Latest Headlines Chat replay: CU Buffs beat writer Brian Howell (April 6, 2020) Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Chat replay: CU Buffs beat writer Brian Howell (April 6, 2020) By Brian Howell | howellb@dailycamera.com | Boulder Daily CameraPUBLISHED: April 6, 2020 at 11:49 a.m. | UPDATED: April 6, 2020 at 1:06 p.m.Buffzone.com beat writer Brian Howell takes your questions and leads discussion about CU sports today at Noon MT. That will do it for this week. Thank you so much, everybody, for the comments and questions. I wasn't sure if we'd keep these going during this time, and certainly the participation is not as much as normal, but there seems to be enough interest each week that we'll keep doing this. It's a nice change, I'm sure, to chat some sports! I hope you all have a great weekThe 2021 class? They're making a lot of offers, but that will heat up during the season when - hopefully - players can start to visit. Last week, CSU coach Steve Addazio made a comment that he thinks this could cause the December signing date to not be as big of a deal, because teams may not have enough time to get work done on recruits. It's an interesting point.How do you see CU's recruiting class shaking out? Pandemic and new coaching staff unable to meet with recruits....CSU actually had 7. So did ASU and Stanford. But, four of CU's 12 opponents didn't have any practices and one (USC) only had one. It's definitely a mixed bag. And, no it wouldn't be fair, but given the circumstances, I think you just have to deal with whatever comes up. I'm sure most coaches would simply be thrilled to get on the field for fall camp at this point.fair enough. there are several schools that had not spring ball, some had up to .5 like csu. hardly seems fair.Those are all possible, but I don't know I don't think missing the 15 "spring" practices is enough to push the season back. If things are getting back to "normal" by June and campuses are opening in July, they could skip the spring practices, spend a few weeks to get ready physically and then start in August. It's not ideal, but it's doable.i'm late, sorry if this has been asked. Brian, it would seem impossible for the buffs sched not be disrupted. consider: the buffs get a full 15 practices spread over 3 weeks, plus; a month of s&c prior to that, plus, the normal 29 days of fall camp; they'd have to start early june. i don't see it. more generally, the sched could be pushed back 6-8 weeks and played up through january. your thoughts? thanks and be well.McKinley coming back will be huge for this program. They need another year with him. I agree, the depth was a curious problem. Several guys played really well most of the year, but at the end, too many disappeared.I think McKinley will be back next year and I hope the rest of the BBall team gets some of his mental toughness. For a team that was supposed to be so deep, only about three player really competed... lots of problems between the ears.I don't have any insight on that right now, but it's worth monitoring going forward. Right now, with no sports and probably none for a few months, I'd say to try YouTube TV if you're not locked into a long-term deal and then re-evaluate when sports comes back.I’m thinking about “cutting the chord” with Comcast and am strongly looking at going the route of YouTube TV. The only thing really holding me back at this point is getting the PAC-12 Network (and Altitude for the Avs...although who knows if Comcast will carry Altitude again in the future). Any insight as to if the PAC-12 Network will become available on YouTube TV in the near future?Oh and my bad - If McKinley stays, CU will have 3 open scholarships, not 2.Walker would be a great get for the Buffs and I do know they'd like to get some big bodies. I haven't followed the basketball recruiting super close, however. I know, however, Tad is open to grad transfers, JUCOs, high school, etc.Thanks for the chat, Brian. Regarding basketball, do you have any predictions on the 3 open scholarships? Sounds like Jabari Walker announces tomorrow. If Tad lands him, seems like there is still a need for another big. Carlton Linguard? Somebody else? Juco? Transfer?I believe if McKinley comes back, Tad will have two open scholarships for next year.from player info we have today, how many scholarships does Boyle have for next season presuming that mckinley returnsThank you! Same to you. I know it's a tough time for everybody - tougher for some than others. I hope everyone is managing well and has everything they need.Thanks for doing these Brian. Hope you and everyone else stays healthy.No news there and we won't get any for a while, I don't think. McKinley is wanting to test the waters, but I'm not sure how he can do that without pre-draft workouts, etc. My guess is that he comes back, but we may not know for sure for a whileBball ?,,, any news on Mckinley after the initial announcement that he was going to test the NBA feedback? probably a tough time for info. for all of us, but worth the question. quite a let down at the end of the season for lots of reasonsHonestly, I think the expectations are fluid because of the coronavirus