Colorado University Athletics
Coach Dan Hawkins And Assistant Coach Quotes
BOULDER?University of Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins held a press conference at the Dal Ward Athletic Center Wednesday afternoon to discuss the 2009 recruiting class. The following are quotes from the session:
Head Coach Dan Hawkins
OPENING STATEMENT?GÇ£Well as much of an announcement as this thing has become over the years, itGÇÖs almost a little after the face because of the chatter that you have on the internet throughout the process?and of course the value of the internet on the day of the signings. Typically when you get to this point youGÇÖre kind of the cleanup-hitter and there arenGÇÖt a lot of secrets out there. I would say this about the class, since I first arrived here we have really been trying to build a culture and that culture is this quality balance of life that I really believe is the secret to the good life. In todayGÇÖs world and todayGÇÖs economy itGÇÖs probably as important as ever; getting guys that fit your profile, youGÇÖre never going to be 100% in that but in this class it sort of represents our philosophy in that quality balance of life. IGÇÖm really excited because we have some really awesome families, I probably had more great times and great interactions and fellowships with the kids then I have had in a long time. Being in homes of people who have some really strong values, morals and principals with how they view their kid and whatGÇÖs important in their life I am really, really fired up about that. Three quarters of these guys were on playoff teams, I think there were several who were on state championship teams and another who was on a state-runner-up team. So they are guys who know how to win, expect to win and want to win, they come from programs that are all about that. I think that is important, that expectation is important, that background is important. Three quarters of these guys are great students, honor roll students, they are very, very talented and I think that speaks well to the respect that we have here for our institution and the academic rigor here. ItGÇÖs interesting when you look at the profile of CU over the years and the kind of students that we attract from around the country. WeGÇÖre getting the best and brightest and I think that our football team represents that. A bunch of team captains and a bunch of leaders, guys who are kind of in the forefront of the programs setting the pace and being an example on and off the field. Those things are important. I think it is a very athletic class, a lot of guys in here can play a number of positions, can run, jump, catch, throw, offense, defense and I think that is really awesome. When we started the recruiting process everybody would always go ?what are you going for? What are you going for?GÇÖ well, what weGÇÖre going for is building a foundation and what you want to have is a program where these guys just keep rolling over and you have people who continue to come. IGÇÖve talked to you guys in the past about the two class gaps that we used to have, that you donGÇÖt want to have. WeGÇÖre seeing those things close up, as we enter into our fourth year, that experience portion of the talent, experience and depth kind of come to fruition so we start seeing more layers of classes in there. I think that is extremely important. Again, I think building across the base?the way most people recruit scholarship wise is that you have a certain set of numbers by a position that youGÇÖre trying to achieve, and weGÇÖre getting very close to those numbers. WeGÇÖre seeing both groups up front, the o-line and the d-line and everybody is really starting to fill in the numbers by position that you want. I think with this class weGÇÖll be at 83 scholarships and that gives us a little bit of room for walk-ons and somebody down the road, and I like to have that little bit of room in there because I think that is part of the equation. I was actually talking to our staff a little bit and we started the season with 76 guys on scholarship and once we went through the debacle and the injuries we were playing down the stretch with about 49 scholarship athletes. WeGÇÖre starting to see that stuff starting to build up, and I feel really awesome about that. I like these guys, I like their pedigree, I like this whole quality balance of life and you guys