Brooks: Isaiah Oliver Brings Elite Athleticism To CU Secondary

BOULDER – Come the spring of 2017, Isaiah Oliver might be spending more – maybe a lot more – of his time running, jumping and just being his naturally athletic self.

Sans football gear.

Won't work this spring because Oliver, a sophomore-to-be cornerback, hasn't yet established himself as a starter or at least a top-tier performer for the Colorado Buffaloes.

That could happen this spring and in August camp, which could allow Oliver to get better acquainted with legendary CU track coach Mark Wetmore and his staff. Oliver is a decathlete, and by all indications can be a very, very good one.

Same at cornerback, where he played in nine games (216 plays) last season as a freshman and made 19 tackles (16 solo), five third-down stops and broke up six passes.

It amounted to laying a good foundation, according to CU corners coach Charles Clark: “We got him a lot of 'reps' last fall. We couldn't put him in full time as a freshman but he was in the rotation. That allowed him to improve technique, and his confidence is up right now. He's doing well and being put in different situations so he'll feel comfortable at everything.”

Oliver might be a prototypical corner. And a decathlete. He's 6-1, hopes to weigh a shade over 190 when he reports to August camp, has an impressive wingspan, and even more impressive speed.

Here's his CB self-portrait, offered Friday after practice: “Length, height, arms and being able to run. I'm able to get hands on receivers, then when they turn up-field and going full speed, me being a track guy I'm able to run with them. Which is not something that most people expect out of taller, longer corners. They expect (receivers) to run around them, run by them. But being able to have the speed to stick with them, then with the long arms, everything just works together.”

That matches seamlessly with Clark's critique: “He's a longer corner . . . sometimes when he gets out of position he's able to make up for it with his speed and length. He ran track in high school (Arizona's Brophy Prep) and he's still in track at CU.”

That is, when football permits. Oliver competed in only two of the Buffs' indoor meets, but showed well. At the CSM Joe Davies Open, his long jump of 23-6.25 tied him for ninth on CU's all-time performers list. He won the prelims in the 60-hurdles (8.28) before placing second (8.31). At the MPSF Championships, he placed eighth in the 60-hurdles (8.28) and ran on the 4x400 meter relay team, whose 3:14.92 timing earned a ninth-place finish and was the 10th-best time in CU history.

Of college football players competing nationally in indoor track and field, Oliver's long jump ranked sixth and his 60-hurdles time ranked ninth.

For now, football coach Mike MacIntyre recognizes he's got a handful of players who could excel in a different uniform. So the deal is establish yourself in football, then we'll weigh your track options.

Oliver is OK with that. He'll reintroduce himself to Wetmore after the Buffs' spring game (Saturday, April 9), but in truth he's accustomed to juggling football/track as he did in high school.

“I wouldn't say it's difficult because it's something I did through four years of high school,” Oliver said. “And even before that it was football in the fall and winter and then when spring came you'd do football and track. It's just kind of the regimen I've been in.

“Here, it's obviously a lot more hectic because it takes more to be at this level in football and in track. It strains the body a little bit more. But in terms of how I go back and forth, it's something I've been doing so it's something I want to keep on doing.”

Oliver came by it naturally; he's got the genes for it. His father, Muhammad, was a cornerback at Oregon as well as a world-class decathlete (NCAA All-American). He played five years in the NFL for five teams, initially drafted by the Broncos in 1992.

Said Isaiah: “Being able to know that he did it, I'm just basically trying to do what he did. Having him as a mentor growing up, he just told me everything he did and how I could be better than him . . . he says I'm steps ahead of where he was.”

In high school track, Oliver usually was more than a few steps ahead of everyone. He was the state champ in the 110-hurdles (PR, 14.05) and the 300-hurdles (PR, 36.53). His other top times/distances: 10.7 in the 100 meters, 47.3 in the 400 meters and 23-2.6 in the long jump. And for the record, his vertical jump has been consistently recorded at 37 inches.

Playing last season as a freshman allowed Oliver to enter spring drills last month with a working knowledge of Jim Leavitt's defense. His technique still needs spring/August polish but Clark is certain that will come.

