Buffs DE Carrell Has Special Motivation For Upcoming Year
June 30, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
CU senior dedicates season to his late father
BOULDER — Throughout the offseason, Colorado defensive end Jordan Carrell has had a renewed sense of dedication, a deepened sense of drive.
He's added more than 10 pounds of muscle to his frame, and now tips the scales at 300 pounds. He's improved his explosiveness, improved his speed and improved his weightlifting totals.
He has had, by all measures, a very solid offseason.
But he hasn't done it alone. Carrelly firmly believes that through every practice, every drill, every lift, every rep, he has had the help of his late father, Lawrence Carrell.
Carrell's father passed away in late April. It's been a difficult journey for the CU senior, but he has also found a way to gather strength from the experience.
"Everything I do, I do for him," Carrell said. "He was my biggest fan. I've gotten stronger, faster — everything — and every rep, I think about him. He was so proud of me that I got to this point and I really believe he's with me every step of the way now."
Carrell said he will dedicate the upcoming season to his father — and if it all goes as planned, it will be one to remember.
Carrell, who transferred to Colorado last year from American River JC, had a stellar debut season with the Buffs. In 12 starts (he appeared in all 13 games), he played 784 snaps, or 82.6 percent of the Buffs' total defensive snaps. It was the fourth-most number of defensive snaps on the team, the most by a defensive lineman — and the sixth-highest percentage of snaps by a defensive lineman in CU history.
He made the most of the playing time, finishing with 52 tackles (eight for losses), six third-down stops and a team-high three forced fumbles. This year, he figures to improve those numbers, perhaps significantly.
One reason is that he'll be playing a slightly different position. Instead of playing in the middle of the defensive line, he'll move outside a spot while Josh Tupou occupies the nose tackle position in CU's 3-4 defense.
"I like playing the 'three technique' and he likes playing the nose," Carrell said. "It works out for everybody. He's going to take on the double teams like I did last year."
Indeed, Tupou — who is returning to the Buffs after a year away from the program — has expressed his preference for nose tackle. That will leave the defensive end spots to Carrell, Leo Jackson III, Timothy Coleman and Samson Kafovalu.
Carrell said the chance to play alongside Tupou was one of the reasons he originally signed with the Buffs. He'll get that chance this year, albeit a year later than he originally planned.
"We're having a good summer," Carrell said. "We have a class together right now, so we've had a chance to bond throughout the whole offseason. We're working hard in the PRPs (player-run practices), and it's going to be nice to have him in the middle. He's going to be a force to be reckoned with."
Last season, the Buffs' defense took a significant step forward in a number of statistical categories, including points allowed. CU shaved nearly two touchdowns per game off its total from 2014.
Carrell expects the defense to make another such leap this year.
"I have no doubt that our defense is going to be much better this year," Carrell said. "This spring, you could already see some signs. Everything was just second nature. Last spring, we were installing a new defense (under coordinator Jim Leavitt), but this spring, we were all familiar with what we needed to do. The tempo was a lot quicker and we were able to get a lot more accomplished in every practice. That was a big change."
When the Buffs open fall drills, they will have a veteran starter available at every position on the defensive side of the ball.
"With Tupou coming back, our D-line depth has gotten even stronger," Carrell said. "Our linebacking corps is all back, Addison (Gillam) and K.O. (Kenneth Olugbode) are healthy — it's going to be a great year."
Along with that returning experience, Carrell said he has sensed a dramatic shift in the attitude and culture of the team.
"PRPs are intense," he said. "If we don't get the amount of reps we need, the offense or defense will stay later to do extra. On the D-line, we're consistently working. Every PRP, every weightlifting session is intense. You can feel the difference. The number of seniors that we have, there's a change in attitude and leadership. There's more guys stepping up and speaking up."
But when the season arrives, Carrell also knows he'll have one special man in his corner along every step of the journey.
"This season will definitely be dedicated to my dad," Carrell said. "He was always proud of me. I want this one to be one he'd really be proud of."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