know?particularly the guys who have been around me in the media, my style of recruiting is that I want the kid that wants what we have. Who wants what weGÇÖre about; whoGÇÖs values are similar to our values. There is always gamesmanship and salesmanship that goes on but a lot of it is just being very true to yourself and being genuine and making sure that they understand what do they want, what do they need and how does that fit into what we want and what we need and if there is a mesh then you go. I think in the end you sort of reap what you sew and I like that mentality. Our culture has really come a long way and you have probably heard a little bit or read some announcements that we posted the best fall GPA in eight years and the best total GPA in 12 years. Seeing all of those things come along, our guys have been out throwing and running around every single day. I just think that these kids are going to come in and be a real intricate part of that process and like I said more than anything I just love being around them. For those of you who have had a chance to be around the vast majority of our athletes they are positive, they smile a lot, they are gregarious guys, you get a very positive vibe from them and that is one thing that I am really fired up about with our class is because they are all energetic like that. You love just talking to them; itGÇÖs not so much that you are recruiting. You love talking to their parents, so that is an exciting part of that. I think itGÇÖs a real big step, and again IGÇÖve said this before you always judge it three or four years down the road and see where weGÇÖre at but like I always say ?quit trying to win and just be a winnerGÇÖ and these guys are winners. They come from great families, great programs, they are great students and leaders, they are in that mode of people that I really believe win and make up championship football programs. IGÇÖm really excited about them, really.GÇ¥
ON CONTINUING TO SIGN THE BEST PREP PLAYERS FROM COLORADO?GÇ£Definitely. I think it always starts at home, weGÇÖve been very fortunate that weGÇÖve been able to get the best kids from here. We certainly want to do that; itGÇÖs a priority for us. You always start in your own backyard. That being said, you want to get kids who want what you have and vice versa, there is a marriage there. I think most of these kids are that way, but you always want to get the best and brightest and keep them home, you also know when youGÇÖre raising children who go through recruiting that some kids just want to get out of dodge. They love you and you love them but itGÇÖs a priority for them.GÇ¥
ON RECRUITING TALLER RECEIVERS?GÇ£IGÇÖve talked to some of you guys about this before, but we always do a study of the Big 12 where you look at the height and the weight of the successful guys and they are big. Certainly you want guys who can run and these guys can run too, but being able to get some of those bigger guys in the mix helps you. I think all of these guys are going to be big, strong receivers who can get off the press and catch balls in traffic and body people up and hold up in the league.GÇ¥
ON HAVING SUCCESS IN NUMEROUS STATES?GÇ£Again, and I mean this sincerely, one of the awesome things that I love about Colorado is that it is a nationally recognized institution and there are Alumni groups around the country. People from California to Jersey and Texas to Minnesota, they recognize Colorado. Our ability to have success (around the country) is because we are centrally located so itGÇÖs easy to get there and because we are recognized when we get there. That is one value of the internet is that you can go find a guy who can play, and is a good student and has some genuine interest and he fits your profile, you can go check him out. WeGÇÖre still very heavily involved with California, Texas and Colorado primarily but itGÇÖs just a different business world and recruiting world.GÇ¥
