Pac-12 After Spring: Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre

Spring football is over. Real football is still far, far away.

To help bridge the gap, we’re checking in on Arizona’s competition in the Pac-12. Over the next few weeks, we’ll run some of the best comments from the league’s coaches after their recent participation in a conference call to wrap up spring ball.

Today’s "Pac-12 After Spring" Q&A is with Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre. Coming next week: Oregon’s Mark Helfrich, Oregon State’s Gary Andersen and Stanford’s David Shaw.

Here’s MacIntyre:

(on the status and impact of nose tackle Josh Tupou, who sat out last season because of off-the-field issues)

“Josh Tupou will be rejoining the team. He should be here this summer.

“He’s a pro nose guard. He’s 325 pounds. He’s very athletic. He can bend. He can move. He’s 6-foot-4. He’s perfect for a 3-4 defense. He’ll be a big key for our defense.”

(on junior linebacker Derek McCartney donating bone marrow to a cancer patient)

“We’ve been doing this program (Be The Match) for seven years. We’ve had two kids match. Derek came to me and said, ‘Coach, I matched.’ I said, ‘Great.’ He said it’d be during spring practice. I said that’s fine. It’s more important to save a life than to miss a few spring practices.

“He was able to give it to a man and safe his life. It’s an exciting thing to do. He (McCartney) is doing really well. I saw him (earlier this month). He’s doing good. Getting bigger and stronger.”

(on what he sees from the team after several near-misses the past two seasons)

“I see 21 seniors on scholarship and 22 juniors on scholarship. I see guys that are hungry, and they’ve been in the heat of the battle. Even the backups have been in the heat of the battle in some really close games. We came out on top in a few of them; we need to come out in a lot more.

“I see more of an attention to detail by those young men. We don’t have to tell them things over and over. They understand what they need to do. I see a drive in them off the field, on the field. It’s become 24/7, 365 to them, and as you do that, it helps (you) mature and … handle those situations.”

Part 1: Arizona State coach Todd Graham

Part 2: Cal coach Sonny Dykes