Green & Gold Report | 2019

2019 COLORADO STATE FOOTBALL YEARBOOK

ON A MISSION Hill is healthy and hungry for success

ALSO INSIDE:

CSU Volleyball Preview

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THIS IS THIS IS THIS RAM IS RAM RAM COUNTRY! COUNTRY! COUNTRY!

Nobody Beats our Deals and Nobody Beats our Rams. Nobody!

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Co-Publishers Greg Hoffman Scott Titterington Editor Shane G. Gilster Copy Editor Kristin Titterington Creative Director Emily Zaynard Advertising Director Greg Hoffman Advertising Sales Shane G. Gilster Greg Hoffman Contributing Writer Colin Barnard Photography Quirk Photography CSU Athletics Advertising Inquiries Shanegilster@gmail.com Greg.rmpublising@gmail.com

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8 It’s My Time

Hill is healthy and ready to lead Rams in ‘19

14 Q & A with Mike Bobo

Accountability is the theme for players and coaches

20 Football Schedule Preview

Game by game look at our competition

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Issue Sponsor Feature: Colorado Beef 2019 Colorado State Football Roster 2019 Colorado State Football Schedule Football Recruiting

POSITION BREAKDOWN

28 Quarterbacks

30 Running Backs 31 Receivers

32 Offensive Line

33 Defensive Line 34 Linebackers

35 Defensive Backs

36 Special Teams

volleyball 39 2019 Colorado State Volleyball Roster and Schedule

40 Volleyball Preview

Experienced Rams are set for a strong season

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Hill is healthy and ready to lead Rams in ‘19

It’s My Time

By Colin Barnard

Photo By Quirk Photography

C

ollin Hill sat in the training room of Moby Arena unable to shake a grim feeling inside. This isn’t where he belonged, not this early in his career and certainly not after what had transpired the previous four weeks.

Everything was coming together for the true freshman quarterback making his fourth consecutive start. He assumed the duties midway through his second week at the collegiate level and proved he was up for the task.

Nothing would get in his way.

That is until Oct. 8, 2016.

The Rams trailed Utah State by seven in the third quarter of the Week 6 matchup. Hill dropped back on second-

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and-20, fled from the pocket and bounded towards first-down yardage. But just before he got there, he suffered a non-contact ACL tear in his left knee.

So, there he was the next week, not on the turf of Hughes Stadium, but stuck on the training table with a long road to recovery in front of him. Like most young athletes, he’d never experienced this before – the frustration, the confusion and the agony of watching the game you love without being able to play it.

“I was pretty upset one day and I remember Coach Bobo saying, ‘You’re not dead. It’s just an ACL, there

have been plenty of guys I’ve had that come back strong,’” Hill recalled. “I think that kind of started it.”

What it started was

bowl game. The encouraging days were intertwined with the frustrating ones, but Hill had enough people around him every day to make the

“I was pretty upset one day and I remember Coach Bobo saying, ‘You’re not dead. It’s just an ACL, there have been plenty of guys I’ve had that come back strong.’”

- Collin Hill

the return. Hill rehabbed for the rest of his freshman campaign as Nick Stevens led the Rams to wins in five of their last seven regular season games to reach a

process easier.

His locker sat next to Jake Bennett’s, the center who lost his redshirt freshman season due to the same injury. The two shared

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Photo By Quirk Photography

countless conversations about how to deal with it, and when Hill needed a pick-me-up, Bennett was there. So, too, were other teammates, coaches, family members and Hill’s unwavering faith.

There was also a little something happening on the south end of CSU’s campus.

And every time Hill left Moby’s training room, he was reminded of what’s waiting for him.

“I remember in the training room, you could see the new stadium being built,” he said. “So really every day when I came in there I’d look over and be like, ‘Alright, that’s the goal. When that’s

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up, I want to be playing.’”

The looming Canvas Stadium provided an extra bit of motivation for Hill who still had to overcome some hurdles people might not realize athletes face. He had to learn to run again, to trust his knee would support his movements. Even throwing the ball was different, and for someone who was used to footballs going where he wanted, it added another layer of irritation.

It was a process; one he learned to accept and grow from. With Stevens still in Fort Collins the following year, Hill used the time to redshirt, retain a year of eligibility

and continue to grow as a quarterback, all leading into a perfectly setup 2018.

There were no other quarterbacks in front of him, he had enough experience with Bobo to understand the offense and that the derailing injury was behind him. If his freshman season wasn’t meant to be, this had to be it. Just weeks before the start of spring ball, though, everything was stolen away from Hill again when he tore the same ACL during an intramural basketball game.

It wasn’t fair, not after he’d lost so much already.

“It was a little harder

because it was even more of a shock,” Hill said of his second injury. “Things were kind of lining up for me to be the guy.

It was March, we were about to crank up spring ball and it had been a long time since I had that opportunity. I was really excited and one thing took it away real quick.”

And so, began phase two of the anguish. On one hand, Hill knew how difficult the process was going to be; but he also understood where he could push himself during parts of recovery. It’s what led to the lofty goal of being ready for the season-opener, just six months after the injury.

Photo By Quirk Photography

Sure enough, he was cleared to play by then and made his first appearance of 2018 against Colorado a week later. He served as the backup to K.J. Carta-

Samuels until regaining the helm against Wyoming and starting the final four games of the year. The season didn’t go the way anyone wanted, but Hill was back playing

football after two ACL tears in less than three years.

“Without my faith, it would have been ten times harder,” Hill said. “And I’m not saying that because of it, it was all good and great – it was definitely still frustrating and tough. But at the end of the day, I knew that football’s not the endall, be-all for me. There’s way more in life than that.”

Though he’s been here three years, Hill has only started eight games in his career. 2019 was the first full, healthy spring he had since coming to CSU, and Bobo recognized the impact it had on his progression. From arm strength to mobility to intelligence, Bobo notices growth throughout his quarterback.

“He’s on a mission to help this program be successful and be the best player that he can be,” Bobo said. “I feel like he’s put the injuries behind him, he’s in a good place. Things happen in football and you’ve gotta be able to respond. Injuries happen, and you hate it for anybody, but a guy that can handle it is Collin Hill.

To have two major injuries and be able to come back and play the way he did during spring ball, there’s no hesitation with what he’s doing right now.”

And for the man who’s been waiting to lead CSU for too long, 2019 finally appears to be his year.

“That is how I’m viewing it,” Hill said. “It’s my time and I’m really excited about it.”

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SPONSORED BY:

Celebrating

50 Years of Service to CSU

B y R o c c i V. T r u m p e r , M D Specialist in Sports Medicine & Knee Disorders

I

t is a year of reflection. As Colorado State University embraces its sesquicentennial (150th) celebration, the Orthopaedic and Spine Center of the Rockies (OCR) is equally excited about our 50th year of caring for the Rams and our community orthopedic needs.

In 1969, Dr. Johnson, Dr. Magsamen, Dr. Collopy and Dr. Murray joined forces to form what is now Orthopaedic and Spine Center of the Rockies.

They soon established a close relationship with Colorado State University and CSU Athletics. These pioneers found themselves in training rooms and on Ram’s sidelines, caring for athletes and rooting on the Green and Gold.

CSU has grown in excellence and expanded its footprint in academics

and athletics. When visiting Canvas Stadium on a Saturday afternoon, one only needs to look around them to appreciate how special this growth has been.

Not only are the Rams home games played in a stadium second to none on Sonny Lubick Field, but the University is now home to one-of-a-kind academic buildings like the C. Wayne Mcilwraith Translational Medicine Institute, the Nancy Richardson Design Center and the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering. These represent just a few of the educational opportunities that make CSU truly exceptional.

At the Orthopaedic and Spine Center of the Rockies, we have found our quest for excellence leading us

in the same direction. We have grown to 32 health care providers with subspecialty expertise in almost all areas of orthopedics from head to toe. These physicians are supported by our 450-plus dedicated employees, devoted to making OCR the very best that it can be. Much like CSU, we recognize the importance of providing our patients stateof-the-art facilities.

We have most recently expanded what we have to offer patients by opening in Loveland, the largest freestanding surgery center in the United States, and expanding our presence in Greeley. These new facilities will help keep us on the forefront of orthopedic medicine, bringing the best care available to Northern Colorado patients.

OCR will continue to deepen relationships with Colorado State University as we strive to bring the best to our patients. This will mean continued collaboration with the Department of Veterinary Medicine in the area of Orthobiologics and stem cell utilization or joint research projects with the Department of Health and Exercise Science. The opportunities seem endless and will only serve to make us both better.

So, as we celebrate our 50th Anniversary, the Orthopaedic and Spine Center of the Rockies would like to thank our founders for their vision and creating OCR, Specialists in the Medicine of Motion and CSU for letting us be a part of the quest for excellence.

GO RAMS!

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Q&A with Mike Bobo

Accountability is the theme for players and coaches

By Colin Barnard Photo By Quirk Photography

W

ith the way 2018 unfolded for Mike Bobo and company, there had to be changes.

The coach reached three consecutive bowl games in his first three seasons before falling to a lowly 3-9 with plenty of blowout losses littered throughout the schedule. The down season began in fall camp when Bobo was hospitalized for peripheral neuropathy, and things never improved from there.

For Bobo, the best solution for improvement began with accountability – not just from his players, but beginning with himself. It led to changes immediately following the season, and

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on the cusp of the 2019 schedule, he’s hoping those changes are felt throughout the program.

What conversations did you have after the season to prompt the emphasis on accountability moving forward?

Bobo: When you finish the season the way we did was disappointing, and then on top of that you lose to another rival Air Force on Thanksgiving Day. We had to sit down and reflect on the season and where we were at and we felt, number one, we needed to get stronger and tougher, those were the two main things that came out of the

conversations with coaches. Obviously, we all feel like we could do a better job coaching and getting our guys ready, but the number one thing we wanted to do was become stronger and tougher. In doing that, we talked about being more accountable to each other – coaches to players, players to coaches, players to players. We really came up with accountability teams and trying to promote our leadership within our team. We had several conversations with players on our team about what we’re going to do and there was a lot of excitement from them, and I think they have taken the

bull by the horns and gone to work this semester.

How did those conversations translate into the offseason?

Bobo: They’ve done a great job. Spring is not just about spring practice or lifting or the early-morning workouts which we called Green Forge.

It’s a combination of all those things and I think guys really attacked each phase of what they’re doing. I think we got stronger as a football team, we became a little bit tougher with what we went through. There’s a lot of excitement where they feel like they’ve worked extremely hard. That was Another area that we addressed was the

weight room. Even before Coach Davis left, we had a number of conversations on how we need to change some things and go about doing things a little bit differently because I didn’t feel like we were getting the results that we needed. A lot of that is how the kids attack it and how accountable they are with what they do – not just here, but also off the field to help change their bodies.

How did your decision to turn down the impending bonus affect your team?

Bobo: I think when you talk about accountability, it’s got to start with the guy at top first. I’m the head football coach and I wanted to show that I’m going to be

accountable and that I didn’t deserve the raise that was supposed to kick in on my contract because basically I just said I wasn’t at my best last year. When you’re not at your best, there’s some consequences for everything. You’ve got to look at yourself first and I didn’t want to point fingers at my team or coaches, I wanted to point them at me.

I want to build a program that’s going to last and if you sit back and reflect over the long time that we had after the last game and when they came back to school, I felt that the pieces are in place to do the things we want to do here, but we need to address some things and address them in the right

way. Guys have responded and I’m really proud of them.

How did the earlier spring practice affect the team?

Bobo: We finished spring ball right before spring break, so when they came back from break, there was a good five or six weeks where they attacked the weight room.

Another thing with the early spring practice, I feel like we’ve got more football done as a staff. Usually you finish spring ball and coaches head out on the road. We finished this spring ball and we were able to really dive deep into what we’re doing and make good teaching cutups for our players. And we got an early start on our opponents, so we’ve been working hard on

Colorado. I’m focused on that first one and getting our guys ready to play where I can be at my best for that game, because I was not at my best last year for that game.

All that played into moving spring practice up earlier.

Do you think your health improvements will benefit the team’s preparation in 2019?

Bobo: There’s no question.