ON BELIEVING IN RECRUITING ?HIS TYPE OF GUYSGÇÖ?GÇ£Good things happen to good people, and all of those details and all of those edges that come along with it are what allow you to get there. I totally believe that. In the end, and I told you guys this when I first came here, you do things right and you let it go as it may. IGÇÖm not going to prostitute the University of Colorado or my philosophy or anybody else and that is what I believe in. At the end of the day if that is not good enough for you or any other beat writer, I can live with that. I can walk away and say ?IGÇÖm ok with that, IGÇÖm fine with thatGÇÖ IGÇÖm not going to short sheet the kids and IGÇÖm not going to short sheet the University or what I believe in. Every place IGÇÖve been, weGÇÖve won and every place weGÇÖve won with a certain kind of a kid and they have a certain type of values. Those family backgrounds and you know guys are not different in the classroom than they are on the football field. If youGÇÖre a detail guy, youGÇÖre a detail guy. If youGÇÖre a talent-plus guy, then youGÇÖre a talent-plus guy. You have seen plenty of guys here and who get to the NFL and into the playoffs who are successful and who are great players but you just watched the Super Bowl with two quarterbacks who didnGÇÖt come from big time programs. What made them special? What made them go? Well, they were probably those types of guys; they probably took care of business and did the little things. I believe that those type of guys end up being that way, they really do.GÇ¥
ON THE VALUE OF A GOOD BALANCE IN LIFE?GÇ£I was very fortunate, you know my dad was awesome in my upbringing. He was a hard worker and he was a grinder and he believed in hard work and he made us hard workers. He used to say ?all work and no play makes John a dull boyGÇÖ he told me that a thousand times. ItGÇÖs this guy that says IGÇÖm all about being a good man and understanding what a man is and what a good person is and what are those values that make a great man, because IGÇÖm into that. ItGÇÖs that whole personal life, itGÇÖs that academic side?having that zeal for academics. I love the fact that weGÇÖre at a University where we have former players working for NASA and in pre-med and pre-law and guys doing great in the business school and guys who are on that cutting edge academically and also those kids that (want to win). Because I tell them, ?hey, there is a National Championship up on that board and I want another oneGÇÖ and if youGÇÖre not all about that and what all that means then donGÇÖt come here. I want that guy that has that zeal for excellence in all three areas and he wants that. Now how does this place fit into it? Again, this is a great place to live. ItGÇÖs a very safe place; the quality of life here is very good, the weather is better than most people think. It is an exceptional place to live and that was something I asked myself when I was thinking about taking another job or jobs got offered to me, that is one of the first things that I looked at. Would I live there? Would I be waking up every day going IGÇÖm happy to be here? Forget about the salary, the school, the job and all that; would I like to live there. I think that fits into it because itGÇÖs a great place to live and it offers a great variety of things to do. I donGÇÖt know how they do the chamber of commerce rankings, but Colorado is one of the better institutions in the country and in some ways in the world and I want kids who want that, who are looking for a little something extra, then obviously we have our football tradition. When you put Colorado up against a lot of other institutions in all three areas, all three, weGÇÖre going to rank pretty high. WeGÇÖre going to rank real high and I want the guy who wants that.GÇ¥
Secondary/Defensive Passing Game Coordinator Greg Brown
ON CB DEJI OLATOYE?GÇ£HeGÇÖs got size, he can run, heGÇÖs aggressive and heGÇÖs similar to Parker Orms in that heGÇÖs a multisport athlete. Coach Hagan and I went up and watched him play basketball, heGÇÖs a good basketball player, heGÇÖs an athletic guy. We project him as a corner; the thing with Deji is that heGÇÖs one of those guys who is very aggressive to the ball. HeGÇÖs a good tackler, heGÇÖs going to go after it and we think he has a bright future.GÇ¥
ON FS PARKER ORMS?GÇ£Parker is a top guy for us to get in the state of Colorado. He was a Jack Armstrong guy who did everything, he excelled at everything, he carried his team on his back to the State Championship in dramatic fashion. Nothing typifies that like the end of that game where he wanted the ball, he took the ball and he scored in an impossible type of situation to win the game. HeGÇÖs just one of those guys who is just a tremendous athlete and weGÇÖre excited to get him.GÇ¥
Quarterbacks/Offensive Coordinator Mark Helfrich
