Buffalo Football Recruiting: National Signing Day Commitments, Needs & Targets

The following Buffalo football recruiting National Signing Day preview is provided by Tim Riordan of UB Bull Run.

What Buffalo Has:

Collin Michael: Until Licata, Daniel, Zordich, or anyone on the roster proves themselves Buffalo is, basically, without a quarterback. Collin has a solid arm and an impressive frame but he has yet to look like he has completely recovered from his knee injury. He is nearly physically perfect for the position, make this an exciting addition to the Buffalo roster.

If not for the injury that ended his junior season he may have gone the AQ route. His recovery went well enough to garner offers from Temple and Central Michigan.

Robert Riche: What good is a great quarterback if he has nobody blocking in front of him and Riche, who picked to Buffalo over offers from ten other programs may be the best offensive line recruit UB has ever secured.

He was named to the 2011 The Southeastern (Michigan) Elite First Team. Riche was “a key reason why Donte Fox and quarterback, Shaun Austin had great 2011 seasons”

Riche would have been on the depth chart in 2010 when the Bulls were thin at the line but with our returning experience and the upside a redshirt year make me think you don’t see him on the field this year unless the line is decimated by injury.

Brandon Berry: On the other side of the ball Brandon Berry seems to be the most highly touted among an army of defensive back recruits coming in this season. If there is one area on Buffalo’s defense that needed a big catch it’s the defensive backfield

Berry closes fast and is a sound tackler, as a converted linebacker he is a great blitzing DB. Berry is an attacking defensive back who will do goo things in the box.

What The Bulls Need:

Buffalo really needs to get some more bodies on the defensive line. Madlock, who verballed last march, plays both sides of the ball but he missed this past season with injury and might work out better as an offensive lineman.

Lamar Bynum (DL): Bynum, out of Coral Reef High School in Miami, would be a developmental prospect not a guy you look to come in this year and break into the two deep. He has the size and natural athleticism but he is pretty raw.

Darryl Goldsmith (DL): The Bulls already have two from Cass Tech’s defense why not pick up a third? He was named to Michigan’s 2011 The Southeastern Elite First Team.

Jalen Randolph (RB): UB addressed their complete lack of a running back when they secured a commitment from Devin Campbell but I’d feel a whole lot better with Randolph, who is also holding an offer from West Virginia, was in this years class.

While Buffalo could miss out on Randolph, or any running back, I am afraid that a failure to beef up the line this season will make 2013 as painful in the defensive trenches as 2010 was on the offensive side of the ball.