Tuesday Buffs Bits: CU's Tucker Delivers Strong Recruiting Message

BOULDER — Call it the recruiting shot heard 'round the nation.

When defensive lineman Antonio Alfano — the nation's top-ranked recruit from the 2019 class — announced Monday that he would be enrolling at Colorado, it sent ripples throughout the college football world.

For starters, it put some immediate heft to CU head coach Mel Tucker's promise to recruit nationally. Since the day he arrived, Tucker has vowed that Colorado will recruit wherever the best players are, and Monday's announcement is proof that Tucker is ready to back up that promise.

But perhaps equally important is that Alfano's decision is the kind of news that can have a domino effect. Other outstanding players see that commitment, know that something special is happening in Boulder — and then choose to cast their lot with Tucker and the Buffs.

"In my experience in recruiting, momentum does play a factor when you're looking to build a strong class," Tucker said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. "First and foremost, you're looking for high-character guys that are in alignment with what you believe in as a program, both on and off the field. Those guys are attracted to each other in recruiting."

And, Tucker noted, in a day and age of speciality camps, social media and instant communication across the nation, word spreads quickly.

"It's a very small world in recruiting and everyone knows everyone," Tucker said. "These players talk, their parents talk, they text, direct message, they see each other in camps and showcases. The word gets out about head coaches, coordinators, facilities, and everyone's looking for the right fit. We believe Boulder is a very, very attractive place for the top recruits in this country and we're aggressively recruiting those players."

Alfano no doubt fits that description. Listed at 6-foot-4, 285 pounds, the Colonia, N.J. prep product was a consensus five-star prospect, listed as the No. 1 player in the nation in the 2019 recruiting class by at least one service. He signed with Alabama last year and enrolled in the spring, but did not appear in any games this fall and decided to transfer in October.

Tucker, who had recruited Alfano last year when Tucker was still the defensive coordinator at Georgia, then re-engaged with Alfano. After a weekend visit, Alfano signed a financial aid agreement with the Buffs and he is slated to enroll at CU and join the team in January (his eligibility for the 2020 season has yet to be determined).

"He's a very dynamic player that can do a lot of different things," Tucker said. "Those recruiting battles are hot and heavy. I remember him going through the process and and looking for the best place for him, and consequently he expressed interest to come to our place. He sees the vision. He knows what I'm all about and what our goals are here, and he wants to have an opportunity to be successful on and off the field and so we were able to make that happen."

Alfano will join a team that is slated to return all three of its defensive line starters — Mustafa Johnson, Terrance Lang and Jalen Sami — as well as several younger players who have seen growing playing time this year.

That fits what Tucker has aimed for since he arrived — a deep, talented defensive line that can rotate in waves through the course of a game. It also meshes with what CU defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh is trying to accomplish in the trenches.

"Some some teams play nine, 10 guys," Brumbaugh said. "It all depends on the depth and where you're at, because you have different packages and different things. I I like to play a lot of guys. The more guys I can play, the more guys through the season stay healthy. Then, the more the guys learn, the better your unit is."

TUCKER ON STANFORD: When Stanford pays a visit Saturday to Folsom Field for a 1 p.m. matchup with the Buffs (Pac-12 Network), there will be few — if any — surprises.

David Shaw's team will be big and physical, and will play to win the game in the trenches. It has been their trademark in the Pac-12 since Shaw took the reins, and very little has changed since the Buffs and Cardinal last met in 2016.

"Stanford's a physical football team and they hang their hat on being able to run the ball and stop the run," Tucker said. "Just how fundamentally sound they are, just their overall operation, is strictly business with a lot of really good players. They're extremely well coached and our preparation is going to be critical. Having the discipline to do our jobs on a consistent basis at a high level is what's going to be needed this weekend."

After losing three of its first four, Stanford has bounced back to win three of its last four, and will arrive in Boulder well rested after enjoying the benefits of a bye week. The Buffs, meanwhile, are currently mired in a five-game losing streak and searching for ways to end the skid.

"Our coaches are challenging our players and I'm challenging our coaches to step up to create and produce more and better execution on a consistent basis," Tucker said. "In order to have efficiency on offense or defense, everyone has to do their job. If one guy doesn't do his job on a particular play, you're going to lose that down. We have to get more guys on both sides of the ball and special teams on the same page at a high level on a consistent basis in order to get what we want, and that comes through practice, teaching, motivating and development. That's what it's all about."

LYNOTT AT HOME: After playing most of his career at guard, Colorado senior Tim Lynott has played center all season. He has become more and more comfortable with the position as the season has progressed, and his Pro Football Focus grade bears that out — from the beginning of Pac-12 play, his PFF overall grade has improved each week.

"I've gotten really used to it, it feels a lot better every game," Lynott said Tuesday. "I feel like with this position, I'm getting better each game … I'm improving and everyone's improving on the line as well. So it's getting really comfortable for me."

Lynott's move to center this season coincided with the move of sophomore Colby Pursell to guard. Pursell, who started every game last year at center, started the first four games of the season at right guard, but was then sidelined by gall bladder surgery.

That left Casey Roddick and Jack Shutack taking over at left guard for the last five games. Pursell, though, has returned to practice and is now listed as day-to-day.

LONG LIST OF STARTERS: Colorado's rash of injuries this year has resulted in 38 players getting at least one start this season, the 13th-most in the nation. That includes 17 different starters on offense and one on defense.

The list of players who have started every game: Tackles Arlington Hambright and William Sherman, Lynott, guard Kary Kutsch, quarterback Steven Montez, wide receiver K.D. Nixon, linebacker Nate Landman, cornerback Delrick Abrams Jr., and safety Mikial Onu.

The Buffs have also seen four true freshmen get starts on defense, the third-most in the country (behind Alabama with six and UMass with five). Those freshmen are cornerbacks K.J. Trujillo and Tarik Luckett, defensive lineman Na'im Rodman and "star" Mark Perry.

BOWL HOPES? While the Buffs are still mathematically alive in the hunt for bowl eligibility — they would have to win their last three to get there — quarterback Steven Montez said the only concern is Saturday's game.

"It doesn't really matter how many games we have left, we're still going to take it one game at a time and I've been saying that the entire season," Montez said. "So this is just another week for us. We have to take it one game at a time, make sure we're preparing in practice and hopefully just go out on the field Saturday and execute."

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu