A little bit ago, Grand Junction, CO. native Kole Taylor, a four-star TE and big in-state target for Colorado, announced his commitment to the LSU Tigers.
Taylor had gotten up to 28 offers and a whole lot of high-profile interest. Notable offers came from Michigan, West Virginia, Arkansas, Princeton, Texas A&M and Yale.
More than half of the Pac-12 offered him (Cal, Oregon, Utah, Washington, UCLA, ASU and CU) and 10 days ago, Rivals' Adam Gorney reported that Taylor had narrowed down his options to three: The Buffs, Louisiana State and Penn State, the latter two of which he visited in June.
Rivals ranked the Tigers' 2019 class as third-best in the nation, and currently, not factoring in Taylor, who is LSU's 10th four-star commit, the Tigers are also currently in third place, behind Georgia and Alabama.
At face value, the Buffs lost an in-state battle, as a 6-foot-6, 225-pound tight end. But that in no way should be the takeaway for Colorado fans. Taylor included in CU's Class of 2020 obviously would have been great, as he would have been Colorado's first four-star grab and his frame and film no doubt speak for themselves.
But fans of the Buffs should be more concerned or rather, proud, about how close to the finish line they were with a high-profile recruit who had so many options.
The fact that Mel Tucker and his staff were able to come in, and in a short amount of time and make such headway is in and of itself an accomplishment. The Buffaloes are making strides with in-state talent, and although Taylor turned out to be just out of reach, there's no doubt that he seriously considered coming to Colorado to further his athletic career.
Don't forget about Brady Russell, Jared Poplawsi, Luke Stillwell and Caleb Fauria. The Buffs will have no shortage of viable options at tight end for the future.
Tucker and his staff have done a fantastic job thus far, but at the end of the day, there simply is no remedy for not having the ability as a first-year program to have established ties with guys like Taylor earlier and perhaps more bluntly, the reverberations of back-to-back 5-7 seasons can still be felt here and there.
For all the successes that this staff has had in building the future of Colorado football, there are bound to be occasional disappointments that come with the territory.
Alas, Buffaloes faithful, do not despair. There are far more surprises and occasions to be happy that are forthcoming for CU and its Class of 2020. Wish Taylor well and move on.
