I found this interesting as Greg Biggins, the West Region Recruiting analyst from ESPN, gave his take on a few of the bigger recruits in the region and where he thinks they will end up. It is not looking too good for the Buffs:

Markus Wheaton, 5-11, 170, WR, Chandler (Ariz.)
I'm not surprised too often in recruiting because you basically expect the unexpected. Saying that, it will be a little surprising if Wheaton ends up anywhere other than Oregon. Wheaton visited Oregon, Cal and Colorado and will trip to UCLA this coming weekend. He was raised a Ducks fan after the success of his older cousin Kenny Wheaton, a former Oregon All-American. If anyone can pull off the upset here, it's Cal but Oregon does look pretty solid.

I still think the Buffs have a better chance than Biggins thinks but with the emergence of Simmons, Darden and Jackson into the class plus the possibility of Ussery and Wright, it might not be a bad idea to write Wheaton off unless the Buffs can get him as an athlete, which is what they were initially recruiting him as.

Kevin Greene, 6-3, 220, DL, Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep. (San Francisco, Calif.)
Greene has already visited Washington State and Colorado and will check out USC and Arizona State later this month. He has already ruled out the Buffs and said he will decide among the three Pac-10 schools following his final visit. USC leads big here and I'm actually surprised he hasn't committed to the Trojans already. Greene has liked USC for some time and it moved to the top of his list the second it offered him. Look for the talented pass rusher to commit to USC either on, or shortly after, his visit there.

We knew he had been gone for a while now. He has a big jimmy for USC.

Nik Abele, 6-6, 250, OL, Irvine (Calif.)
Abele is a specimen who opened a lot of eyes at the USC Rising Stars camp in the summer. Although he didn't earn an offer from the Trojans, several other schools jumped on the bandwagon and he took visits to Colorado, Utah and Arizona State. Abele will visit UCLA this weekend and has talked about visiting Oregon State or Cal for his final visit. The last time I spoke with Abele, he said the visits were growing on him and added there's a strong chance the visit to Westwood will be his last. The Bruins have done a great job recruiting Abele and assuming he enjoys his visit, look for him to announce for UCLA shortly afterwards.

I still think Nik is gettable. He is a kid who probably likes the thing that has been freshest in his mind but he has considerably cooled on the Buffs. If Hawk wants him, I think an in-home visit would do a lot. He had this same "good feeling" about Utah after he visited there as well.

Kyle Van Noy, 6-4, 200, ATH, McQueen H.S. (Reno, Nev.)
Van Noy is one of the most versatile players in the region and could end up on either side of the ball in college. Van Noy has already visited Colorado and Arizona State and will visit BYU and UCLA in the next two weeks. I've always gotten the feeling that Van Noy wanted to stay home and play for the Cougars and that feeling has only gotten stronger in recent months. Barring something crazy happening, look for Van Noy to announce for BYU after his final visit.

Not much of a chance with Van Noy. We sort of knew that before he even officially visited the Buffs. I was shocked he actually visited. He would be a great get but it isn't going to happen.

Michael Clay, 5-11, 205, LB, Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose, Calif.)
Clay is a talented outside linebacker and reminds me a lot of former Stanford 'backer Michael Okwo. Clay tripped to Colorado and will visit his other finalist, Oregon, this coming weekend. Clay said he plans to announce his college choice January 13, which is his mother's birthday. Heading into the visit to Eugene, it sounds like the Ducks hold a slight lead and they could really seal the deal with a strong trip this weekend.

The top two is CU and Oregon but he has always liked Oregon. I bet that is where he will end up.

January 6th, 2009. A little over 28 days until February 4th; signing day. A time of hope that a few of the players brought in will lead us to the promise land. A chance to believe that so and so will allow us to play in the month of January instead of sitting at home for the off-season. This year those players have to be QB Clark Evans and the wide receiver combination of Jarrod Darden, Andre Simmons and Diante Jackson. It has been a long time since the Buffs have had a true play maker and #1 quarterback. Can Clark Evans grow into that duty? Is he the real deal? Remains to be seen but he passes the eye test for sure. And for just as long as the Buffs have waited for a prime time quarterback, Colorado has been starved for a couple of good receivers that can stretch a defense and bring credibility to a passing game that has been less than average over the past five years. January is a good month to start assessing what we do and what we don't know about this year's recruiting class and even last year's recruiting class.

