Four days before the February National Signing Day for the class of 2019, the Colorado Buffaloes landed its first commitment of the 2020 class.
Greenwood Village (Colo.) Cherry Creek interior offensive lineman Carson Lee announced his pledge to the CU Buffs, choosing Colorado over the likes of Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and a dozen other Power Five conference schools.
Lee originally planned to take some spring official visits and make a commitment during the summer before his senior season. However, Lee visited Colorado recently to meet with the staff, and that was a game changer for his recruitment.
"After meeting with the staff and talking with them since they got there, there was just a vibe that I got that was different from the other [Colorado] coaching staff," Lee explained. "It was just one of those no B.S. mentalilities. They're here to win, they're going to win, and they're going to do whatever it takes to win."
Lee reached out to wide receivers coach Darrin Chiaverini to set up the visit, which led to his commitment.
"I met with him, Coach Tucker, and Coach Kapilovic," said Lee. "I was in Coach Tucker's office, and he asked, 'What's it going to take to get you here?' And I told him that I've been thinking about it for a while now and I'm ready to be a Buff and commit right now ... Obviously, being an in-state kid, I've always been a huge fan of CU and wanted to play for them."
Lee noted that he's talked with Coach Tucker several times on the phone, and he communicates with Coach Kapolivic, who will be his position coach at CU, three or four times a week.
"I feel like I've already built a strong relationship with this coaching staff in the short time that they've been here, and they've made me feel like I'm a priority," Lee said. "They've told me multiple times that I'm their top guy that they're going after."
Lee is a perfect example of the Buffs' new focus of recruiting in-state prospects. Under Mike MacIntyre, Colorado signed 22 in-state prospects in six recruiting classes -- an average of 3.7 per year. In the 2019 recruiting cycle, Mel Tucker's program signed five in-state recruits, but granted, four of the five were committed to MacIntyre before he was fired.
Still, there were talented prospects in the Centennial State that MacIntyre's group didn't offer. Lee respectfully pointed out a few of those prospects.
"You saw Trustin Oliver never got offered by them. Tate Wildeman never got offered by them. Michael Lynn never got offered by them," Lee said. "(Some of) the top guys in the state weren't getting offered by them for whatever reason. But it seems like now, Colorado is making the state a priority. They're going to do whatever they can to keep the best guys here and it's exciting to see."
Even though he's committed to Colorado, other schools will continue to recruit him, especially during the spring evaluation period that is to come. He already landed an offer from Kansas State since committing to the Buffaloes.
Lee says that he will continue to post on Twitter the new offers he receivers out of respect to those coaching staffs, but he's firm with his pledge to CU.
"As of right now, I'm a Buff through and through ... That's how I plan on keeping it," he said.
This weekend, Lee will be visiting Colorado for its Junior Day that focuses on getting top in-state recruits on campus. Top offensive line recruit Reece Atteberry will be there, and Lee noted that Atteberry is one of his top targets to join him at Colorado.
Lee will likely play guard or center at Colorado. He has plenty of experience as a youth at the center position, but Kapilovic likes Lee's ability as a pulling guard. Lee will graduate early, and the CU staff will see where he fits best when he starts practicing with the team in the spring of 2020.