ON OL DAVID BAKHTIARI?GÇ£David is a kid who has a huge upside, he just turned 17 years old so heGÇÖs a young senior. HeGÇÖs from a football family, heGÇÖs from a very good football program and high school. HeGÇÖs kind of a late bloomer type of kid that plays hard, heGÇÖs tough, heGÇÖs smart, heGÇÖs competitive. So, all of the things you look for in an o-lineman are there. As of today he weighs 270 pounds so itGÇÖs not like heGÇÖs a 225 pound projection type of guy, heGÇÖs a guy that we expect big things from. He could be either a guard or tackle, heGÇÖs flexible enough, he runs well?he just needs a little more lead in his pencil to play guard but heGÇÖll get in and lift. HeGÇÖs a workout junkie, his whole family is like a fitness crew, so heGÇÖll come in and do everything we ask of him.GÇ¥
ON QB CLARK EVANS?GÇ£Clark is a kid who is from a very long term successful football program, Los Alamitos and Coach Barnes. HeGÇÖs done a great job of both running and passing and weGÇÖre just going to bring him in and heGÇÖll hopefully be able to redshirt and settle into things and have a chance to improve on just a couple things. Clark is a very competitive guy, a really good athlete?he had 29 points the other night in a hoops game. HeGÇÖs a versatile kid who has all the qualities you want from leader and from a quarterback and the guys we want throughout our program.GÇ¥
Associate Head Coach/Linebackers Brian Cabral
ON OL GUS HANDLER?GÇ£The first thing that jumped out about Gus was that he is very athletic. Whoever he was blocking he was going to finish that block, whether that was running him out of the back of the end zone or running him off the sideline that was the one thing, he was just tenacious in finishing his blocks. He has an attitude that you like to see in an offensive lineman.GÇ¥
ON LB LILOA NOBRIGA?GÇ£I saw Liloa in the All-Poly Camp in the summer and was impressed with him. Then when Coach Collins and I saw him in the state championship game we were even more impressed. The other thing we were impressed with is watching him play basketball; heGÇÖs a phenomenal player on a great basketball team. It was fun because every time I saw him, I saw more of him and got more excited about him. One of the other things that excite me about Liloa is that he grew up in my hometown in HawaiGÇÖi and I never would have thought that IGÇÖd have the opportunity to coach someone from my hometown. HeGÇÖs from HawaiGÇÖi, heGÇÖs got a Polynesian background, I know where he lives and how he grew up so that is pretty exciting for me. HeGÇÖs a great kid, he competes and he doesnGÇÖt say anything, he just gets the job done. He could project out at either outside or inside, itGÇÖs hard to say.
ON ILB DERRICK WEBB?GÇ£Derrick, interestingly enough, we saw early film on him but the film quality was so poor that you couldnGÇÖt really evaluate him, but we saw some good things. At the end of the season, we got some great film on him and you saw exactly what he can do and he just jumped off the film right away. Every time I went back to Memphis and met more of his family and coaches you couldnGÇÖt help but be more and more impressed with him as a student and as a person. HeGÇÖs a wonderful football player, but you canGÇÖt help but be impressed with what a great guy, great student and great person he is.GÇ¥
Tight Ends/Special Teams Coordinator Kent Riddle
ON PK/P ZACH GROSSNICKLE?GÇ£Obviously we underperformed at kicker last year so we set out looking for a guy who can do both because (P Matt) DiLallo is going to be a senior this year and we wanted to have somebody who could give him some competition. We had the privilege of working with Zach at our camp and I think heGÇÖs a quality individual and a first-rate punter and kicker. He has the ability to kickoff, kick field goals and punt for us?and be competitive next year in all three phases. Plus, heGÇÖs a local guy who was coached by a former Buff (Ron Woolfork) and they think the world of him so we look forward to getting him in the fold here.GÇ¥
ON DT EDWARD NUCKOLS?GÇ£Eddie is a guy weGÇÖve been working on for a long time. We have a great relationship with his high school. The guy is a big time player and weGÇÖre very fortunate to have him. A lot of people were thinking that he was struggling academically but we knew he had the support system to get it done and we are really looking forward to getting him in here. HeGÇÖs going to be an impact player for us. HeGÇÖs a great kid, comes from a winning program, a great family, great personality and big-time, big-time athletic potential.GÇ¥
