Buy or Sell: Buffaloes Facing Quarterback and Recruiting Crossroads

William Whelan: Buy. There aren’t too many people inside and outside of the program that would deny Montez being more purely talented than Sefo Liufau. While Liufau has the experience, Montez has the live arm and just as much or more athleticism. This is a pivotal year for the staff, something we’ll definitely be getting into more moving forward, and if they see Montez as being a guy who can make one or two extra throws per game that Liufau can’t, they’ll need to play him. The only question is whether or not Montez can win over the trust of his teammates and take on a leadership role, something Liufau definitely has done.

Jake Shapiro: Sell. Montez has the talent to beat out a healthy and incumbent senior starter in Sefo Liufau but I very much doubt that the coaching staff would give the reigns to the redshirt freshman coming out of camp. Much like 2013 when Liufau won the job from Connor Wood it’s more likely Montez takes the job sometime during the season than straight from the get go. Not only should the up and coming Montez spur some competitiveness in Liufau but it should remind the staff of why trusting an upperclassman to take the snaps may be the safe play for the season.

William Whelan: Sell. It’s entirely possible that after watching Webb pick Cal, this team rallies and attacks the offseason harder and more focused than they ever have before. That would certainly help them moving forward towards the season, but it’s not the type of thing that takes you over the hump. I’m not a big believer in external motivation to begin with, and this does nothing to change that. This team taking the next step will come from the offensive line not killing drives, the defense getting third-down stops, and the quarterback protecting the ball–Davis Webb’s decision has little effect on any of that.

Jake Shapiro: Sell. No. It’s just gonna get them more salty and in their own feelings about things. The whole situation from inside the football team’s perspective has to be uber disappointing. “Not only did the staff go out and try to get someone who they think is better than us,” the team must be thinking, “they thought he was better than us.” That’s just gotta get you down as a person/player.

William Whelan: Sell. Of course, this depends on how you define “recent memory,” but how quickly we forget the 2009 offseason, coming off of a 5-7 campaign where you had a three-year starter returning at the QB and the world thinking that Dan Hawkins was coaching for his job. If they find a way to rebound from the heartbreaking loss to Nebraska at the end of the 2008 season, this program might be in a completely different place right now. That’s the offseason when I realized everything had changed and nothing would be the same going forward. But…yeah, this one is pretty darn important too.

Jake Shapiro: Buy. Except for a head coaching search we’ve had just about everything go down this offseason. The Buffs need to build off their momentum and do it fast before they lose it. If there aren’t strides made this offseason and into the 2016 season things could get ugly in Boulder once again.

William Whelan: Sell. Walters was a great representative for the University and, by all accounts, a solid coach and recruiter. With that said, Colorado lucked out by having him leave and being able to add Darrin Chiaverini. Since then, everything about the program’s culture of recruiting has changed for the better. Yes, the facilities have helped sway guys once they’re on campus, something Walters would have benefitted from as well. But Chev is helping get guys on campus that weren’t even sniffing the Buffs before that.

Jake Shapiro: Sell. Had Walters not left Colorado would not have gone out and gotten Darrin Chiaverini. With Jim Leavitt, Coach Chev has helped revitalize recruiting at Colorado and already they’ve started to work on a solid 2017 class–not to mention the finishing touches that were crafted by Chiaverini to the 2016 class.