Bryan Bailey - Like many good programs, CU gets its share of transfers. This year's College Cup Champs USC had several on their roster this year, including 3 of their top 4 scorers, and their starting All-PAC 12 GK. The Buffaloes have a strong and well-liked/respected coaching staff and a friendly/welcoming group of girls, and a top student-athlete support system, fantastic facilities, and a gorgeous campus. Plus they were 8-2-1 in the PAC-12 this year, tie-ing USC for a 2nd place conference finish.
Meet CU's 2017 recruiting class. The group includes six freshmen and three transfers https://t.co/fJeuMzpLGh #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/j1QQrh64p1— Colorado Buffaloes Soccer (@CUBuffsSoccer) February 1, 2017
A bit of the backstory on Baucom's transfer to CU: http://www.andthevalleyshook.com/2017/2/1/14377670/jorian-baucom-transfering-from-lsu
Top Drawer Soccer's take on Baucom's transfer to CU: "12:32 p.m. - Biggest news of the day so far has just dropped. Colorado announced the transfer of Jorian Baucom from LSU. The dynamic forward led the SEC side in scoring for the past three seasons, and is a savvy pickup for the Buffaloes." http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/high...e/2017-national-signing-day-coverage_aid41401
More later on the Buffs' 2017 class, including the transfers, but in short I really like it. I have a hunch from reading social media tea-leaves that one or two talented internationals may be added and announced between now and August...but I've been wrong about my hunches before. It looks like Freshmen Juliana Gunther and Kennedy Yost have transferred out. Juliana to Portland and Kennedy to Montana. I look forward to following them at their new schools and wish them the best of luck. Both seemed like really great girls.
http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/club-soccer-articles/the-major-stories-of-signing-day-2017_aid41411 "A Buffalo stampede in Boulder If men’s Signing Day is predictable, the women’s side is positively boring. It’s exceedingly rare that a women’s player doesn’t follow through on a pledge for one reason or another, and Signing Day is mostly a foregone conclusion. But every once in a while you get a shock, and Colorado delivered us one on Wednesday in the form of Jorian Baucom. Baucom had been one of the best players in the SEC with LSU, where she led the conference in scoring in each of her three seasons in college. But Colorado somehow managed to flip Baucom to Boulder with a year of eligibility left. Entering his sixth season in Boulder, coach Danny Sanchez has had success after success on the recruiting trail in the last few years, and a well-regarded underclassman nucleus is now bolstered by Baucom, who should be the most dangerous goal-scorer in the Pac-12 off the bat. The conference may mostly belong to UCLA, Stanford and defending champion USC, but don’t sleep on Colorado, which just got a lot better really fast."
The CU Soccer roster at the CU Buffs web site has been updated to reflect all the new players. Seems like a great and interesting group of new girls. http://www.cubuffs.com/roster.aspx?path=wsoc
It's pretty sad to transfer for your senior year. I know of other cases, but they tend to be kids who've played, maybe even a lot, their first three years but were told that their playing time in year four would be minimal. For a team's leading scorer to transfer is pretty desperate. I mean, Baucom is a pretty good player but she has no guarantee of starting for CU--or any solid program--and she's only got one year and you end up graduating among a new group of people you hardly know, your old friends and teammates left behind. It is one thing to transfer after a year or maybe two, but to transfer as a senior is tough, even if you are with a better team.
Kazoo - Jorian Baucom will start at CU...both starting forwards at CU in 2016 were seniors. Plenty of other younger but talented forwards to choose the other starter from, and plenty of younger talented forwards to sub who will get lots of playing time. The 2017 edition of the Buffs is brimming with talent and athleticism. Other than the two starting Fs, need to replace two other starting seniors...one D and our relentless holding MF. With the current depth there will be lots of options. My guess is that part of the reason JB transferred was to be closer to home (she's from neighboring AZ), but there must have been what she determined to be a very good and more substantive reason to make the change. I just always hope that all these kids will be happy and appreciated wherever they are whether they stay for 4/5 years or decide to try something different and transfer, whatever year of school they're in. The Buffs have another senior transfer from Georgia who is a very talented player, and who is from Colorado...it seems that a majority of the kids who transfer to CU are from either Colorado or neighboring states and/or were originally recruited by the Buff coaching staff.
