Feb. 7 was signing day for college athletics. It's a day where the most promising of high school athletes choose which colleges they will play for. The big news around CU is the first recruiting class that Dan Hawkins has put together for 2007.

Of course, much ballyhoo has been made in the media about a five-star recruit, Ryan Miller, who has committed to play football for Hawk and the Buffs. But lost amidst all of that hype about Miller, who hangs his hat on a play during the Class 5A state championship game where he ran down a Mullen running back, there are tons of new recruits that should be able to make an immediate impact on next year's team.

Among them is Anthony Perkins from Northglenn. Our very own John Eisel wrote a story about Perkins a few weeks ago and all he can bring to the CU football team. You can read the story by clicking here.

Here is the full list of signees from CUBuffs.com:

Ethan Adkins
Tyler Ahles
Matt Bahr
Matthew Ballenger
Blake Behrens
Kendrick Celestine
Shawn Daniels
P.T. Gates
Eugene Goree
Josh Hartigan
Jonathan Hawkins
Drew Hudgins
Michael Iltis
Devan Johnson
Brian Lockridge
Kealakai Maiava
Ryan Miller
Nick Nelson
Conrad Obi
Anthony Perkins
Chris Perri
Lagrone Shields
Markques Simas
Joshua Smith
Lamont Smith
Sione Tau
Nate Vaiomounga
Anthony Wright


Another big coup that Hawkins and his staff were able to pull off on signing day is the commit of Sione Tau, a three-star offensive lineman from Honolulu. Word around the campfire was that Tau would sign with Arizona, but when it came down to it today, Tau ended up with the Buffaloes. He'll join another one of his fellow Hawaiians, Kealakai Maiava, who committed to the Buffaloes today.

Markques Simas, a four-star wide receiver recruit from San Diego, did sign his letter of intent for the Buffaloes earlier today. He was highly recruited by other powerhouse teams, such as Michigan and USC.

The news isn't all good, though, as the Buffs did lose a couple of offensive linemen who Hawk and the coaching staff were looking to help replace the depleted line. Garth Gerhart decided to give his football career a go with Arizona State, as did his teammate Adam Tello. Both had been heavily recruited by the Buffaloes.

Rivals.com is reporting that P.T. Gates, a four-star junior college recruit from California,has signed his letter of intent to play with the Buffaloes earlier this afternoon. Gates was recruited by Tennessee and Florida, two big time football programs, but ended up with CU.

Hawkins said that the Gates was a " Reggie Bush-type of guy," who would make a big impact at CU.

Hawkins also had high praise for Kendrick Celestine, Josh Smith and Markques Simas.

"Those three guys are all playmakers," he said. "They're all legit speed guys."

Hawkins had a lot to say about the recruiting process, as well, particularly about the difference between parents during the home visits.

"Mom wants to sit there and talk offense," he said. "Most kids are momma's boys. They love dad, but mom's the one who holds on to the heart strings."

We want to know what you think about the new Buffs. Will they make an immediate impact on a fledgling program? What kind of season will these recruits make on the Buffs? You can write your own story about it or why not start a blog?

Editor's note: If you know a high schooler who recently committed to a collegiate sport, post a story and photo about him or her. Local students signing today include:
- Cody Bakker, Mountain Vista, Chadron State (Neb.) football
- Josh Belfrage, Mountain Vista, Marquette University soccer
- Jared Campbell, Overland, University of Miami football
- Justin Cooper, Overland, Washburn University (Kan.) football
- Marquis Cox, Overland, Adams State College football
- Christine Delashmutt, Columbine, Long Island University (N.Y.) soccer
- Marcus Felker, Thornton, University of Wyoming football
- Kari Foreman, Bear Creak, Montana State University at Billings soccer
- CJ Gillman, Columbine, Coastal Carolina University (Conway, S.C.) baseball
- Gailon Greene, Green Mountain, Colorado School of Mines football
- Karter Haug, Mountain Vista, University of Southern California soccer
-Travis Hillen, Thornton, University of Wyoming football
- Kaither Holiway, Douglas County, Colorado School of Mines football
- Jarrad McKay, Lakewood, Colorado State University football
- Andy Nappo, Douglas County, Colorado School of Mines football
- Allen Noble, Eaglecrest, Colorado School of Mines football
- Jordan Oyler, Overland, Adams State College softball
- Eric Propst, Faith Christian, Colorado School of Mines football
- Dan Raunig, Mountain Vista, Mesa State football
- Donnie Reed, Lakewood, Chadron State (Neb.) football
- Ian Reither, Douglas County, Colorado School of Mines football
- Joshua Ruff, Douglas County, Colorado School of Mines football
- Steve Slowik, Mountain Vista, Michigan Tech football
- Jordan Smith, Chatfield, Colorado School of Mines football
- Matt Tuten, Mountain Vista, University of Pennsylvania football
- Alex Vigil, Faith Christian, Colorado School of Mines football
- Mike Whitney, Douglas County, Colorado School of Mines football

Events
Here are some things that you can do in and around Boulder to enjoy the nice weather we've been having.

-The International Film Series will present Bernie at 7 p.m. Feb. 9 in Muenzinger Auditorium E050. When he leaves the orphanage, Bernie Noel is thirty years old and has one thing on his mind: finding out where he came from. This is how a journey full of pitfalls begins for this neurotic guy, who will end up wreaking havoc wherever he goes. Tickets are $5 for the public and $4 for students with an ID.

-The University of Colorado Theater Department is putting on Roulette this weekend at 8 p.m. Feb. 9 and 10. The play is about a dysfunctional family sitcom that becomes an unpredictable farce in this seriously funny play by the director of American Pie. Tickets are $15 for the public and $12 for students available at the University Theater or online at www.cutheatre.org.

-The women's basketball team will take on Nebraska at 2 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Coors Event Center. Come and see the Buffs take it to the "Big Red". Tickets are $11.50-$17.50 and are available at www.cubuffs.com.

-The Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art will hold a free artist talk with Christopher Morris, a nationally-renown photographer at 3 p.m. Feb. 10 at the BmoCA, 1750 13 th St., Boulder. He will be discussing his photographs presented in the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art's spring series of exhibits. Over the past 20 years Morris has concentrated the greater part of his work on war, having documented more than 18 foreign conflicts. In 2000, Morris started producing a series of work, "My America," while covering the presidential campaign for TIME magazine. These photographs document a powerful personal vision of who and what makes up the current political culture.

News

The Colorado Daily has a story about Adrienne Anderson, a former instructor in the Environmental Studies department, who is trying to get her job back after being let go for conflicting reasons back in 2005.

The Daily also has a story about how one Boulder resident found herself in handcuffs at the hands of the CU police department.

Finally, the Campus Press has a story about the overcrowding situation at the recreation center.

Have a good week. Let's hope bright times are ahead for this year's recruiting class.