Wednesday Buff Bites

In case you didn't read it last night, I attended practice last night. The defense really dominated, nothing that should cause too much concern yet but it was sure wasn't pretty. The back eight of the defense should be special this year with the only question mark being the safeties and still that is just because they are young. The linebackers are dirty. You can find the report here.

Like we assumed yesterday based on the comments made prior to his departure, Chance Blackmon's decision to leave the program shocked wide receiver coach Kiesau.

"It's just an unfortunate family situation where he feels like he's got to go home and fix it," Kiesau said. "My heart is broken for him. ... It was an absolute shock. He just walked into our office and was like, 'Boom.' It was an absolute bombshell.

"That's what's hard about it. He made this rash decision and you try to talk them through it, but sometimes they don't have the maturity to or the experience in life to see the bigger picture."

Ridgell of the Longmont Times tracked Blackmon down:

Blackmon said Tuesday he plans to transfer to another school, but he's not sure which one.

"I just need to be closer to home," Blackmon said. "I got released (from his scholarship), so I'm going to transfer." Asked why he needs to be closer to home, Blackmon answered, "Family problems."

Kyle Ringo reports that Mullen DB Mario Conte will walk-on as a wide receiver next year for the Buffs. We have known about this for a month or so from this site. Conte received offers from many Ivy League schools. Conte is 5'11" 180 pounds.

A good story from Ryan Thornburn at the BDC about new Buff basketball commit, G Shannon Sharpe. We are also setting up an interview with Sharpe. As for what Sharpe says he brings:

"What I bring to the table is I like to play defense and I’m very athletic," said Sharpe, whose above-the-rim antics have made him a Youtube legend among Buff diehards since news broke of his decision to attend CU. "The thing I need to work on is a consistent outside shot, but it’s not a weakness."

CUBUFFS.com has some good interviews on the "spring practice HQ." Yesterday, Josh Smith, Scotty McKnight and Jimmy Smith interviewed eachother. They also have some pretty sweet pictures available here.

Patrick Ridgell of the Longmont Times says G Max Tuioti-Mariner remains optimistic that he will recover from this injury. Coach Hawkins expects him to ready in September, whether he will compete at a high level is still in question. MTM tore his third ACL in the last three years, the latest one in non-contact drills.