When you miss as much time as I missed last year during camp and during the season, I don’t want to make it seem like an excuse that that’s the reason we didn’t play like we wanted to, because there’s a lot of factors that played into that. But I know I wasn’t at my best last year and that’s my goal is to be at my best

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this season. I feel good, I’m not 100 percent. Some days I feel like I can run down the hall, and some days it’s a little bit worse. I’m getting there, it’s just slow which can be frustrating at times. But I do know I’m making small improvements.

You were able to keep the coaching staff mostly intact, but there was some turnover. What excites you about the new hires?

Bobo: You’re going to have changes, and you want guys to have opportunities and to further their careers. I’m not afraid to hire guys that are ambitious, I don’t want them to be content. I want them to strive to be the best and reach the highest level.

Transition is always tough when you have to make changes and hires, but it’s an opportunity to bring new blood in here and I’ve been really excited about Coach Jones and Coach Perkins.

Coach Perkins is familiar with Colorado and grew up in Colorado and he wanted to be on this staff last year and I ended up going with Coach Lewis. Coach Jones having played for me and worked for me as a GA, knows what I’m about.

Coach Joey down in the weight room, here’s a guy that took the bull by the horns when Coach Davis left to Maryland. He’s young guy that’s motivated and energetic. The kids like him but they also know he’s gonna get after their butt and hold them accountable, which is a good thing. It’s new blood and new excitement.

Photo By Quirk Photography

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Football Schedule Preview

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By Colin Barnard

Photo Courtesy of University of Colorado

4401 East Prospect Road 970.493.5400

Leathernecks will replace their leading passer and rusher from a season ago as Sean McGuire and Steve McShane both graduated.

4401 E. Prospect Rd. • Ft. Arkansas Collins 970-493-5400

Colorado Wide Receiver, Laviska Shenault Jr.

Colorado (neutral) August 30 For the fourth consecutive season, the Rocky Mountain Showdown will be a Friday night affair in Denver, serving as CSU’s only non-Saturday game of the season. Mike Bobo is winless against the Buffs in four attempts, with CSU’s last win against its rival coming in 2014. CU blew out the Rams 45-13 last year on its way to a 5-0 start, climbing as high as No. 19 in the AP poll. That’s when the wheels fell off as the Buffs lost their next seven contests and failed to make a bowl game. The disappointing finish led to the dismissal of Mike MacIntyre, who was replaced

by Mel Tucker.

Senior Steven Montez returns as the CU’s quarterback after throwing for 2,849 yards, 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season. He picked the Rams apart in 2018, completing 22 of 25 attempts for 338 yards and four scores. He’ll also

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have his top two pass catchers back in Laviska Shenault and K.D. Nixon.

Western Illinois (home) September 7 This will be the first meeting between the two schools, but you can bet Mike Bobo won’t be overlooking the Leathernecks after what happened the last time he faced an FCS opponent.

Last season, the Illinois State Redbirds came into

Fort Collins and handled the Rams 35-19 during CSU’s Ag Day. After knocking off Arkansas two weeks prior, the loss removed any momentum the Rams had built. Like Illinois State last year, the Leathernecks aren’t too far removed from a promising 8-4 campaign in 2017.

In 2018, Western Illinois finished 5-6 with a 4-4 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference. The

(away) September 14 However fleeting it was, CSU’s victory over Arkansas in 2018 served as a bright spot during a tumultuous season. Izzy Matthews scored in the final seconds to complete an impressive second-half comeback and give CSU its first win over an SEC opponent in Fort Collins.

It turned out that Arkansas wasn’t that good, finishing 2-10 and going winless in the SEC during Chad Morris’ first season at the helm. It was the Razorbacks’ first 10-loss season in school history.

Ty Storey and Cole Kelley split reps at quarterback last year, but they both

Western Illinois Running Back, Clint Ratkovich Photo Courtesy of Western Illinois Athletics

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Arkansas Defensive Lineman, McTelvin Agim transferred out of the program. Sophomore Connor Noland and graduate transfer Ben Hicks, who played with Morris at SMU, will likely compete for the starting gig.

The Hogs do return their three leading rushers led by Rakeem Boyd and Devwah Whaley. Senior linebacker De’Jon Harris will lead a unit

looking to rebound from a year where they ranked 118th in total defense.

Toledo (home) September 21 2019’s home game serves as the first of a home-andhome agreement between the two schools with CSU traveling to Toledo in 2021.

