Brooks: Whatever Happens At QB, Sefo Still Plans To Be There

BOULDER – Once he was able after being wheeled out of the operating room in late November, Sefo Liufau quickly became a rehab junkie. Not many days have passed that didn't find him pushing himself (and the Colorado football training staff) to the edge of his capabilities.

Early on in the process Liufau let it be known that “testing limits” would be his mantra, his target being August camp and competing for the starting quarterback job that he's held for most of the past three seasons. In his mind there was – still is – no reason he wouldn't be physically ready to play.

On more than one occasion over the past six months, Liufau's strong will interfered with the reality of his injury – a left mid-foot break (Lisfranc) that required corrective surgery and earned the reputation in the athletic world of being a difficult mend.

Injured on Nov. 13 – it was a Friday – when one or more USC defensive linemen collapsed on his left foot, Liufau heard from several athletes who had suffered similar injuries. He listened to their advice about not rushing things and has heeded the caution signs held up by CU's medical personnel. He's smart enough to know that returning to square one of the rehab process is to be avoided.

Still, he added with a chuckle on Monday morning after the last of the Buffs' 15 spring practices, limits must be tested.

“Each day I try to go in there with the mindset of pushing my foot as far as I can and have them pull the reins back on me,” he said. “I like to push my foot if it feels well – and it's been feeling well. Sometimes I try to push it a little farther than what they want to do on that given day. That's kind of what I'm dealing with right now.”

But the QB issues the Buffs are dealing with don't rest solely on Liufau's left foot. Medical clearance will be necessary, yet he's determined to be ready to practice in August camp.

“In August I fully expect myself to be ready,” he said. “I'm in a very good position and the trainers agree that I'm in a very good position. August is realistic and definitely a goal. We'll have to wait and see, I guess.”

A month ago, his August availability wasn't seen as critical. But things – and QB scenarios – change. Since initially telling Buffs coaches he would enroll at CU for the first summer term (May 31-July 1), Texas Tech transfer Davis Webb has been wooed by California and visited Berkeley over the weekend.

The addition of Webb, a former starter at Tech, would allow the Buffs to do what was intended in February when Webb's addition highlighted National Signing Day:

· Liufau, with a redshirt season available, could have as much additional time to heal as necessary and leave the Buffs with an experienced QB for 2017;

· Promising redshirt freshman Steven Montez could spend a much-needed year as an understudy to Webb/Liufau and be that much more seasoned heading into 2017;

· Senior Jordan Gehrke once again would be available to provide experience and depth at the position.

The waters have been muddied.

Coach Mike MacIntyre said following Saturday's final spring scrimmage that Webb told him the night before he was still coming to CU. Co-offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini, who developed a close relationship at Texas Tech with Webb and his family, reiterated that on Monday after speaking with Webb on Sunday night.

But Webb hasn't yet signed any document that binds him to Boulder, and until he enrolls at CU he's a “free agent” who can listen to any/all suitors. The most definitive answer anyone in Boulder, Berkeley or anywhere in cyberspace can offer now is, “Stay tuned.”

Liufau, meanwhile, shrugs and says life and football will continue.

“Interesting,” he said Monday when asked for his take on the situation. “You have to do what's best for you. That's kind of all I'll say to that because it's just not my decision. Whether he comes, goes, whatever he's doing . . . for the guys here right now, we'll focus on ourselves and getting better, being leaders and making sure this team is ready.

“We've got about six weeks until everyone comes back for good in June. There's a lot of work to do between now and then. That's what we've got to focus on – not who's coming in, who's leaving, all that stuff.”

Grinning, he added, “That's why we have coaches. Put it on them – the recruiting, getting guys in and out.”

Liufau's spring role was restricted. Aside from rehabbing, he attended meetings and practices, picked up the offensive tweaks, and mentored Montez. The final spring scrimmage wasn't Montez's “best showing,” Liufau said, but in the preceding practices Montez's methodical progress was among the Buffs' spring highlights.

Said Liufau: “He started off a little slow (Saturday). It's been a while for him playing in front of people and that's definitely a shocker. I remember my freshman year, how it all went. I don't think it was his best showing, which is frustrating for him. He'll admit that because he's a pretty honest guy. But over the spring he's gotten a lot better and that's great to see.

“A lot of people won't see it, a lot of people will be upset and say whatever they want on social media. But he's gotten a lot better. I know how hard he's been working and it's been showing up.”

While Liufau says his left foot has mended nicely, he admits to being “behind the curve” in conditioning. “But that's natural,” he added. “I've run recently but before that, there were four months of not really being able to run. Being on the bike you can only do so much.

