Friday Night CU Buff Musings: Hirschman, Bakhtiari, and Roberson

It's a beautiful late April Friday night/Saturday morning in Boulder...

Normally, this time of year is pretty slow on the news for Colorado Buff fans of hoops and pigskin, but 2013 has offered some interesting tidbits. Here are the subjects, the pertinent details, and my humble opinions on each.

Nick Hirschman:

-- Nick entered the spring practices under new coach Mike MacIntyre with five other QB's all starting from scratch.

-- After the first half of the practices, he was one of four named as still competing for number one QB.

-- By the end of spring he had elevated himself to co-starter with Connor Wood after last year's starter Jordan Webb injured his knee and Shane Dillon was moved down the depth chart.

-- He was identified by the coaches as one of the leaders of the team being counted on to help lead the team through summer workouts.

-- Then, he surprised everyone by announcing via Twitter that he would transfer to another school. Since he is graduating next month, he can transfer to another school without having to sit out a year. He has two years of football left before he runs out of eligibility.

-- MacIntyre released him from his scholarship with a few restrictions on where he could transfer.

-- Then, Hirschman gave an interview saying that he left because he was not named the starter at the end of spring.

Opinion:

First, I want to congratulate Nick on his impending graduation and wish him all the luck and success that life has to offer. That said, I think that Nick leaving the Buff football program is probably for the best. As the backup QB for the worst FBS team in the country last year, methinks that Nick was in no position to be demanding as far as a starter position goes this fall. He was offered the opportunity to compete and he was doing well, but then he decided to walk away. This was not the sign of a leader that Colorado needs right now. Fortunately, Connor Wood really seems to be coming into his own at this time, and is showing signs of why he was one of the most highly sought after QB's in the country coming out of high school. It's possible the development of Wood and the impending arrival of Sefo Liufau this summer provided too much of a challenge and Nick wanted to head somewhere that he might be guaranteed a starting spot. Good luck with that.

David Bakhtiari:

-- David was one of the bright spots for the Buff football team the last several years.

-- He opted not to go through another head coaching change at Colorado and decided to enter himself in the NFL Draft.

-- He became the 7th Buff ever to declare for the NFL. The first six were all drafted.

-- Somebody convinced him that he would go in the first or second round of the draft, which would come with a pretty good payday.

-- Someone convinced him that he was the 6th best offensive tackle in the draft.

-- After the first three rounds of the 2013 NFL draft, David has not heard his name called. A total of NINE offensive tackles have already been chosen in the first three rounds.

Opinion:

I really hope that David hears his name called soon when the draft resumes with round four. He is a talented guy who might very well have a NFL future. I commented early on when David declared for the draft that he could use another year of development before he was truly ready. The NFL is a hard club to get into, as David should know. His older brother has been cut something like 14 times trying for a career in the NFL. The best of luck to David, although I really wish he was going to be back in Boulder this fall as the Buffs try to get things turned around.

Andre Roberson:

-- Andre has been one of the stalwarts of the resurgence of Colorado Basketball under Tad Boyle.

-- Over the last two seasons, Andre has been one of the best rebounders in all of college basketball, and is one of the reasons why CU has been to the Big Dance two years in a row.

-- Andre was named the Pac 12 Defensive Player of the Year for this past season.

-- Andre is currently deciding on whether to end his Colorado career early and try to get into the NBA. He scheduled a press conference on Friday to announce his decision... and then cancelled the press conference at the last minute.

Opinion:

Like his head coach has stated in interviews, it seems that someone is pressuring Andre to declare for the NBA draft. As good as Andre is on the court, the fact is that his offensive game is not yet at an NBA level. There is a great chance that if Andre declares for the draft that he faces the very real chance of not being drafted. Unlike the NFL, the NBA draft has only TWO rounds. While there a few undrafted free agents doing well in the league, such as Jeremy Lin, the fact is that having his game ready at all levels will help Andre make it to the next level. The Buffs look to be loaded with talent next year and having that kind of support can only help Andre grow his game. If he does decide to leave, I wish him all the luck in the world... which he might need because the next stop if the NBA turns you down is usually Europe. Good luck whatever you decide to do, Andre.