Straight up, CU has its work cut out. I don't know if their will be a busier BCS conference team than the Buffs over the next 28 days. We need both quantity and quality but as the days go by, quality may start to dwindle in favor of quantity. It is a serious judgment game. Fish for marlins with not a ton of bait, you could go hungry. Hawkins has promised that he would recruit the best to come to Boulder and he did that with guys like Nick Kasa, Kyle Van Noy, Edward Nuckols, Latu Heimuli, Keenan Graham, Josh Hunter, Emory Blake, Randall Carroll and Bryce McNeal among others. But we might strike out on all of them. 10 wins will get these guys to Boulder but until then, we are finishing for marlins with not a lot of bait.

It's not always how you start but how you finish and if their has been one thing Hawkins has shown, especially last year, is that he seems to find a couple gems late i.e. Rodney Stewart. Just remember if you are getting a little nervous, say to yourself, "it's not how you start but how you end." The Buffs still would like to sign 10 - 12 players and it could grow to 14 if guys like WR Andre Simmons don't qualify or DE Nosa Eguae really is on the fence to attend Colorado. The end number was supposed to be 20 - 22 players, right now CU has 10. Worst case scenario is the Buffs need to sign a player every TWO days. Best case scenario, Hawkins and Co. need to sign a player every THREE days. That is a scary proposition.

We don't really know how important getting 22 players is right now. Would the Buffs settle for 16 - 17 with the thought that they can go to a bowl game next year and if Hawkins had his way, get to 10 wins? Personally, I think I would rather have a class of 16 - 18 kids and next year, get stronger, more immediate impact guys to join the team. Basically, hopefully the Buffs don't end up settling. Let's face it, their may be 2 - 3 guys the Buffs will sign in January that may make an impact in 2009. Hawkins has put all his eggs in this year's basket. He feels he has the players right now to win 10. If that is the case, reap the benefits next year. I think this is a good question for us to ponder.

As a perception to the public, can Hawkins afford to underachieve in recruiting? Perception is huge in the eyes of the media, fans, future recruits, boosters, etc. Is it better to sign 22 players for perception or take 16 and wait until next year to hopefully be that program on the upswing again? It will be interesting to see how "active" the Buffs get in the next 28 days.

It is clear right now that this class will not be of last year's caliber. What the coaching staff did last year was miraculous. They sold these players based on a program that was perceived to be on the "upswing." That story only works once. 

While this class might not merit a top 20 ranking, it still has a chance to be very strong. The Buffs are still on a few really good players. A great wish list would be this: DT Edward Nuckols, K Zach Grossnickle (since we had to offer him a scholarship...freaking kickers), WR Terderma Ussery, S Stan McKay or S Nathan Fellner (I think we are getting a little carried away with defensive backs in this class), TE Tracy Moore, Ath Terrell Williams, DT Adam Alaya, DE Colton Nash, DB Bradley McDougald, LB Derrick Webb, DT Semisi Tokolahi and either DT Nik Abele or DE Iuta Tepa. Defense much?

The Buffs are still in desperate need of immediate defensive tackle help. JUCO's and Edward Nuckols. The Buffs need to find guys who can play right now and contribute. The problem: the Colorado Administration makes it really hard to be successful in getting JUCO talent in. I don't envy what Hawkins has to deal with when admitting kids. I wish we could have an administration that would take athletics seriously.

The 2008 recruiting class will be Hawkins meal ticket. All of his eggs are in that basket. Youthful and talented, that class will determine, in my opinion, whether Hawkins will be around in 2010 and beyond. That is a scary thought in that many of those guys will be playing exclusively for the first time and their are still a ton of question marks. Is Darrell Scott mentally and physically the man for the job? How will guys like Jon Major, Bryce Givens, Rodney Stewart and Max Tuioti-Mariner recover from injuries? Is Tyler Hansen the answer at quarterback. Can he become the pocket passer with a little athleticism on the side to run the show?

Come on defensive linemen. Other than that I feel pretty good about the team depending on the quarterback position. Can't really do anything about that now.

It should get very exciting over the next three weeks to say the least.

Well, it wasn't the big name that everyone was hoping for but when you have a month and six day drought since the last verbal, getting any positive news is a plus. Today, via a few sources like rivals.com, the Buffs have acknowledged that Gus Hander has committed. He is projected as a guard or center at the next level. Handler is an interesting prospect in that their is a wide range of opinions on him. First of all, he only weighs 270 pounds (6'3") so he will most definitely be a red shirt prospect. Gus will fall in love with strength and conditioning coach Pittman and the CU food halls. You thought 270 was light, Hander put on a lot of weight in the off-season just to get to that size which is one reason that he is sort of under the radar.

Gus prides himself on his speed and "decent strength" but he is still very raw. You can tell he did a good job marketing himself on YouTube as he has the most videos of any prospect I have researched this year. I have put two up below, one from 2007 (first one) and one from 2008. You can see the 30 - 40 pounds that Handler put on between the years:

Just by watching some of the tapes, you can see that Gus has a pretty decent get off and is able to get engaged with his opponent rather easily. He usually makes first contact with the man he is blocking before the defender can get into him. He likes to make his initial block and then get to the next level which is always a good trait in a young lineman. Seems like a kid with some hustle in him. More of a "engage, push and bury" guy rather than a "straight decleater". That aspect of his game will come with better technique (lower pad level, less hands/more leverage) and strength. He has a weird habit where he pops up when he is assigned to a linebacker and swings his arms, completely stopping his flow and losing leverage. He will need to take lower better angles and stay low when getting to the next level especially if he is in the interior of the line where sharp, quick cuts and pulls are a must. He is not lazy which comes with a smaller more athletic type of lineman which will suit him well at the next level especially as he tries to put on weight.

The more and more I watched this kid, the more and more I liked him. Handler won't get a lot of pub but he still had a pretty good offer list and he has some strong attributes that will only be amplified with weight gain.

Scout Page - 1* / Not Rated At Position

Rivals Page - 2* / Not Rated At Position

ESPN Page - #56 Offensive Tackle - Ranks him higher than Jack Harris

Gus visited the Buffs December 5th of this year. He was also offered by NC State, Purdue and gained interest recently from Georgia Tech. Not a bad offer list

As you can see from our countdown timer on the left side of the site, signing day is 43 days away. It is truly a great day to be a sports fan as it brings new hope and the possibility of so and so player really being the next big thing. That being said, I decided to put together a chart based off of rivals.com information for ratings for all the Big 12 teams to see how the Buffs and other schools were stacking up. Of course, ratings are one man's opinion and by no means the final say but their is most definitely a reason why the USC's and Florida's of the world are at the top of the list in ratings and usually in a BCS bowl. Anyway, it is something fun to look at as we are nearing the February 4th signing day.

Right now, the Buffs have eight commits with 3* DT Nosa Egaue still a very very soft verbal and 4* WR Andre Simmons still needing to prove that he is eligible academically to attend the University of Colorado. Yes, their is still 43 days and a lot can happen over that time and a lot did happen over that time last year. Coaches can get fired, coaches can change jobs, schools can cool on a kid and the Buffs could sweep them up. But the Buffs are in a middle of a pretty big dry spell since November 16th which was the last day a recruit committed. One month and six days of really stagnant news on the recruiting front while the Buffs have watched their top two priorities, 4* WR Diante Jackson and 4* DT Edward Nuckols, either take more time to think about it and entertain other schools. The fact that Nuckols has Florida calling on him scares the ever living crap out of me. Could Florida really single handily ruin the Buffs defensive line recruiting by taking big Ed and Kasa? They certainly have the power to do so.

But I am not freaking out, nor should you. Freak out time starts Feb 4th at 10 pm. Until then, anything is possible. I mean Rodney Stewart signed on the day last year to no one's knowledge and look what he turned out to be. The Buffs still feel they have a chance at 4* WR Bryce McNeal and have their name in the hat with a few other big dogs. Do I see them landing a ton of 4*? Not really because the wins aren't there but one of the few things Hawkins and Co. have not been a disappointment in is their ability to recruit supposed highly rated players. What they did last year was pretty phenomenal. This year, don't expect a top 15 - 20 class but if Hawkins can get the "Big 2" and guys like S Stan McKay, DE Iatu Tepa, WR Terderma Ussery, one of the two Union High School guys (S Terrell Williams and TE Tracy Moore), DE Colton Nash, maybe a big DL JUCO to support the middle and hold onto Eguae and Simmons, the Buffs might find themselves in the top 30 - 35 which would be adequate. Next year is all about the development of the last two classes that Hawkins has recruited and building enough wins to recruit BIG TIME in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Defensive line and wide receiver are still a major concern. One must hope that something serious happens to the DL this offseason and one of the unknowns on the roster really blows up because right now, other than possibly Nuckols, I don't see any of the potentials or commits not red-shirting. I think Goree, Obi Cunningham, Herrod and maybe Pericak or Shields can be solid but the pass rush will probably need to come from a linebacker like Brad Jones provided and we all know that wasn't nearly good enough or committed to enough last year. At wide receiver, every Buff fan should write on their Christmas list that Simmons qualifies, Simas stay eligible and Diante Jackson signs and is ready to play. Simmons, Josh Smith and Simas are really the "X" factors, though. If the Buffs could get the trio on track and up to speed, those three guys coupled with McKnight would be a big upgrade. In a perfect world, you would love to redshirt Jackson (if we get him) and get him acclimated, as CU fans now know, highly rated recruits aren't always an immediate slam dunk. A ton of "ifs" in the last couple sentences but in 2009, the Buffs need some luck, in fact, they deserve a lot of luck after went they went through last year.

