[Editor’s Note: If you’ve been hanging around this blog for a while, you know that I’d rather give you a deep-sea dive than a shallow splash. I’ve always ignored the “rules” about short attention spans and SEO bullcrap because I believe great content should speak for itself, no matter how long it takes to tell the story. However, I’m a big believer in staying honest with you, and today I’m trying something a little different to see if I can make your life easier without thinning out the substance.
For today only, I’m breaking my usual deep dive into three separate, focused posts. The idea is to give you more control—letting you jump straight to the parts you care about most—while making the whole thing a bit more readable on the fly. This isn’t a pivot to clickbait. I promise. This site is the CU site that is an anti-clickbait blog experiment that focuses on quality vs. hollow stories that are solely designed to get you to click. Give these a read and let me know in the comments if you like this segmented approach or if you’d prefer I go back to the “one-giant-post” method later this week.
And thanks for reading and commenting. I really appreciate it.]
One reader messaged me on Twitter last week to tell me that BuffsBlog “dropped the ball” by not covering last week’s signing day.
I smiled when I read his message.
You see, I can remember how big of a deal signing day used to be. I remember going to several different CU football recruiting luncheons, where the head coach would talk about each of the signees and sometimes – if we were lucky — show a couple grainy highlight plays on a flickering projector to the dozens of fans in attendance.
I remember going to Eads Smokeshop in Boulder to pick up the signing day edition of the Buffalo Sports News to read a paragraph or two about each of the 25 or so players that CU signed in the recruiting class. I still have a copy of the 1996 BSN recruiting class issue with Ryan Nunez on the cover. [For newer CU fans, Nunez was widely considered a blue-chip prospect and was ranked one of the top 5 dual threat QBs in the nation by SuperPrep and Blue Chip Illusrated. He ended up playing WR at CU.]
I remember cutting out the page from the Daily Camera that contained the 1995 signees’ player bios and taping it above the desk in my dorm room. My roommate at the time mocked me for it (rightfully, in retrospect.)
I say all of this so that you know my signing date bona fides are legit – and geeky.
And it pains me to say this, but CU’s signing day last week was the most uneventful signing day in the last 40+ years.
This is largely because of the new(ish) early December signing day. It’s exacerbated by the fact that CU’s high school recruiting efforts are, at best, meager. But I am nothing if not responsive to my readers’ requests, so let’s take a look at CU’s signees last week.
[CU signed QB Kaneal Sweetwyne (yes it is, Kaneal) last week. We’ve covered his commitment previously, so check out the link below for more.]
Cam Newton – RB (Prosper, Texas)
First up is RB Cam Newton (no, not that Cam Newton). He’ll be known on this site as “Not That Cam Newton” until further notice. Not That Cam Newton was Not That Heavily Recruited. In fact, he “only” had offers from high academic programs like Yale, Darthmouth and the 3 service academies (Air Force, Army and Navy).
Not That Cam Newton is 5’9” and 190 pounds. He had a storied high school career at Walnut Grove in Prosper Texas, just north of Dallas. He rushed for a staggering 2,402 yards and 41 TDs last season (yes, you read that correctly).
Most critically, however, he was named MVP of the Military Appreciation Bowl (formerly the US Army All-American Bowl) in December after a multi-touchdown performance against elite national competition. He’s a good athlete — Not That Cam Newton runs a 4.5 electronically timed 40-yard dash and has a 550 pound squat. He’s a 1-cut back.
Listen, folks. I don’t usually pump-up high school kids that committed to CU over Darthmouth, but this kid’s film is impressive and his play at the Military Appreciation Bowl bodes well. I think he’ll outperform his meager recruiting ranking.
Jacob Swain – WR (Melissa, Texas)
Jacob Swain is the definition of a late-bloomer. Before his senior year at Melissa High (a North Texas powerhouse), he was a relatively anonymous prospect at Houston Cypress Ranch. Then he exploded his senior year, where he had 53 catches for 1,184 yards and 17 TDs. For those that are math deficient, that means that Swait averaged a a massive 22.3 yards per catch.
Swain spent most of his senior season committed to Rice before opening up his recruiting last winter.
This is a Brennan Marion signing. Marion has known of Swain for the last several years, and had previously offered him at UNLV and Sacramento State. Swain “blew up” a bit (relatively speaking) after his senior year, though, and he committed to CU over offers from Louisville, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, USF, UNLV and San Diego State, among other schools.
Swain will add more explosiveness and depth to a wide receiver room that has a large number of players. Swain is 6’1”, 190-pounds.
What You Should Read — Athletic Departmnet Financial Mismanagement is Everywhere
I’ll often post links to stories/videso that I think are interesting, often that have absolutely nothing to do with football. Well, today, the links have a common focus. You see, I’m working on a full breakdown of the CU athletic department’s financial health. Look for the post in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, though, it’s been fun to read about financial mismanagement at other athletic departments around the country. You think we’re bad at managing an athletic department?
Nah. Check out these stories.
Florida State is the king of athletic debt?
https://www.sportico.com/leagues/college-sports/2026/florida-state-athletics-debt-fy25-1234883293
Move over, Florida State. There’s a new debt king:
https://www.sportico.com/leagues/college-sports/2026/penn-state-debt-beaver-stadium-1234883695
Wait, and now South Dakota State wants to join the mess that is FBS football? Good luck, guys…..and remember to bring your checkbook.
And Sacramento State wants in, too? …be careful what you wish for…….
Want to read more from BuffsBlog? Check out this story about how an improbable shot with 2 seconds left in the game might mean that the women’s basketball team can go dancing:
It cracks me up that this is a “short” post.
Long live BuffsBlog!
Thanks DWB! Let me know if you like this approach or not…..
Looking forward to your deep dive on CU AD’s finances.