Colorado has added some expertise to its backfield.
On Wednesday, former Kentucky operating again Kavosiey Smoke introduced that he’ll switch to CU to play his sixth and closing season of faculty soccer.
The 5-foot-9, 209-pound Smoke rushed for 1,583 yards and 12 touchdowns throughout his time at Kentucky, rating twenty first in program historical past in dashing yards.
With the commencement of Alex Fontenot, Smoke turns into probably the most skilled operating again on the Buffs’ roster.
A 3-star recruit popping out of Wetumpka (Ala.) High School in 2018, Smoke performed in 46 video games with 5 begins at Kentucky. He began the primary 4 video games this previous season, ending the yr with 277 yards and a landing on 59 carries.
Smoke’s had the seventh-best yards-per-carry common (5.42) in Kentucky historical past. His finest season got here in 2019, when he rushed for 616 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Deion Smith, who led CU with 393 dashing yards this previous season, is slated to return for his sixth season, as nicely. Smith has 653 yards and 4 touchdowns throughout his profession.
Sophomore Anthony Hankerson (274 yards, team-best three TDs final season), junior Jayle Stacks (114 yards, 1 TD) and freshman Victor Venn, who redshirted, are additionally slated to return for the Buffs.
CU can also be including true freshman Dylan Edwards, a four-star recruit, to the operating again room.
No Week 0 sport
Colorado will not be beginning its 2023 soccer season early.
This week, CU head coach Deion Sanders sparked rumors of the Buffs trying to play convention rival Arizona State in a Week 0 matchup in August.
A BuffZone supply has confirmed that CU will not be taking part in that week, nevertheless. Brandon Marcello of 247Sports.com first reported that plans for a CU-ASU sport in Week 0 had been halted after the NCAA’s Football Oversight Committee denied a waiver request from the Pac-12 to play a sport that week.
Sanders was on the set of ESPN’s pregame present earlier than Monday’s nationwide title sport between TCU and Georgia. CU has been scheduled to open subsequent season on Sept. 2 at TCU, however when requested about that, Sanders mentioned on air, “That could change.” He later mentioned, “Arizona State could occur.”
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit later mentioned on air that Sanders instructed him CU can be opening the season towards ASU and taking part in TCU in its second sport.
Those plans have modified and the Buffs will apparently open the season at TCU. The Pac-12 is anticipated to launch its schedule later this week.
Transfer pointers
The NCAA Division I Council unanimously voted Wednesday to replace pointers within the waiver course of for undergraduate student-athletes trying to switch for a second time.
Two years in the past, the NCAA voted to permit student-athletes to switch one time as undergraduates with out having to take a seat out a yr of competitors. Many student-athletes have transferred a second time, nevertheless, and obtained a waiver to play straight away.
The Council acknowledged that athletic causes, corresponding to a scarcity of taking part in time, shouldn’t enable for a waiver.
Now, to obtain a waiver, a student-athlete will need to have documentation to help that they’re transferring due to an damage, sickness or psychological well being situation; or have “exigent circumstances” unrelated to athletics participation – corresponding to sexual assault or abuse – that necessitates a switch.
Around 2,000 soccer gamers from the FBS have put their names into the switch portal this winter, a few of them transferring a second time and searching for a waiver.