Here is where the Buffs stand compared to others in the Big 12 as of December 22nd, 2008.

According to the visit page on Rivals.com, Colorado will welcome in three recruits this weekend. Hopefully someone will be there as the campus vacates for the holiday break. The Buffs continue to recruit heavily at the safety position as the 6'0" 220 pound Nate Fellner should be considered the top visitor this weekend. Fellner is a 3* out of Fresno, California and is currently a soft verbal to Washington but with the new coaching situation going on up there, he is as good as undecided. I am trying to find a video that I can post in here but this kid flies around and smacks people. Have you read a more glaringly strong review than what ESPN recruiting says about him?:

Defensively he can dish it out; just as physical on defense as on offense. Very hard hitter that jars the ball carrier the way he tackles; explodes through the offensive man with power and leg drive. A solid pass defender that has excellent timing when breaking on the pass. There aren't many things Fellner can't do on the gridiron. One of the most talented and versatile athletes in the 2009 class. A tough and agile player that has a motor that doesn't quit.

Sounds like Fellner (pictured to the right) could be a linebacker (with the addition of some weight) or a safety at the next level but whatever he is, it looks like he will bring some pop to a defensive team and conference that is rather soft defensively. ESPN ranks him as the #87 ranked safety and rivals ranks him #54. The only thing that I can see lacking is he "looks" more quick than he is fast (still listed at running a 4.57) and their isn't a ton of video of him in coverage so that is an unknown. But in terms of bringing intensity to the defensive side of the ball, it is visible that he can do that. Along with Colorado and Washington, Fellner is also considering Arizona State and Arizona.

The other two prospects in town this weekend are 3* RB Carl Winston and 3* JUCO OT David Lazenby. Winston is in the mold of a Rodney Stewart weighing only 189 pounds on a 5'8" frame. He doesn't have Stewart's speed, though. Winston's offer list isn't extremely strong either with only Washington State and San Jose State giving him a scholly but most of the mid tier PAC 10 schools are talking to him. I can't find any other way to describe him other than a little bit slower Stewart. He has a very high interest in CU and could be a commit after this weekend. Do we need him? I don't know. Good player but our depth at running back makes this selection a little bit of a head scratcher unless the coaches see the possibility to move him to another position.

Their isn't a ton of information on the 6'5" 290 pound OT David Lazenby. The Buffs look to be his only offer although he is considering Michigan State, UAB, Kansas, Texas Christian and Purdue. Lazenby is currently playing at Fort Scott C.C. and is scheduled to graduate in December which would be a plus if he qualified academically so that he can begin winter and spring drills with the Buffs.

I wouldn't be surprised if either Winston or Lazenby committed to the Buffs but Fellner is the gem of this weekend's visits.The Buffs are still looking to sign anywhere between 12 and 15 players to get their class up to 20 - 22 total.

I am still waiting on those defensive lineman visits! Today, DT 4* DeAndre Coleman, a former Washington commit, changed his mind and decided on Cal. The Buffs were supposed to be in Coleman's top 5 even though they didn't have much of a shot when it was all said and done. Hopefully, we can get Fellner to decommit from Washington this weekend.

You, the readers wanted to know more about DT Edward Nuckols, who as of yesterday sent a little bit of a shockwave down Colorado's back. That news was Arizona has now entered the big man's list and in a big fashion. The scary factor is that now Florida has also entered the mix and obviously Nuckols is listening. Meyer and Co. haven't really put the full court press on Nuckols yet so that could be a new development in the month of January.

Before yesterday, though, Nuckols was thought to be all Colorado. He even thought about committing to the Buffs on his official visit the weekend of the Texas game. This is what Nuckols said based on his conversation with Greg Biggins of ESPN:

Although his coach hinted about a possible commitment, defensive lineman Edward Nuckols (San Marcos, Calif.) had yet to pull the trigger as of late Sunday night.

