Monday Grab Bag: More roster shakeup in football

So, the good news from last week was that I got a new job!  The bad news?  Well, I'm not yet sure how it will affect my ability to keep up with this blog.  I'm hopeful that I'll still have time during winter evenings to rumble and diatribe my way through all things CU hoops, but I just don't know for sure.

What I do know is that AllBuffs and Twitter are blocked at my new office, leaving me awkwardly disconnected during the day.  I'm essentially operating with one arm tied behind my back, and will no longer be able to keep up with breaking news, such as this from last week.  Probably for the best, anyways.

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Today in the bag, I'm talking roster fluctuation in football, a bonanza of recruiting information in basketball, and a Lefty stunner in the British Open.

Click below for the bag...


Comings and goings in football - 

'They' say the offseason is never boring, and the Colorado Buffaloes are trying to prove 'them' right.  It's been a summer of fluctuation up on the hill, and the beat rolled on with a trio of roster moves over the past week.

First up, Mike MacIntyre seems to be having some trouble keeping quarterbacks on his depth chart.  Early last week, news broke that backup QB Shane Dillon is transferring out of the program in order to pursue, of all things, basketball.  Following closely on the heels of the Dillon news was another gut-punch to QB depth, as it was announced that walk-on slinger John Schrock has decided to drop football in order to focus on academics.

Schrock is just the latest departure from the QB corps.  From: the BDC.

With both Dillon and Schrock jumping ship, CU is now down a total of four QBs this offseason, having lost Nick Hirschman and Jordan Webb earlier in the year.  Change was to be expected, with a glut of quarterbacks on the spring roster, and a new offensive scheme in the works, but it's alarming to note the mass exodus from under center.  The Buffs will just have to make due with Connor Wood this season, as his backups (the forgotten Stevie Joe Dormon, JuCo transfer Jordan Gehrke, and freshman Sefo Liufau) are the very definition of untested.

On the plus side, the team did pick up a high profile transfer on the defensive side of the ball.  Deaysean Rippy, cousin of former CU linebacker Doug Rippy, has reportedly decided to move to Colorado from Pittsburgh.  Deaysean, a 4-star LB prospect from the 2012 recruiting class, was rumored to be leaning towards coming to CU out of high school, but was turned down by then coach Jon Embree. Looking for a new school this summer, he found Mike MacIntyre to be much more receptive than his predecessor.

Rippy could be a nice addition, come 2014.

Assuming the deal is finalized, Rippy will have three years to play three after sitting out this coming season due to transfer rules.  Welcome aboard, Deaysean!


The recruiting trail heats up for Tad Boyle and crew -

While the basketball team marks time as the calendar slowly creeps towards fall, the coaching staff has been hitting the recruiting trail hard to find the next generation of CU stars.  Most of the staff was in Los Angeles this weekend, checking out high profile summer tournaments like the Double Pump Best of Summer.

Knowing that, where Tad Boyle goes, news is sure to follow, BuffStampede.com sent a pair of writers, Will Whelan and Ryan Koenigsberg, out to the left coast to keep an eye on things.  Their reports have been an invaluable source of information, allowing an exclusive window into the world of high profile basketball recruiting.  (Hint, you should be following them on twitter)

Of most interest to BuffNation were updates on Thomas Welsh and Jeremy Hemsley.  Welsh may be the 2014 big man that CU has been looking for, and Hemsley is a 2015 combo guard prospect who has drawn interest from major programs like UCONN, San Diego St, and New Mexico.  Either would look great in a CU uniform.

CU needs a big man, and Welsh could be the guy.  From: Rivals.com

With LA now in the rear-view, both the coaching staff and the BuffStampede crew is heading to watch tournaments in Las Vegas, where I'm sure they'll make time for at least some basketball.


Lefty carves up back nine to win British Open - 

It was a stunning Sunday in Gullane, Scotland, with historic Muirfield playing host to a otherworldly comeback from Phil Mickelson.  Lefty was expected to be an also-ran headed into Sunday, with leaders like Lee Westwood and Tiger Woods the odds-on favorites to lift the hallowed Claret Jug.  However, after a blistering run of four birdies over the final six holes, it was Mickelson who shot past the field to win his first British Open, finishing an incredible three shots clear of his befuddled competitors.  Soaking up the victory, Mickelson would later call it the 'round of my life.'

The win is nice, but think of the taxes, Phil!  From: SBNation.

I know I had completely forgotten about Phil, who had come up just short at last month's US Open, and I sat in stunned silence as he carved up the back nine.  I won't call it miraculous, but his run seemed to come out of nowhere.  With the rest of the field just hoping to come home clean, Phil's 66 was an emphatic statement that he deserved the win.


Happy Monday!