Colorado University Athletics
Signing Day Quotes
BOULDER?University of Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins held a press conference at the Dal Ward Athletic Center Wednesday afternoon to discuss the 2008 recruiting class. The following are quotes from the session:
Head Coach Dan Hawkins
OPENING STATEMENT?“We have posted the best team GPA in the last ten years of Colorado Football. We have graduated almost 100 percent of our seniors, and I feel really good about that. We have done a nice job on our APR. Nearly every guy in our program has done over four hours of community service. We are moving in the right direction and doing some positive things. I really feel good about our football team. I think we are having the best off-season that we have ever had. Having the indoor facility allows us to go out there and do football things even with the snow on the ground. I am very proud of those guys.
“I always get asked the question, ?Who is the best guy in class?’ and I say the walk-on guy who plays with a chip on their shoulder. We have put a number of walk-ons on scholarship, and they have become a huge part of this program.
“The last two years we have signed guys from 15 different states. One of the good things about being at the
“As we get to the class specifically, people always ask me to grade it. I am one of those guys who always says “Let’s wait three years and see how it goes.’ Obviously there is a lot of attention on a few guys. I feel very good about what we did in the state of
“I am a guy who always believes that things start in the trenches, and we did a great job there on the O-line. We still have some room in our class; we are about two scholarships short of what we could possibly give, and to be honest with you I always like it like that. We had a guy who played for us at
“I am all about the fit; as you media guys get to know them (recruits) and be around them, they smile a lot, they are very engaging, they have a positive vibe to them and they come from great families. Nearly half of this class were scholar athletes, almost half of this class were team captains and almost half of them were on state championship teams. That’s kind of the mode I’ve always worked in.
“So many times people ask me what my sales pitch is. I don’t really have one. I tell them what we’re about, what we’re doing. We are trying to attract the kind of guys that will fit in here, they guys that we want?and if that fits with what their needs and wants are then it’s good.
“Clearly our staff has done an awesome job. These guys work tirelessly and efficiently. All of our [operations] guys at home, they do a great job with visits and setting things up. Everybody has been tremendously awesome about helping. It’s a full-throttle effort; you’ve got to dot all of your I’s, and cross all of your T’s and I think our people have done that. I would say good things happen to good people, and if you work hard and do things right good things happen.”
ON WHETHER THIS WAS HIS BEST RECRUITING CLASS TO DATE?“We’ll see, there was a team on Sunday that on paper was supposed to win the Super Bowl and they didn’t. My old coach told me you win achievers and lose with potential. Clearly there is unbelievable potential there. It will probably be the walk-on that nobody cares about that comes in here and tears it up, and I always leave the door open for that.”
ON GETTING TB DARRELL SCOTT?““We felt like we have a good chance. Clearly we felt like we had some ties there that would help us. But you just never really know, you don’t. All you do is give it your best shot and if it happens it’s meant to be. It’s interesting because in one of my conversations with Darrell?I always rely on a little Divine Intervention, and I was reading (Duke basketball coach) Mike Krzyzewski?one of his books?and Coach Krzyzewski talked about in his third year when they were still an under-.500 team. Johnny Dawkins was kind of his first big-time recruit. And he was telling Johnny that he just needed to believe in him, that he knew what he was doing and that he was going to get it done. Johnny Dawkins kind of started that whole run for him and that’s kind of what I told Darrell. I said “Everybody’s got to start somewhere, and I need you to believe in me and I need you to trust me and we’ve been used to winning and doing things right.’ But it was a lot of work by our whole staff and everybody to really show him what we are about.
“We were pretty fired up. We were fired up with all of them. There are obviously a couple of other great running backs in this class. Ray Polk is a great player, he’s a great kid and he’s going to have something to say. And Rodney Stewart, when you see him on film the guy is a blur. He had a ton of runs over 70 yards and he was a great return guy. But we’re excited about Darrell. Obviously he’s a big-time player. We watched the ESPN thing like you guys did. My overwhelming emotion was probably just for all of the Buff fans out there when he picks up that hat and puts it on his head?there is one of the best players in the country and he’s got Ralphie on his head. That’s big time.
ON RECRUITING THE STATE OF COLORADO?“We’ve done a great job, there is no question about it. I’m excited about all of the guys that we have, their talent and their abilities and, again, the type of kids that they are. We’re continuing to develop relationships with the best kids and best students and players in the state, and that means a lot to us. That being said, I think we have a certain style, and I’m not saying that is necessarily right for everybody. We have certain demands and standards we want and are looking for and it doesn’t mean I’m God’s gift to coaching, I’m sure there are kids who decide I’m not all that and that is okay too. I’m really, really fired up about the kids that we have, no doubt about it.”
GENERAL?“Good players want to play for good teams and good players want to play with good players. We’re all like that, but when you go out and start a company or go out and start a football team, you have to build a close relationship with those around you and then spread that. The rich get richer?as you prove that you have a viable product, you start winning, kids start graduating and have a positive experience then people start getting fired up about what you’re doing it becomes that much easier to get in that next door because you have that reputation about the way that you operate.”
ON WR JOSH SMITH’S RECRUITMENT?“I told Josh this and this is the straight up honest truth. Hagan can tell you this, I told Josh ?I don’t know what is going to happen with Darrell, but I want you to know that I recruited you because of you.’ Hagan will tell you, he was the first person I saw on the tape?we were looking at a few other seniors that they had on the team and I walked down the hall to Hagan and I said ?who is No. 1?’ I wanted him as a corner. I loved the kid, I thought he was a great player and I loved him when he came on his trip. It wasn’t until a week or so later that Hagan told me that he is related to the tailback. I was not recruiting Josh to get Darrell. To some degree, Josh wanted Darrell to make a decision on his own and I respect that.”
ON HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS TO RECRUIT DARRELL SCOTT?“Well it was interesting, there were different periods that went on there. It was a battle; it was a battle certainly as we went down the stretch. No, it wasn’t the most difficult battle I’ve had, there were other guys too, there were. Again, I think it all works out like it is supposed to, I really believe that. If you do your due diligence and you present yourself properly and correctly than those kids that understand what you’re about will feel that it’s the right place and those who don’t will fall away.”
ON HOW DARRELL SCOUT ANNOUNCED?“To be quite honest with you I was quite happy with how it all played out. You know, I think people will say ?Look at these kids they are doing all this,’ and you know they don’t think of all that stuff on their own. Somebody usually coaxes them into doing that or let’s have this or let’s do this and isn’t this going to be exciting and all of that. I think that can be very difficult on some of them, but again I thought he was very humble in the process and he presented himself as such. People have asked me and again I like Darrell Scott as a person and if he wasn’t the second best player in the country I’d want him on our team because he’s not a big-headed kid at all. When he gets here you’ll see, he’s like Josh (Smith) he always has a smile on his face. He’s not a big ego guy by any means.”
ON HOW HIS STAFF RECRUITS?“We don’t bend the rules and we don’t bend ethics. We were in on a kid that we ended up not getting and it was between us and a few other schools and I spent a lot of the home visit talking about how great these guys are on another staff and what a great school it is. And his mom asked ?well why shouldn’t he just go there?’ and I said well you know, he can. Part of it is like shopping, you have one car, another car, they are both good cars. You sit in one, one you like, you don’t know why. But I don’t like getting into that whole thing because we try to present ourselves in a moral, ethical way. I tell kids all the time, I am about trying to help kids ascertain what it is that they want and they need and explaining what we are and is there a fit there. I’ve said many years, and I learned this from when I was a high school coach. In recruiting, what happens is guys get into I’m a better coach and we’re a better football program and we’re a better school?they’re all different. They all have pluses and minuses, I try to help explain all those things and see what they want there. I mean hey, there is snow on the ground right now; when you’re in
GEBNERAL?“We go for the best possible guys that we can get and we’re not afraid to shoot for the very best people. All of those very top players we took a lot of shots at trying to get in the door. That’s fun. The other thing that’s fun is being able to fly to all these places. It’s great seeing different towns and different high schools. That’s always an exciting part.
“The interesting thing about these guys these days is they are so much more tapped in. They all sort of know each other. They talk to each other, they’ve been to a camp, they went to a junior day, they went to some function. They have been on Facebook talking to each other. The whole world is so much smaller that it’s just different than it was even 10 years ago.”
