We learned a lot about Colorado Buffaloes head coach Mel Tucker in his first trip through the recruiting cycle in Boulder.

First of all, we know he’s good at it.

This Buffs class is the highest-rated since Colorado joined the Pac-12 in 2011, per 247Sports’ composite ratings, and it isn’t close. The Buffs are currently sitting in the top half for the first time ever and more often than not they’ve finished dead last.

And this year’s ratings don’t include Antonio Alfano, the pass-rusher transferring to Boulder who was ranked as the top overall prospect in the entire 2019 class, at one point.

Second, we learned that Tucker likes to put on a show.

The Buffs created an elaborate set for a two-hour live show, during which former CU greats announced 2020 signees. Daniel Graham was the first to Skype in, followed by David Bakhtiari, Matt McChesney, Chidobe Awuzie and others. Tucker wore a slick three-piece suit and his coaching staff also dressed to the nines.

The whole day was incredibly well-produced.

But more than anything, we learned that Mel Tucker has a type.

“We’re not just collecting players,” Tucker said during his signing day press conference Wednesday. “We’re building a team.”

What Tucker means is that there are specific roles that need to be filled on both sides of the ball. Some, like the star linebacker spot, require a very particular set of skills. The Buffs aren’t trying to pull in the most talented players they can find, they’re trying to pull in guys who fit.

“We have a profile for players at each position,” Tucker said  “So at every position, we want to make sure that we don’t deviate from what we want to get and who we want to sign. We don’t want to make a lot of exceptions because if you make exceptions, you’ll have a team of exceptions, and that’s not what we want to do.”

But beyond looking for fit, Tucker recruits size.

“We want big guys that are strong and powerful,” he said. “They can move people, they have athleticism, initial quickness, ball skills, change of direction, guys that can match up.”

This thought process is evident in the Buffs’ 2020 class. Take star signee Antonio Alfano, for example.

At 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds, Alfano’s size will make him an instant impact player for Colorado if the NCAA allows him to play in 2020. He could go toe-to-toe with any offensive lineman in the Pac-12 and have a shot to come away victorious.

Remember, though, that Alfano was at one point the highest-rated recruit in entire 2019 class, so it’s not like Tucker went out on a limb trying to bring him to Boulder.

However, if you scroll all the way through the recruiting rankings, eventually you’ll find offensive lineman Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan. He is the second-lowest rated recruit in the Buffs’ 2020 class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings, but he still measures in at 6-foot-9 and 325 pounds.

That’s the theme behind this entire class; they’re really, really big.

And there’s a method to Tucker’s madness.

“As you go down the road, and you’re marching towards a championship, the games get bigger and bigger and the opponents get tougher and tougher,” Tucker said. “At some point, you’ve got to be able to match up player-for-player. We don’t ever want to be in a situation where we’re playing for a championship and we can’t match up.”

It makes sense.

In the 2019 finale, Tucker’s Buffs struggled to match the size and strength of Utah’s defensive front. Colorado couldn’t protect quarterback Steven Montez or open running lanes for much of the night.

At the time, Utah was a pair of wins away from an appearance in the College Football Playoff.

“We have to build our team to be able to match up against anyone in the country.”

It might seem like a stretch to build a Colorado football team around how to compete at the national level but remember, this class will be on campus through the 2023 campaign. By that point, Colorado, in theory, should be entering its contention window.

It’s clear that Tucker thinks an influx of size will be a key to growing his program and, if you boil the reasoning down to one line, it makes a lot of sense.

As Mel Tucker said Wednesday:

“Football, in general, is a game for big men.”

2020 Colorado Signees

Transfers (2)