by Justin Michael (@JustinTMichael)

In front of a sea of local media, Colorado Buffaloes head coach Mel Tucker was introduced by Athletic Director Rick George on Thursday morning.

“It is a great day for Colorado and our history,” George told reporters “I said to you all two and a half weeks ago that I thought this was the best job in America. I still believe that today. What’s important is I believe we hired the best coach in America.”

Later Thursday afternoon, Tucker joined Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro of Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 to discuss his vision for the program and why he decided to leave Athens, GA., for Boulder. According to Tucker, the process was complicated, but his faith in George played a large role.

“These things can be somewhat complicated but the major factors were 1. Rick George. I believe in him and his vision–his vision for what Colorado football should be was in line with what my vision of what this program should be. So it just felt right.”

Tucker praised the facilities and campus community as a whole, stating that there is no reason Colorado cannot return to its dominant form.

“I do remember when Colorado was dominant in college football and was a team that nobody wanted to play,” Tucker said. “I don’t see any reason why we can’t get back to that with the resources we have and the leadership is in place.”

According to Tucker, the vision that he and George have is simple: win championships and compete with the nation’s best programs.

“Compete and be relevant in the championship conversation year in and year out,” Tucker explained.

“Build a winning program that graduates players. Where players reach their full potential on and off the field. That you’re in the national championship conversation all the time on a consistent basis. In order to do that you have to build a strong foundation. You have to build it the right way so you can sustain it. That’s what Rick (George) talked about and that’s what I believe in.”

Catch Afternoon Drive with Goodman and Shapiro every weekday from 4p-6p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup. Download the all-new free Mile High Sports Radio mobile app for Apple or Android.

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