ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

IRVING, Texas -- Media days will be starting around here in a few hours, but I wouldn't think about starting the day without some lunchtime links.

Enjoy them as we get ready for the start of the true preseason hype.

• Clay Horning of the Norman Transcript writes that Bob Stoops has been a victim of his own success.
• The Dallas Morning News' Chuck Carlton expects storylines at the Big 12 media days this week to rival those at last week's Southeastern Conference gathering.
• Tully Corcoran of the Topeka Capital-Journal takes a critical look at Jocques Crawford's short career at Kansas.
• Nebraska linebacker Matt Holt could miss the upcoming season with a shoulder injury, sources told Lincoln Journal-Star columnist Steve Sipple.
• Former Oklahoma All-American defensive tackle Rick Bryan died Saturday night of congestive heart failure, the Oklahoman's Berry Tramel reports. Bryan was 47.
• B.G. Brooks of CUBuffs.com profiles Bob Foster, the 68-year-old defensive assistant coach at Colorado who returns to coaching for the first time since 2006.
• Bill Little of Texassports.com writes about Darrell Royal's recent 85th birthday.
• Defensive tackle Edward Nuckols and quarterback Josh Moten have had their enrollments at Colorado delayed, the Longmont Times-Call's Patrick Ridgell reports.
• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Tim Tucker considers whether Oklahoma State will be Georgia's toughest opener in school history.
• Bill Hart of the Abilene Reporter-News writes about Texas Tech's far-flung recruiting base.
• The Denver Post's Tom Kensler discusses the balance of power between the Big 12's North and South Divisions.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Colorado's recruiting haul might not wow many national analysts, but Dan Hawkins is attracting exactly the players he is aiming for.

Hawkins said the class he announced Wednesday is coming close to matching his recruiting model.

"Since I first arrived here, I've been trying to build a culture," Hawkins said. "We're trying to get guys who fit our profile. You're never going to be 100 percent at that. But in this class, it represents our philosophy of a quality balance of life. We've been in homes with strong values in how they view their kids. And I've been fired up about that."

That goal could be stated in a prospect like wide receiver Terdema Ussery of St. Mark's High School in Dallas. Ussery's father, Terdema L. Ussery II, is president and CEO of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.

The Buffaloes added the top player from Colorado for the third straight year by attracting Nick Kasa of Legacy High School in Broomfield. Kasa decided on Colorado's offer after earlier considering Florida. 

Also added in the recruiting class was 290-pound defensive tackle Edward Nuckols of San Marcos, Calif., who was ranked by Scouts Inc. as the nation's No. 14 defensive tackle.

Hawkins had a couple of late misses as wide receiver Diante Johnson of Walnut Hills, Calif., picked Oregon over the Buffs. Defensive back Byron Moore, a high school teammate of Johnson's, decided on USC. And wide receiver Emory Blake of Austin, Texas, the son of former NFL quarterback Jeff Blake, picked Auburn over Colorado and Texas Tech.

But Hawkins still was pleased with what he saw in his incoming class.

"I think it's a very athletic class," Hawkins said. "Three quarters of them were on playoff teams. There are a lot of guys who can play a lot of positions. I like these guys and their pedigrees."