Mel Tucker confident in Buffs recruiting skills, both home and abroad

After securing his first recruiting class at the University of Colorado, new Buffs head coach Mel Tucker didn’t shy away from the confidence he has in bringing in top-level talent to Boulder.

Joining Big Al and DMac on Thursday afternoon, Tucker said even when it may have been competitive with another school, he felt “very confident” in what his staff was selling.

“We were very aggressive with these guys, and I feel like we can get any player in the country right now,” Tucker said.

But forget the constraints of the United States. With the signing of 6-foot-7, 290-pound offensive lineman Valentin Senn out of Austria, it appears the Buffs aren’t afraid to attack the international recruiting trail as well.

“The European market is an emerging market for players. They’ve been playing football over there now, American football, for a long time,” Tucker said. “And there’s a reason NFL Europe was in existence. There’s a reason why the NFL goes there year after year and plays games. The game is growing over there …”

Logistically, it can get a little complicated, as Tucker said he had to reaffirm Senn’s commitment through the communication app WhatsApp and arrange calls to account for an eight-hour time difference.

But “there are a lot of big people over there in Austria,” Tucker said, which is a reason Colorado will continue to recruit there.

“You can go there and you can get size and length and athleticism. In our situation, we have connections there, and we’re going to do that,” Tucker said.

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.