Buffs Football Notes: Montez, Shenault Attend Manning Academy
July 12, 2019 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado quarterback Steven Montez had the opportunity in late June to attend his second Manning Passing Academy, but this year, the CU senior was joined by another Buff.
Making the trek to Thibodaux, La., with Montez was Colorado wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. The two served as camp counselors and also got plenty of instruction at their respective positions at the camp that features Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, as well as their father, Archie Manning.
"There were a lot of things that we went over last year, but there was also a lot of new information," Montez said. "I took a lot of notes, learned a lot of new things. It's always good to get out there with guys who are multiple Super Bowl champions. You just try to soak up everything you can."
Montez, a two-year starter at Colorado, already has his name sprinkled throughout the CU record book. He is currently fourth in Buffs history in passing yards (6,841), and with his 807 career rushing yards, his 7,648 total offense yards is third.Â
Shenault, a junior, burst onto the scene last year with a breakout season that saw him lead the nation in yards per catch (9.6). Even though he missed three games with injuries, he still finished with 86 receptions for 1,011 yards and 6 touchdowns receiving and he ran the ball 17 times for 115 yards and 5 touchdowns.Â
"It was no doubt good for him," Montez said. "He was catching balls from all the quarterbacks from all over the nation. He also got some great advice from guys that are future Hall of Famers that have played in the (NFL). They have a lot of valuable advice. It was good for both of us."
The Buffs are now on the home stretch of their summer strength and conditioning session, one they all agree has been stepped up significantly. They will wrap the session up over the next couple of weeks, then be ready to report for the opening of fall camp. The first practice of the fall under new head coach Mel Tucker and his staff is set for Aug. 1, with the season opener set for Aug. 30 against Colorado State in Denver (8 p.m., ESPN).
"Fall camp cannot start soon enough," Montez said after a grueling Friday morning workout. "I would be jumping right into bed right now if I knew I could wake up tomorrow and get into fall camp. I'm excited about it, ready to go. Ready to get back to football."
LEOMITI MAKING A NAME: Former Colorado standout defensive back Donnell Leomiti is making a name for himself in the coaching ranks.
Leomiti is entering his 12th season at CSU-Pueblo — and his third as defensive coordinator — under head coach John Wristen (a former CU assistant). Last year, Leomiti was named the Football Scoop Division II Coordinator of the Year after the Thunderwolves defense paved the way for an eighth straight RMAC title.
"Obviously the credit goes to Coach Wristen, and the players did a great job," Leomiti said Thursday when he represented CSU-Pueblo at the Colorado Springs Sports Corp. annual summer luncheon. "But it was fun to get the recognition."
Leomiti has been an inspiration to his players, the coaching staff and the entire CSU-Pueblo Athletic Department. Diagnosed with cancer nearly five years ago, he has overcome the odds time and again by battling — and beating — the disease.
Leomiti, who played for Bill McCartney's Buffs in the 1990s, has been with Wristen since the program at CSU-Pueblo was resurrected in 2008. They built the program literally from scratch and won a national title in 2014.
That, Leomiti said, is the goal every year.
"We'll be young, this year, but we have a saying at CSU-Pueblo — 'tradition never graduates,'" Leomiti said. "We lost some great players but the young guys are expected to step up. The good thing about our program, they come to CSU-Pueblo — they understand what the goal is and what the expectations are. When it is their time, they know what's expected of them."
OPPONENTS NOTES:
AFA SCHEDULE: The resumption of the Colorado-Air Force series this season will no doubt be big news around the state. The Sept. 14 game will be the first meeting between the two teams since 1974.
But for the Buffs, it will be the third leg of a unique preseason schedule. Colorado opens with three straight games against "rivals" — Colorado State, Nebraska and Air Force. That means three straight weeks of high-intensity preparation and games.
The Falcons, however, have a much more gentle beginning. They open Aug. 31 with a home game against Colgate, then have the benefit of a bye week before playing Colorado, meaning AFA will have two weeks to prepare for the Buffs — after seeing them play two games.
RAMS TRANSFERS: CSU defensive coordinator John Jancek, who represented CSU at the Sports Corp. luncheon, made no bones about expecting the latest Rams recruiting class to be contributors right away. CSU last year was 116th in the nation in scoring defense, giving up nearly 37 points per game.
"We'll be a pretty young group," Jancek said. "All of the freshmen that we recruited are going to be in the mix for early playing time. We have a lot of newcomers, a lot of first-year players."
But the newcomers are more than just freshmen. The Rams also added a pair of graduate transfers in defensive lineman Jalen Bates (Arizona State) and linebacker Tron Folsom (Troy), as well as some junior college help, including cornerback Andre Neal.
"We're counting on those guys to have an impact right away," Jancek said.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
