The “cupboards are not going to be bare” for the new Colorado football coach.
That’s how Buffs interim head coach Brian Cabral views the situation. Colorado needed a victory in Lincoln on Friday to become bowl-eligible, but was routed 45-17 by Nebraska. The Buffs finished 5-7, including 2-6 for their final season in the Big 12 Conference. Colorado begins play in the expanded Pac-12 next fall.
“I really thought we should have had a lot better record going into this game,” Cabral said Friday after the loss. “We’re a better team than that. I’ll tell you what, we’ve got some dudes coming back.”
Assuming that every Colorado player with eligibility chooses to stay, the new Buffs coach will greet 17 returning starters — nine on offense, eight on defense (including the nickel back and punter).
Returnees include quarterback Tyler Hansen, tailback Rodney Stewart, tight end Ryan Deehan, two of the three starting wide receivers and four of the five starting offensive linemen.
Key losses include left tackle Nate Solder, a potential NFL first-round draft choice; cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Jalil Brown, who also have pro potential; and hard-hitting linebackers B.J. Beatty and Michael Sipili.
Within minutes of being hired, the new coach should ask to speak to freshman wide receiver Paul Richardson and junior offensive guard Ryan Miller. Both were noncommittal Friday when asked if they will be Buffs next season.
Their loss would be immense. Miller (6-feet-8, 310 pounds) is a fourth-year player who could choose to complete his degree requirements next spring and possibly forgo his final year of eligibility to start a possible NFL career early. Richardson (6-1, 175) became one of the top first-year receivers in the nation with a CU freshman school-record of 514 receiving yards (on 34 grabs), breaking the freshman mark of 488 set in 2007 by Scotty McKnight.
Although Richardson dodged questions Friday about his future, he did sound excited about the returning talent.
“This offseason is going to be huge,” he said. “I just can’t wait to see everybody healthy.”
If Miller returns, Colorado will have 10 senior starters next season, seven on offense.
“We’re going to be a senior-ridden team, a team with great leadership,” said Hansen, who missed the last five games with a ruptured spleen but expects to be ready for spring ball.
That’s not to say that there isn’t work to be done, holes to be plugged, talent to be upgraded. After all, CU has had five consecutive losing seasons.
“There is going to be great enthusiasm,” said Cabral, who will remain on the job along with other assistant coaches to monitor the academics of current players and maintain lines of communication with potential recruits.
Cabral also hopes to interview for the head coaching position.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
CU position-by-position analysis
Denver Post Colorado beat writer Tom Kensler breaks down the Buffs as they go into the offseason:
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK
Starters back: Tyler Hansen (6-feet-1, 205 pounds), Sr. (in 2011).
Starters gone: Cody Hawkins (5-11, 190).
One to watch in 2011: Nick Hirschman (6-3, 230), R/Fr.
Summary: The hard-luck Hansen still hasn’t had the job to himself for an entire season. He was the unquestioned starter this year until suffering a season-ending ruptured spleen Oct. 23 against Texas Tech. It remains to be seen if the new head coach will give Hirschman a real shot at the starting job. Valor Christian’s Brock Berglund is a plus-athlete and could make an impression if he sticks with his oral commitment to CU.
TAILBACK
Starter back: Rodney Stewart (5-6, 175), Sr.
Starters gone: None
One to watch: Tony Jones (5-7, 180), R/Fr.
Summary: Stewart had a breakout season and became one of the Big 12’s top rushers (1,318). Depth was lacking, however, with wideout Will Jefferson moving to the backfield after Brian Lockridge was felled by a foot injury. Jones was New Jersey’s Gatorade player of the year in 2009 and showed a nice burst on the scout team. Recruiting a big back could be a top priority.
WIDE RECEIVER
Starters back: Toney Clemons (6-2, 210), Sr.; Paul Richardson (6-1, 175), Soph.
Starters gone: Scotty McKnight (5-11, 185).
One to watch: Keenan Canty (5-9, 155), R/Fr.
Summary: Among the first orders of business for the new head coach will be to convince Richardson to remain a Buff. An immense talent who set school freshman receiving records, the native Southern Californian has admitted to homesickness. The loss of Richardson along with all-time school receptions leader McKnight would be a huge blow. Canty, from New Orleans, drew raves last summer but was redshirted.
