Colorado Buffaloes Land Fourth Commitment, California QB Nick Hirschman

According to the rivals.com player pages, 6'2" 212 pound QB Nick Hirschman from Los Gatos, CA has committed to the University of Colorado. Rivals.com has not evaluated him fully but ESPN.com has and they really like him. Scout.com has Hirschman listed at 6'4", a three star prospect and the 60th ranked quarterback in this class. ESPN, lists Hirschman at 6'3", has him in their ESPN150 watch list. Here is what they said in their review:

Hirschman is a pocket passer with prototypical size, bulk and arm strength. In an era of the spread offense and very quarterbacks having to work from under center, it is refreshing to see a guy work entirely from under center and possess sound footwork and excellent ball handling skills. He has a thick, sturdy build and is capable of standing in the face of the rush and delivering strikes. Primarily works out of the three and five step passing game as well as short rolls to both sides and a heavy dose of play-action. Is often asked to turn his back to the defense, flip his hips around off play pass, plant and throw. Does an excellent job setting his feet and is a balanced guy in the pocket. Drop speed is sound and consistent and he has proven he can plant and throw off his 5th step and also reset when necessary without over-striding or throwing off balance. Possesses an excellent intermediate range arm to make all the necessary throws to the sideline and down the middle of the field including the skinny post, hash seam and comeback along the sideline. Is very crisp off play-action throwing deeper posts and drag routes with good timing and anticipation. He shows very good command of this scheme, knows where to go with the ball and can throw to a spot with confidence his target will be in stride. Hirschman is not going to be a dual-threat guy that creates a lot of plays with his legs, but he shows very good pocket presence, awareness and the feet to sidestep and avoid the rush to buy a second passing chance. Is always keeping his eyes downfield when rush or flushed and makes a lot of plays in the passing game at the last second as a result. He has a very strong, over-the-top release that at times can appear to be a bit rigid or robotic, but he consistently delivers the ball with power and good overall velocity-- particularly in the underneath and intermediate passing game. It is obvious that Hirschman has had significant drop and pocket work drill-wise and he is a polished guy. He does not play in a wide-open scheme and this offense requires him to develop timing, anticipation and rely upon footwork and progressions to be successful which will better prepare him for the collegiate level than many guys who are now playing in the spread offense. As mentioned, there are times when Hirschman's methods can be mechanical in nature and he will show some tension as a passer, but is sharp nonetheless. Overall, Hirschman possesses both the necessary tools and measurables to be a very successful pocket passer at the next level. We feel he needs to be protected to be at his finest, but he is a well-groomed guy that displays good command, leadership knowledge of the game.

Hirschman was also offered by Harvard and recieving interest from Oregon State, Stanford, Tennessee, UCLA, Arizona State, California and Oregon. There is also a video on the ESPN site.

Yahoo!Sports Max Olson broke the news of Hirschman's commitment to coach Eric Kiesau today:

“I called him (Kiesau), and he offered, and it took me all of 4 seconds to accept,” Hirschman said. “He was very excited and seemed pumped up, but there’s no way he was more excited than I was.”

“We decided that Colorado was where I wanted to be, and I was lucky enough to get an offer from them,” he said.

After a recent visit to CU’s campus, Hirschman fell for all that the Buffs had to offer.

“When I went up, I fell in love with their coaching staff, the whole atmosphere, the school and the stadium,” he said. “I loved it so much and it was really an easy decision. I’m very, very excited.”

Littleton (Colo.) Columbine athlete Danny Spond is also committed to CU and could play quarterback when he gets to Boulder. The competition doesn’t bother Hirschman.

“I don’t know what’s going on with that but I have no issue with it,” he said. “I have no probably with going out and competing for a position. I’m really excited about going to Colorado and excited that they want me to go there.”

Welcome to the Black and Gold, Nick!!!