ON THE STATE OF THE PROGRAM?“We are going to have a group of guys who have been with us for three years and know what to expect. Coach (Jeff) Pitman will tell you that just the workout sand everything?way better. Ryan Walters will tell you that it’s never been better. It’s never been better than it is right now today in terms of what the guys are doing and how they are working. That’s just part of continuity and consistency.”
ON GETTING DARRELL SCOTT AND RAY POLK?“We told ray about Darrell a long time ago and Ray was great with it. Darrell was awesome too. I think they both know that you’ve got to compete. The other thing too is I know it’s always seems popular to be the back and carry it 35 times a game, but nobody can do that. It’s too hard. It’s too hard on your body and it’s too hard through your career. I think any great backfield has a number of guys that compliment each other so you can keep your body fresh, and both of them can still be productive and still do what you want to do. Every quarterback wants to drop back and throw it every down, but it’s hard to do that...you better be able to turn around and hand it to somebody that can do something with it.”
Linebackers Coach Brian Cabral
ON LB JON MAJOR?“I’m very excited that Jon chose to come to CU, especially with him being an in-state guy. It is great to have a linebacker of his caliber coming from in the state, and he has the ability to come in and play right away. I have high expectations for him, but he has high expectations for himself. It’s exciting because he is going to come in and play right away for the Buffs next year.”
ON LB LYNN KATOA?“
ON LB SHAUN MOHLER?“I’m very excited to get Shaun in here, he was a Junior College All-American and he can come in and help us right away. I’m real excited about him and the class in general. In particular, he played at a level higher than high school and he can come in and without a doubt help us right away.”
ON THE LINEBACKING CLASS?“I’m very excited for this particular class in general. The linebackers coming in are incredible and I have never been more excited for a group of incoming recruits then I am for this class. They are coming into a position of need for us and they are very talented and an overall great group of kids. I can not wait to get started working with them.”
Secondary Coach Greg Brown
ON S VINCE EWING?“Vince is a heads up guy and a very heady player. He is instinctive and comes from a championship program. He’s a great open-field tackler, he really fits in with our team and I am really looking for great things from Vince.”
ON DB STEVEN HICKS?“Steven is an exciting prospect from
ON S PATRICK MAHNKE?“Pat, he’s a kid from right down the road here. We had him in some of our camps, so out of the three guys we signed in the secondary we know the most about him. He is a terrific athlete, has good size and can run very well. Much like Vince (
Defensive Line Coach Romeo Bandison
ON DL CURTIS CUNNINGHAM?“We think that he is the kind of guy who can come in and help us early. He has a great motor; he plays fast all the time. He’s a very smart guy and a great student, which will help him understand the defense. Because he is so smart and always going 100 mph he will figure things out fast and guys like him find their way on to the field early because they figure things out quickly. I expect great things from him, he’s a great kid and I look forward to working with him.”
Tight Ends/Special Teams Coach Kent Riddle
ON TE RYAN WALLACE?“I love his mindset, he knows coming in that we aren’t deep at tight end and he’ll have the opportunity to play. He’s the son of a coach, he’s a very smart player, has great technique, he can run, he can catch and he can make plays. Ryan comes from a very successful program and knows what it takes to improve as a player and a team. He has an opportunity to play early but a lot of it will come down to how fast he learns our system.”
ON TE RYAN DEEHAN?“Ryan is a big, physical and well-developed kid. He comes from a great program, they won the
ON ATH PAUL VIGO?“He is a big, physical, tough guy who can run. He has sprinter speed, a great body and comes from a great program. His team won the state championship his junior year, played in the state championship his sophomore year and lost in the playoffs his senior year. He’s very versatile and can do a lot of things, he’s going to be a big fast guy that is going to help us a ton. Right now he is projected to play defensive back but he may move to linebacker down the road. He really knows how to work, he really gets after it and knows what it takes to be successful?he understands the importance of the off-season and how to improve during it.”