In addition to BuffsPios......transfers are mostly strategic when they come at the junior or senior year. I have never seen a kid transfer in their senior year and not start....she is coming in to our team at the PAC 12 level to hopefully do exactly what we was great at doing in the SEC. This was a missing piece for us to have at least 1 highly experienced forward on the team to help our fantastic youngers to gain valuable experience moving forward. Its always a process...
High probability that Baucom starts. She appears to have the skill and drive to be a big time goal scorer which CU needs next fall - as has pointed out. Between Baucom and the other transfers CU looks to be building some solid depth at most positions. At this point the biggest question will be the back line and holding midfielder. Morgan Stanton was the unsung hero of last season's team. Because she played in front of the back line and screened them them she did a lot of dirty work in terms of winning the ball and then getting the attack started. So who will be in that role this season? The candidates among the returnees are Alex Vidger, Kelsey Aaknes and perhaps Brooklyn Varnadore. All three have played on the back line as well as in positions where they get to push up the pitch. I'm willing to bet that at least one of them could play the Stanton role effectively. One of the keys to building a solid college team is for the coaching staff to get talented players into position to be effective. In CU's case it seems that means some players will be moved around to areas of need which this season would be on the back line and right in front of it. CU lost two senior forwards, Danica Evans and Emily Bruder - both of whom were transfers to CU - and thus they not only need Baucom to be big time in terms of goal scoring this season, they need depth. It's possible that could be supplied by Camilla Shymka (assuming she has recovered from her ACL surgery) a shopomore to be from Calgary show looked to have good scoring potential prior to her injury and freshman Martine Puketapu from NZ. Both have experience with their respective youth national teams.
The Buffs having a 2017 player decommit last minute, along with 3 more transfers going out and coming in combined with last seasons transfers. It could mean the head coaching staff is not great at developing their players at the college level and why they rely on upperclassman transfers.
Again...not to sound too defensive about it, but 2016 National Champ USC is the posterboy (girl) for depending on transfers, including upperclasswomen, to take their team from good to great. With everything that CU has going for it to attract top players, one has to admit that it's probably easier to get the best players to the beach and relatively warm weather at USC, UCLA, Cal and Stanford (but...you do need a wet suit to swim in NoCal!) Maybe I'm missing someone, but I think only two girls transferred out...both Freshmen who saw little or no playing time in 2016. CU was loyal to the player who went to Portland in keeping their commitment to her last year, as due to injuries, she barely played her junior and senior years in H.S. I don't know why she left, but she is talented and very athletic/fast, and seemed healthy during the 2016 season. I think she'll compete well up there, and it's basically her hometown. The other girl went to Montana and she'll do great there. That's a fun school to be at...a really nice and comfortable human size. Obviously it's not PAC level soccer. As I've said before, I hate to see anyone ever leave CU and always hope for the absolute best for these kids both in soccer and in their studies. I don't know why the one girl de-comitted this year...she's at Long Beach State now...they also took several transfers in...from good programs too (Santa Clara, Texas A&M, Arizona.) She's also from SoCal, so that probably had something to do with it. The last de-commit we had was last year...she went to Duke, but has not ever appeared on their roster. She was North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year in soccer two years in a row, and was also State Golfing Champ two years I think. Hope she gets a chance to play one or both sports...she's obviously a great athlete. Maybe she'll transfer to the Buffs at some point!
You need to understand why the decommittment before you assume the worst. Im told its not a bad thing that she will not be joining CU next year.
With the big exception of Jorian Baucom, all the major pieces look to be in place this spring for the Buffs - two other transfers + Puketapu are in school now. Not sure how many in-depth articles we'll see in the local paper, but perhaps some people that post here will get to some of the matches in March and April to pass on reports.
I have been wrong before but I think there will be at least one more very talented international player in Boulder by August.
Hey all, tweet Colorado Soccer and ask for an off season/TWICS update-maybe they would do it if enough people asked for it
Buffs announce 2017 spring schedule #StrongerTogether https://t.co/DjzLJhFvFy pic.twitter.com/Hn3EyEAeiM— Colorado Buffaloes Soccer (@CUBuffsSoccer) February 23, 2017
Interesting that the first home game will be played at Folsom Field under the lights (April 9). Fun to have a night game, but the pitch is way to narrow for a proper soccer match. Nice to have Nebraska on the schedule as well.
Good energy at training today. 1st spring game in 25 days! #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/lmw1sbfsQC— Colorado Buffaloes Soccer (@CUBuffsSoccer) February 22, 2017
Don't recall they if they did last spring, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens come the first home game.