Northern Colorado leaving early mark in local recruiting

The University of Northern Colorado has yet to play this school year as the Big Sky Conference moved football to the spring due to COVID-19. Despite that, a big football name in football in the state is trying to leave his mark on the recruiting trail. Ed McCaffrey, the former Denver Broncos wide receiver and head coach at Valor Christian High School, has been active in recruiting in his first season at Northern Colorado. He and his coaching staff have landed 17 players to sign with the school, including six from the state of Colorado. Here is a look at the six local prospects who signed with Northern Colorado so far. <h3><strong>Offense line gets boost from local prospects</strong></h3> It was no secret that Northern Colorado targeted local recruits to bolster the offensive line. Three big prospects from the state will make the trip to Greeley next fall. Leading the group is [player_tooltip player_id="22551" first="Wilson" last="Clark"], the No. 7 ranked offensive line prospect in the state by Prep Redzone Colorado. The 6-foot-5, 295-pound senior from Ralston Valley originally gave a verbal commitment to the University of Idaho, a fellow Big Sky school, before the start of the 2020 fall season, but a late offer led Clark to flip to stay closer to home with Northern Colorado. Clark was a center for Ralston Valley and shows a good combination of size and strength to block opposing defensive tackles while also having the athleticism to pull on reach blocks and get up to the second level. [player_tooltip player_id="22579" first="James" last="Betschart"] of Legend was drawing some interest from FBS level programs but ultimately decided to stay home with Northern Colorado and signed last week. Another player with great size, he stands 6-foot-5, weighs 285 pounds and was the team’s starting left tackle. He was solid in pass protection and is able to handle smaller defensive ends with his size and strength in the run game. Betschart was an anchor up front for a Legend team that went 7-1 and made it to the Class 5A state semifinals this fall. The final offensive line prospect from the state to sign with Northern Colorado is [player_tooltip player_id="22556" first="Corey" last="Haniford"] of Cherry Creek. He is a two-time state champion for the Bruins and is also big at 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds. The left tackle for his team, he plays with good leverage, is physical in the run game and will put defensive linemen on their backs as a result. His athleticism also allows him to take on smaller edge rushers in pass protection. Haniford did have a few offers from FBS level, but Northern Colorado was the school he chose. <h3><strong>Defensive prospects that signed</strong></h3> The early Signing Day period saw a linebacker and defensive back prospect from the Class of 2021 sign. Northern Colorado also had another prep athlete who played in Colorado sign as a transfer. [player_tooltip player_id="22607" first="Tyson" last="Lambert"] of ThunderRidge is one of the top 15 linebackers in the state for the Class of 2021. A two-year starter on defense, he was all over the field and racking up tackles. He finished the 2020 season with 89 total tackles in six games played while he also recorded 129 tackles in 12 games in 2019. As the middle linebacker, he did a good job reading the play and exploding through an opening to find the ball carrier and bring him down throughout the season, and his speed helped him get multiple tackles in the backfield. An under-the-radar prospect in the state is Far Northeast defensive back <strong>Jaylen Byrd</strong>. He is a two-way player who plays as the team’s quarterback and in the secondary. Byrd earned some recognition from Division II schools, but Northern Colorado won him over with an offer in early August that held true to Signing Day. He plays with great speed that allows him to have range in coverage, so he will step in front of a pass for an interception or make up ground to deflect a pass away. In addition to his defensive skills, Byrd has also hit some big returns in special teams. Far Northeast will play in the 2021 spring season and is tentatively scheduled to start in early March. <strong>Jordan Knapke</strong>, a 2018 gradate of Grandview, will join Northern Colorado as a graduate transfer from the University of Sioux Falls. The defensive back played in four games last season according to a release from Northern Colorado and had a solid high school career with 120 tackles and an interception. <h3><strong>One player yet to sign</strong></h3> One player that is not listed as officially signed with Northern Colorado but is still committed to them is Valor Christian’s [player_tooltip player_id="22603" first="Nick" last="Lyon"]. The offensive and defensive lineman played for McCaffrey at Valor Christian and has some experience playing for him. Lyon primarily played at right tackle during his high school career but is expected to play on the defensive line in college. The 6-foot-5, 310-pound senior is a big prospect who will continue to look to use his size and strength to his advantage at the next level.