Colorado issues offers to a pair of in-state 2023 standouts

While the Buffaloes still have much work to do in rounding out their Class of 2022, which currently features one player in North Dakota big man Joe Hurlburt, a four-star prospect, Tad Boyle and Co. recently made some moves on the 2023 front.

A pair of offers have been issued to standout Centennial State prospects that the Buffaloes likely will work hard to keep home.

The first in-state Class of 2023 player targeted by the Buffs was five-star center Baye Fall, a 6-foot-10 prospect out of Parker (Lutheran of the Rockies).

Already, Fall's high stock is becoming evident, as he is ranked as the No. 12 overall recruit in the nation within his class.

As could be expected, there are already a number of big-time programs aside from the Buffaloes who are interested in his services.

Currently, Arizona, Baylor, Georgetown, Kansas, Minnesota, Memphis and Illinois have offered him.

Expect that list to skyrocket even higher by the time he is an upperclassman.

Less than a week after issuing an offer to Fall, Colorado offered Assane Diop, a 6-foot-10 power forward from Westminster (Belleview Christian School).

Along similar lines with Fall, Diop is already assembling a healthy offer sheet with two years of high school basketball still ahead of him.

The Buffs joined Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky and Texas A&M in offering him a few days ago.

Diop already displays a solid ability to distribute the ball to others in addition to putting his frame to good use in the low post.

The recruitment of Fall and Diop will be a good test of Colorado's ability to protect the borders of the state.

It's notable that a good handful of the same programs, Kansas, Texas A&M and Illinois in particular, have extended offers to both players.

The 2021-2022 season in particular will be of much import for CU in convincing in-state prospects that the NCAA Tournament is where the Buffs are headed year in and year out.

It should go without saying that this upcoming season will be challenging for the Buffs to do just that; challenging in the sense that Colorado lost four-year starting point guard McKinley Wright to the NBA Draft as well as fellow seniors D'Shawn Schwartz, Jeriah Horne, Dallas Walton and Maddox Daniels.

In terms of the cold hard numbers, the Buffaloes need to replace 64% of their total scoring from last year as well as 56% of their total rebounding.

With all that being said, the group Colorado has assembled ahead of this upcoming season is nothing short of promising.

CU's Class of 2021, ranked by Rivals as the No. 17 class in the nation, includes four-star signees K.J. Simpson (PG), Quincy Allen (PF) and Lawson Lovering (C).

Boyle also acquired Western Carolina graduate transfer guard Mason Faulker as some backcourt reinforcements in addition to three-star guards Julian Hammond III, a local standout, and Javon Ruffin.

In short, while the Buffaloes bring in a lot of unproven and untested talent , the 2021 class, on paper, is the best Boyle has ever signed, which says a lot, given that his Class of 2017, which featured Wright IV, Schwartz, Evan Battey and Tyler Bey, featured three 1,000-point scorers, with Battey likely to join the club before he finishes his career at CU.

The 2022-2023 campaign could be equally important for Colorado, if Baye and Diop are no longer on the market.

Either way, Colorado will undoubtedly look a lot more appealing to local prospects if a high level of success can be maintained annually.