Offensive Line Coach Jeff Grimes
ON OL RYAN DANNEWITZ?“All of these guys are good players, that is why we recruited them. In particularly with Ryan, we got to know him well because he came out to one of our camps. He comes in with two things you can’t change, and that is size and flexibility. You can make guys stronger and you can make guys a little quicker, but you can’t make someone taller or longer. He’s in the neighborhood of 6’5” and 280-285 pounds and he has a lot of room for growth. He’s very smart, he has good grades and he has some flexibility in what we want to use him at tackle or guard. He was the captain of his football team which says a lot to me because it takes a lot for an offensive lineman to be named a captain. He was ranked the fifth best offensive lineman in California, and rating don’t mean a lot but we had a lot of competition getting him because a lot of other teams thought highly of him as well. He’s the right kind of kid and we’re happy to get him.”
ON OT BRYCE GIVENS?“Bryce is a kid I worked a long time on getting and worked really hard to get. He was one of the first guys I heard about when I got here a year ago, and he was initially committed to
ON OG MAX TUIOTI-MARINER?“Max is a guy that we are thrilled to have. He didn’t play a single down his senior year because he tore his ACL before the season and he is still ranked as the seventh best guard in the country. Just like Bryce at the offensive tackle position Max is the prototypical guard. He’s not as tall, he’s really thick and has excellent strength. He’s a great drive blocker and has the mentality that I’m talking about. He has a lot of drive, he’s not just trying to block someone he is trying to punish them. He’s a great guy for us to get, I really recruited him hard and for a long time. We really had to battle for Max because he’s tremendously talented and I’m excited to get him out here.”
ON THIS YEAR’S RECRUITING CLASS?“I’m excited about our entire recruiting class, especially the running backs. As an offensive line coach, great running backs make your job a lot easier and really help the offensive line. Darrell Scott is a great player and talent and he is deserving of every honor he has received but the other two are really impressive as well. All three of the guys bring a lot to the table and unique things to the table. Like Coach Hawk said you can’t have just one running back, you have to have depth and we have depth at that position now. I’m really excited to see the linebackers as well, Coach Cabral did a great job putting together an amazing class and we brought in some really talented guys. Top to bottom this is the best class I have been a part of; they aren’t just great athletes they are good kids and they have the right mindset. They are coming in with a blue collar mentality and ready to work.”
ON THE PROGRESS OF THE OFFENSIVE LINE?“You can’t rebuild an offensive line in one year, and we were really decimated at the position when I arrived. We only had five guys who were healthy when I got here and we signed eight offensive linemen last year but you can’t rebuild an offensive line in one year. It takes three to four years to rebuild the position, get the right guys and get the depth you need. You have to be able to put five guys out there who are capable and on the same page on every play. The progress we are making is great and I’m really excited about the direction we’re headed in. We’re still playing a lot of young guys but we’re definitely moving in the right direction.”
Wide Receivers Coach Eric Keisau
ON WR CHANCE BLACKMON?“Chance is a taller, slender, speed guy and he is coming from a very good football program. They have won two of the last three state championships, he had over 40 wins in high school and he is just a winner and understands what it takes to win. He is very elusive and has the size we wanted, he’s a bigger guy?about 6’3”. He’s really raw, he’ll need to come in here and work and continue to develop, but I’m excited for him and expect big things from him in the future. He’s a really good fit for our team and is really going to fit in well on this team. We’re still building the group, we have a young core and I’m excited for the future.”
Running Backs Coach Darian Hagan
ON TB RODNEY STEWART?“Rodney brings instant credibility to our return game. He is going to be a fan favorite here, he’s lighting in a bottle. He’s fast and he runs with power for his size. I definitely think he is going to start in our return game immediately. I see him doing some great things here and really being a fun player to watch.”
ON TB RAY POLK?“I think that right now our fans are a little unappreciative of what he brings to the table because of Darrell Scott. Ray doesn’t take a back seat to anyone; he’s big, he’s fast and he is going to play a long time in the NFL. When it is all said and done he and Darrell Scott are going to break a lot of records here and are going to go down as two of the best to ever play for the
ON TB DARRELL SCOTT?“When I look at Darrell, he brings instant credibility to CU. He is an absolutely awesome person and if possible he’s an even better football player. His combination of size, speed, strength and vision are on a level that we have never had here at
ON LB DOUG RIPPY?“Doug is a kid that I recruited out of