Colorado University Athletics
Nick Kasa Biography
| NICK KASA 6-7, 250, DE Thornton, Colo. (Legacy) |
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HIGH SCHOOL?He earned All-American honors from PrepStar and SuperPrep as a senior, when he was a U.S. Army All-American and played in the all-star game in San Antonio. EA Sports selected him to its All-America second-team. SuperPrep ranked him as the No. 5 player overall from the Midlands region and the top player from Colorado, also placing him No. 41 on its Elite 50 list. He made the prestigious Long Beach Press-Telegram’s Best-In-The-West team (the second of four defensive ends). The Orange County Register named him to its “Fab 15” second-team. One of 14 defensive linemen named to the prestigious Tacoma News-Tribune’s Western 100 list. Rivals.com slotted him in as the No. 42 player overall in the nation, classified him as the best defensive end against the run, ranked him third on the list of strong-side defensive ends and the No. 5 defensive end nationally; Scout.com tabbed him as the No. 4 defensive end in the USA. The Sporting News ranked him No. 68 (the eighth DE) on its 2009 Top 100 List. He earned All-Colorado and All-State (5A) honors from both the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post as a junior and senior, with both papers selecting him as the state’s defensive player of the year for 2008. He was also a three-time, first-team All-Front Range League performer his sophomore through senior years. He went straight to the varsity team upon entering high school, and would conclude his Legacy career as the Lightning’s all-time leader in both tackles for loss (46) and quarterback sacks (31?) and as the second-leading tackler (207, which included the third most solo tackles, 130). He also set the marks for season (10) and single-game (3) sacks. A four-year starter at defensive end, as a senior he was in on 59 tackles (40 solo, 13 for losses including 10 sacks) and had one fumble recovery. He also started at offensive tackle on offense, where he did not allow a sack and did not receive a penalty while averaging three pancake blocks per game. He made 63 tackles as a junior (42 solo, 14 for losses with 8? sacks), chased down Montbello’s punter for a 22-yard loss and a safety, had an interception and a fumble recovery; on offense, he was a “powerback” (fullback), primarily used in blocking situations; while he did not get to carry the ball, he did catch a 2-point conversion pass. He had 59 stops as a sophomore (33 solo, 16 for losses, 9? sacks) and recovered one fumble, and as a freshman, he had 17 tackles (11 solo, 3 sacks). The school didn’t keep track, but he had numerous quarterback hurries, forced fumbles and passes broken up. He was also the school’s backup punter all four years, but was never called upon to punt in a game. Top games as a senior included a 6-0 win over Greeley West, when he was in on 11 tackles (eight solo), four for losses including three sacks, and a 21-14 win at Poudre, another 11-tackle game (six solo) and a sack. As a junior, top contests came in a 19-6 win versus Fort Collins (seven tackles, two sacks and an interception) and in a 38-21 win over Rocky Mountain (five tackles, all solo, with three sacks). Under coach Wayne Voorhees, Legacy was 31-13 in his four seasons (9-2 his senior year, 9-3 as a junior, 7-3 as a sophomore and 6-5 as a freshman). He also has lettered three times in track and will go for a fourth this spring, and despite his size, he is a sprinter with career bests of 11.1 in the 100-meter dash and 23.7 in the 200-meter. He also played basketball as a freshman and sophomore but did not letter.
ACADEMICS?He is undecided on his major at Colorado, but is interested in Business.
PERSONAL?He was born November 5, 1990 in Rochester, N.Y. Hobbies include snowboarding, playing Xbox and hanging out with friends. Father (Larry) played tackle and linebacker at the University of New Haven. (Last name is pronounced Cah-suh.)