"I thought about it but I'm not ready to make a decision yet," Nuckols said. "I want to think about this more and make sure I don't make an emotional decision."

As of November 18th on this Scout.com headline, Nuckols still said his top choice was Colorado. Like Diante Jackson, now Nuckols has sat on the Buffs and for whatever reason, Nuckols is answering to other suitors and CU has seemed to fallen off the rock a little.

Bill Conley of ESPN wrote that Nuckols was a sleeper in the California recruiting scene:

At 6-foot-2, 290 pounds, Nuckols is a short, compact lineman with a powerful lower body. He gets a great push at the line of scrimmage and creates havoc in opposing offensive backfields. Nuckols displays surprisingly nimble feet and is quick in a limited area.

He is no longer a sleeper with Florida calling on him.

Enough with the actual gossip game that is going on with Nuckols "favorites" on the recruiting scene, how about the player himself. Nuckols is a rare blend of strength, size and agility. Yes, their is room for technique improvement but any time a coach allows a 290 pound defensive lineman to carry the ball on offensive situations, you know you have an athlete. He has had more than seven offensive touchdowns as a back. Here is what I said about Nuckols when he came on his recruiting visit against Texas.

Commentary on Nuckols: Probably one of my favorite recruits for the Colorado Buffaloes this cycle. I think this kid has great potential. As ESPN says "He is an athlete trapped in a big man's body." Nuckols is nimble enough to line up at running back in goal line situations which is always impressive for a big guy. Of course, a common criticism of all big men is keeping his pad level down but like I always say, that is something that can be taught be a good positional coach in college. ESPN has him ranked as the 12th best DT prospect while Rivals has him at 25. You can tell this kid is strong and has the ability to be very distruptive. Getting Nuckols and Kasa in this years class would go a long way in adding strength and speed to a rather non-impact defensive line currently at CU.

It is that "bowling ball" shape to Nuckols that makes him special. The low center of gravity makes up for some of his shortfall in pad level. Definitely what seperates Nuckols from other big pluggers in the middle is his athletic ability. Sort of like a Warren Sapp, he is just a run stopper but can play a role in getting pressure on the quarterback; something the Buffs absolutely need.

Edward Nuckols' Key Statistics:
Rivals Star Rating - ****
Defensive Lineman - San Marcos, CA - Mission Hills High School
ESPN - 12th Best DL, Rivals -  25th Best DL, Scout - 31st Best DL
Recruiting Sites: Rivals - Scout - ESPN.com
Measurables: 6'2" 290lbs 5.1 forty time
Other offers - Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, USC, Colorado, San Diego State, Minnesota

3* DE/OL Nik Abele Also On The Fence After Visit To ASU

Well, after learning that CU wasn't the slam dunk choice for WR Diante Jackson last week in our interview to now finding out that 4* DT Edward Nuckols may like Arizona more than CU plus Florida is now in the running, things are not looking good for the Buffs. I am officially worried about the future. Today marks the day. These are two must get guys in my book and right now, it is up in the air to a point that getting one might be the best case scenario.

Here is what Nuckols told Greg Biggens at ESPN.com:

"The academic support is very appealing at Arizona. I got a real nice campus tour and I really like the football facilities. The visit to Colorado was great too but I actually felt more comfortable at Arizona and that is a big deal for me."

Nuckols doesn't have any other visits lined up but has been talking to one of the nation's true heavyweight programs from SEC country.

"Florida has started to show a lot of interest in me," Nuckols said. "They want to come out for a home visit in January and then want me to trip out there later in the month. That's definitely appealing to me.

"I had a home visit from Arizona Saturday night. Coach Hammerschmidt and Tuiasosopo came in and that went real well. Coach Bandison from Colorado is coming over this Thursday. I'm no longer talking with ASU so it's basically these three schools right now."

As for Abele, here is what he said after his visit to ASU:

"I loved it there, Tempe is a very cool city," Abele said. "There is so much to do there and I really liked the city a lot. Colorado is cool but kind of laid back. ASU is a lot more lively and there is a lot going on.

"I also like the location a little better. If I was at ASU, my family would be able to come and see me play a lot easier than if I was at Colorado. I mean, they could still see me if I was at CU but ASU is a lot closer obviously."

We asked if ASU was now the team to beat but Abele said he wouldn't go that far.

"I don't really have a favorite right now, I would put those schools as pretty equal," Abele said. "I liked different things about each of them and until I take all my trips, I really can't say I have a leader.

"I'm going to Utah next weekend (Dec. 19) and I set up my visit with UCLA for (Jan. 9). I've also had home visits with Utah, Cal, Colorado and ASU and I think UCLA will be coming this week."

