's high school with getting a handful of teammates to visit last weekend. Can they expand that reach to other high schools in the New Orleans area?
Can the Buffs improve in the recruitment of Polynesian players?
Despite having a visible Poly player starting at QB in Sefo Liufau, the Buffs have largely struggled with Poly recruiting under Mike MacIntyre.