Tag: CU Buffs 2023 class

Recent Buffs commit Hank Zilinskas was inspired by former Cherry Creek teammate and Ohio State OL George Fitzpatrick

Hank Zilinskas said he admired the work ethic of former Cherry Creek teammate and current Ohio State Buckeye George Fitzpatrick

Led by former Buff Dave Logan, Cherry Creek High School football is producing Division I talent on a near regular basis.

The Bruins, coming off a 5A state title three-peat, have now watched two of their offensive linemen from last season go Power Five. George Fitzpatrick was an early enrolee at Ohio State in January and on July 21, Hank Zilinskas announced his commitment to Colorado’s 2023 class.

Kyle Frederickson of the Denver Post recently chatted with Zilinskas about his college decision and learned about the important relationship he had with Fitzpatrick:

Zilinskas called Fitzpatrick the “hardest working kid I’ve ever seen.” It helped inspire Zilinskas to transform his body in the weight room.

“I came into freshman year at 180 pounds. Now, I’m 274 pounds,” Zilinskas said. “The weight room has a lot to do with that. I can tell by getting stronger every day.”

Zilinskas’ list of influencers also includes a couple of family members who went Division I. His older brother, Gus, is a sophomore offensive lineman at Rutgers, and their father, John, played the same position at UCLA in the 1980s.

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Buffs continue beefing up offensive line with 2023 commit Tyrone McDuffie

Another recent official visit has led to a commit for Karl Dorrell’s Buffs

Following a rough 2021 season from Colorado’s O-line, the future is looking better for the Buffs.

New O-line coach Kyle DeVan, who was hired back in December, has already helped acquire two impressive 2023 O-line commits in Naquil Betrand and Drew Perez. And on Monday, he added a third: Tyrone McDuffie out of El Paso, Texas.

The 6-foot-3, 303-pound IOL is a three-star prospect (per 247Sports) who took an unofficial visit at CU last fall before coming back last week for an official trip — another official visitor, another almost-instant commitment for Karl Dorrell. The Buffs are impressing this summer.

McDuffie talked with BuffStampede and said he is particularly excited to play Power 5 football, making Colorado, his first and only P5 offer to date, an easy choice.

Plus, at least based on this clip below, he’s going to be an easy player to like.

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2023 wide receiver Wesley Greaves commits to Colorado

The Buffs hauled in a speedy wide receiver from Texas

The Buffaloes have picked up another commitment for their 2023 recruiting class, hauling in wide receiver Wesley Greaves from College Station, Texas.

Greaves is listed as a 6-foot-2, 185-pound three-star prospect according to 247Sports. He made his commitment known on Monday after an unofficial visit to Boulder just the week prior.

The visit must have been special because here’s what he told BuffStampede’s Adam Munsterteiger:

“I had no plan to commit…. But with the whole experience of visiting Colorado, the way they treated me and my mom, I really enjoyed it. They showed us around and the whole coaching staff was just really honest with us and it made me feel at home.”

Speed is the name of his game. Per a tweet from last year, he set the all-time fastest 40-yard dash in his high school’s history, turning n a blazing 4.39:

Welcome to Boulder, Wesley!

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BIG 2023 offensive tackle Drew Perez commits to Colorado

Colorado added a BIG offensive lineman to its 2023 class

At 6-foot-8 and 330 pounds, Colorado’s newest 2023 commit stands head, shoulders and everything else above the rest of the class. Drew Perez, an OT if you couldn’t guess, is set to bring a large presence to the Buffs’ offensive front.

The Southlake, Texas product is currently unranked by 247Sports and also holds offers from Fordham, San Diego State and Tulane. Much like Taylor Starling, his successful official visit was enough to earn his pledge.

Perez joins Naquil Betrand, a 6-foot-7, 315-pound tackle whose Colorado commitment could be short-lived, as the only other offensive lineman in the Buffaloes’ group of 13 2023 commits.

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Shortly after official visit, Taylor Starling commits to Buffaloes

Colorado landed its first 2023 CB

Taylor Starling must’ve really enjoyed his time in Boulder.

Not long after wrapping his official visit with the Colorado Buffaloes earlier in the week, the 2023 cornerback announced his commitment on Wednesday.

Starling told BuffStampede’s Adam Munsterteiger that he connected with now-fellow 2023 commits Kam Bizor and AJ Newberry while on his visit, and the successful trip confirmed his good feelings on Colorado (h/t BuffStampede):

“I was kind of already leaning towards going to Colorado prior to my visit,” Starling said of his decision to commit to the Buffs. “And when I was out there, they treated me like family the whole visit. It felt like home based on that, based on how they treated me.”

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Texas native is CU’s first CB commit of its 2023 class. He also holds offers from Arizona, Kansas and Purdue, among others.

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Defensive lineman Kam Bizor’s commitment opens the Buffs’ 2023 class

Colorado opened its 2023 class with defensive lineman Kam Bizor

As Colorado’s roster continues to be destroyed by the transfer portal, Karl Dorrell and the Buffs received their first 2023 commitment on Friday in Kam’ron (Kam) Bizor.

Besides having an exceptionally great football name, Bizor is a 6-foot-3, 245-pound strongside defensive end out of Yates High School in Houston, Texas. He is currently unranked by both Rivals and 247Sports and according to both recruiting outlets, his only other offer came from Cal.

While he has only received two offers, Bizor hasn’t been without other suitors; Kansas, Southern Methodist, Texas and Louisiana had also shown interest, per Justin Guerriero of CUSportsNation.

Bizor recorded 39 total tackles in his junior season at Yates, along with 6.5 tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks. He announced his commitment via Twitter on New Year’s Eve and expressed gratitude for both Karl Dorrell and CU lead recruiting assistant D.J. Bryant.

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