situation. If there is zero spring/summer practice and they are forced to hit the ground running in August (or the season is pushed back), I think you have to give Dorrell a pass this year. In my opinion, anything beyond about 3 wins ought to be considered a bonus in that situation. Year 2, again, it's hard to say right now. I think a bowl game in Year 2 is realistic, because chances are you'd have the QB back and you don't lose that many seniors.How do you think Rick George and Lance Carl would define success for the football team both this year as well as year 2 of HCKD’s tenure?No question, CU didn't have the leadership in place at the time. It was just not a good situation overall. Hawkins has done a really nice job at UC-Davis, though. And, yes, Petersen was a big part of Boise's success, but I don't discount Hawkins' role. He's a good coach. It just didn't work out here.really, on the hawkins ?, wow someone's been cooped up too long friends. first off that was Peterson that drove all the winning at Boise St. is that not apparent to everyone... 'IT'S THE BIG12!!!" I agree with the comment about the end for him in Boulder,,,, he got weird. and the leadership at CU at that juncture was weird as well.Absolutely. I think Clay Helton is very much on the hot seat, and I think Kevin Sumlin is right there with him. Beyond that, I think the rest of the league is pretty safe right now.Are there any PAC-12 coaches that you think are definitely on a “hot seat” this year?That was an odd time at CU. Hawkins was nearly fired after the 2009 season - it was pretty much a done deal until Mike Bohn was overruled by those above him. Hawkins knew that and he became a lame duck coach. I think he basically went through the motions that last year or so (which is basically two recruiting cycles). I'll never forget the press conference at CU announcing the move to the Pac-12 and that's a day when the football coach would normally be a big part of the event. Dan was there, but was off by himself, barely talking to anyone. That was the summer of 2010. He was, in some ways, checked out that last year. He knew he was on borrowed time.I read an article about Lance Carl, and he mentioned that Hawkins gave up on recruiting his last two years and really left Embry with some low caliber players. Do you know why Hawkins gave up on recruiting his last two yearsHmm, that's a good question. I've always been a fan of David Shaw, but I've heard a lot of stories about how he's not real well liked by his players. Perhaps that's showing up in how many are leaving the program and they're coming off a bad year. I still think he's a quality coach, though. I'd rank Kyle Whittingham at the top right now, followed by Cristobal and then Shaw. I think Justin Wilcox is pushing the top three, though, and Herm Edwards isn't far behind. Who would you rank as the top 3 Pac-12 football head coaches?If I had to guess, I'd say Petersen is more likely to coach again than Meyer. I personally think Meyer will have a tough time coaching in college again because of how things ended at Ohio State. Petersen, I could really see him taking a year or two off and then returning - more likely in college.Do you think we will ever see Urban Meyer or Chris Peterson coaching again? More likely at a college or the NFL?On a personal level, I got along with Dan, but I also only really covered his last year. But, there is a lot of negativity towards him because of how he handled himself publicly during the last couple years of his tenure. The "Hawk Love" thing was great early on and I think he was viewed in a good light when he got CU to a bowl in his second year. When the losing started, Hawkins really turned on the media, which essentially is turning on the fans, too. He got a little weird toward the end with his actions and what he would say at times. Coaches have to understand that when they're talking to the media, they are talking to the fans. Some coaches really get that. I don't know if he did at the end and it caused fans and media to start to dislike him. Overall, I think he's a good guy and he's a good coach in the right setting. This ultimately was not it, though.What’s your take on Dan Hawkins? Perhaps I’m biased as I was a fan of his when he was at Boise State. But, why do you think there is so much negativity towards him amongst so many Buffs fans?Thank you. We are doing well so far! I hope your family is doing well also. Not exactly sure what you're asking, but I think Dorrell and his staff are doing as much as they can right now, just like everybody else. It's got to be a unique challenge for everyone and tough for a new coach.hey Brian, hope you and the family are good.... just wondering on your insight on Coach Dorrells angle on the down time and his interaction with recruits? thanksI haven't even thought of it, to be honest, but yes there are a lot of updates to be made. Literally everybody - including Ralphie - is gone after this year. Actually, I don't know the status of the two cheerleaders pictures, but everybody else is gone. I usually update that in the summer.A lot of updates to make on the BuffZone chat picture. Are you working on the changes?That's