Colorado athletic director Rick George said earlier this week the football program hasn’t missed a beat in recruiting despite being down two defensive coaches.
But Wednesday revealed that statement to be wishful thinking when Rivals.com reported defensive lineman T.J. Fehoko had de-committed from the Buffs and re-opened his recruitment. He is now seriously considering attending Washington State along with his cousin Thomas Toki.
Fehoko was one of the two commitments whose main contact with the CU program was departed defensive coordinator Kent Baer, who, along with defensive ends coach Andy LaRussa, were hired by UNLV on Dec. 22. Fehoko is a three-star athlete, according to rivals rankings and a big part of CU’s plans to enhance its defensive line going forward.
It might be unfair to lay the blame for Fehoko’s de-commitment entirely on the Baer departure and lack of swift action in replacing the defensive assistants. When Fehoko became one of the first commitments for the 2015 CU class in April last year, he emphasized that his relationship with defensive line coach Jim Jeffcoat played a big part in his commitment.
Colorado now has 19 commitments, including three junior college players already enrolled in spring classes, with national signing day less than two weeks away. CU’s class is expected to number 21-22 recruits with a big emphasis on bolstering the defensive line.
