National exposure keeps black and gold in recruit’s mind
Maybe it’s the all-black uniforms. It could be the complete turnaround from last year’s disappointing season or just Nebraska’s collapse. But whatever the reason, CU football is beating out fellow Big 12 universities for national broadcasts week after week.
The Buffs will land on television a record number of times this year, an exposure that will promote the university to football recruits all over the country, a director for on-campus recruiting said.
“It allows us to recruit on a national scale,” said Mark Nolan, assistant director of operations and director of on-campus recruiting.
At the end of the season, five of CU’s 12 games will have been nationally televised. The three games on ESPN, which are televised from coast to coast, tie No. 1 Ohio State. The Buffs beat fellow Big 12 school No. 4 Oklahoma, which has one national broadcast on ESPN.
The Buffs also beat No. 7 Missouri in total broadcasts, which will only have seven of its 12 games televised.
Along with four regional broadcasts on Fox Sports Network and one on Fox College Sports Network, CU’s 10 broadcasts will beat its previous regular season television record of six. In the 1990 national championship season, the Buffs were televised six times during the regular season, seven including the Orange Bowl.
While it is common for football teams to be televised regionally, it is the national exposure CU has gained this year that is significant.
Colorado is in a unique position to gain national exposure because of its geographic location, Nolan said. Being located in the middle of the country, along with playing schools from both the East and West Coasts, CU’s games can appeal to viewers all over the country, and its games can be televised at times convenient to viewers on both coasts.
When CU approaches recruits, the recruits will often mention seeing the football team on TV, Nolan said.
“Everybody in the country gets fired up when they see those types of things on (television),” Nolan said.
Sophomore cornerback Cha’pelle Brown, a California native, said he thought about playing football at CU throughout high school.
“I always liked CU,” Brown said. “I remember watching them when they wore their all black on TV, so it was a good team to watch.”
So far, seven of the 11 students that have committed to CU are from out of state. Considering the Buffs finished last season 2-10, the number of out-of-state recruits already committed is impressive. Colorado’s 2008 class is ranked 38 out of 119 Division I-A universities by the recruiting Web site Scout.com.
Redshirt freshman Jalil Brown, an Arizona native, said Colorado’s nationally televised games helps recruits think about CU even before they start looking at colleges.
“When I was a little kid, I saw Colorado playing because they were on TV,” Brown said. “Now other kids who are younger, high school, they see Colorado playing so that puts (Colorado) in the kid’s mind. They see it as more of a big-time football program.”
Recruits can also see the type of football Colorado plays and decide whether their football strengths could fit. This is especially important to highly sought-after recruits, who are looking at a number of different schools, Brown said.
“A lot of players, especially the top players, want to see what you do – how you coach, what’s your scheme,” Brown said.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Margot Schneider at margot.schneider@thecampuspress.com.