Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: MacIntyre Puts Wrap On 2014, Looks To Future
December 01, 2014 | Football, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER - University of Colorado football coach Mike MacIntyre on Monday put a period on the Buffaloes' 2014 season and began plotting for what he believes will be a measurably better fall in 2015.
In truth, MacIntyre was focused forward even before he met the media early Monday morning in Folsom Field's Flatirons Club to wrap up his second campaign at CU, which ended Saturday with a 38-34 loss to Utah.
On Sunday night he was recruiting in-state, with more of the same scheduled for him and his assistants on Monday. MacIntyre said the recruitment of the 2015 class - the second one in which he and his staffers have had the benefit of a full year to identify and evaluate prospects - is "further along than last year . . . we feel good about behind ahead of the curve. We'll keep pushing."
MacIntyre declined to offer a specific number of available scholarships for 2015, pointing to fluctuation of the sort that became evident last week when offensive linemen Marc Mustoe and Brad Cotner informed him that they would not return for their fifth seasons of eligibility.
"It's always a fluctuating thing," he said. "(Those) are two more scholarships to count . . . there are always issues that come up."
But he did identify the secondary, the linebacker corps and running back and wide receiver as being among the areas the Buffs are attempting to shore up. Despite this season's 2-10 finish (0-9 Pac-12), he indicated that prospects' interest in the Buffs remains high - even if that interest doesn't come from a wealth of "five star" prospects.
MacIntyre said the "star system" is of secondary importance during evaluation and watching taped highlights: "I'm watching the film. I don't go look at the 'stars.' We look at all of them. It's amazing when we go through and watch guys, other schools will, too. You'll see guys that are ranked high and you'll go, 'He's not even going anywhere.' That's as the process gets going. At the beginning of the process, there's 'stars' everywhere and it kind of changes."
He added, "Guys out there are interested in us - very good football players." In addition to talent, his recruiting process focuses on "character, guys who want to be at (CU) and guys who fit into our system." If those areas can be successfully addressed, "the wins will take care of themselves," he said.
CU's selling points - highlighted by academics, location, Pac-12 membership and team camaraderie - should be boosted by the facilities renovation/expansion that is scheduled for completion next fall.
MacIntyre said he and his staff will postpone their review of the 2014 season until a "dead" recruiting period in mid-December. "We'll look at the pros, cons, what we need to fix, talk about certain positions, players and how to best utilize them," he said.
Other areas addressed on Monday morning included:
- Quarterback Sefo Liufau. The talented sophomore set or tied 39 single game, season or career records in 2014, but encountered turnover issues (15 interceptions) that proved costly in several games. Asked if he believes Liufau is capable of taking the Buffs "to the next level," MacIntyre answered, "Yes, I do. I definitely think he can." He cited Liufau's record-setting season and noted Liufau's overall improvement should coincide with defensive improvement that will ease the "pressure on him to always having to be making plays and always having to go score . . . we score on defense, we do some things like that, it kind of changes the dynamics. I think that will ease our way as far as not having to be as aggressive offensively, which makes it tougher on the quarterback."
- Defensive improvement. Overall improvement in strength is needed, said MacIntyre, but his biggest disappointment in 2014 was CU's lack of turnovers created. In finishing No. 11 in total defense and scoring defense in the Pac-12 (460.9 yards, 39.0 points), the Buffs recovered eight fumbles and made three interceptions in 12 games. We've got to be able to cause more turnovers. "That's very disappointing," MacIntyre said. "That's probably the most disappointing thing to me this year defensively. We've got to look at that." He believes the defense will improve with the return of linemen Samson Kafovalu, Tyler Henington and Markeis Reed and the projected return of safety Jered Bell, who is expected to be granted a sixth season of eligibility.
- Staff changes. While MacIntyre won't initiate any of his assistants' departures, he added that football coaching is an itinerant profession. "Different jobs open, different people have different opportunities," he said. "So we'll see how all of that evolves. Last year, nobody on our staff left at that time, but you never know on that side of it. Because I was an assistant coach at different times and had different opportunities and you have to weigh them out. But, I do know that the guys like it here, they enjoy it here, they enjoy living in the Boulder area, they've felt very comfortable in the community, their families like it here."
- Linebacker Addison Gillam. His sophomore season consisted of injury upon injury, with two concussions sidelining him earlier in the season and a possible concussion taking him out of Saturday's game. But CU's training staff is still evaluating and diagnosing that one, MacIntyre said, adding that Gillam's football career is not in jeopardy. "No, there is no concern over his football future. Not anything we know right now, no. Definitely, we were concerned about him being sick like he was with the bronchitis, which really cut him off. Hopefully, that cannot happen again and (we can) take care of all that."
- Third-year improvement. MacIntyre will enter his third season at CU with a 6-18 overall record and a 1-17 Pac-12 mark. He acknowledged a pressing need "to continue showing improvement (and) I do believe that we have shown improvement." In the final evaluation, he said CU's 2014 schedule "has to be one of the top ten hardest in America." He also said the Buffs competed in a division - Pac-12 South - that he deems comparable to the SEC West. "It's one-two whichever way you want to flip it, in the entire country," he contended. "We definitely need to win more games and I definitely believe we will. We're right there knocking at the door. We used to be not even on the doorstep. We're knocking at the door . . . we'll knock the door down and here we go."
- Spring practice. The Buffs will have their earliest start in recent memory - Friday, Feb. 13 - and finish on NCAA Selection Sunday - March 15. In conjunction with the spring game, a basketball watch party will be held on campus. "That will be a lot of fun for the university because I know our men's and women's teams will be selected," MacIntyre said. "I'm excited about the way we're doing that." MacIntyre got the idea for earlier spring drills from Duke coach David Cutcliffe and considered going to that format last spring, "but I didn't think we were quite ready for it. I think we're definitely ready for what we're going to do. The main reason is, I'm able to keep that lifting going and we're not going to break that cycle and we'll be able to get more powerful as a team."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
