Tag: CU football 2022 recruits

Three CU football signees receive All-State honors in Texas

Three members of CU’s 2022 class received All-State honors in Texas

The Texas Sports Writers Association released its Class 6A All-State football teams on Feb. 12 and three of the players selected are members of Colorado’s 2022 class. Van Wells and Jordyn Tyson received first-team honors while Chase Sowell made the second team.

Wells is a center from C.E. King High School in Houston and is listed at 6-foot-2, 290 pounds. He is the only center in the Buffs’ 2022 class and had also received an offer from another Colorado school in the form of Air Force.

Tyson is a 6-foot, 170-pound wide receiver out of Allen High School and is the No. 129 player at his position nationwide for 2022. He averaged over 18 yards per catch during his senior season and reeled in 12 touchdowns.

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Sowell, also a wide receiver, played at Atascocita High School in Humble. Colorado was the 6-foot-2, 185-pound wideout’s only Power 5 offer.

All three players have signed their letters of intent and like every other member of Colorado’s 2022 class, they are all ranked as three-star recruits by 247Sports.

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National Signing Day tracker: Updates on 2022 recruits and transfers signing with the CU Buffs

Tracking recruits and transfers signing with the CU Buffs

A few more Colorado Buffaloes are officially putting pen to paper on Wednesday during the 2022 National Signing Day.

In lieu of several Buffs entering the transfer portal in recent months, Karl Dorrell and his new-look staff have plenty of open scholarships to grow their already large 2022 class.

Following the Early Signing Period in December, Wednesday marks the second opportunity for 2022 recruits and transfers to sign with a college program. The Buffs were certainly busy back in December and while this signing day isn’t expected to be quite as chaotic, it hasn’t gone without Colorado adding some impressive talent.

Here’s a look at which new Buffs signed their National Letter of Intent on Wednesday:

Buffs take step in revitalizing secondary with signing of 2022 three-star CB Jason Oliver

Jason Oliver is now a CU Buff

If you’re a young defensive back looking for playing time, Colorado’s looking pretty good right now. Class of 2022 cornerback Jason Oliver would probably agree, as the three-star recruit officially signed with the Buffs on Friday.

Oliver, who just completed his senior season with Liberty High School in Bakersfield, California, is the No. 104 CB in the nation per 247Sports. He had also received offers from Utah, California, Oregon State, Boise State and Fresno State, among others.

The 6-foot, 170-pound corner is also the son of former USC defensive back Jason Oliver Sr., who had 11 interceptions for the Trojans in the early 1990s.

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Colorado now has four cornerbacks in its 2022 class with Oliver joining Joshua Wiggins, Keyshon Mills and Simeon Harris.

With both Mekhi Blackmon and Christian Gonzalez now gone, there should be some competition for the starting spots next season. Among the returning true freshmen, Nikko Reed looked good late in 2021, but the Buffs are also (hopefully) bringing back juniors Jaylen Striker and Nigel Bethel.

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Oakie Salave’a, American Samoa native and son of Buffs great, commits to Colorado

The Salave’a legacy will continue at Colorado

From 1988-89, Okland Salave’a was a prominent defensive lineman for the Buffaloes. He was also a teammate and friend of the late Colorado QB Sal Aunese.

The Salave’a legacy is now set to continue with his son, Oakie, becoming the newest member of the Buffaloes’ class of 2022 on Monday.

Like his father, Oakie Salave’a is an American Samoa native. While it’s still unclear what position the younger Salave’a will play at CU, he is currently the highest-rated American Samoa prospect according to 247Sports.

Salave’a, who stands 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, has hopes to play quarterback at Colorado and dawn Aunese’s No. 8, but it’s likely he will play safety (h/t BuffZone’s Brian Howell).

The three-star prospect had originally committed to San Diego State in June. He decided to de-commit from the Aztecs, however, and will now follow in his father’s footsteps. Arizona, Utah and Hawai’i had also been recruiting Salave’a.

Football runs deep in the family as Oakie’s uncle and Okland’s younger brother, Joe, played collegiately at Arizona and spent eight seasons in the NFL. Joe Salave’a is now the defensive line coach at Oregon.

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CU Buffs land commitment from Georgia defensive back Xavier Smith

Welcome to Colorado, Xavier Smith

As National Signing Day approaches rapidly on Dec. 15, the Colorado Buffaloes have received another addition to the 2022 recruiting class in the form of Xavier Smith from Langston Hughes High School in Georgia.

Smith, who stands 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, isn’t ranked on 247Sports, but he is projected to play safety for the Buffaloes. He chose Colorado over four other schools that offered him, including Army.

Smith is the 17th player in Colorado’s 2022 recruiting class and the second safety to join the group. Three-star safety Dylan Dixson from Pearland High School in Texas was the first athlete to commit to the 2022 class on Feb. 4, 2021.

Colorado’s 2022 class is now ranked 5th in the Pac-12 and 46th overall nationally.

CU Buffs recruits in town for Minnesota weekend

A handful of Colorado’s top targets in the Class of 2022 and 2023 were at Folsom Field on Saturday.

Whether it was beneficial to the program after a putrid 30-0 loss to Minnesota, the Colorado Buffaloes hosted a handful of recruits on Saturday and over the weekend.

Brayden Dormann – Quarterback – 2023

The four-star recruit is one of the top quarterback recruits in the nation for the 2022 class. His big arm has earned him a top 200 ranking on 247Sports nationally and the top prospect in Colorado. He was in Boulder for the opener against Northern Colorado and made the two-hour trek from Colorado Springs again this past Saturday. They needed him to suit up.

Ismael Cisse – Wide Receiver – 2023

A member of the 2023 class, Cisse transferred from Overland High School to Cherry Creek during the offseason. He’s one of the top weapons for Dave Logan and Cherry Creek’s offense and has found his way onto the radar of many division one programs.

Brandon Hills – Wide Receiver – 2023

One of Dormann’s top targets at Vista Ridge High School, Hills already has seven touchdown catches through three games this season.

Justis La’ulu – Defensive Lineman – 2022

Another Vista Ridge teammate of Dormann and Hills, La’uLu has been getting some interest from division one programs. The 6-foot-3, 290-pounder has reported official offers from Air Force, Eastern Washington and Idaho.

Marquise Gilbert – Safety – JUCO – 2022

Gilbert has received lots of attention from Power 5 programs over recent months. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound safety has recently added Tennessee, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech to his offer list. He currently plays for Hutchinson Community College.

CU Buffs land commitment from three-star edge rusher

COMMITMENT: Colorado lands three-star OLB

The herd grew stronger on Monday.

Shaukan Bowser, a three-star recruit out of Arizona, verbally committed to the Colorado Buffaloes via Twitter.

“Taking everything into consideration, my family and I had decided it is best to start the next chapter of my football career at the University of Colorado,” Bowser tweeted.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder is ranked as a top 1000 player in the nation and top 15 in Arizona, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He is also the No. 94 linebacker in the nation.

On Rivals, he is ranked as the No. 44 outside linebacker in the nation and top 10 in his state regardless of position.

His offer list appears to value him higher than his actual ranking. Bowser received offers from Kansas State, Michigan, Utah, Iowa State, Oregon State and Arizona State among many others. He totaled 14 offers according to his 247Sports profile.

Many experts believed the biggest competition for Bowser’s commitment to be Kansas State. And not many experts would have believed Colorado would get a commitment the Monday after an abysmal performance against Minnesota.

During his junior year, Bowser recorded 77 tackles including 12 for a loss in nine games. He also recorded 11 sacks and 15 quarterback hurries for Casteel High School last season.

He played mostly with his hand in the ground during his junior season, meaning he will likely factor in as a defensive end in Colorado’s new 4-3 scheme. But he has no problem standing up and rushing the passer which allows him to be a great fit for the CU defense in the way it uses edge rushers.

Bowser is the 16th commit for Karl Dorrell’s 2022 class that is now ranked No. 7 in the Pac-12 by 247Sports.