“There's nothing that can replicate a whole year of actually playing against Pac-12 teams,” Oliver said. “Having that under my belt then coming into this year, with the same defense and knowing the plays and the calls and what to look for here and there – it's leaps ahead of where I thought I'd be and definitely where I was last year. There's nothing that can really compare to that. I'm really grateful that I was able to get on the field and play as much as I did. This year I can have the confidence and the ability to go out there and do it again.”

Run support, he said, “is definitely something I'm working on. I've gotten bigger stronger and by the start of the season I feel like I'll be the strongest, the fastest I've ever been. Can't wait.”

THE DRIVE THROUGH FIVE: A third of the way through spring drills, MacIntyre said the Buffs have shown “great effort and intensity . . . we've had guys making plays.”

Friday's practice was the his team's first full extended scrimmage, and next Wednesday when CU conducts its last scrimmage before spring break, MacIntyre said he expects to see “a big jump . . . kind of like from the first game (to the second).

“A lot of time in spring you see improvement by the whole team, but you're trying to put guys who haven't played much in positions and have them play more. You want to see where they fit (and) I see improvement there.”

QB UPDATE: CU's quarterback picture for 2016 is not close to being in focus, with incumbent starter Sefo Liufau still rehabilitating a Lisfranc (midfoot) injury and transfer Davis Webb not arriving until June.

Nonetheless, MacIntyre said QBs Stephen Montez and Jordan Gehrke were picking up the new offense: “They're doing well, going fast.” That's with the added handicap of multiple receivers going in and out of the huddle and frequent changes in the offensive.

MacIntyre said the quarterbacks have made some “great plays” and there have been “tough plays . . . some of the things that didn't look as good really wasn't always their fault, sometimes it was. But we didn't have a lot of busts out there, which is good.”

O-LINE UPDATE: CU's interior O-line returns four of five starters, but that doesn't mean that foursome has a lock on their positions. There's a new coach – Klayton Adams – and players are being routinely shuffled in and out.

MacIntyre said some younger O-linemen “are making improvement” and that the goal at that position exiting spring drills is identifying the eight top players to enter August camp. That number would left tackle Jeromy Irwin, who missed the bulk of last season following knee surgery.

“Then we'd go from there,” MacIntyre said, “and hope there aren't injuries in camp.” He called Irwin being granted a medical redshirt “a blessing in disguise” which allowed Irwin to add weight and get stronger. Irwin is at 309 pounds, “and before he couldn't ever get over 285,” MacIntyre said

NOTABLE: While MacIntyre wouldn't single out players for their performance through five practices, he did mention linebacker Christian Shaver, who moved inside Friday to compensate for the temporary loss of Ryan Severson (mild concussion symptoms). MacIntyre called Shaver “a utility guy, very bright, very willing. He's had a very good spring.” . . . . Defensive back Afolabi Laguda wore a cast on his left hand Friday and sat out contact drills. MacIntyre said Laguda “cracked little bone in his hand; he can go, we just had it padded up.” Laguda is expected back at full participation following spring break (first practice back is Monday, March 28) . . . . Defensive end Derek McCartney, who missed two days of work last week after donating blood marrow for the “Be The Match” program, was in pads Friday for the first time this spring. He had spent the previous two practices in shorts. MacIntyre said McCartney “played about half the day . . . to the naked eye, he did some good things. I'm pretty sure he was a little rusty but he's extremely bright.” . . . . MacIntyre attended Wednesday's Pro Timing Day and said his seven players who worked out for NFL scouts “did an excellent job. They competed well against the clock.” The former Buffs who participated were tackle Stephane Nembot, fullback Jordan Murphy, tailback Christian Powell, receiver Nelson Spruce, long snapper Wyatt Tucker-Smith and defensive backs Ken Crawley and Jered Bell. MacIntyre was particularly pleased for Bell, a sixth-year player who missed two seasons with ACL injuries but was timed in 4.46 seconds for his 40-yard dash. “It was good to see him run well,” MacIntyre said. “I think he has a chance to play somewhere. He's a phenomenal young man who's fought through a lot of things. It was fun seeing him do that.”

Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU