Buffaloes Sign Three Junior College Transfers

BOULDER — The University of Colorado has added three junior college transfers to its football program, head coach Mike MacIntyre announced Thursday.

Defensive tackle Jordan Carrell, defensive end Blake Robbins and defensive back Afolabi Laguda all signed Wednesday with the Buffaloes.  All three have three years remaining on the eligibility “clocks,” with Carrell and Robbins juniors-to-be while Laguda will be a sophomore (meaning Carrell and Robbins still have a redshirt year available to them).

“We’re excited today that we helped ourselves on defense,” MacIntyre said.  “We’ve bulked up our D-Line with more size and pass rushing ability.  In Blake, we add a 6-4, 260-pound rush end who is an excellent outside player, and in Jordan, we’re bringing in a 6-3, 275-pound junior college All-American D-tackle who is an excellent inside pass rusher and an excellent run stopper.

“Afolabi is a rangy defensive back who can play all three positions in the secondary, corner, safety and nickel,” MacIntyre continued.  “At 6-2 and 200 pounds, we like his potential as a defensive back and on special teams.”

Carrell, 6-3, 275, joins CU from American River College in Sacramento, Calif., where he was a teammate of current Buff junior offensive lineman Sully Wiefels in 2013; the two went head-to-head daily in practice and will be reunited.  The Norcal League Defensive Player of the Year for the 10-2 Beavers, Carrell was in on 80 tackles as a sophomore this past fall, numbers that included 19 tackles for losses of 69 yards and eight quarterback sacks (for 48 yards).  He also had 24 quarterback hurries, 12 of which were knockdowns, two passes broken up and a forced fumble.  American River finished with a 10-2 record and a No. 10 national ranking, with a No. 3 ranking in the state of California in winning the Norcal Conference title.

A parade of honors came Carrell’s way, including first-team ACCFCA All-American, first-team All-State, first-team All-Region I and first-team All-Norcal Conference, as he was the league defensive most valuable player.  A two-year starter at ARC, he had 30 tackles as a freshman, 10 for losses with four sacks, along with four passes broken up, two fumble recoveries, an interception and a blocked field goal.  He played his prep ball at Roseville (Calif.) High School, where he was a four-year starter at center and a three-year starter at defensive end. 

Robbins, 6-4, 260, will come to Colorado from Georgia Military College, where he started this fall at defensive end; he missed the better part of four games with a broken bone in his hand but did return to finish out the season.  In limited action due to the injury, he was in on 15 tackles for loss, including five quarterback sacks, along with forcing a fumble in playing for GMC, a perennial JUCO powerhouse.

He is from Aiken, S.C., where he graduated from Silver Bluff High School; he played just one year of prep football, starting at both defensive end and tight end, the latter as primarily a blocker in the offensive scheme.  He was in on 60 tackles, 20 for losses with seven sacks and a fumble recovery on defense in earning first-team All-State and All-Region honors.

Laguda, 6-2, 200, played safety this season for Butler Community College (El Dorado, Kan.).  He was in on 46 tackles, 24 solo with three for losses, along with two passes broken up and a forced fumble.  He had at least four tackles in six games for the 8-3 Grizzlies.

He played his high school ball for Brookwood (Snellville, Ga.), where he was a two-year starter at defensive back and wide receiver. 

All three will enroll at CU for the spring semester and participate in spring practices, which begin February 13.  National signing day for high school seniors is Wednesday, February 4.  Colorado loses 21 seniors off the 2014 team, 10 from the defense, nine on offense and two four-year kicking specialists, thus MacIntyre and his staff will likely sign around 18-20 prep players.