Toledo Running Back, Bryant Koback Photo Courtesy of University of Toledo

They have played twice, in 1970 and ’73, with CSU winning the latter matchup.

The Rockets have been Toledo will replace six starters, competitive in the Midincluding leading tackler American Conference for Richard Olekanma. quite some time, having won at least seven games Utah State (away) in every season since 2010.

September 28 4401 Prospect Collinsfolks don’t need a They finished 7-6E.last year, Rd. • Ft. Most 970-493-5400 5-3 in MAC action, and lost reminder of how last year’s to FIU in the Bahamas Bowl. contest went, but here it is – The Rockets’ spread offense Collin Hill’s would-be gamelit up the scoreboard last winning Hail Mary to Preston season as they finished Williams as time expired was ninth in the nation in scoring called back after Williams offense, scoring at least 45 stepped out of bounds before points in seven games. catching the pass. The win Quarterback Mitchell over the 14th-ranked Aggies Guadagni led the Rockets for would have given the Rams the first part of the season a silver lining on the season. before suffering an injury, after Instead, it only summed up a which Eli Peters took over the season of disappointment. offense. Both gunslingers This will be CSU’s first are back for the Rockets, opportunity to make an who also return the rushing impression in the Mountain duo of Bryant Koback and West in 2019, and it won’t be an Shakif Seymour. Defensively, easy task. The Aggies finished

Utah State Quarterback, Jordan Love Photo Courtesy of Utah State Athletics

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the season 11-2 overall, 7-1 in the MW with their only loss coming in the regular-season finale against Boise State.

They capped the year with a 52-13 victory over North Texas in New Mexico Bowl.

Jordan Love threw for 3,567 yards, 32 touchdowns and just six interceptions as a sophomore last season while adding seven scores on the ground. Running back Gerold Bright will take over

New Mexico Center, Kyle Stapley

the reins in the backfield after accumulating 1,120 total yards and 13 touchdowns in 2018. The defense could be even stronger than last year’s unit which ranked 33rd in the nation in total points as it brings back seven starters, including junior linebacker David Woodward.

San Diego State (home) October 5 After avoiding each other the

Photo by Derrick Tuskan, SDSU Athletics

San Diego State Linebacker, Kyahva Tezino

his disposal, six on offense and five on defense. The senior duo of quarterback Ryan Agnew and running back Juwan Washington both have plenty of experience 4401 E. Prospect Rd. • Ft. Collins and figure to carry the 970-493-5400 offensive load.

Washington was limited to nine games as a junior but still gained 1,065 yards on the ground with 10 scores.

Middle linebacker Kyahvz past two seasons, the Rams Tezino returns after leading and Aztecs will meet for the the Aztecs with 127 tackles, first time since CSU’s 63-31 14.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 road victory in 2016. SDSU sacks last season. has won eight of the last 10 between the two schools, New Mexico (away) but CSU holds a 21-13 lead October 11 all-time.

CSU has topped New Mexico The Aztecs went 7-6 in nine consecutive contests, in 2018 with their season the latest thanks to Wyatt culminating in a 27-0 shutout Bryan last season. After to Ohio in the Frisco Bowl. missing a chip shot from 18 Coach Rocky Long will have yards away with two minutes a host of returning players at remaining in the game, Bryan redeemed himself with the game-winning 26-yarder to escape the Lobos.

Bob Davie is still the man in charge in Albuquerque despite consecutive 3-9 seasons and an offseason suspension.

He will have to deal with extensive turnover both on the roster and the coaching staff with two new coordinators and a few transfers joining the team.

Sheriron Jones was the most effective man behind center last season as he took over for Tevaka Tuioti after four games. Both will be in the mix again in 2019,

Photo Courtesy of New Mexico Athletics

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Fresno State Running Back, Ronnie Rivers as could redshirt freshman Trae Hall and JUCO transfer Brandt Hughes.

Fresno State (away) October 26 Coming off its first bye week of the season, CSU will draw Fresno State. Like their history with SDSU, the Rams last played the Bulldogs in

2016, a 37-0 win for CSU. Jeff Tedford’s crew was once again the cream of the crop in the West Division, earning a second consecutive berth in the MW Championship game and ousting Boise State 19-16 in overtime. The Bulldogs went on to knock off Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl and

UNLV Linebacker, Javin White

finish 12-2 on the season, their only losses coming at Minnesota and at Boise State.

