Brooks: Buffs Need Good Mileage From Veteran D-Line

(Note: Second in a series previewing the Buffs position-by-position during training camp. Today: Defensive line.)

BOULDER - While the back end of Colorado's defense undergoes a major realignment, it appears only a few minor adjustments are needed in the front end - at least that's the shared hope of position coaches Mike Tuiasosopo and Kanavis McGhee.

If training camp figures to be a month of lab work for the secondary, Tuiasosopo (tackles) and McGhee (ends) will be reemphasizing fundamentals and honing the techniques introduced last spring to a largely veteran defensive line.

Of CU's eight returning defensive starters, three - tackles Will Pericak and Curtis Cunningham, end Josh Hartigan - are in the D-line. Plus, a handful of other players with varied experience are back, including tackles Conrad Obi and Nate Bonsu and ends Chidera Uzo-Diribe and Nick Kasa. Senior ends Tony Poremba and David Goldberg hadn't seen much previous playing time, but that wasn't reflected in determined spring performances that earned both scholarships.

And then there are incoming freshmen Stephane Nembot and Juda Parker, a pair of highly touted ends who have created an instant buzz since their arrival on campus. Of course, the answer to the big question - how fast can they play at this level? - will be among those most eagerly awaited as August unfolds.

All things considered, CU's defensive front should be a strong suit as the Buffs enter the Pac-12. But that doesn't mean Tuiasosopo and McGhee enter training camp any less fervent about wanting their personnel to improve.

Said Tuiasosopo: "Nothing's really settled . . . in camp everybody's competing for jobs. We'll settle everything on the field. Hopefully the guys we had last spring will take the next step. For us to get to where we need to, they have to take the next step - and that's where we come in as coaches."

Obi, playing mostly nosetackle, was among those players who quickly commandeered the new staff's attention in March/April. "Yeah . . . Conrad had a nice spring," Tuiasosopo said. "He kind of turned some heads and did some really good things. The big challenge for Conrad is taking the next step; (spring) can't be his high mark - you know, shine like a diamond then disappear. He's got to be consistent."

But the same directive applies from end to end. "Tui" is a self-proclaimed "stickler for technique . . . I demand that, and to me it's one of the true joys of coaching - teaching technique and watching your guys improve from a fundamental standpoint. You can't be a very good run defender or a pass rusher if you don't master the fundamentals. I'm a hard head about that; they're going to be good fundamentally.

"Some of what we did in the spring was trying to coach them out of old habits . . . it wasn't anything bad, it's just that we're doing things differently from a schematic and fundamental standpoint than they'd done previously. Honestly, about halfway through spring ball I saw improvement, I saw guys coming on and figuring it out. Some of the things we're trying to do aren't easy, but they're picking it up. That's exciting for me now. Let's take it from there and make a great leap."

A large leap by Nembot (6-8, 280) and Parker (6-2, 245) into the college game would greatly please McGhee, a former Buffs defensive end under Bill McCartney. While McGhee, who played as a freshman, is anxious to chart the progress of both young players, he knows the commitment necessary to make the jump.

"They both pass the eye test," McGhee said. "We let them know they're going to get the opportunity, the reps. They're not coming into a situation where we're going to set them back and not give them a chance. But it really falls on them.

"I came in here as a freshman and all I needed was an opportunity. That's what they were promised. I didn't take any reps for granted; it's going to fall on them to see how they approach this opportunity. It's not going to be handed to them. There are guys who played hard in the spring and showed us a lot. But you want a lot of guys who can play, make it competitive and see how it turns out."

Nembot and Parker, said McGhee, are "going to be a huge part of the direction we're trying to go with this program. They've already established themselves as hard workers and trying to get things done without the pads. Now when we put that plastic on, we'll see how quickly they grasp what we're trying to do. They're going to get the opportunity really fast."

In Hartigan (team-best seven sacks in 2010) and Uzo-Diribe (3.5), the Buffs already have a pair of speed rushers on the edge. A fifth-year senior, Hartigan blossomed last season then impressed McGhee during spring work with his attitude and leadership.

"His passion toward the game and wanting to see this program go in a different direction is something else," McGhee said. "We're looking for some good things from him. His not knowing what to expect when we got here might have been his biggest concern. Once we sat down and talked, we knew the sky was the limit for him."

Uzo-Diribe played as a freshman in 2010 but suffered a broken right big toe during winter conditioning work. He recovered enough to participate in the final three weeks of spring practice, but concedes he wasn't at his peak: "I didn't feel 100 percent but I wanted to get out there and show the coaches a little something, what I could do. I think they know I'm a 'speed guy' - they got a feel for me."

McGhee agreed: "There was enough there to get us pretty excited, but we also want to see all he can do when he's healthy. There are enough intangibles there for us to say, 'OK, there's a lot there to work with.' He's someone, especially just going into his sophomore year, that we're going to expect quite a few things from going forward."

As a freshman, Uzo-Diribe played at 225-230 pounds. He expects to play at 240-245 pounds this season and says he'll reap the benefits of being a second-year player as well as those from an off-season conditioning program that increased his upper body strength.