ON TE DAVAUGHN THORNTON?GÇ£DaVaughn is maybe a little bit under the radar, heGÇÖs a phenomenal athlete and if you get a chance to watch him play basketball you see that. I donGÇÖt think that we have a guy on our team who can do the stuff that he does. Again, he comes from a local program and coached by a former Buff (Ron Woolfork) and they think the world of him. HeGÇÖs a leader, heGÇÖs a team captain and heGÇÖs going to be a big, big, big guy when itGÇÖs all said and done and still be a tremendous athlete. I mean to watch him go up and make one-handed catches or dunk the ball or whatever; I just think that is huge.GÇ¥
ON QB CLARK EVANS?GÇ£Clark is another guy that IGÇÖve been working on for a long time. I have real good relationships at the high school. Talk about a guy who is just a phenomenal athlete, heGÇÖs just the tip of the iceberg when you talk about his potential. HeGÇÖs a winner, heGÇÖs competitive?I mean you talk to all the other coaches in the area and the two things they always say are ?heGÇÖs a phenomenal athlete and heGÇÖs a great competitor. He brought his team back from some big-time deficits in the fourth quarter to win some games; heGÇÖs just a guy who is going to do a great job for us in the future.GÇ¥
Running Backs Coach Darian Hagan
ON CB DEJI OLATOYE?GÇ£Deji is a real long guy, he runs well. He could be a great cover corner for us, heGÇÖs really athletic?heGÇÖs a little raw. I think he started playing football in the ninth grade, so he hasnGÇÖt played for a long time but heGÇÖs dynamic, heGÇÖs smart, heGÇÖs tough, he can run and heGÇÖs a guy that I think is going to do well here.GÇ¥
ON QB JOSH MOTEN?GÇ£What I see on film with Josh is that heGÇÖs a playmaker, heGÇÖs dynamic, he has a lot of dimensions to his game and I think he can do a lot as a quarterback depending on what type of offense and system weGÇÖre running here. I think he can be really dynamic and be a difference make at quarterback but he has the athletic ability to where he can go and play a lot of different positions and be successful there.GÇ¥
Interim Offensive Line Coach Brad Bedell
ON OL DAVID BAKHTIARI?GÇ£David was a little bit of a late comer, heGÇÖs a guy that is really lean, very athletic. HeGÇÖs got a body type that I would think will come in and be able to gain quite a bit of weight. HeGÇÖs a guard/tackle type of guy; weGÇÖd like to see him play tackle. HeGÇÖs a guy that had a great season; he shut down the Sacred Heart Cathedral defensive end Kevin Greene whoGÇÖs going to USC. He did a great job with him, I canGÇÖt say enough about his athleticism. HeGÇÖs nasty, heGÇÖs tough and heGÇÖs smart. YouGÇÖve got those three in an offensive lineman and that is exactly what weGÇÖre looking for at the University of Colorado. He comes from a great family. He always has a smile on his face and heGÇÖs always ready to work as hard as you want him to and heGÇÖs going to put 10 times more extra into it, heGÇÖs going to be a great addition to the University of Colorado.GÇ¥
ON OL GUS HANDLER?GÇ£If you looked up nastiness in the dictionary, his picture would come up. HeGÇÖs a guy that we offered real early, we tabbed him to be a guy who could come in and play center. HeGÇÖs a very smart kid, very athletic once again, played tackle in high school and that definitely shows that he can play in space. I canGÇÖt say enough about his family, his parents are great. He wants to be a part of this thing so bad?as the rest of (the incoming offensive lineman) do as well, but he is very excited about being a Colorado Buffalo. HeGÇÖs a guy who is working out, heGÇÖs gaining weight right now which shows his work ethic. He was a very good baseball player, athletic once again, nasty once again and smart. That is going to be the three common things that we have coming in on these kids.GÇ¥
ON OL JACK HARRIS?GÇ£Jack, in my opinion in the last three years weGÇÖve got Ryan Miller, Bryce Givens and now we got Jack Harris?weGÇÖve got three of the best offensive lineman in the state. Jack is big, tall, lean, wide-shouldered body that he can put on the weight. HeGÇÖs athletic, heGÇÖs nasty?we had to battle a lot of schools for him. Oregon was big on his list and he wants to be a Buff, heGÇÖs an in-state kid and gets to play in front of his family. Jack is going to have great things in front of him, heGÇÖs a kid who is going to battle. Jack is the epitome of that, he is long and the typical tackle type. He is lean, he has the mass but is very lean and can put on some weight.GÇ¥
