The Colorado Buffaloes have already won a battle against the Colorado St. Rams this week, hopefully it repeats itself on Sunday. Smithson Valley (Texas) cornerback Zach Craig has pledge his commitment to the Buffs' 2010 recruiting class, according to rivals.com's CU commitment player page, making him the 5th verbal of the cycle and the first defensive player. Cornerback will certainly be a need as this season comes to an end with Cha'pelle Brown and Ben Burney graduating.
Craig has strong measurables checking in at 6'2" while listed as running a 4.4 forty. Plus it is always good to get recruits from Texas. Although the offer list only consisted of Colorado, Colorado State, Baylor and Texas-San Antonio, Craig also had interest from Oklahoma State, Kansas and Kansas State. Rivals.com ranks him as a three star prospect.
Craig led his high school team with four interceptions a year ago. He also runs track, finishing first in many 110 meter hurdle competitions. According to 5ATexasFootball.com, Craig's high school is one of the best in the state of Texas:
Consistency is an art that all programs strive for, but few are able to master. Smithson Valley is one of the modern standards. The lack of a state championship win hurts Smithson Valley’s argument in the dynasty debate, but there’s absolutely no denying what this program has accomplished in the last decade. Last year, the Rangers captured their fourth Region 4 crown in seven 5A seasons. Smithson Valley has five region championships this decade including their last 4A season in 2001. Only Katy and Southlake Carroll have won more in that time span.
The site ranks Smithson Valley as the #17 team in the class with a key returner being Craig:
Senior cornerback Zach Craig (6’2 180 4.5) earned second team All-Distrct honors after recording 83 tackles and four interceptions.
At the prestigous Ultimate100Camp for the top prospects in the nation, Craig was ranked as the fifth best defensive back at the event, a distinctive honor for such a well attended national workout.
Below is a video of Zach Craig and here is from video on ESPN.com. Hard to see in most cases, it still shows his speed and ability to come up and make tackles. He will need to add some weight, coming in at 175 pounds but with his 6'2" frame, that shouldn't be a problem. Welcome to our newest Buff!