Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Sign Six, All Enrolled for Spring 2017 Semester
January 17, 2017 | Football
CU signs five high school early-enrollers to NLIs and added a junior college defensive end on the first day of the spring semester
BOULDER – Head coach Mike MacIntyre announced six new members to the Buffalo football team on Tuesday, the first day of classes for the Spring 2017 semester at the University of Colorado.
Five of the six newcomers graduated high school early to enroll at CU while the sixth, Shamar Hamilton, signed a Grant-In-Aid as he is transferring over from the junior college ranks.
Among the newcomers announced Tuesday were two defensive ends, one offensive lineman, a quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back. All will help Colorado reload coming off its 10-4 season and help usher the Buffs into a New Era.
Of the five high school signees that are a part of the Buffs' recruiting class, two of them hail from the state of Colorado, two are from California and one from Texas.
CU's two in-state signees are offensive lineman Jake Moretti out of Pomona High School and defensive end Dante Sparaco, who is out of Englewood, Colo., but played his senior season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. IMG finished the 2016 season 12-0 and was ranked No. 2 nationally by USA Today. Sparaco had 71 tackles, six sacks and three forced fumbles his senior year. He played as a junior at Cherry Creek High School under head coach Dave Logan, a former Buffalo.
Moretti missed his senior season at Pomona due to injury, but was one of two recipients of the Gold 16 Adversity Award given out by Mile High Sports. An All-State selection as a junior in 2015, Moretti played on both the offensive and defensive lines and helped the Panthers reach the Colorado Class 5A State Championship game, finishing the season with a 10-4 record.
Hamilton, out of ASA College of Miami, recorded 10 sacks and 65 tackles in his two seasons at junior college. Hamilton comes in to CU at 6-3, 245 pounds and played in 17 games over the last two seasons, most notably helping ASA finish 7-2 in 2016 in what was just the second season in its history.
The most recent addition to the defensive backfield was Isaiah Lewis, out of Granite Bay (Calif.) High School. Lewis played all over the field in his prep career and in 2015 earned All-Metro Football Team honors from the Sacramento Bee.
Offensively, the Buffs added to their skill positions with quarterback Tyler Lytle and wide receiver Jaylon Jackson. Lytle, a 6-5, 205-pounder enters college with great size and as a senior he broke his school's single-season passing record with 2,759 yards. Jackson was a football and track star coming out of Cedar Hill (Texas) High School, but injuries kept him out for the better part of his junior and senior seasons. A speedster, Jackson's top 100-meter dash time in high school was 10.55.
For the newest Buffs, they attended classes for the first time Tuesday and are working out with the rest of the team during this five-week strength and condition period that will lead up to the start of spring football, which opens on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
Not a new name to CU, but starting classes for the first time on Tuesday was offensive linemen Colby Pursell and Chance Lytle. Both were members of CU's 2016 recruiting class, but grayshirted to delay enrollment until this spring semester.
Evan White, who last played for the Buffaloes back in 2015, is returning to the team this spring for what will be his junior season in 2017.
Five of the six newcomers graduated high school early to enroll at CU while the sixth, Shamar Hamilton, signed a Grant-In-Aid as he is transferring over from the junior college ranks.
Among the newcomers announced Tuesday were two defensive ends, one offensive lineman, a quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back. All will help Colorado reload coming off its 10-4 season and help usher the Buffs into a New Era.
Of the five high school signees that are a part of the Buffs' recruiting class, two of them hail from the state of Colorado, two are from California and one from Texas.
CU's two in-state signees are offensive lineman Jake Moretti out of Pomona High School and defensive end Dante Sparaco, who is out of Englewood, Colo., but played his senior season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. IMG finished the 2016 season 12-0 and was ranked No. 2 nationally by USA Today. Sparaco had 71 tackles, six sacks and three forced fumbles his senior year. He played as a junior at Cherry Creek High School under head coach Dave Logan, a former Buffalo.
Moretti missed his senior season at Pomona due to injury, but was one of two recipients of the Gold 16 Adversity Award given out by Mile High Sports. An All-State selection as a junior in 2015, Moretti played on both the offensive and defensive lines and helped the Panthers reach the Colorado Class 5A State Championship game, finishing the season with a 10-4 record.
Hamilton, out of ASA College of Miami, recorded 10 sacks and 65 tackles in his two seasons at junior college. Hamilton comes in to CU at 6-3, 245 pounds and played in 17 games over the last two seasons, most notably helping ASA finish 7-2 in 2016 in what was just the second season in its history.
The most recent addition to the defensive backfield was Isaiah Lewis, out of Granite Bay (Calif.) High School. Lewis played all over the field in his prep career and in 2015 earned All-Metro Football Team honors from the Sacramento Bee.
Offensively, the Buffs added to their skill positions with quarterback Tyler Lytle and wide receiver Jaylon Jackson. Lytle, a 6-5, 205-pounder enters college with great size and as a senior he broke his school's single-season passing record with 2,759 yards. Jackson was a football and track star coming out of Cedar Hill (Texas) High School, but injuries kept him out for the better part of his junior and senior seasons. A speedster, Jackson's top 100-meter dash time in high school was 10.55.
For the newest Buffs, they attended classes for the first time Tuesday and are working out with the rest of the team during this five-week strength and condition period that will lead up to the start of spring football, which opens on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
Not a new name to CU, but starting classes for the first time on Tuesday was offensive linemen Colby Pursell and Chance Lytle. Both were members of CU's 2016 recruiting class, but grayshirted to delay enrollment until this spring semester.
Evan White, who last played for the Buffaloes back in 2015, is returning to the team this spring for what will be his junior season in 2017.
Players Mentioned
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