CU At The Game Podcast

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Welcome back to our NIL Interview series. In this episode, we are introduced to junior running back Deion Smith. A highly rated recruit out of Houston, with offers from the likes of Notre Dame, UCLA, Utah, Minnesota and TCU, it was position coach Darian Hagan, and the relationship Smith and Hagan developed, which brought Smith to Boulder.

Healthy in consecutive seasons for the first time in years, Smith is ready to showcase his talents for the Buff Nation. Coming off of a 20-yard touchdown run in the CU Spring Showcase, Smith wants Buff fans to know that the running back room is ready to prove the critics wrong.

So ... What was it like for Deion to post his first career touchdowns last fall? ... Just how vanilla was the CU offense in the Spring Game? (“You can count on one hand the number of plays we ran that day”) ... And what did Deion - when putting together his own NIL podcast project - learn from the likes of Rick George and Evan Battey about the future of NIL at the University of Colorado? ... 

... Let’s find out ... 

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The University of Colorado conducted its 2022 Spring Showcase on April 23rd, concluding spring practices with a 65-play controlled scrimmage. Walk-ons - from running back Charlie Offerdahl to receiver Michael Harrison to safety Jordan Woolverton - made names for themselves, while the defense overall had the better of it on a sunny afternoon in Boulder. 

I am joined by Brad Geiger and Neil Langland as we go unit-by-unit to discuss the spring showcase, and then take a step back to review the 15-practice spring of 2022. 

Is the starting quarterback position Brendon Lewis’ to lose heading into Fall Camp? ... Can the offensive line make due with the present lineup, or should Buff fans be hoping for a quick fix from the Transfer Portal? ... Did the switch from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defense turn the Buff defense line from a weakness into a strength? ... Is the defensive backfield filled with young talent - or just young players? 

And will fans be singing the praises of Charlie Offerdahl well into the fall, or will we have to wait until next spring to hear his name over once again the Folsom Field PA system? ... 

... Let’s find out ... 

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Welcome back to our CU at the Game NIL Interview series.

In this episode, we meet CU senior wide receiver Jaylon Jackson. A speedster out of a highly regarded high school program in Texas, Jackson learned some of life’s lessons early, missing almost all of his junior and senior years with torn ACL’s. Despite the setbacks, Jackson had offers from the Pac-12, the Big 12, and the SEC.

So ... Who is Jaylon Jackson? How was he able to overcome not one, not two, not three, but four season-ending injuries in his career to be named not only an All-conference Special teams player by the Pac-12 coaches, but a captain by his teammates? ... What was it like being a part of a recruiting Class which included Laviska Shenault and KD Nixon, CU recruits Jackson played against in high school? ... And what can we take from Jackson’s quote that he wished he could have had two or three more years with the current coaching staff?  ... 

... Let’s find out ... 

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Welcome back to our CU at the Game NIL Interview series. To kickoff the second half of the campaign, we have a special guest. 

If you aren’t familiar with the name Kindyll Wetta, now is the time to get acquainted. Before this season, there were only three players on the CU women’s basketball team who had ever been named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team. Before this season, there had been only three Buffs who had ever been named to the first-team All-Pac-12 Defensive team ... and no player from any team in the Pac-12 has been named to both of those teams in the same year in over a decade. 

Welcome to Kindyll Wetta's 2021-22 season. 

Kindyll  ranked second in the Pac-12 with 57 steals during the regular season, a total that ranked 11th among all freshmen in the nation. Wetta was also second on the team in assists with 2.9 per game.

So ... Who is Kindyll? And what was it like growing up as a CU legacy, with her mother being member of the 1994-95 Buff team which went 30-3 and climbed as high as No. 2 in the nation? ... What was it like being a part of CU’s first NCAA women's tournament team since 2013? ... And, if asked to prioritize, which was her favorite non-conference effort ... The first double-digit scoring game of her CU career, with 12 points after going 6-for-6 in a win over Texas Southern? A nine-assist game in a win over Samford? Or ... A five steal game in a win over Wisconsin? ... 

... Let’s find out ... 

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Brad Geiger and Neil Langland are back, joining Stuart Whitehair to present our second look at the CU Spring roster, this time focusing on the Buff defense and special teams. 

The Colorado defense in 2021 struggled statistically, in part due to a CU offense which had a hard time consistently putting together drives and staying on the field:

The 2021 national rankings (out of 130 teams): 
 
– 96th in the nation in rushing defense (178.6 yds/game);
– 90th in the nation in passing defense (242.3 yds/game);
– 98th in the nation in total defense (420.9 yds/game); and
– 73rd in the nation in scoring defense (26.7 pts/game).

Now the Buffs do return no fewer than five - count ‘em, five - senior defensive linemen. In all there are seven upperclass defensive linemen back, including three starters. Will the experience on the line give CU some production, making it easier for the Buff linebackers to make up for the loss of Nate Landman and Carson Wells? ... Will the three new transfers - Chance Main, Isaac Hurtado and Jeremy Mack - have an instant impact? ... Is there enough young talent in the defensive backfield to make up for the loss of three starters, or will the CU coaching staff be looking to the Transfer Portal for help this summer? 

... Let’s find out ... 

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If you want a likely bar bet winner, ask your fellow Buff fans who was the leading tackler for CU in the 2021 season. It wasn’t Nate Landman or Carson Wells, but safety Isaiah Lewis. Lewis has been through a great deal since committing to CU in the summer of 2016, including the change over of coaching staffs three times in his first four seasons. 

