Sean Carlson Cuts HALF of the Colorado Roster

CU did a great job at getting some walkons and developmental runners to run well but they have not been a team of hidden gems in years. No team has that is at the top.

If you look at the good CU teams in the last ten years they were made up of blue chip recruits and blue chip transfers.

It does suck that these kids got cut for sure but we don’t know the athletic department game playing going on. Maybe this was going to happen either way due to numbers 26 is a big XC roster. Maybe coach prime wants more bodies?

But it does suck, cuts are going to happen everywhere though if this 17 thing kicks in.

Did you see the new NCAA rule that limits the roster to 17?

He doesn't have a choice. Every school will be doing this.

He cut a 14:00 guy?

If he's on a scholarship it still gets honored right?

Everyone is acting like 17 roster spots is real - IT IS NOT. You have 45 spots for track and XC combined, you just cannot exceed 17 on an ACTIVE XC roster.

Track focused programs like LSU and Florida don’t have to use 17 slots, they might use 12, with 33 going to track.

But DISTANCE FOCUSED programs like Colorado might still have 25-30 XC spots, with only 15-20 going to track. Its just that only 17 can be active, the other would have to redshirt CC but could still run track.

I interpreted it as you have 17 scholarships but you also can only carry a roster of 17. Cannot confirm for certain though if that is correct. Hopefully I read it wrong and there is no limit to how many walk ons are on a roster.

Thsats my understanding.

Every coach (esp in this case) is hired to win and while its distasteful, don't blame him, blame the terrible (and now more terrible) system.

Happy he left Tennessee - he cut these guys without even giving them a chance - like have them run a time trial or something a month out.

You're seriously responding to a whimsical bullsh!te post? OMG.

The 14 min guy actually ran 13:59 according to his bio.

Wyoming or CO State will gladly take him.

What DI programs have "run club" mentality?

A couple of those guys looks like they were hurt or really slow.

But he cut some guys who have ran:

sub 1:50 or right at 1:50

mid 3:4X in the 1500m

one sub 14:00 (and a 14:11 freshman)

a 29:00-low guy

8:50 steeplechaser.

Two west prelim guys and one of them looks like actually scored in track

He didn't cut them. He doesn't start until 1 August.

17 is the team roster cap in the new structure with no limit on scholarships.

Derouin (SO): 8:14 / 13:59 / 29:13 (27th at Pac12, 67th at Regionals, 202nd at Nats)
Baca (FR): 8:38 / 14:11 / 29:39
Welch (SO): 8:39 / 15:20 (34th at Pac12 XC)
Greene (SO): 800/miler
Culig (FR): 800 runner
Hoffman (RS): 8:51
Nauman (RS): 8:58
Charkut (RS)

Lukas Haug is on the roster, it says his brother Stefan runs for Indiana. Not sure if he transferred/was cut before making it on the website.

IF these athletes were actually cut, I feel empathetic towards them. However, if this program is trying to get back to being the premier XC program in the nation, the bottom 5 on that list are obvious cuts, so really we're talking about ~3 of note. The Derouin one is interesting. There's obviously more to the story there.

The 17 person limit for Cross does not begin until 25-26; same for the 45 in Track & Field. Schools do NOT have to cut this year as schools decide whether to opt in or not.

There IS a limit on the number of scholarships; 17 and 45; there are not limits on the amounts.

There are a few threads discussing these items in greater detail. It could be helpful to check them out before commenting about CU roster moves and Carlson/Admin.

Regardless of whether or not they belonged on the team, cutting 9 runners before you even officially start your job as a coach is ridiculous

First, I didn't say it started this year, just replied about it in general, yes I know it starts 25/26 season.

Second I stand by what I said. There is a 17 person roster cap for xc with unlimited scholarships, clearly if you only have 17 people on the roster there is technically only 17 scholarships.

Those nine guys were all underclassmen. Distance running is sport that requires aerobic development, especially on the men's side when some freshman haven't even stopped growing, much less ever ran a 10k or steeple in high school.

Those guys were also all pretty good in high school and if you are from Colorado then you have a decent grasp on what some of their race results were worth at altitude.

A LOT of teams would gladly take those guys, develop them and be highly competitive. If those guys went to schools in the RMAC for example then they would likely have a good career and put up some great marks by the end of their college careers. That's the difference between developing talent and buying talent at the college level.