With national signing day coming Wednesday, Coloradans have joined the late scramble, including Columbine star Danny Spond. The quarterback-safety, who originally committed to Colorado, decommitted and then reconsidered the Buffs, said Monday he will sign with Notre Dame, according to numerous recruiting sites.
Ranked the No. 2 prospect in the state, Spond took his official recruiting trip to South Bend, Ind., over the weekend. He did not return messages left at his house Monday.
Spond was coach Dan Hawkins’ first commitment to Colorado in the 2010 cycle, when he said last spring he would be a Buffalo. But after CU’s 3-9 season in 2009 and uncertainty over Hawkins’ future late last year, Spond reconsidered. He also was looking at scholarship offers from Stanford and Texas Christian.
Elsewhere, there were two commitments at Pomona, which finished runner-up in Class 5A in December. Offensive lineman Christian Stefo committed to Colorado State and linebacker Daijon Tyler chose Northern Colorado. Both were All-Colorado picks by The Denver Post.
Stefo, a tackle, became the third in-state prospect and 28th oral commitment in CSU’s class.
“He really came into his own his senior year,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said of the 6-foot-6, 310-pound Stefo.
With the emphasis on analysis of junior year film, Madden said Pomona’s extended playoff season helped catch more Division I-A attention.
Stefo had been committed to Eastern Washington of the Big Sky Conference, but CSU, Wyoming and Marshall showed late interest.
“Eastern Washington and Northern Colorado were just hoping one of the bigs wouldn’t snatch him away,” Madden said.
Tyler, the Big 8 League’s defensive player of the year in 2008, battled injuries down the stretch of 2009. But he missed few downs and has since grown to 6-1 and 224.
“It will be a good place for him,” Madden said of Tyler picking UNC.
Natalie Meisler and Neil H. Devlin, The Denver Post