After the historic Rogers had his sophomore season, Tedford will be campaign cut short due tasked with replacing to injury. In six games 13 starters including last year, the dual-threat quarterback Marcus option threw for 601 yards McMaryion, receiver and 10 touchdowns while 4401 E. Prospect KeeSean Johnson and all Rd. • Ft. Collins scampering for 565 yards 970-493-5400 three starting linebackers. and eight more scores on the Senior quarterback Jorge ground. A healthy return from Reyna will have the first Rogers could set up a solid shot at leading the now rushing attack for the Rebels inexperienced Bulldogs when paired with running while defensive end and MW back Charles Williams.

Championship defensive Senior linebacker/ MVP Mykal Walker will defensive back Javin White transition to linebacker to fill can disrupt an offense in some holes. multiple ways and he returns after notching 74 tackles, 6.5 UNLV (home) for a loss, four interceptions November 2 and four forced fumbles.

Tony Sanchez has not led the Rebels to a winning record Air Force (home) in his four seasons in Las November 16 Vegas, most recently ending CSU’s second bye sets up a 2018, 4-8 and 2-6 in the MW. crucial stretch of the season After being named MW which will likely dictate many Freshman of the Year in fans’ opinions on Mike Bobo.

2017, quarterback Armani The Rams will finish with

Air Force Defensive Back, Jeremy Fejedelem Photo Courtesy of UNLV Athletics

Photo Courtesy of Air Force Athletics

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Football Schedule Preview

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Wyoming Placekicker, Cooper Rothe three rivalry games – two at home – the first of which is an Air Force rushing attack that has given the Rams fits.

The Falcons have used their triple option to beat CSU in three consecutive years, including a Thanksgiving Day clinic last year. Troy Calhoun coached the Falcons to 412 yards on the ground, led by Cole Fagan’s 260 mark. It was the third straight season the Falcons eclipsed 400 rushing yards after amassing 490 and 423 in 2016 and ’17, respectively.

Donald Hammond III was impressive in his opportunity last season, and he will likely begin the season as the Falcons’ quarterback. He’ll have primary fullbacks Fagan and Taven Birdow in the backfield with him again as well as an experienced offensive line to run behind.

Wyoming (away) November 22 Bobo has only beaten Craig Bohl and the Cowboys once, back in 2015. Since then, the Rams have lost badly at home twice and once in a snowy affair in Laramie.

Ram fans will be happy

to know Andrew Wingard won’t be patrolling the Pokes’ secondary anymore, but the Cowboys still return enough should once again be talent to be competitive viewed as a favorite to win in the MW. Cornerbacks the conference. This time, Antonio Hull and Tyler Hall though, they’ll have to do will lead the pass defense it without some marquee while Logan Wilson will man names fans have grown the middle.4401 E. Prospect Rd. • Ft. Collins accustomed to.

970-493-5400 The Cowboys also Brett Rypien quarterturned a corner last year backed the Broncos in each when they turned to true of his four seasons in Boifreshman Sean Chambers as se, including last season’s their signal caller. He nearly 3,705-yard, 30-touchdown led a comeback against showing. They’ll also be Utah State and then beat without Alexander Mattison CSU in his first career start who led the MW with 1,415 the next week as he ran for yards and 17 scores on the 107 yards and a score while ground last fall. The Broncos passing for two more. He do bring back seven starters rushed for 347 yards in less to create an experienced dethan four games played fensive unit in 2019. before an injury ended his Still winless in eight season against Air Force. games against the Broncos, CSU was routed 56-28 last Boise State (home) season in Boise. The Rams November 29 will look to avenge 2017’s Coming off a 10-3 season loss in double overtime in and back-to-back Mountain their second meeting at Division titles, the Broncos Canvas Stadium.

Boise State Linebacker, Curtis Weaver Photo Courtesy of Boise State Athletics

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Position Breakdown:

QUARTERBACKS

Photo By Quirk Photography

By Colin Barnard

Collin Hill

2

018 was supposed to be the year of Collin Hill.

