Tag: CU Buffs 2023 recruiting

In-state 2023 offensive lineman Hank Zilinskas commits to Colorado

Karl Dorrell has another in-state prospect on board with the Buffs

Karl Dorrell is staying true to his promise of following Bill McCartney’s approach of recruiting well in Colorado, Texas and California.

On Thursday, Cherry Creek High School (Englewood) interior offensive lineman Hank Zilinskas became the second 2023 in-state commit for the Buffaloes. Zilinskas is a 6-foot-3, 274-pound three-star prospect and the No. 12 player overall in the state per 247Sports. He also holds offers from Utah State, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Colorado State and Nevada.

New Buffs OL coach Kyle DeVan now has three pledges in his growing group of 2023 commits — Drew Perez and Turone McDuffie being the others.

Here’s what Zilinskas, Colorado’s 16th overall 2023 commit, told Buffstampede’s Adam Munsterteiger in February:

“I really liked the coaching staff’s attitude. They really believe that they can take CU back to the top. (Colorado offensive line) coach (Kyle) DeVan and the rest of the coaching staff have made it very clear that they want to keep Colorado’s best recruits in the state. I can tell that Coach DeVan is interested in building a strong relationship with his players.”

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In-state 2023 offensive lineman Hank Zilinskas commits to Colorado

Karl Dorrell has another in-state prospect on board with the Buffs

Karl Dorrell is staying true to his promise of following Bill McCartney’s approach of recruiting well in Colorado, Texas and California.

On Thursday, Cherry Creek High School (Englewood) interior offensive lineman Hank Zilinskas became the Buffs’ second in-state commit for the class of 2023. Zilinskas is a three-star prospect and the No. 12 player overall for the state per 247Sports. He also holds offers from Kansas State, Colorado State, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Utah State.

The 6-foot-3, 274-pound commit marks the third 2023 OL for new position coach Kyle DeVan.

Here’s what Zilinskas told BuffStampede’s Adam Munsterteiger in February:

“I really liked the coaching staff’s attitude. They really believe that they can take CU back to the top. (Colorado offensive line) coach (Kyle) DeVan and the rest of the coaching staff have made it very clear that they want to keep Colorado’s best recruits in the state. I can tell that Coach DeVan is interested in building a strong relationship with his players.”

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Naquil Betrand decommits from Colorado, names new top six

As expected, Naquil Betrand is no longer committed to Colorado

Naquil Betrand was too good to be true for the Buffaloes.

After previously committing to Colorado on March 22, the 2023 offensive tackle’s stock rose quickly and he soon earned offers from several top college football programs. Betrand, a 6-foot-7, 310-pound Philadelphia, Pennsylvania three-star, visited many of those elite schools, leading many to believe his Boulder pledge would soon be gone. His decommitment on Monday was expected, unfortunately.

Betrand announced a new top six thereafter, and the Buffs didn’t make the cut. Instead, he narrowed it down to Georgia, Texas A&M, Syracuse, Auburn, Kentucky and Penn State.

This news was anticipated before the Pac-12’s current dilemma, but some anxiety is likely appropriate regarding how CU’s recruits will react.

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CU Buffs focusing heavily on Texas for 2023 class

Karl Dorrell is hitting Texas hard for his 2023 class

The Buffs’ list of 2023 commitments is growing rapidly this summer. In the month of June alone, they’ve added five new pledges to bring the total to 15.

Looking at the class closer, it’s clear that Karl Dorrell is directing much of his recruiting energy towards the state of Texas. Four of those June commitments hailed from the Lone Star State and three other 2023 Texans (AJ Newberry, Kam Bizor and Adrian Wilson) are also on board for Boulder.

247Sports national recruiting analyst Brandon Huffman elucidated this trend in a recent article by the San Jose Mercury News:

Colorado also hit the Lone Star State, with commitments from three-star receiver Wesley Greaves and two unrated prospects: offensive linemen Tyrone McDuffy from El Paso and Drew Perez from powerhouse Carroll High School in Southlake.

The Buffaloes are going back to the state they recruited during their Big 12 and Big 8 days.

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Defensive end Carson Mott commits to Colorado

Another future Buff has been added to the 2023 herd

Colorado added another piece to its 2023 recruiting class and in the process, flipped that player from a conference rival. Defensive end Carson Mott of Simi Valley, California, who was a Cal commit until May 23, gave his verbal commitment to Colorado on Monday. The Buffs made a strong push for his commitment and beat out the likes of Arizona State, San Diego State and Washington for Mott’s services. All of those aforementioned schools offered Mott after his Cal decommitment.

Mott, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound edge player, is listed as a three-star prospect on 247Sports and is a top-100 California player. He had the following to say about Colorado (h/t BuffStampede):

“(Colorado) likes my film and how I get to the ball and how I have the measurables to fit the position that I play. They just really like the film. I have been recruited a lot as a stand-up edge and an outside ‘backer to drop, but Colorado runs a 4-3 so they see me as a true edge.”

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Every 2023 in-state prospect the CU Buffs have offered so far

As of June 8, the Buffs have offered 12 in-state prospects for 2023

Owning your own home state in terms of recruiting is incredibly important for building a respected college football program. Especially with the Buffaloes being the only Power 5 program in Colorado, this expectation should be a priority for Karl Dorrell and his staff.

