The New Names

So, there were a few names not on my unofficial list of incoming freshman football players.

Here they are:

1) Gregory Lee 6-4, 280 lbs. defensive lineman

Looks like Greg comes from a smaller program, but he certainly has big size for his position! He's another example of how much the team has become bigger under Coach Wilson.


2) Devan Luster 6-1, 210 lbs. defensive back

Devan comes from one of the elite New England prep schools. He was primarily a WR in high school where he was a super student.


3) Ryan Murphy 6-2, 205 lbs. defensive lineman

Comes from a well-respected Texas program. Seems undersized for a D-lineman, but the recipe that worked for us last year was big, big, big defensive tackles and speedy and slightly smaller defensive ends. Perhaps Murphy fits the latter category, or perhaps he will bulk up. Either way, we're glad to have him.


4) Will Patterson 6-1, 228 lbs. linebacker

I'll have to check to see when we last had a player from South Carolina. Patterson comes from a smaller program, but was good enough to be a state all-star. He seems like a promising addition to our strong linebacking corps.


5) Robert Sigmon, 5-10, 175 lbs. wide receiver

Seems like a very speedy smaller receiver from Florida. Will he run even faster without having to contend with the Florida heat?


6) Michael Williamson 6-2, 185 lbs. wide receiver/punter

Wait, now I'll have to check to see when we last had TWO players from South Carolina! Kudos to Coach Aaron Kelton who recruits the Carolinas. It's been a long time coming for the Palmetto state.


MIA

Two names on my unofficial list didn't make the official roster... at least not yet.

The first was James Pizzo, which was not too much of a surprise because he never actually said he was definitely in at Columbia.

Giving me more pause was not seeing Cameron Ross, who just spoke to a local paper last month about how he was coming to CU. Perhaps he will be a walk-on. We will watch out for him and anyone else who wants to join the ranks.


119 Strong!

Speaking of the ranks, if we add these 31 names to the returning veterans the varsity will be 119 strong for 2009. I know that only speaks to quantity and not necessarily quality, but getting the body count up is really a good thing.

Consider that the Lions went through the 2005 season with just 76 players on the roster. This is a 56.5% increase in just four years!

Kudos to Coach Wilson and all the recruiting coaches and assistants who have brought in these players and kept them with the program.