It’s all about the numbers heading into the football recruiting season’s final turn toward national signing day Wednesday.
NCAA rules state that a school can hand out 25 new scholarships a year, but not to exceed 85 overall. Teams can commit as many players as they want to ensure against last-minute decommitments, failure to meet academic eligibility or even the school admissions process. Players already on scholarship can be squeezed out through attrition resulting from academic issues and injuries.
Colorado State’s recruiting class keeps growing like that reality TV family in Arkansas with 18 or 19 kids and seemingly a new mouth to feed each season. The Rams had an initial target of 20 players but are up to 27 with Friday’s addition of Vance Green, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound safety from Gilmer, Texas.
The University of Colorado has an 18-man commitment list. If Columbine quarterback Danny Spond recommits this week, it will boost the Buffs ahead of the Rams in the national recruiting rankings and give CU its first four-star player of the class.
Quantity isn’t everything.
One of the smallest recruiting classes in CU history proved to be the best, man-for-man, on the field. The Buffs went into their 1990 national championship season with just 12 members of the 1987 freshman class. Between the 1990 true seniors and fourth-year juniors, five were drafted by NFL teams in the first three rounds, including first-rounders Mike Pritchard and Alfred Williams.
Meanwhile, there’s no limit on the size of Air Force’s incoming class. The Falcons have 28 listed commitments. AFA coaches can’t discuss them until the appointments to the academy are accepted. Without a letter of intent at the service academies, the student-athletes are free to accept a late scholarship elsewhere.
Some players might land at the Air Force Prep School, where they will be recruited all over again in a few months.
TV coverage.
Next Sunday is the Super Bowl, the biggest televised football event of the year. Wednesday might rank a close second with all-day coverage of signing announcements, video highlights, news conferences and endless analysis.
That sounds something like NFL draft weekend. But unlike ESPN’s near monopoly of draft coverage, any number of outlets are involved.
CBS College Sports promises two of the few remaining dramas. Sean- trel Henderson, a 6-8, 301-pound offensive tackle from St. Paul, Minn., and 6-3, 272-pound defensive end J.R. Ferguson of Hargrave Military Academy (Va.) plan to announce their decisions Wednesday on live television.
The network, on Comcast 412, will broadcast from 9-10 a.m. and 1-5 p.m.
ESPNU, mostly available online in this area, will offer nine hours of coverage. Closer to home, The Mtn. will have a Mountain West Conference recruiting recap at 8 p.m. One of the greatest players in this state never to have signed a letter of intent, former Air Force quarterback Beau Morgan, now an analyst for The Mtn., will be part of the studio crew.
Head start.
Brigham Young won’t have to worry about other schools poaching its top commitment. Following a trend for quarterbacks, Jake Heaps, ranked by some as the top pro-style QB prospect in the country, already is attending classes at BYU.
Heaps will get a head start on spring ball and likely will compete immediately to replace Max Hall.
Hear all about it.
After finally being allowed to talk on the record to the media on signing day, coaches will tell boosters what they really think.
CSU coach Steve Fairchild will have a recruiting reception Wednesday at the Hilton Fort Collins from 5:30-7 p.m. Fairchild will have a second round Feb. 9 at Cherry Hills Country Club from 6-8 p.m.
CU coach Dan Hawkins, virtually silent in public since the end of the 2009 season, will address the Buffs’ annual preview luncheon Thursday at the Sheraton Denver Downtown.
Ticket registration is available on each school’s website.
Natalie Meisler, The Denver Post
