Colorado University Athletics
Spring Football Practice Underway
There were mostly familiar faces, along with a smattering of new talent from the junior college ranks, including two scholarship players?quarterback Nick Nelson and defensive end Drew Hudgins.
Nelson will compete with 2006 starter and senior Bernard Jackson and redshirt freshman Cody Hawkins for the quarterback spot this spring. Joining the mix in the fall will be high school recruit Matt Ballenger.
Cody Hawkins shared his thoughts on the starting quarterback position which is up for grabs:
“You’re going to have to win over your teammates, complete throws and really grasp the offense,” he said. “We have so many great athletes on this team that (the quarterback) won’t have to make a lot of big plays by himself. I think we will win ballgames and people will be happy with the quarterback play.”
Hudgins will look to thrust himself into the defensive lineup which loses two starting defensive ends from the 2006 campaign?Abraham Wright and Walter Boye-Doe.
Another position on the team which has suffered roster attrition is the offensive line. There are only six healthy linemen, with a seventh?junior Erick Faatagi?recovering from knee surgery performed last season.
“We are going to have a strong offensive line. [New offensive line coach/running game coordinator] Jeff Grimes showed up and he’s brought a whole new attitude to the offensive line, especially their approach to spring ball and off-season workouts,” Cody Hawkins said. “Everyone is wondering about our numbers, but the guys we have?I wouldn’t pick anyone else to be on our offensive line. In our workouts, those guys were working harder than anyone. They were busting tail and pushing themselves to the limit. I’m so proud of those guys because they were running right with us and we did some very grueling workouts. I’m fired up to have those guys in front of me this spring.”
Head coach Dan Hawkins said having a limited amount of offensive linemen may cause him to be more judicious when determining the physicality of spring practices.
“Maybe it’s a Godsend,” Hawkins said. “You would like to get to the point where you can go through spring ball without hitting much.
Practice Notes: There have been a couple different position changes since last season. Sophomore Cha’pelle Brown played nickel back for the Buffs in his true freshman season and has switched to wide receiver this spring. Senior Joe Sanders has switched from outside linebacker to tight end. Junior Daniel Sanders, who played offensive guard last season, will likely get a look at center to replace departed seniors Mark Fenton and Bryce MacMartin. The Buffs will practice on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday this week. The weekday practices will run from 5 p.m. to roughly 7:30 p.m. Saturday’s practice will be the first practice in full pads and the team is expected to scrimmage, starting at 10:00 a.m. All practices are open to the public.