Humbled, motivated Winfree ready to enroll at CU later this month

Juwann Winfree enjoyed a relaxing Mother's Day weekend back home with his family in New Jersey. It was some well-deserved time off for the former blue-chip receiver who just finished up his coursework at Coffeyville Community College. Winfree was back working out on Monday, though. He is preparing for his departure to Boulder on May 30.

Winfree's goal is to be the Buffaloes' top receiving target in 2016, following the departure of Nelson Spruce. Back on signing day, Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre set the bar high for Winfree when he nicknamed him "the touchdown maker."

“I have a whole different mindset now than I did coming out of high school," Winfree admitted. "I feel I am a much more dominant player, much more confident, and I feel like I will add leadership to the table off-the-field. On the field, I hope to add a new dimension to Colorado's receiving corps. I am a big receiver at 6-foot-2 but my coaches always tell me I play like I am 5-foot-11. So I am a big receiver that can move.”

Also a four-star prospect coming out of high school, Winfree played in eight games as a true freshman at Maryland in 2014. He landed at Coffeyville Community College and caught 55 passes as a sophomore after being dismissed from the Terrapins' program.

“There were some big benefits for me spending time at Coffeyville. It really humbled me," he expressed. "Going from Division-1 to JUCO is eye-opening. I had everything I could have asked for [at Maryland] but I didn't take advantage of it. I just feel now I am much more humble. I can't take things for granted anymore. I have to take advantage of this opportunity I now have to play at Colorado. I plan to make the best of it.”

Winfree credits a lot of his development as a pass catcher to former Pro Bowl receiver Keenan McCardell, who was his receivers coach at Maryland two years ago. Winfree is now anxious to grow under the tutelage of Darrin Chiaverini at Colorado.

“Coach 'Chev' also played in the NFL and he brought over Texas Tech's air raid offense with him so it is exciting,” Winfree said. “He has preached to me the impact I could have in this offense. He told me to come in, work, do what I have shown I can do on film, and I can be that guy for them. He can get me to the places I aspire to go.”

The question remains, though, who will be throwing the ball to Winfree and CU's other receivers this fall? Former Texas Tech quarterback Davis Webb has been committed to the Buffs since January, and he helped recruit Winfree to CU in the days leading up to signing day, but he has kept in communication with other programs, including Cal.

“Davis tells me he is still a Buffalo so my hope is that he remains a Buffalo, and that he'll help us do big things this year,” Winfree said. “I watched him and saw the impact he had at Texas Tech his first two seasons. I saw him grow as a player and as a person. I know how much of a positive impact we could create together.”

Winfree has two years of playing eligibility and his redshirt remaining. He will begin classes at Colorado on May 31 and plans to pursue a degree in Communications.