In the latest sign that the University of Colorado football program has some major kinks to work out, Fairview star football player Kenny Bell is eschewing CU in favor of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers, according to Boulder’s Daily Camera.

On paper, the decision makes sense: The Cornhuskers seem to be on the way up, and the Buffs are, well, the Buffs. So, what’s so surprising? Bell, who lives near the CU-Boulder campus, says he never truly considered attending CU because he didn’t feel like they seriously considered him, adding that because of his proximity, CU coaches could have communicated with him more directly and consistently.

In addition to recent evidence that CU’s decision to keep embattled head coach Dan Hawkins in a face-saving move has likely cost the school recruits, Westword points to another case, Littleton quarterback Danny Spond, who backed away from an earlier commitment.

But the school has been able to land some recruits, as the Camera reports in a separate article. Tony Jones, a diminutive running back from New Jersey, says he’ll be coming to CU thanks to establishing a relationship with special teams coach Kent Riddle. Jones makes up for the loss of Littleton’s Mister Jones, a running back who had committed to CU but opted instead for Texas A&M after the Buffs’ terrible season. The newer Jones is the school’s 14th known commitment so far, and Hawkins plans to offer 21 scholarships this year.

Still, the fact that hometown kids are choosing to leave the state over playing for what was once a dominant football program, and that a Boulder-area kid chose CU’s biggest rival over his hometown team due in part to a lack of communication, isn’t going to quiet criticisms of a serious recruitment issue anytime soon.