"I focused more in the weight room to get stronger and be more productive against the run," he said. "I feel like coach Blacken (Malcolm Blacken, strength/conditioning coordinator) has helped me do that. I'm going to be more of a balanced defensive end this year. I recognized I didn't have the best upper body strength. To get a team in passing situations, you've got to stop the run first before you can have all the fun (of rushing the passer). I made it a point to get stronger."

Uzo-Diribe also has become fast friends with Nembot. He served as his player-host on Nembot's official recruiting visit and shared his housing when Nembot arrived in Boulder this summer.

"I'm taking him under my wing and letting him know what the coaches expect," Uzo-Diribe said. "Physically, he's a strong guy, but I don't think he really knows how strong he is. He's got some raw talent, and I think he can be pretty productive. He moves good."

Nembot won't fit under only one wing, and Uzo-Diribe has had help in that endeavor. Said Nembot: "All the seniors have helped me, but Obi is the man. I mean he's just helped me on everything . . . he's just an exceptional player. He and I have worked after everybody is gone; we've stayed and worked on our hands and whatever I need to know. Basically he's been training me at both D-tackle and D-end.

"All the seniors - (guard) Ryan Miller . . . oh yeah, he's another one. What can I say? They're good people, all the senior class here is helping us freshmen to succeed."

Uzo-Diribe also was impressed with Parker, calling him "an explosive guy during our seven-on-seven work. He's another strong guy who moves good. Those are two good additions to the defensive line right there."

Originally from Cameroon and initially slotted to play basketball upon his arrival in Van Nuys, Calif., Nembot has been in the U.S. three years this month. After finishing his career at Montclair Prep, he committed to Washington State, then Washington before signing with CU. The recruiting process was as foreign to him as American culture.

"I saw what (other) colleges had to offer, but this is where I think I'm supposed to be," he said. "I feel very good being here."

He's played football for just two years - "Eighteen games," he says with a smile - and admits he has much to learn about the sport. "I consider myself w-a-a-a-a-y inexperienced."

That's where Uzo-Diribe, Obi and others enter the picture. Obi agreed that Nembot is an unproven but very promising talent: "Physically, he looks like a senior. He's got a lot to learn, but he's got a lot of time to learn. I'm sure he'll have to work on getting his pad level down and getting leverage. Because he's so tall, guys will try to stand him up and hold him. But he'll learn to cope with that."

He'll also learn to cope with more competition than he's used to. Rather than being overwhelmed by what he's experienced so far, he said it has been "kind of surprising . . . it's something I'm not used to. I'm not the only strong, fast one. Everybody here is on scholarship and deserves to be here. Everybody has been a good athlete in high school to get to this position.

"So now, there's competition and all players are working extra. I have done that; in California I have been the first one to get there and the last one to leave. I am like that."

From coping with the altitude, to the upgrade in competition, to trying to learn the technique required at his position, Nembot says he hasn't been rushed: "The strength coaches have taken me step-by-step, and now the altitude is not having that much effect on me. But I was out of shape, I know that."

Still awaiting Nembot, however, is his first experience with extended cold weather. No problem, he says - as long as there's sunlight: "For me, every time I don't see the sun I feel sick."

His sick days should be on the low side. Chamber of Commerce types will tell him that Colorado basks in sunshine 300 days a year.

THE INSIDE LOOK AT . . .

Defensive line

Coach: DT/NT Mike Tuiasosopo, first season on CU staff; DE Kanavis McGhee, first season on CU staff.

Returning starters: DE Josh Hartigan, Sr.; DT Curtis Cunningham, Sr.; NT Will Pericak, Jr.

Returnees: DE Chidera Uzo-Diribe, Soph.; DE Tony Poremba, Sr.; DE David Goldberg, Sr.; DE Nick Kasa, Jr.; NT Nate Bonsu, Soph.; NT Conrad Obi, Sr.; DT Kirk Poston, Fr.-RS; NT Eric Richter, Jr.; DE Andre Nichols, Fr.

Newcomers: DE Stephane Nembot, Fr.; DE Juda Parker, Fr.

Key losses: DT Eugene Goree (left team); DE Forrest West (transferred to North Carolina State); DT Dakota Poole (left team).

Stat line: The Buffs were decent against the run in their final Big 12 season, finishing third after allowing 140.2 yards a game. Their 29 quarterback sacks tied them for sixth with Oklahoma State, and their best pass rusher - Hartigan, with a team-best seven sacks - returns.

Bottom line: The D-line should be a team strength. In Pericak and Cunningham, CU has enough returning experience to provide a good interior foundation. Also factor in Obi's spring improvement and the spring productivity of upperclassmen Poremba and Goldberg. Depth along the entire front will greatly improve with a healthy Bonsu and Kasa. Hartigan and Uzo-Diribe will provide speed on the edge. Coaches (and the entire fan base) are eager to gauge the development of freshmen ends Nembot and Parker.

Next: Offensive line

Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU