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| Click HERE to watch the video or read the lightly edited transcript below. |
Host Adam Munsterteiger
Defensive lineman Shane Cokes was a two-time All-Ivy league selection at Dartmouth. And now he joins the Buffaloes as a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility remaining. William, what are your thoughts on Cokes joining the D-line mix in Boulder?
.Analyst William Gardner
Well, I have to tell you, from all the film I've watched so far, he's by far my favorite defensive player that I've seen. He's long and lean. He's being listed at 6-3, 275 but man, he's got room to add to that. I mean, he could easily hit 290, just looking at that body shape right now.
He plays with great pad level. He's got long arms and tenacity. He's very well-trained. He uses his hands very well. He doesn't quit. He lines up a lot for them in the three technique, which is basically over the outside shoulder of a guard, but then he also lines up in the five technique, which is the outside shoulder of a tackle. So he's a guy who I think really, in a pinch, could play all four of your spots if you're in a four-man line, and all three of your spots in a three-man line. He's not the first pick I would use as a nose because he doesn't have that mass.
He reminds me of our guy a couple years ago who was so active on the inside, Mustafa Johnson, quite a bit. He's got that kind of quickness. He's not the biggest guy on the planet but I think he'll be bigger than Mustafa. But I just like how relentless he is.
There's a play at the one-minute mark on the film we have where he's getting triple teamed, and he still keeps fighting the outside and makes a play on the quarterback for a loss. He's very quick. He changes directions well. He sees things and reacts. And then there's a play at the 1:20 mark where there's beautiful, what I call hand fighting, where (on) his pass rush he's knocking the guy's hands down. All I've seen from CU defensive lineman is bull rush. So it's nice to see guys doing different stuff. . . . So he's got a hand fight, and then you punch once (to) get their hands down. So somebody's taught him very well how to play this game, and I really like it.
If you can't tell I'm very excited about him. He's a really a super player. He sheds blocks well. He can't be blocked. And I have to tell you, don't think that it's Ivy League and there's no linemen there. You know, I had a couple of linemen I've coached who had Power Five options who chose to play in the Ivy League. There's some good linemen up there. He's not playing against high school kids. And even when he's blatantly held, they can't stop him. So his eyes are always in the backfield. I'm just really enthusiastic about Shane Cokes. I think he plays. I think you can use him in a variety of different ways on a defensive line, and I think he plays from day one and really has an impact
Adam Munsterteiger
Colorado isn't the only one that was enthused about Cokes because he had quite a few Power Five schools make a run at him once he entered the transfer portal. He had nine other Power Five options in the portal. Miami and Oklahoma State were a couple of the other programs after him. New CU defensive ends Coach Nick Williams made a quick connection with him, sold him on the opportunity in Boulder.
Cokes is originally from Dayton, Ohio, where he went to Chaminade-Julienne High School and was a four year letterman there. (We) mentioned his career at Dartmouth. He started 20 games there, (had) eight and a half sacks. Just lastly here, William, I'm sure you talked about the fact that there is talent at the Ivy League. How much of an adjustment is that going to be? Is it something he can work through during spring ball?
William Gardner
I think that's not a big deal. I think there's other guys we are going to talk about that I think have will have a much bigger adjustment far as far as that goes. But I think the Ivy League is a much better league than people think it is. They're very well-coached. And they're smart kids, right? So they learn how to do things. They can be coached. And, you know, a kid coming from a place like Dartmouth is going to pick up everything you're giving them. So I don't think that's going to be too big of a deal. He's seen big linemen. He's seen big linemen that are fairly athletic, and so it's not going to be a huge deal for him to make the change to this level.
Adam Munsterteiger
All right, that was our look at Colorado defensive line transfer edition Shane Cokes.
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With news yesterday that Hilton Hebert IV and Godson Ajoku were headed this way here's the Dartmouth recruiting class as we (think) we know it so far. Additions and corrections are welcomed via the "contact form" off to the right.
• Godson Ajoku, 6-6, 317-pound OL, Canterbury School/Milford, Conn.
• Andrew Belles, 6-3, 200 LS, Houston HS/Germantown, Tenn.
• Hilton Hebert IV, 6-3, 230-DE/OLB, Morgan City HS/Morgan City, La.
• Joshua Johnson, 6-3, 230 DE, Statesboro HS/Statesboro, Ga.
• Harrison Keith, 6-1, 195 S, Choate/Fairfield, Conn.
• Max Livingston, 6-5, 277, OL, Grapevine HS/Colleyville, Texas
• Colin O’Garro, 6-1, 205, RB, Iona Prep/New Rochelle, N.Y.
• Keoni Perkins, 6-3, 230, DE, South Grand Prairie HS/Gran Prairie, Texas
• Will Prince, 6-5, 260, OL, Avon Old Farms/West Hartford, Conn.
• Chris Roper, 5-11, 190, RB, Adairsville/Cartersville, Ga.
• Grayson Saunier, 6-3,200, QB, Lafayette HS/Lafayette, La.
• Taysire Williams, 6-6, 230 TE, Jimtown HS, Elkhart, Ind.
• Owen Zalc, K/P, 5-10, 155, Green Hope HS/Cary, N.C.
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It has been a rough few years for Dartmouth's ticketed winter sports programs but with the start of Ivy League play things are looking up for one program. With yesterday's 60-59 win at Harvard the Big Green men's basketball team is off to a 3-2 start in conference action for the first time since 1999, with notable wins over the Crimson, preseason Ivy favorite Penn and Yale. The Big Green is 7-12 overall.
Still working to turn things around are the women's basketball team (2-17, 0-5 Ivy), men's ice hockey (2-15-1, 1-9-1 ECAC) and women's ice hockey (5-14-0, 1-11-0 ECAC) teams.
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EXTRA POINT
Go figure. One day after my childhood buddy headed back home after overcast kept him from seeing the views here at our Vermont hillside home the skies finally opened up and we had one of the most beautiful sunsets in the almost four years we've lived here. This is a pretty accurate look at the view, panning from Mount Moosilauke in the east across to the west, with the sky turning orange as the camera caught the rays of the sun. It's only 24 seconds.
