Part II big, thick and rich recruiting notes

As promised, today the Black and Gold Truth brings you the second of a two-part series on the 2007 football recruiting class.

The coaching comments and analysis on the new talent hitting the field in Boulder.

Let's roll.

LB Josh Hartigan
"It's a good thing he's coming in next year because he can help us next year. He is going to be a force here in the close future."
-Brian Cabral, linebacker's coach

BGT: Wow. Hartigan is undersized, not highly recruited and yet Cabral is making him out to be the next-coming of Ronnie Woolfork or Chad Brown. For Cabral to lay it on the line, publicly, for Hartigan, it must mean the respected coach thinks the Floridian is a super-sleeper, incredible competitor and with skills that translate. Remember the name.

OL Mike Iltis
"He's a tough guy, a very smart guy on the field."
-Chris Strausser, former offensive line coach and assistant head coach

BGT: Both head coach Dan Hawkins and Strausser talked of Iltis' passion. Hawkins also mentioned his strength and Strausser goes with intangibles in his comment. So what does it all mean then?

Iltis likely doesn't possess all-conference talent but he wants to be a good player, badly and will do all he can to achieve his potential. You don't get all five-star guys on a team. Sometimes you have to win with military-type guys like Iltis. Doesn't sound like he will ever cheat his teammates, coaches or himself. Sounds like a real slobberknocker.

TE/HB Devan Johnson
"He's a very athletic and versatile player. He can come in here and make us a better football team right away."
-Darian Hagan, running back's coach

BGT: O.K., this is an easy one. Johnson is not going to set the world on fire with statistics but he has skills and his versatility will allow the Buffs' offensive flexibility and thus, options, making for more-complex game plans and more difficulty in defending this team. Hagan sees him as so unique that Johnson will compete to contribute early. Could be a Lawrence Vickers' type of player.

TB Brian Lockridge
"He's an explosive kid and great person."
-Darian Hagan

BGT: Hagan is saying that Lockridge has the breakaway talent this program lacked so much last season. If you go back to part one of this feature you'll see similar things said of receiver Kendrick Celestine. Both players put up some numbers in high school but the CU coaches are talking more about their speed and the hopes the Buffs can get it into open space. They are not talking about well-rounded, ready-made players.

So sounds like players like Lockridge (an Adam Munsterteiger of BuffStampede.com favorite) and Celestine will be given every opportunity to see the field but will probably need two or three years to evolve into dependable studs.

OL Kealakai and Maiava
"He's got some great versatility and I like the guy, he's a worker. He's a kid we've always really liked."
-Dan Hawkins

"He is really competitive, very athletic."
-Brian Cabral

BGT: Sounds like that Hawkins'-kind-of-guy, meaning tough, all-out, never-say-quit, work, work, work. Cabral sees good feet and balance. Sounds like a sleeper to keep your eye on and to the BGT, Maiava sounds like a future starter.

OL Ryan Miller
"He's a tremendous, tremendous athlete; he's a great football player. He is totally our kind of guy. I totally see him as a guy that can come in here and be an All-American and help us win a national championship and get drafted by the Broncos."
-Dan Hawkins

BGT: Hawkins loves Miller, sees him as the real deal and maybe there should be an investigation to see if the coach is doubling as his agent already. If Miller can avoid the curse of injury, he likely will be that cornerstone tackle that will make quarterbacks smile and running back's eyes pop. Hawkins is putting a lot of responsibility on the Columbine mountain of a man but Miller, from all interviews, seems to relish it all. Hawkins wants and needs him to reboot CU's in-state recruiting of the best talent.

Miller has that defensive player's mentality, that drive to be special and could end up being one of the best end-of-the-line players to ever wear a CU uniform.

QB Nick Nelson
"Nick is a kid that won a bunch of games in high school and a bunch of games in junior college. He is a tough kid, he is a smart kid, he is a leader, and he's used to winning."
-Hawkins

BGT: You don't have to be an academic All-American to understand what Hawkins is saying here -- winning matters because it becomes a pattern, becomes a habit. Quarterbacking is as much about intangibles as it is the physical attributes. Look at Ryan Leaf, a physical prototype for the San Diego Chargers but a nickel head. Tom Brady (sixth-round pick) of the New England Patriots and Drew Brees (second-round selection) of the New Orleans Saints, and even Hall-of-Famer Joe Montana (third-round pick) all lacked the knockout bodies and physical skills but did possess the winner's DNA.

Former Buff Mike Moschetti told me he is not overly impressed with Nelson's ability after seeing him play and I trust him so it sounds like Nelson is more of a game manager than someone who is going to light it up and carry a team. If you have a staunch defense and effective running game, along with better receiving talent, Nelson could, however, be successful. He has played more QB and will likely would make less of the mistakes that Bernard Jackson was plagued with last season.

However, don't expect Nelson to pass anyone silly, ala Koy Detmer or rally a team from a deep deficit. He could, however, become a Bobby Pesavento type in time, one solid, dependable, winner.

DL Conrad Obi
"He is very new to football and very electric."
-Hawkins

"He's a great guy; very athletic, the guy can run."
-Romeo Bandison, defensive line coach

BGT: Hawkins is saying that Obi is raw as grocery-store meat but has ability on the defensive line rare to the program. Bandison is saying the same. Translation -- he could provide more speed and movement than the typical pass rushers over the years at CU but it likely will take Obi three years to show the goods, so you might want to let him age a little before expecting something worthy. If he stays healthy, it might be a rewarding wait for Buff fans.