My question is why aren't the coaches selling these kids of the academic support that CU has? That is the second week in a row that a recruit pinned academic support as a positive of the other school. To lose a recruit of this caliber to Arizona of all places because of academic support would be ridiculous.

Hopefully Coach Hawkins is not settling on letting position coaches just go into these kid's homes. We know he hasn't been to Jackson's house yet. Hopefully that will get scheduled in the next two weeks

Defensive lineman should be the only players we recruit from here on out.

Got any questions you would like to ask him? Pretty pumped about this one so feed me some good questions.

via imgs.sfgate.com

So scout and rivals haven't really confirmed it but just going by this kid's myspace page, I think it's safe to assume that he will be a Buff:

McKay looks like a pretty strong talent even though he is flying under the radar with the recruiting sites and this time I am a little confused. Look at his measurables:

Ht: 6-foot-2
Wt: 200 lbs
Forty: 4.52 secs
Bench max: 250 pounds
Squat max: 450 pounds
Vertical: 40 inches

I guess he played behind two studs last year at Long Beach Poly. He has great size and is one of the possible recruits I would be most excited to have. Here is his highlight video.

McKay has also got looks from Hawaii, UCLA, Oregon and Arizona. Rivals says that he has all the tools you could want in a safety: a hard hitting, rangy, ball hawking safety who is very good in space and is a good open field tackler.

Plus, how bad do you want to say the name Stanjarivus McKay! Pretty sweet name if you ask me.

I will try and get an interview with him.

I first heard of Nik Abele about two weeks before the Iowa State game. You look at his rivals picture, which is only a head shot, and you know the kid is built. Not until the Iowa State game when I saw him in person did I know that he was massive. I never thought I would say what I said that day: "That Nik Abele kid is bigger than Nick Kasa both in height and bulk." Although Abele will probably need to add some size to his frame, he has all of the intangibles to be a strong player. The first thing I read about Abele was this from rivals:

The biggest surprise of the camp's first day was Irvine, Calif., defensive end Nik Abele. The 6-foot-6, 225-pounder has become a hot target with college coaches lately, but he is still unknown on the national scene. That could change if he keeps dominating this summer like he did Wednesday. Displaying a strong but still lean frame, Abele has amazing building blocks to work with in that department. He also has a good motor and had a very nice day in the one-on-ones. He also got some special attention from the USC coaches for his efforts.

His stock has been on the rise ever since. Luckily for us, Abele became a member of the Ralphie Report and of course we emailed to see if he would give us some insight into how he was feeling about his game, the recruiting process and Colorado.

Right now, Abele hasn't taken any other visits since his Colorado trip and he currently does not have any scheduled. He doesn't know of a future timetable yet but he did say that "CU is probably number 1 right now (for his signature) because they're the only school I've visited so far." When asked about what differs from the Colorado coaches compared to the other coaches he has talked to, Abele said that "I felt like the coaches were more like family than coaches, which is pretty cool." This seems to be a common answer among all the recruits who visit Colorado. The words "tight knit family", "more than teammates" and "caring coaches" are frequently used to describe the program and how it differs from others.

From Nik's playing style and pictures, you can tell he has a little extreme sports in him which is another reason attending school in the state of Colorado appeals to him: "Their is snowboarding 30 minutes away and their is riding for dirtbikes all around."

Like most recruits, he finds that "the recruiting process kind of gets annoying once in awhile because of all the phone calls I have received." He added that he will be excited for the process to conclude so he can get on with his decision and the rest of his senior year. You watch the films of Abele and you notice his motor and tenacity. He agrees that his biggest attributes are his" hard work (ethic) and strength" but admits to "need(ing) to improve (his) speed" to be successful at the next level. 

On one of his pre-camp videos, Nik was seen playing defensive line exclusively. He is listed as a offensive tackle at the next level but we were surprised at how good of a "get off" Nik had on film against big time offensive lineman. When asked about schools recruiting him to play defense as well, he said "SDSU and ASU said I could play defense if I wanted to, as well as CU but, yes, most the schools are recruiting me for offensive line."  But Nik does have a big interest in possibly suiting up on the defensive side of the ball which could be a good option for the Buffs considering his motor as well as the possible depth issues that may reveal it's ugly head next year for the Buffs.

Thanks for the interview Nik and we look forward to hopefully seeing you wear the Gold and Black next year! We feel the Buffs have a good young core that will only be enhanced by your presence in Boulder!