BOULDER — The Colorado Buffalo football team is in a land of uncertainty right now.
The Buffs hired new head coach Karl Dorrell in February, after the late departure of Mel Tucker to Michigan State. The former UCLA head coach got off to a fast start until the shutodown of major sports due to the Coronavirus.
“I’m not looking at it as a detriment, just because I’m new,” said Dorrell, who was hired by CU on Feb. 23. “I look at everyone dealing with this.”
But not everyone is dealing with the obstacles COVID-19 has caused. Colorado's obstacle? That their new head man may not be able to get on the field with his players anytime soon.
“(With) me being a new coach and some new coaches on our staff, there’s always an element of uncertainty," said Durrell in a virtual press conference on Thursday. "When no one can give you a timeline as to when things can start, when the season can actually begin, when it’s supposed to be spring practice, when are we going to have unofficial visits. Really, anything and everything is possible right now.”
Durrell believes the county's health is the most important thing right now, but the shutdown has also hurt the Buffs in their recruiting efforts.
Both Palmer Ridge stars Anthony Costanzo and Kaden Dudley announced on Twitter earlier this week that they were reopening their recruiting after having committed to the previous CU coaching staff and not having a chance to head to Boulder to meet the new staff.
“They want to know what CU is going to look like," explained Dorrell. "There’s going to be skepticism, they want to see what this is going to look like this year.”
CU is one of three PAC-12 schools who haven't started spring practice, but for Dorrell, this suspension in practice will no hinder the product for next season.
“We’re going to use this challenge as a great opportunity,” Dorrell said. “And not something that’s going to set us back.”