TIGHT END
Starters back: Ryan Deehan (6-5, 245), Sr.; Matt Bahr (6-4, 290), Sr. (utility back).
Starters gone: None.
One to watch: Kyle Slavin (6-4, 235), R/Fr.
Summary: Deehan took a big leap in 2010, and Hawkins said Slavin (Chatfield High School) and two other redshirt freshmen, Floridian Henley Griffon and Harold Mobley from Southern California, have a bright future. Sophomore-to-be DaVaughn Thornton showed promise this season, catching a TD pass against Kansas.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Starters back: LG Ethan Adkins (6-4, 305), Sr.; C Mike Iltis (6-3, 290), Sr.; RG Ryan Miller (6-8, 310) Sr.; RT David Bakhtiari (6-4, 290), Soph.
Starters gone: LT Nate Solder (6-9,315).
One to watch: OG Eric Richter (6-3,310), Jr.
Summary: The lone loss on the starting lineup is a big one in more ways than one. Solder was an Outland Trophy finalist and a team captain. The best option to replace him may be to move one of the right tackles, Bakhtiari or former starter Bryce Givens. The current coaching staff loved the potential of sophomore-to-be Jack Harris (6-5, 290), a former Chaparral HS standout who has played tackle or guard. Richter was a junior-college transfer who sat out the 2010 season to even out class numbers.
DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE LINE
Starters back: DE Josh Hartigan (6-1, 225), Sr.; DT Curtis Cunningham (6-1, 280) Sr.; DT Will Pericak (6-4, 280) Jr.
Starters gone: None.
One to watch: DT Nate Bonsu (6-1, 290), Soph.
Summary: Pericak and Hartigan had breakout years. And there is good depth with DE Chidera Uzo-Diribe, DE-DT Nick Kasa, DE Forrest West, Bonsu and others allowing for several options and combinations. Bonsu, from Dallas-area powerhouse Allen HS, played in all 12 games in 2009 but injured a knee in offseason workouts last winter and was redshirted. He can be a load inside.
LINEBACKERS
Starter back: Jon Major (6-1, 225), Jr.
Starters gone: B.J. Beatty (6-2, 235), Michael Sipili (6-1, 245).
One to watch: Evan Harrington (5-11, 225), Sr.
Summary: It will be difficult to replace the inspirational leadership of Beatty and the toughness of Sipili. Senior-to-be Tyler Ahles is back, but he couldn’t hold the starting job this season. Sophomores-to-be Liloa Nobriga and Derrick Webb got playing time because of injuries to others, with Nobriga becoming the late-season starter in place of Major. Harrington, perhaps the fastest of the linebackers, is a former junior-college transfer who was relegated mostly to special-teams work in his first year in Boulder. In any case, this position will lack the depth of recent years.
DEFENSIVE BACK
Starters back: FS Ray Polk (6-1, 210), Jr.; SS Anthony Perkins (5-10, 200), Sr.
Starters gone: CB Jalil Brown (6-1, 205), CB Jimmy Smith (6-2, 205).
One to watch: S Parker Orms (5-11, 185), Soph.
Summary: It must be a frightening thought to picture the Buffs’ secondary without Brown and Smith while facing all those future NFL quarterbacks still playing next year in the Pac-12. That pair was durable, so reserves did not get much playing time, which is another concern. Senior-to-be Jonathan Hawkins will get the first shot at a starting cornerback position, but there isn’t an established pecking order on the depth chart. Cornerback must be a targeted position in recruiting. Safety appears in good hands, with Terrel Smith playing well as a late-season starter in place of the injured Perkins. Orms, the former Wheat Ridge standout, was projected to make an immediate impact as the nickel back, but blew out a knee in the first series of the opener against Colorado State.
KICKING GAME
Starters back: P Zach Grossnickle (6-2, 190), Soph.
Starters gone: K Aric Goodman (5-10, 195)
One to watch: PK Justin Castor (6-3, 190), Soph.
Summary: Look for the new coaching staff to recruit a place-kicker and punter to give unproven, existing players some competition. Castor, a former Arvada West athlete, has a good leg but has virtually no experience at this level. Grossnickle, who used both the conventional punting style and also the rugby method, was wildly inconsistent and ranked at the bottom of the Big 12. But special-teams coach Kent Riddle insists the former Denver East athlete will become one of the school’s best punters.
