2016 Football Roster
Oct 4 (Sat)
5:30 p.m.
Jaleel Awini
- Position:
- Wide Receiver
- Height:
- 6-2
- Weight:
- 215
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Aurora, Colo.
- High School:
- Rangeview/Air Force
AT COLORADO: 2016 (Sr.)—He saw action in five games, all on special teams, after missing the first six games of the year with a back injury. He earned four special teams points on the strength of three tackles, two of the solo variety (one of which is inside-the-20). He had entered the fall listed as a reserve wide receiver, but he never got the reps in the fall with the injury. He had made the permanent move from defense to offense for spring ball, shifting from outside linebacker to receiver, where he had never played the position before.
2015 (Jr.)—He played in 12 games, nine on defense including one start (at will linebacker against Arizona) and in each on special teams; he missed the opener with a quad strain when he fell awkwardly down a flight of stairs. He was in for 139 snaps from scrimmage on defense, recording 21 tackles (13 solo), with three third down stops and three quarterback hurries. He had a career-high 10 tackles in his start against UA (three solo). After Sefo Liufau was injured with two games left in the season, he was moved to quarterback, where he appeared in the next-to-the-last drive at Utah, leading CU to a touchdown that pulled CU to within 20-14. He rushed four times for 20 yards, including a first down, in the only drive he engineered as the signal caller. The coaches presented him with the Bill McCartney Award for special teams achievement, as he led the Buffs in special team points with 29; he accumulated those in a variety of ways: 10 tackles (four solo, three inside-the-20), eight knockdown blocks, four first downfield credits that altered returns, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a forced fair catch and a touchdown save. In the spring, he had made a successful conversion to outside linebacker from quarterback, his initial position in college. He was the recipient of the Greg Biekert Award, selected by the coaches, for his effort during spring practices as the most improved linebacker.
2014 (Soph.)—He sat out the year per NCAA rules after transferring from Air Force; he will have two years of eligibility remaining come the 2015 season. He joined the team in late July and thus in time to have participated in August drills. He practiced the entire fall at quarterback.
AT AIR FORCE (2012/2013, Fr.,/Fr.-RS)—He played in four games (three starts) as a redshirt freshman in 2013, completing 21-of-42 passes for 275 yards, with an interception and no touchdowns; his passer rating was 100.24. He was a threat running the ball out of the backfield, with 45 attempts for 220 yards and four touchdowns (43 actual rushes for 232 yards, or 5.4 per, when allowing for two sacks); his long run was a 33-yard gallop for a touchdown to open the scoring against Wyoming. He was dismissed from the team for undisclosed reasons on September 25, and eventually from the Academy; though his coach, Troy Calhoun, spoke highly of him after he transferred to CU. He redshirted as a true freshman for the 2012 season; off the field, he completed the required survival training that all AFA cadets must accomplish before they take classes.
HIGH SCHOOL—He was Gatorade’s Colorado Player of the Year as a senior to close out a stellar prep career; he was a first-team All-Metro League performer as a junior and senior, earning his team Most Valuable Player honor both years. He was the conference’s MVP as a senior, when he earned first-team All-State (5A) and All-City accolades. He was an honorable mention All-League performer as a sophomore. As a senior, he rushed 116 times for 1,078 yards (9.3 per carry), scoring 16 touchdowns with a long run of 64 yards; he completed 78-of-136 passes for 1,266 yards, with an astounding 23-to-1 touchdown to interception mark. He scored exactly 100 points when including two 2-point conversion runs. On defense, he was in on seven solo tackles in limited action, but recovered three fumbles. As a junior, he had 93 rushes for 487 yards (5.2 per) and five touchdowns, while completing 47-of-111 passes for 652 yards (7 TDs/2 interceptions). His senior year, he had six 100-yard rushing and six 100-yard passing games; top games came against Fairview: in a 50-47 win, he was 6-for-9 for 132 yards and one TDs, with 10 rushes for 132 yards and two scores. In a 35-28 playoff win over Arvada West, he completed 17-of-26 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 82 more and a fourth score. Under coach Dave Gonzales, Rangeview was 11-2 his senior year and 6-4 his junior season (and a combined 13-1 in league play those years, 5A Central Metro League champs and runner-ups, respectively). He also lettered three times in baseball (outfield/shortstop) and twice in basketball (forward). He was a two-time All-Conference performer in baseball (first-team All-City as a senior), and won the conference’s Sixth Man Award in basketball as a senior.
ACADEMICS—He graduated in December 2016 with a degree in Economics (he was a Business Management major at Air Force). He was an Honor Roll student throughout his high school career.
PERSONAL—He was born December 29, 1992 in Aurora, Colo. His hobbies include fishing, boating and playing soccer. His parents are originally from Ghana, and he has two sisters, Rahi and Jemi. He was recruited by CU’s 2010 staff and head coach Dan Hawkins, but after the coaching change, the new staff did not pursue him. (Last name is pronounced ah-win-nee.)
