Erik Olsen stays home, commits to play at Colorado
Three of the top 10 high school football prospects in the state of Colorado play at the tight end position. Two of those three have already pledged where they will play in college, with Cherokee Trail’s Sam Hart Sam Hart 6'5" | TE Cherokee Trail | 2021 State CO committing to Ohio State at the beginning of the year and Heritage tight end Terrance Ferguson Terrance Ferguson 6'5" | TE Heritage | 2021 State CO making his announcement to Oregon last week.
The third of the top tier tight ends in Colorado now joins them in announcing where he will play at the next level.
In a special announcement on the Fourth of July, Heritage tight end Erik Olsen Erik Olsen 6'5" | TE Heritage | 2021 State CO made his commitment to play football close to home at the University of Colorado. He shared his announcement on his personal Instagram account with a live video as well as in an interview with local TV station KUSA.
Olsen made the choice to go to Colorado from a top-five list that also included Notre Dame, Stanford, UCLA and Washington.
“Family has always been one a huge part of my life,” Olsen told KUSA. “At the end of the day, it’s not the deciding factor. The other big thing is that I can see myself getting a lot of playing time at CU. That’s something that I want. I want to be seen, and at Colorado they can help me get to the next level.”
Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 230 pounds, Olsen is currently the No. 3 ranked tight end and No. 9 ranked prospect in the state of Colorado by Prep Redzone Colorado. In two seasons as a starting tight end along with his teammate Ferguson, Olsen has compiled 53 receptions for 836 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. His versatility makes him a match-up nightmare, whether he flexes like a wide receiver or lines up tight to block or run routes in the middle of the field. He has a good combination of speed, route-running skills and solid hands to make receptions while also bringing his size and physicality on the field.
Olsen joins Cherry Creek wide receiver Chase Penry Chase Penry 6'1" | WR Cherry Creek | 2021 State CO in becoming the second player to stay home and play for the Pac-12 school. Colorado welcomes a new head coach in Karl Dorrell this fall, and other assistant coaches such as offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini and new tight end coach Taylor Embree have him excited to live out a personal dream for his collegiate career.
“I feel pretty strongly about their plan for the future,” Olsen said. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been rooting for CU as my college team. Being able to play for them one day, that’s crazy to think back when I was a young kid growing up, and now I’ll be playing for them.”
Heritage is coming off an 8-4 record in the 2019 season and looks to make another run at the playoffs this fall. With Olsen’s commitment, six of the top 10 recruits in Colorado have not announced their decision to play at the next level.