“I'm behind the curve but I'm not worried about it because I've dropped, like, ten pounds and I haven't really run that much. Really, I'm in a better spot than I was last year. I'm behind in conditioning but in my mind it's a step forward in terms of trying to get ready for next year.”

Physically, the past six months have been unlike any Liufau has experienced. Mentally, he's stayed upbeat and held up “very well,” although not finishing the 2015 season – ironically, he needs 13 yards to become CU's career passing yardage leader – and being a spring spectator were admittedly difficult.

“Even if you can't do it physically, mentally you can,” he said. “Obviously I like to be out there. Sometimes you get frustrated and push your foot to go farther on a given day. You just want to be out there in general. You get upset. But the biggest thing is staying positive every day.”

Through the grind of rehab, he's done that. More hard work is ahead, possibly at an accelerated clip depending on who is or isn't on the QB roster come August.

But next month, maybe begrudgingly, Liufau will take a break and return home to Tacoma, Wash. He plans on being away from football for four days, which might test his limits, too.

AN EYE TOWARD SUMMER: CU's 15th practice was geared toward voluntary summer workouts that will be run by the players (PRPs). For the most part, Monday's drills inside the indoor practice facility saw MacIntyre and his staff in a hands-off role, putting players in charge as they will be in June/July.

“It's worked out pretty well,” MacIntyre said of employing that strategy for his first three years at CU. “You want them to do all those things because it's position specific. So when they come back out and we're going day after day, they don't get a pulled groin, something there because they haven't been doing position-specific stuff. Running straight ahead and doing that type of thing gets you in shape, but it doesn't get you in drill shape, football shape.”

He said he believed the Buffs “came back OK last year” from their summer PRPs. “I'm expecting bigger and better this year just because we have so many upperclassmen that understand it and have been there.”

CU's seniors will decide when to practice during the summer, working practices in with conditioning runs and lifting. Coaches are allowed two hours per week during the summer to meet with players, which MacIntyre believes can be done with more regularity due to the NCAA's recent ban on satellite camps.

“We'll get all of them (two hours a week) in,” he said. “If a coach is out for some reason or another, then the position kid — the senior at that position — will take it and run with it.”

SORRY TO SEE SATELLITES GO: MacIntyre isn't a fan of the ban on satellite camps, which allowed football staffs to conduct off-campus camps at high schools in areas where they recruit.

“I think it's an injustice to high school athletes all over the country that now don't get to showcase themselves,” he said. “They don't have the money to fly all over the country and go to different camps.”

He specifically mentioned late-developing high school players who don't draw early recruiting attention and might be overlooked. “I think it hurts a lot of football players and I think it hurts a lot of the small schools,” he said. “The small schools were able to make money from us coming to their areas. They can make money and supplement their programs, a lot of the Div. III and Div. II schools. So overall, I think it hurts football.”

MacIntyre was puzzled by the Pac-12 Conference's voting on the issue: “I don't even know why our conference voted the way it did, because I voted for sure having a satellite camp and I know some others did. When you are in a big city area and you can kind of lock it down, you just lock it down, which is not good for overall football. It might be good for your program, but it's not good for overall football.”

GOING TO SUMMER PLAN B: Not conducting satellite camps will necessitate MacIntyre revamping CU's summer schedule. He said a Plan B was in place, but it would need to be reviewed because his staff won't be back together until the end of May after beginning recruiting on April 15.

“The 15th for all of us is tax day; it's also opening season for recruiting,” he said. “So we send out our taxes and go recruiting. The 15th we'll be out all over the place and the guys have from the 15th until the end of May. We'll be out all over our recruiting areas and other areas in the country.”

UPON FURTHER REVIEW: After viewing tape of Saturday's scrimmage, MacIntyre called the Buffs' big plays “legitimate big plays,” mentioning productive runs by the backs, catches by the receivers and “great interceptions by the defensive backs. It wasn't like something was totally busted. We executed in some good situation; that last two-minute drive was good to see. To see Diego (Gonzalez, placekicker) hit the ball off the left hash was exciting to see.”

NOTABLE: The only reported injury in Saturday's scrimmage was a knee injury to offensive lineman Isaac Miller. MacIntyre called the injury “serious, but not like a season-ending type thing.” Miller, a redshirt freshman from Longmont, was scheduled for an MRI on Monday. “A few weeks (of missing off-season conditioning work) is what we're hoping,” MacIntyre said . . . . After transferring to CU from Air Force as a quarterback, then switching to defense last season, Jaleel Awini's role for his final college season appears to have narrowed. “He's going to play mainly receiver and then play on all the special teams,” MacIntyre said. Awini said last week he believed that was the case. He was used on four option runs in last season's finale at Utah but played only receiver in last weekend's scrimmage.

Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU