Colorado's top football linemen staying close to home, so far

While perhaps they won't readily admit it, one of the most stressful aspects for a college football coach when it comes to recruiting is landing in-state talent.

Nothing is worse than hearing "why couldn't we keep him here?" when a prized prospect heads off to Michigan, Florida State or any other far-off powerhouse. But Colorado's Division I coaches deserve a bit of a pat on the back when it comes to the early stages of the 2015 recruiting process, particularly as it relates to linemen.

Colorado, Colorado State and Air Force are doing a reputable job of keeping some of the state's high-end linemen talent within the borders.

So far, CU has nabbed verbal commitments from mammoth Regis Jesuit (Aurora) offensive lineman Tim Lynott and Pomona (Arvada) offensive tackle Dillon Middlemiss. CSU has received verbals from Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins) tackle Salofi Gaoa and Heritage (Littleton) defensive tackle Frank Umu. And Centaurus (Lafayette) defensive lineman Michael DeVries has agreed with Air Force.

"I wanted to represent my home state, my hometown and just help CU get back on track," said Lynott, who checks in at 6-foot-3, 296 pounds for his senior season at Regis Jesuit. "I know the program is going in the right direction. The coaches are phenomenal."

Lynott, listed a four-star recruit by many outlets, said he also strongly considered UCLA, Arizona State and Oregon. He was pleased to see some of his fellow linemen across the state also commit to local programs.

"It's awesome to get some in-state talent and some of the best linemen, too," Lynott said. "It's a great thing to have those guys in Colorado."

Middlemiss, listed at 6-5, 275 pounds, is a key cog in Pomona's run-based attack. Lynott has been told he projects as a guard in college, so he and Middlemiss potentially could form one side of CU's line in the near future.

Middlemiss initially gave his verbal commitment in April and, at the time, was the Buffaloes' second known commitment for 2015, joining New Jersey-based linebacker N.J. Falo.

When Rocky Mountain's Gaoa decided to stay close to home, he really meant it. CSU is walking distance from Rocky Mountain, and the 6-5, 274-pounder wanted to be a Ram. CSU's offensive line coach Derek Frasier is a Rocky Mountain graduate, and that was a factor in Gaoa's signing.

"Most of our conversations were really about helping me get trained to get to the next level," Gaoa told the Loveland Reporter-Herald. "Meeting him for first time was really big. He was real enthusiastic about me coming from Rocky Mountain and being good, and then looking at them for college."

Heritage has a new coach this season in Tyler Knoblock, who replaces 25-year front man Mike Griebel. He'll start off with an in-state bound defensive lineman right away with the 6-5, 280-pound Umu, who will soon be teammates with Gaoa.

Umu has racked up 106 tackles, a forced fumble and two blocked kicks over the past two seasons with the Eagles.

DeVries will begin his career at Air Force as a defensive end but has been told he might eventually be moved to the interior line as he adds bulk and strength.

"It was a long summer trying to put myself out there and going to a number of camps," DeVries told BoCoPreps.com. "I went to the Air Force camp and really liked the D-Line coach there, coach Tim Cross, and fell in love with the way he coaches, his energy and his character."

With these five, in-state coaches are off to a stellar start in keeping Colorado's marquee linemen in Colorado. It would seem as if there are more to come with a handful of D-I prospects still unsigned.

So far, only three Colorado players have gotten away, but none are linemen. Defensive backs Avery Anderson of Pine Creek (Colorado Springs) and Eric Lee Jr. of  Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) are bound for Nebraska and Gateway (Aurora) linebacker Kevin Prosser for Wyoming.