DB Anthony Perkins
"He's got top-notch speed, change of direction and vision. The thing that is impressive about Anthony when you watch him is that he is able to see where he needs to go on the field and out run angles."
-Greg Brown, secondary coach

BGT: People in Colorado knew of Perkins but he wasn't an all-everything recruit. That said, sounds like Brown loves him. Notice that Brown didn't just say Perkins was a good kid, played hard, blah, blah, blah -- he gave characteristics of a productive football player -- speed, fluid hips, vision, intelligence, feel for the game. I'd keep my eye on Perkins as he might push hard to play early in his career.

DL Chris Perri
"He also has a great motor and always goes fast."
-Bandison

BGT: Bandison isn't talking about Perri's talent but he loves the intense way he competes, which we all know, can be contagious to a team. Sounds a little like a smaller version of Tyler Brayton in player mentality. Will add this -- Munsterteiger (BuffStampede.com) is picking him as a player to watch next season.

DL Lagrone Shields
"He's a tweener...we'll see where he fits. He's tough and he plays hard."
-Bandison

BGT: Shields brings strong pass-rushing numbers (stats) to CU but Bandison is honest -- he's not overwhelmed by Shields' potential, meaning the DL has to get bigger, stronger and outwork his opponent to become someone. It's going to take time to see the results with him.

WR Markques Simas
"He is a very polished receiver from a program that really throws the football, won a lot of games and ran a college-type offense.
-Hawkins

"He has big-time playmaking ability which is what we need to be able to do what we want in the passing game."
-Eric Kiesau, passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach

BGT: Merrrrrrrrrrry Christmas! The coaches got exactly what they asked for in Simas -- size, physical nature, experience, ability, production. They are begging Simas to be assert himself as a freshman. If he's up to the challenge, the field is his canvas to paint his talent on. It's up to him.

Might be the best pure talent, at the position, to hit Boulder since Rae Carruth. The BGT, though, sees him more like former Buff standout Charles Johnson who just happened to turn into a first-round pick. Simas might not prove to be that productive but that's the comparison being made. Book it.

WR Josh Smith
"He is an outstanding defensive back and a great return guy."
-Hawkins

"He is very elusive, has very good hips, is very fast. He's another guy who is very, very raw but he is going to have a bright future here."
-Kiesau

BGT: There is a lot being said here if you look closely. First, Smith has mad athleticism but his skills need work. He will be tried at receiver because of his natural talent but failing there, could be a defensive back with size and ability. CU needs help in the return game and Smith might be a guy to watch for next season. He can make people miss and has that game-breaking speed.

Notice also what Kiesau says -- it's telling. CU is recruiting talent that has to be assembled. Most guys are not considered just-add-water guys, which means it is going to take time to develop their skills and translate it all to production.

One more thing -- wish, just once, someone would compliment me and say I have great hips.

DB Lamont Smith
"Lamont has a great deal of speed and quickness, ball skills and change of direction."
-Brown

BGT: Smith is a pocket cornerback, as in small, which means he will have to compensate with speed, skills, and tenacity which apparently Brown thinks are not lacking. On the contrary, he sees potential for Smith to be a starter if the mighty mite works and pans out. Maybe a poor-man's Ben Kelly or Damen Wheeler.

OL Sione Tau
"He is a big dude."
-Hawkins

"He has the potential to be a great offensive tackle."
-Cabral

BGT: Hawkins is beside himself, thinking of Miller and Tau blocking out the sun with their NFL size. Cabral mentioned Chris Naeole's name when speaking of Tau and sees talent. He will get an early look but without certain, specific love being poured all over him by the coaches in these comments, it sounds like Tau will need to be developed more before he is starter-quality, which he one day should become.

DB Nate Vaiomounga
"He is an extremely physical defender."
-Brown

BGT: Will that last name even fit on the back of a jersey? How 'bout we just call him "V." If the Vaiomounga has sufficient speed, change of direction and top-notch anticipation he could be that needed physical presence in the secondary. A lot of "ifs" so we'll have to wait and see. Sounds like a real popper, though. No tag football with him.

DB Anthony Wright
"To get MVP out of that league, coming from a school that had not produced a D-1 player in 20 years speaks volumes for this kid."
-Brown

BGT: Wright was a Best-in-the-West selection on the annual Long Beach Press-Telegram postseason list. He has skill, he got noticed.

Look for him to get playing time as a freshman and push to be a starter by his sophomore season. Could become a highly-productive player. One of the best in this class.

BGT: There you go, all the 2007 recruits and the comments and breakdowns. If CU can show significant improvement on the field, as in the won-loss column, Hawkins and his staff could really put on a show in the recruiting free-for-all. Six wins would likely be all Hawkins needs to sell his program. More victories than that and you should expect a knockout class. The men of 2007 will prove if CU can coach and develop. The grades, however, don't come out for four-to-five years.

Durant gone to NBA, who's next

If Kevin Durant does bolt Texas after one season, as expected, for the NBA, who's the next impact freshman in the Big 12?

Try this guy who is going to a what has been a black hole for winning until this season.

Bang for your buck

So which team is the best in college basketball right now? Is it any of the teams the BGT has in its' top-4 rankings -- Florida, Texas A & M, Ohio State or Wisconsin?

Check here.


Best your way,

Truth