As the Buffaloes will get more fall camp practices under their belt in the coming days and weeks, undoubtedly the topic that'll be watched most closely is that of the position battle at quarterback, a two-man race between freshman Brendon Lewis and sophomore JT Shrout.
Both competed this past spring, with both earning high marks from Karl Dorrell, yet the battle to secure the starter's gig for the Sept. 3 season-opener against Northern Colorado remains far from settled.
Perhaps it's fair to say that Lewis may have been looked at as the favorite, if ever so slightly, due to something of a bias stemming from him being recruited in a manner that suggested he would be the eventual successor to Steven Montez.
But Dorrell said he's a long ways out from determining who will start against the Bears. There's no firm date that he aims to do so, although it seems reasonable to assume that somewhere in the neighborhood of the third week of camp an announcement could be made.
“That’s a day-to-day process," Dorrell said. "We scrutinize every rep, whether it’s a mental mistake, a missed throw or a misread, it’s like we’re tabulating every aspect for both of those guys. It’s that kind of competition with those two."
Both Lewis and Shrout got off to a good start on day one, per Dorrell.
"I thought both Brendon and J.T. really performed well today," he said. "You can tell they were smooth in their transitions goin through their progressions, they were authoritative with what their roles are on offense and I didn't think they made any mistakes."
"They might have missed a throw here and there but overall I thought they showed great command and great presence today.”
.....
Dorrell also commented on the status of Notre Dame graduate transfer linebacker Jack Lamb, a former four-star recruit.
Lamb wasn't able to put it all together with the Irish, largely due to injuries, including a particularly nasty hip injury he suffered in 2019.
That said, from Dorrell's vantage point, Lamb's injury woes look to be a thing of the past.
"I don’t think anything’s holding him back," Dorrell said. "He’s 100% and was 100% the whole summer. He’s in our leadership group and I think that tells you a lot about a guy that’s new to your program. He gets here in May and entrenched himself in this football team. They respect who he is."
"That tells you right there that (his teammates) have a lot of respect for what he’s done in such a short period of time. He has no issues from what I see. He’s running around and is in great condition. I think our team overall is in great condition just from what our strength staff has done. But he’s fallen in line with what everyone else is doing and I think he’s going to impact us for sure defensively."
At face value, Lamb looks the part of the 'Mike' inside linebacker, where Nate Landman currently plays, while fellow transfer linebacker Robert Barnes appears to be cut more of a cloth at the 'Mo,' Colorado's more roving, versatile inside backer.
Along with other guys like Jon Van Diest, Quinn Perry and Marvin ham, Landman has been pleased with the extra depth CU has brought in at ILB.
“Expectations are high," Landman said. "Rob came in — Rob’s a vocal guy, great leader. Jack’s a super athletic guy, but watching practice, you can see that they’re contributing well to the team and adding to that competition, making me and the other guys better."
"I think the main thing for them is adding depth to our program. To be a great program, you have to have that depth. They’ve come in right away, have earned the respect of the team and I’m excited for their addition on defense.”
.....
One other transfer Dorrell took time to talk about is Max Wray, a former four-star recruit who signed with Ohio State's Class of 2018. Wray is the older brother of 2020 CU signee Jake Wray, who was forced to medically retire this past offseason.
Wray adds some veteran depth up front for the Buffs at tackle and so far, he seems to be fitting in nicely at Colorado.
“He’s one of those guys who has done a nice job," Dorrell said. "He’s a good-looking guy. In terms of his height and length, we don’t really have anybody else quite like that. We’re hoping he gets entrenched in doing some really great things for us.”
......
Tracking the transfers (Lamb, Barnes, Wray, Noah Fenske, Blayne Toll, etc.) is something I look forward to this August. The aforementioned guys have a nice opportunity in front of them to plug some holes for the Buffs and contribute considerably whether as starters or on the depth chart in general.
The QB battle is going to be a slow burner but it'll be interesting to see how things shape up on the offensive line, for one, as well as ILB.
Both competed this past spring, with both earning high marks from Karl Dorrell, yet the battle to secure the starter's gig for the Sept. 3 season-opener against Northern Colorado remains far from settled.
Perhaps it's fair to say that Lewis may have been looked at as the favorite, if ever so slightly, due to something of a bias stemming from him being recruited in a manner that suggested he would be the eventual successor to Steven Montez.
But Dorrell said he's a long ways out from determining who will start against the Bears. There's no firm date that he aims to do so, although it seems reasonable to assume that somewhere in the neighborhood of the third week of camp an announcement could be made.
“That’s a day-to-day process," Dorrell said. "We scrutinize every rep, whether it’s a mental mistake, a missed throw or a misread, it’s like we’re tabulating every aspect for both of those guys. It’s that kind of competition with those two."
Both Lewis and Shrout got off to a good start on day one, per Dorrell.
"I thought both Brendon and J.T. really performed well today," he said. "You can tell they were smooth in their transitions goin through their progressions, they were authoritative with what their roles are on offense and I didn't think they made any mistakes."
"They might have missed a throw here and there but overall I thought they showed great command and great presence today.”
.....
Dorrell also commented on the status of Notre Dame graduate transfer linebacker Jack Lamb, a former four-star recruit.
Lamb wasn't able to put it all together with the Irish, largely due to injuries, including a particularly nasty hip injury he suffered in 2019.
That said, from Dorrell's vantage point, Lamb's injury woes look to be a thing of the past.
"I don’t think anything’s holding him back," Dorrell said. "He’s 100% and was 100% the whole summer. He’s in our leadership group and I think that tells you a lot about a guy that’s new to your program. He gets here in May and entrenched himself in this football team. They respect who he is."
"That tells you right there that (his teammates) have a lot of respect for what he’s done in such a short period of time. He has no issues from what I see. He’s running around and is in great condition. I think our team overall is in great condition just from what our strength staff has done. But he’s fallen in line with what everyone else is doing and I think he’s going to impact us for sure defensively."
At face value, Lamb looks the part of the 'Mike' inside linebacker, where Nate Landman currently plays, while fellow transfer linebacker Robert Barnes appears to be cut more of a cloth at the 'Mo,' Colorado's more roving, versatile inside backer.
Along with other guys like Jon Van Diest, Quinn Perry and Marvin ham, Landman has been pleased with the extra depth CU has brought in at ILB.
“Expectations are high," Landman said. "Rob came in — Rob’s a vocal guy, great leader. Jack’s a super athletic guy, but watching practice, you can see that they’re contributing well to the team and adding to that competition, making me and the other guys better."
"I think the main thing for them is adding depth to our program. To be a great program, you have to have that depth. They’ve come in right away, have earned the respect of the team and I’m excited for their addition on defense.”
.....
One other transfer Dorrell took time to talk about is Max Wray, a former four-star recruit who signed with Ohio State's Class of 2018. Wray is the older brother of 2020 CU signee Jake Wray, who was forced to medically retire this past offseason.
Wray adds some veteran depth up front for the Buffs at tackle and so far, he seems to be fitting in nicely at Colorado.
“He’s one of those guys who has done a nice job," Dorrell said. "He’s a good-looking guy. In terms of his height and length, we don’t really have anybody else quite like that. We’re hoping he gets entrenched in doing some really great things for us.”
......
Tracking the transfers (Lamb, Barnes, Wray, Noah Fenske, Blayne Toll, etc.) is something I look forward to this August. The aforementioned guys have a nice opportunity in front of them to plug some holes for the Buffs and contribute considerably whether as starters or on the depth chart in general.
The QB battle is going to be a slow burner but it'll be interesting to see how things shape up on the offensive line, for one, as well as ILB.