Then the quarterbackto-be tore his left ACL for the second time in 17 months before spring ball, which prompted the signing of graduate transfer K.J. CartaSamuels to lead the offense.

Hill was healthy enough to play in Week 2 against Colorado, eventually regaining the starting gig against Wyoming, which he held for the final four weeks of the season. Now with his injuries in the rear view,

could 2019 be the year?

“The more you play the slower it’s going to get for you,” Hill said. “It’s big, because really last year, no spring ball, and to be honest no fall camp. I did very little. The spring before that, I didn’t’ do anything.

The reps are valuable, and I just try to come out and in my mind, not worry about anything but my reps, getting better, becoming the best quarterback I can be.”

He saw action in 10 games last fall, completing

QUARTERBACK ROSTER YEAR Justice McCoy So. Patrick O’Brien Jr. Judd Erickson So. Collin Hill Jr.

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HEIGHT WEIGHT

6-1 6-5 6-5 6-5

198 244 219 214

119 of 202 passing attempts for 1,387 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. In his abbreviated freshman campaign, Hill completed more than 58 percent of his passes, 1,096 yards, eight scores and two interceptions in just five games. That’s the kind of form he’s been working back towards since his first ACL tear on Oct. 8, 2016.

And while his experience in Mike Bobo’s offense gives him an edge to start, he knows it’s not certain.

Nebraska transfer Patrick O’Brien is already pushing behind him.

The redshirt junior was ineligible to play in 2018 after transferring from the Cornhuskers in June. Bobo

originally offered O’Brien out of San Juan Hills High School in Southern California, but he opted for Lincoln and played in four games as a backup in 2017, completing 18 of 30 passes for 192 yards.

“I’ve been kind of counted against my entire life,” O’Brien said.

“Recruiting-wise I was counted against, and I made my dreams become a reality. One of my dreams is to become a starting quarterback. Collin’s a great QB too. I’m definitely going to get myself in a position where it’s going to be a competition. That’s my goal.”

So far, so good. Bobo made it apparent this spring that players will have to earn their spots throughout the roster, and quarterback is certainly no exception.

Redshirt sophomores Justice McCoy and Judd Erickson have been with the program for two years, but neither has seen in-game action.

“We’re going to create competition no matter what, and we’re going to put pressure on guys in practice to perform,” Bobo said. “I think anytime you have competition, it’s healthy at every position.

I don’t think Collin is fazed by competition at all. He wasn’t fazed by it as a freshman, he wasn’t fazed when we brought KJ in and I don’t think he’s fazed by it right now. You want to be able to develop positions, and develop competition, and that’s what we’re trying to do right now at that position.”

Green & Gold Report

| 29

Position Breakdown:

RUNNING BACKS

T

Photo By Quirk Photography

By Colin Barnard

Marvin Kinsey Jr.

here’s no hiding the fact that Colorado State’s running game struggled in 2018. Mike Bobo isn’t hiding it, nor is this year’s returning crop in the backfield.

Headlined by Izzy Matthews, the rushing attack never established itself last season, and it created problems throughout the offense. After losing Matthews, Rashaad Boddie and Darius May at some point in the past season, the backfield’s depth entering

fall camp isn’t what it used to be in recent years.

Marvin Kinsey Jr. and Marcus McElroy are the lone scholarship backs returning, and despite the down numbers, they understand what it takes to get back in the right direction.

“That’s just in us being confident. If we step up and say we’re confident and this is what we’re gonna do, we put it down and go out there and do it,” McElroy said. “With the way me and

RUNNING BACK ROSTER YEAR Marvin Kinsey Jr. Sr. Jaylen Thomas Fr. Marcus McElroy Jr. Hunter Williams Fr. David Aggrey Fr. Drue Harris Jr. Christian Hunter Fr. Tyreese Jackson Fr. Isiah Pannunzio Jr. Adam Prentice Jr.

30 | Green & Gold Report

HEIGHT WEIGHT

6-1 5-10 5-11 5-7 5-9 5-11 5-10 5-11 6-2 6-0

206 207 218 175 200 220 192 208 235 236

Marvin are looking at things, we’ve got a little lighting and thunder thing going.