ON OL SHAUN SIMON?GÇ£Shaun is a guy out of Tulsa Union High School, we recruited him a little later, offered him a little later than the rest. A lot of people are going to say he isnGÇÖt very tall, but with his arm length he plays 6GÇÖ3. Once again, heGÇÖs an athletic center, heGÇÖs definitely a center but heGÇÖs played guard and tackle as well. We like him for a guard/center type of guy here at Colorado. HeGÇÖs a guy who directs everything; he was their offensive line quarterback which is a big plus to him. In watching him on film I think there is some (former CU All-American and current Dallas Cowboy Pro Bowler) Andre Gurode in him. With his athletic ability and arm length, which is very impressive. HeGÇÖs a guy who is tough; heGÇÖs bounced back from adversity which is great. HeGÇÖs a guy who is going to help us and help on the inside.GÇ¥
GÇ£I can say that all four of our offensive lineman come from a great family, they are great family kids. One thing about these four guys is when (former offensive line coach Jeff) Grimes decided to leave and we made the decision to go with no offensive line coach?they turned to me. These are the guys who want to be a part of and know the tradition of this school. They want to be a part of that tradition, they want to be a part of that nucleus that we have up front. That is a testament to all four of them. They are all going to battle and they are all lean. I think the heaviest of the group is Shaun, I think he is about 315 and the other oneGÇÖs have the body type where they have the mass but they are all athletic. We are going to be an athletic offensive line at the University of Colorado and these guys have all the intangibles that I said before, they are the definition of what weGÇÖre looking for and they will fit in well with the guys that we have now. The big thing is that they came to Colorado to be a part of the University of Colorado and the tradition we have here. You canGÇÖt say that enough, it wasnGÇÖt about Coach Grimes, they believe in whatGÇÖs going on here, they believe in Coach Hawk and what he has going. I canGÇÖt say that enough, they believe in Hawk, they want to be a part of the tradition, they believe in our philosophies and they believe in the University of Colorado.GÇ¥
Receivers/Passing Game Coordinator Eric Kiesau
ON WR JARROD DARDEN?GÇ£Jarrod is a big 6GÇÖ5 probably 212 pound, big, strong, physical wideout and weGÇÖre very excited about him. He obviously has the big fame, and we need those taller type wideouts and I think we got three of them, but Jarrod is the biggest one and weGÇÖre very excited about him because he has such a big body, such a big frame and he has great hands, heGÇÖs just a great football player and weGÇÖre really excited about him. Unfortunately, he injured himself before his senior year so he kind of took the whole year to rehab but hopefully heGÇÖll come back stronger and be able to help us. The great thing about Jarrod is that heGÇÖs a 3.8 student and he wants to go to law school. HeGÇÖs very squared away academically, which is a good thing, especially at Colorado.GÇ¥
ON WR TERDEMA USSERY?GÇ£Terdema is kind of the wildcard in the group, heGÇÖs probably 6GÇÖ3 about 190ish and kind of slender. HeGÇÖs probably the fastest of the three, he can run and heGÇÖs a great kid and a 4.0 student with an unbelievable SAT score. He comes from an incredible family and heGÇÖs going to be a great addition to our receiving core as well. Again all three of these guys are going to add height and can run really well and give us some help on and off the field.GÇ¥
ON WR ANDRE SIMMONS?GÇ£Andre is a JC kid we got out of Kansas. Again, heGÇÖs 6GÇÖ3, 205-210 pound kid who is big and strong kid?he can run now too, heGÇÖs probably a little faster than Jarrod. He returned kicks as well, so he has some return experience as well. Great ball skills, great hands, heGÇÖs very athletic?heGÇÖs got some work to do academically, but heGÇÖs on track to do that and he needs to stay on that course and get some work done and be able to come in and be an immediate impact for us.GÇ¥