BOULDER It was a football recruiting class in which you should look back and see the foundation for a dynasty, of bowl rings and network TV appearances. The bricks included the best running back in the country, three of the top-12 linebackers and the No. 4 defensive end. <\/p>\n
Rivals.com ranked it 15th nationally in 2008. The class had all the markings of a future title contender at most and a consistent bowl team in the least. Which 2012 power is it? <\/p>\n
Colorado. <\/p>\n
Yes, Colorado's recruiting class of 2008 was going to lift the Buffaloes back to national prominence and coach Dan Hawkins to the kind of status he enjoyed at Boise State. <\/p>\n
Instead, Colorado went downhill for three more years and Hawkins got fired. Now, when most of those players would be fifth-year seniors, the Buffaloes stand 1-10 and are a loss to Utah on Friday from their worst record since their inaugural 0-4 season in 1890 and first winless home record in 92 years. <\/p>\n
But back in 2008, when the Buffs were merely bad and not embarrassing, what were the expectations? <\/p>\n
\"Through the roof,\" said senior Jon Major, PrepStar's No. 3-ranked linebacker from Ponderosa High School. \"We wanted to start a dynasty. We had all these great things. But if you also look down the line, you see what happens.\" <\/p>\n
Yes, what did happen? <\/p>\n
Defections, washouts and busts from that class have left Colorado with only eight seniors, second-fewest in the country. The dearth of upperclassmen has forced second-year coach Jon Embree to play 13 true freshmen, seventh-most in the country. <\/p>\n
Neither of those is a death sentence. Colorado has one less senior than Alabama. Schools that have played more true freshmen include Ohio State and Louisiana State. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Read this article: BOULDER It was a football recruiting class in which you should look back and see the foundation for a dynasty, of bowl rings and network TV appearances. The bricks included the best running back in the country, three of the top-12 linebackers and the No. 4 defensive end. Continue reading
\nAnatomy of CU Buffs' plunge starts with recruiting gone bad<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"