Bu≠s redshirt freshman guard Lynott finding early success

boulder» When Tim Lynott committed to Colorado on June 28, 2014, the Buffaloes were coming off a season in which they went 2-10 and didn’t win a Pac-12 game.

It was another lost season for a football program that hadn’t seen bright days in nearly a decade. Still, Lynott insisted he saw a light shining through the clouds.

“It was one of those things where (coach Mike MacIntyre) persuaded me that we were going up on that roller coaster and were about to hit that peak and get over that hump,” Lynott said outside CU’s massive new weight room this week. “He knew we were going to be successful.”

As Colorado (3-1) prepares for its first Pac-12 home game of the season, Saturday at Folsom Field against Oregon State, the Buffs’ redshirt freshman right guard is experiencing the vision MacIntyre laid out for him. CU is coming off its first signature win since joining the Pac-12 in 2011 and is confident it can be a contender for the league’s South Division title.

And Lynott, a former Regis Jesuit standout, has quietly played a big role in the success of a Colorado offense that ranks third in the Pac-12, averaging 523.2 yards per game.

“He’s athletic, he does a great job pulling for us, he’s an excellent guard inside, he does a good job pass protecting,” MacIntyre said. “I think he’ll be a four-year starter and do really well. He also has a really good presence to him; the game’s not too big for him.”

Getting Lynott, the No. 2 prospect in Colorado as a high school senior, was a coup for MacIntyre in his effort to keep some of the state’s best recruits at home. The Buffs were so impressed with Lynott’s size and strength when he arrived on campus, they briefly considered playing him as a true freshman — a rarity for a lineman at a major college.

Eventually, MacIntyre and his staff

Edecided against an early appearance. The now 6-foot-3, 300-pounder was initially disappointed he was relegated to a year on the scout team, but Lynott is glad he had a year to prepare before being thrown into the mix.

“I think the redshirt year was something that was really big for me,” Lynott said. “It helped me improve as a player, get more strength on my body and mature more. I’m thankful he let me redshirt last year and have that chance to improve.”

Lynott entered spring practice confident he could earn a starting spot, and by the fall it was clear he was the team’s best option at right guard.

He has been one of several bright spots on an offensive line that has jelled well.

“I love Timmy, and he’s a heck of a football player,” said CU senior center Alex Kelley. “The way he’s progressed from spring until now has been phenomenal, and I think he’ll continue to get better. He’s going to be a really special player in the very near future.”