Colorado lands a handful of local commits for 2021 class

The Colorado Buffaloes had a successful campaign under first-year head coach Karl Dorrell, winning four of five games and getting an invitation to play in the Alamo Bowl later this month. The Buffaloes have also been active on the recruiting trail and landed three local prospects during the early Signing Day period a few weeks ago. Colorado also got a few walk-ons and former 2019 recruit from the state to join the program next fall. Here is a look at the local prospects choosing to stay home and play for the Buffaloes in Boulder. <h3><strong>Signed prospects for Colorado</strong></h3> The majority of the class signed so far by Colorado is on the defensive side, but the three players from the state that signed letters of intent are on the offensive side of the ball. Leading the trio is Heritage tight end [player_tooltip player_id="22524" first="Erik" last="Olsen"]. The No. 7 ranked prospect according to Prep Redzone Colorado, Olsen made a verbal commitment to the Buffaloes over the summer and held true on Signing Day. At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, he is a versatile athlete who can split out like a wide receiver, run solid routes and use his speed to get by defenders, but he has the side to also move inside, put his hand on the ground and block in the run game. Olsen was a bright spot for Heritage this fall with 14 receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown. Another great receiving prospect at 6-foot-5 with excellent speed joining the Buffaloes is [player_tooltip player_id="22526" first="Ty" last="Robinson"] of Eaglecrest. The No. 1 ranked wide receiver in the state by Prep Redzone Colorado showed a great ability to find holes in the zone and set up a big target for his quarterback to throw to, and with sure hands and an ability to run after the catch, he was able to find some big plays this fall. Robinson had 16 receptions for 263 yards and three touchdowns in 2020 and has compiled 1,525 receiving yards as a three-year starter for Eaglecrest. The final prospect to sign a letter of intent for the Buffaloes from the state is Cherry Creek wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="22528" first="Chase" last="Penry"]. He drew perhaps the most attention for those who follow recruiting due to him playing at the Class 5A powerhouse and winning two state titles in his career, including his most recent one a few weeks ago in Pueblo. Penry was a sure target for Cherry Creek in the passing game and caught 53 passes for 760 yards and nine touchdowns. He is a sharp router runner with a huge catch radius and will do whatever is takes to get open and catch the ball. https://twitter.com/chase_penry/status/1338263828950179840 The Buffaloes also landed a former Colorado prep star in Trustin Oliver for Signing Day. The former Parker High School Star was an original prospect for the Class of 2019 but enrolled at Iowa Western CC. Now he is set to join the Buffaloes next year as a JUCO transfer and will have three years of eligibility left for his collegiate career. https://twitter.com/CUBuffsFootball/status/1339271005387288578 <h3><strong>Other commits</strong></h3> A big prize that Colorado got for early Signing Day was seeing [player_tooltip player_id="56027" first="Charlie" last="Offerdahl"] of Dakota Ridge announce that he would sign as a preferred walk-on to the Buffs program. Offerdahl was one of the best two-way players in Class 4A and helped Dakota Ridge reached the state semifinals in the Class 4A playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Offerdahl has multiple offers from FCS and NCAA Division II programs but ultimately decided to take the walk-on road to Colorado instead. In the 2020 season, he rushed for 523 yards and 12 touchdowns from his running back spot while recording 41 tackles and five interceptions from his defensive back spot. A late addition to the program from this week is [player_tooltip player_id="22550" first="Mason" last="Maddox"] of Cherokee Trail. The lineman who played on both sides of the ball announced this week that he would be joining the Buffaloes. He was effective along the line of scrimmage and is a physical player in the trenches. One more player who stood out this season and will join the team as a walk-on is Durango quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="22656" first="Jordan" last="Woolverton"]. A dual threat QB who led his Durango team to the Class 3A state championship this fall, he threw for 1,010 yards and 12 touchdowns while completing 61 percent of his pass attempts. Woolverton also ran for 409 yards and eight rushing touchdowns. In his career as a four-year starter, he threw for 5,535 yards, rushed for 1,635 yards and scored 87 total touchdowns for Durango. The Colorado men’s basketball team also landed a big commit from the state in Cherry Creek’s [player_tooltip player_id="22547" first="Julian" last="Hammond III"]. As the quarterback for the Cherry Creek football team, he threw for 1,575 yards and 20 touchdowns while completing 70 percent of his pass attempts to help the Bruins win the Class 5A state title. He is also a talented guard in basketball and will play for Tad Boyle and the basketball team at the next level. &nbsp;