Not to mention, it’s easier to visit in-state recruits and, conversely, it’s easier for them to attend games and take official visits.

The Buffs had 34 in-state players on their roster last season and have two players on their 2022 signing day class from Colorado. As of June 8, they’ve offered 12 Centennial State prep stars from the class of 2023.

Here are all 12 of those players:

Fairview High School QB and 2025 Buffs target Bekkem Kritza takes visit to USC

Fairview High School QB Bekkem Kritza, who received an offer from Colorado in November, took a visit to USC on Saturday

Fresh off his freshman season at Fairview High School in Boulder, Bekkem Kritza is quickly attracting some major college football attention. The 2025 QB was first offered by Colorado in November and in May, Kansas and Colorado State followed suit. Kritza also took an unofficial visit at Texas in January.

Then on Saturday, Kritza tweeted a thank you to USC for an apparent visit. Colorado has already been poached multiple times by the Trojans this offseason and it would be tough to watch them steal a talented QB from the Buffs’ backyard.

Kritza led the Knights to a 6-4 record last fall and a spot in the 5A state playoffs, although Fairview was forced to forfeit its first postseason game due to COVID-19 circumstances. Nonetheless, he threw for 3,192 yards and 22 touchdowns while completing nearly 65% of his passes as a freshman starter. The 6-foot-4, 175-pound prospect has yet to be rated by 247Sports and Rivals.

The Buffs have offered two other 2025 QBs — Sawyer Anderson and TJ Lateef. They’ve also offered Kritza’s teammate and wide receiver Jordan Rechel.

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Buffs in the top-5 for 2023 CB Vernon Glover Jr.

Colorado will need to beat out Florida State, Houston, Texas A&M and TCU for 2023 CB Vernon Glover Jr.

As we’ve seen frequently in the 2023 recruiting cycle, the Buffaloes have squared up well with the best programs in college football. Colorado’s class currently ranks 16th in the nation according to 247Sports and it has the potential to get even better.

Back in September, the Buffs extended an offer to 2023 three-star cornerback Vernon Glover Jr. from Dickinson, Texas. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound prospect announced his top-5 on Saturday, and CU was included, along with Florida State, Houston, Texas A&M and TCU. Even if the Buffs don’t land Glover Jr., it’s encouraging to see them in the mix for another big recruit.

Glover Jr. has unofficially visited both Florida State and Texas A&M, so it could be an uphill battle for Karl Dorrell to land his second DB commit of 2023.

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Auburn offers 2023 Colorado commit Naquil Betrand

2023 Colorado commit Naquil Betrand is receiving interest from other big-name programs

While it does provoke some worry, it’s usually a good omen when a commit of yours receives an offer from a major Power 5 school. The goal is to outcompete other programs and being the first to land a highly sought-after prospect probably means you’re doing something right on the recruiting trail.

That’s the silver lining view of things, at least.

But Karl Dorrell and staff have indeed done plenty right in building Colorado’s 2023 class. Three-star offensive tackle Naquil Betrand is one of those prized commits the Buffs have for 2023. He is currently the No. 19 rated player in the state of Pennsylvania and the second-highest rated player in Dorrell’s 10-deep group of 2023 commits, per 247Sports.

However, Betrand’s talents are also being wanted by other big-name programs. On Tuesday, the SEC’s Auburn Tigers extended him an offer.

Our pals at Auburn Wire shared their admiration of Betrand:

His pad level is great and he really excels at blocking in the run game. That is something that the Tigers can use. It will take offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau some time to figure out of he wants to be pass-heavy, run-heavy, or maybe even both. With a blend of good pass blockers and run blockers, it will make it easier for him to call plays.

Betrand has a good relationship with the Colorado coaching staff. It won’t be easy to pry him away from Boulder. However, the opportunity to play early and in the best conference could very well be enough to convince him to flip. We will have to wait and see how his recruitment unfolds.

For the sake of not losing yet another talented player, let’s hope Betrand remains loyal.

Also of note, Betrand tagged former Colorado defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh in a tweet announcing his Aubrun offer. Brumbaugh coached one season for the Buffs in 2019 and now heads the Tigers’ D-line.

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Bishop Gorman four-star DB Jeremiah Hughes has Colorado in his top-8

Colorado is in the top-eight for another four-star recruit

The Colorado Buffaloes football staff is hard at work, especially with the class of 2023.

The upcoming 2022 season is expected to be another rough one in Boulder for Karl Dorrell and his staff, although a large number of new players and assistant coaches have brought some optimism.

Nonetheless, Colorado continues to make moves in recruiting the class of 2023, showing that better times are ahead for the future of Buffs football.

Colorado is now in the running for four-star defensive back Jeremiah Hughes, who plays at the esteemed Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. His top-eight was announced on Friday and a few other Pac-12 programs in Oregon State, Utah and Washington also made the list.

Hughes’ top-eight announcement comes shortly after that of fellow four-star class of 2023 recruit Smith Snowden, a cornerback from Utah.

While the upcoming season might not be an enjoyable one for the Buffs and their fans to watch, good times are coming and the impressive class of 2023 is in line to get even better if a couple of these recruits decide to play their college ball in Boulder.

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