a good question, but I would think the Rams fans would show up for that one. It'll be CU's first appearance in Fort Collins in 24 years (that was the first CU-CSU game I ever covered, by the way), so I think they'd show up.Assuming the CSU game is played, do you think there will be more Buffs or Rams fans in the stadium?I will. He might want to be around the team a little bit first! haha!The next time you have an opportunity, can you ask HCKD how he plans on handling team captains? How many...will the team vote on them or will he name captains...timing, etc. Thanks!I don't know. I do know he is graduating this year, but I'm not sure if he finished in December or will finish in May.Was Sam Noyer still enrolled at CU for the spring semesterHe hasn't. Other than a teleconference a couple weeks ago, he's been pretty quiet.Has HCKD shared any additional perspective regarding how he is planning on handling Special Teams coaching responsibilities?I do not really know him. He was my sports writing idol growing up and I was super excited to meet him at the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach. I loved his work and have enjoyed his books. But, I don't know him personally. I think he has burned some bridges at CU. All? I'm not sure.Just watched Rick Reilly on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. He is just an ass. Do you know him? I suspect he has burned all the bridges he has with CU.I personally stay away from sharing political views, religious views, etc., on social media. I'm not really that big of a fan of sharing much personally, either. So, I typically think that's the best policy. I have my Twitter account only because of my job and I feel that what I post there has to reflect well on the Daily Camera. If I worked for CU, I would think the same thing. But, the individual you're talking about is not the only person working at CU that does that. If that has not been discouraged by their bosses, I don't have a problem with it.There has been talk recently of a key individual in the CU athletic department sharing their political views (primarily likes and retweets) on their personal Twitter account. What’s your take in general on this topic? Do you believe that individuals need to be sensitive affiliated with a university/institution with sharing their views, even though it’s a personal account?I think first up is the Wifi, and then video boards. I know they had hoped to have the Wifi done for last season, but hopefully it'll be done for this season (if there is one). Beyond that, long term, they would like to reconstruct the West side of the stadium. What that looks like, I don't know, but I've got to think it involves tearing down Balch and rebuilding that whole structure. They have to do something soon, though. The West side is in bad shape. The press box is the worst in the Pac-12 and it's not even close. I'm actually surprised they're able to get away with not even having a women's bathroom in the press box. But, I think we're looking at 3-5 years down the road for those big projects. COVID-19 could extend that if there's a major economic impact.What facility upgrades is Rick George looking at for Folsom? If you had to guess, what is the priority of these upgrades and possible timing for completion?I really wish I knew the answer to that. I think it's wide open at this point, but between those two options, I think it's more likely that we'll see the season moved rather than shortened.What is more likely to happen move the entire season or cancel non-conference and pick up the conference games as they are scheduled?Like much of the world, they are utilizing Zoom. They are doing positional group film study, from what I know. I do believe they also have a few team-wide meetings.What kind of remote interactions are the Coaches having with players? Do you know if they are doing position group film study?Nothing really that wasn't reported. Rick and many others in college sports remain in a holding pattern right now with a lot of what's going to happen in the future. Right now, it doesn't sound like the immediate financial impact will be that big for CU, but I think it will be down the road.Any additional perspective from the call the media had with Rick George last week?For those who might have missed it, I'll plug one of my articles from the weekend. There's an interesting connection between the Buffs (and other locals) and the city of Bergamo, Italy, which has been one of the hardest hit cities in the world by COVID-19. https://www.buffzone.com/2020/04/04/covid-19-deaths-in-italy-heartbreaking-for-former-cu-buffs/Despite the shut down, there is still a little bit going on in sports. Last week, I had the news that Sam Noyer is returning to CU to play QB. That's a great thing for the Buffs, as they needed some depth at QB, and he's a veteran who knows the offense and the team. Plus, he's a great young man. I'm glad to see he's back with the BuffsWelcome, CU Buffs fans, to our weekly chat. I hope you all had a great weekend. Obviously, not the best of circumstances for anyone, but I hope your families are safe and that everybody is coping with our new reality .