Lewis has remained a committed Buff throughout, and has molded himself into one of the best defensive backs in the Pac-12. He will need a premier defender this season, though, as the other three starters from last fall have all left the team. We’ll talk about what it means to be the last man standing in the defensive backfield, and what Buff fans can expect from the young, yet inexperienced, new starters. 

So ... What was it like to commit to a team, which at the time of his commitment, hadn’t had a winning season or bowl opportunity since he was in grade school? ... What does Lewis have to say about Year Two of CU’s strength and conditioning coach Shannon Turley and the first year of CU’s new cornerbacks’ coach, Rod Chance? ... And whose NFL jersey does Isaiah have in his apartment, as inspiration for him to get to the next level? 

... Let’s find out ... 

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Well ... They’re back ... 

After giving Brad Geiger and Neill Langland some time off while the CU at the Game NIL Podcast campaign got underway, they are now back to join Stuart Whitehair as they give you a look at the CU roster on the offensive side of the ball for spring practices, 2022.

For the Buffs, the numbers last year on offense were abysmal: 

Rushing offense ... 126.2 yds/ game ... 98th nationally (out of 130 teams)
Passing offense … 131.2 yds/game … 126th nationally
Total offense … 257.4 yds/game … 129th nationally
Scoring offense … 18.8 pts/game … 121st nationally

There were some changes in the assistant coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball, with Mike Sanford in as the new offensive coordinator. Will these changes make a difference? 

Stuart, Brad, and Neil will take a unit-by-unit look at the roster, and hopefully answer some questions:

... Is the job of starting quarterback Brendon Lewis’ to lose? Or will JT Shrout and the underclassmen make it a two- or three-man race?; 
... Can the running back and wide receiver corps overcome the defections from the roster? Is there enough talent left in those rooms to make some noise in the Pac-12 this fall?; and
... Are there enough talented bodies along the offensive line, objectively one of the worst in recent memory, or will Buff fans have to hope the CU coaching staff will be digging into the Transfer Portal later this spring in search of immediate help? 

... Let’s find out ... 

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Since arriving on campus in 2017, Russell has risen through the ranks to be one of the most important - and most popular - Buffs on the team. A walk-on, Russell nonetheless distinguished himself even as a true freshman, earning the Offensive Scout team player of the Year his first season. He has been the recipient of the team’s Relentless Award, and was a team captain last fall. 

So ... What did an assistant coach at Wyoming tell Russell when he was being recruited that Brady continues to use as motivation to this day? ... What can we take away from Brady’s candid remarks about the players who left through the Transfer Portal, his opinions on the explosion of NIL opportunities at other schools, and on the current state of the CU locker room? ... How excited is Russell to be playing for a position coach in Clay Patterson, who also happens to be the new passing game coordinator? ... And what is the inside joke in the tight ends room about a pinkie high five? ... 

Let’s find out ...

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We’re getting closer to the start of spring practices, which means that Brad Geiger and Neil Langland will be back with me soon, as we give you a unit-by-unit look at the CU spring roster.

In the meantime, however, we continue with our CU at the Game NIL Campaign, with an interview with graduate transfer linebacker, Robert Barnes.

Barnes was a four-star safety prospect out of Texas, with offers from across the nation. Texas wanted him, as did schools like Ohio State, USC, Alabama and Notre Dame, but Barnes chose Oklahoma.

After four years and four Big 12 championships, Barnes transferred to Colorado with two years of eligibility remaining. Last season, Barnes played in eleven games, with a ten tackle effort against Washington, including an interception and a fumble recovery, giving Buff fans a taste of what Barnes wants to bring to Folsom Field this fall.

So ... What did Barnes say to the team when he was asked by CU head coach Karl Dorrell to talk about the Transfer Portal? ... What did it feel like to lose eight games last fall in Boulder, after losing all of eight games in four years in Norman? ... And what does Robert get to hold over his father, now that he is a Buff instead of a Sooner? ... 

Let’s find out ...

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Welcome to a very special edition in our series of interviews with CU student-athletes. Joining me for this episode is senior forward Evan Battey. The emotional leader of Tad Boyle’s Buffs, Evan spoke with me just a few days removed from one of the most memorable games in CU history, a 79-63 win over No. 2 Arizona. 

We could have spent the entire interview on the Arizona game, but there is so much more to Evan’s story. He talks openly about his fight with the California athletic system, which didn’t allow him to play his senior year of high school. If that wasn’t enough, Evan lost another bout the following year, this time with the NCAA, which decreed he had to sit out a red-shirt year rather than play as a true freshman. Oh, and yes, Evan suffered a stroke during Christmas break of his freshman year.

Any one of those events would have been enough to discourage any young man, but, instead of using those setbacks as an excuse, Evan used them as a motivation to become one of the most popular players in CU history. 

We’ll talk about Evan’s first standing ovation, coming as he stood alone to shoot a free throw at the end of the half of CU’s NIT victory over Norfolk State. Then there was the collision with Stanford’s Oscar de Silva in Evan’s sophomore year, and the emotional and touching way both teams handled the scary moments after de Silva’s injury. 

This season, with a young team to guide, Evan has been a leader both on and off the court. We talk about his leadership, the ups and downs of this season’s Pac-12 campaign, culminating in a Senior Day which Tad Boyle said could not have been scripted any better. 

So ... What was it like to be recruited by Tad Boyle, and be a part of a recruiting Class which included Tyler Bey, DeShawn Schwartz, and McKinley Wright? Why is it that Evan doesn’t feel completely comfortable with being called the “Mayor of Boulder?” ... And what was Evan’s response when Tad Boyle offered him a job with the team for next season? 

Let’s find out ...

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