Coach's Corner: Kary Kutsch
To learn more about new Colorado signee Kary Kutsch, we spoke with Butte College head coach Rob Snelling.
MORE: Buff Nation Message Board | Kary Kutsch discusses how he became a Colorado commit
What are the Buffs getting in Kary as a player?
Rob Snelling: "He's extremely physical; that's probably the first thing that jumps out about him. I think he's also very smart. He's a guy that I think you can move around to play multiple positions across the front. We never had him do any stuff at center, but I think he could play any of the guard or tackle spots. He played left tackle for us all season -- started every game. Week in and week out, he was our most consistent guy."
His recruitment came together very quickly. What was that process like?
RS: "Spring ball for us in April and May are very busy times. All the schools that recruit California hit up the junior colleges out here. Klayton Adams has been recruiting this area for a long time, and I've know him -- he actually played at Boise State a little while after I did. He's familiar with this area.
"Kary had an offer from Indiana, but it wasn't going to be until December [when he could sign with them], so Colorado was able to bring him in right now. That was one of the big things that helped in terms of making that decision -- he can be there now. It's funny because people are finding out about him more and more but it's too late. It all happened within about three weeks. South Alabama called me the other day and Oregon State and UCLA came out here to look at him. ... Kary is an academic guy. He was a qualifier out of high school. Being up this far in northern California, we don't get recruited extremely hard at the high school level.
"South Alabama offered him this week but they were too late. Washington State came in [Thursday] and they were like, 'What? He's gone?' Colorado did a really good job being here first. They beat everyone to him. They set him up for the official visit and he was there last weekend. Another big advantage is that they can bring him in right now and be there for the summer and get going.
"Had he played in a Sacramento/Bay Area/southern California area, there's no way he would've gone junior college. It's just that he's from Redding, which is so far north that it's not heavily recruited. I was really fortunate to get him and have the opportunity to coach him. I was sitting back laughing when I was recruiting him out of high school when he said he had a partial offer here and these guys wanted him to talk on. I was just like, 'Look man, come just for one year and you'll see what happens.' And that's all happened now. There's not a whole guys out there like him that have the package of being an academic guy, the size, athleticism, toughness -- it's tough to find all of those things."
How will his skills translate to playing at Colorado and what position do you think he ultimately ends up at?
RS: "I think he can end up at tackle or guard, really. It just depends on where there is a need. They'll evaluate that and see where he fits best. I think he is athletic enough to play on the edge at tackle and can hold up there fine. I think his biggest strength as of today is how physical he is. He's a big, strong kid at 6-5 300-pounds. He benches right around 400 pounds. He's explosive and he throws for us in track and field. He was a section champion in shot put up here in high school. He's got a lot of good qualities."
MORE: Colorado announces signing of Kary Kutsch
What is Colorado getting in Kary off the field? What kind of young man is he?
RS: "Kary is more to himself. He's not an extremely loud guy; he's more of the guy that shows up and handles his business. He got a 3.8 in the fall academically and he just shows up and does his job. He's consistent and a mature guy for his age. I know that's a battle for a lot of guys making the transition from high school to college, but he's done a good job of that. They'll have a guy that is zero maintenance off the field, be a good teammate, student, and member of the community. That's what every coach wants in their program and you can never get enough of that."