“A lot of times last year, we struggled having confidence. That’s a big thing that will change this year.”

Kinsey enjoyed a promising freshman campaign during which he rushed for 546 yards and seven touchdowns. But after tearing his ACL late that season, he’s struggled to regain the form. He combined for 380 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the past two seasons. But throughout this spring, the senior felt fully healthy – mentally and physically – and others noticed around him.

McElroy played in six games his freshman season but was forced to miss the ensuing spring as he dealt with blood clots. He still played in all 12 games in 2018 and rushed for 219 yards on 52 carries. The

Mullen product impressed as one of the starters this spring, as did Air Force Prep School transfer Jaylen Thomas, who earned firstteam reps in scrimmages.

The Rams will also welcome two scholarship freshmen this fall in Christian Hunter – the nation’s leading high school rusher in 2018 at 3,839 yards – and Tyreese Jackson. As a group, Bobo wants to see his backs return to a physical approach, something he was encouraged by in the spring.

“Offensive lines gain confidence with running backs who run hard and aren’t afraid to stick it up in there and get positive yards. That gets them going,” Bobo said. “To get it going, I really believe it’s about your running back and them setting the tempo with how hard they’re running.

“I saw the linemen saying, ‘Coach, run the ball, run the ball.’ That’s when I feel like we’re starting to get what I want when linemen are saying just run the rock.”

The Rams also have the luxury of returning Adam Prentice as their starting fullback with Isaiah Pannunzio switching from tight end and playing behind him. Though he arrived on campus in 2015, Prentice is only a redshirt junior in 2019. He served as one of the team’s four captains throughout 2018 and acts as the lead blocker out of the backfield.

Position Breakdown:

RECEIVERS

Photo By Quirk Photography

By Colin Barnard

Cameron Butler

F

or most teams, replacing talent at wide receiver as often as Colorado State has done in recent years would be a problem.

Then again, most teams don’t have a receiving lineage like the one CSU has built. The list is lengthy and includes three NFL draft picks, two Biletnikoff Award finalists and three AllAmericans –two first-team– in the past four seasons.

The narrative is the same entering 2019 as the Rams will be without seventhround pick Bisi Johnson and second-team All-American Preston Williams. Their departures leave CSU without 150 receptions, 2,141 yards and 18 touchdowns through the air. Two substantial holes to repair.

But if the chatter in Canvas Stadium holds true, the list could grow larger this season. Warren Jackson has flashed potential to fill the role since his freshman

season. Now entering his junior campaign, his leadership is beginning to match the talent, and it’s easy to envision his 6-foot-6 frame take on a large role this fall.

“Warren knows that coaches think enough of him that we put him in a leadership position, so I see a different Warren Jackson out there,” coach Mike Bobo said. “I see a guy that’s not asking to come out, he’s busting his tail out there, he’s setting an example. He’s into it, which is good to see, and he has that in him.”

Even more good news for the passing attack is that Jackson won’t have to do it by himself. Senior Brenden Fulton knows the system as well as anyone, and he’ll likely start in the slot. Sophomore Nikko Hall improved throughout his first college season and can make plays all over the field.

The Rams also have Auburn

transfer Nate Craig-Myers, who was ranked a top-10 wide receiver in the nation coming out of high school.

Despite the potential, it’s also a position group still unproven. That’s where offfield leadership comes in, and Jackson has done his part to make sure the receiving corps is as cohesive as possible.

This group also had the ability to learn from guys like Johnson, Williams, Michael Gallup and Rashard Higgins.

Not a bad perk.

“One thing I can say is Warren is different than all those guys,” Fulton said.

“I think he has a lot more length than all those guys, I think he’s the best one at the jump ball. I think that Rashard and Preston had a

lot more quickness, Mike had a lot more power, and Warren is basically throwing all that into one. I think the future’s really bright for him.”

Bobo also has a talented bunch of tight ends to aid the passing attack. Cam Butler is the leader of the group, and he’ll also have Trey McBride and Griffin Hammer behind him.

“Everybody is competing with each other,” Jackson said. “Everybody’s competing, everybody’s working to get better, and everybody’s holding everybody accountable. That’s something Coach Bobo has preached that’s gotta happen for the rest of our time here at CSU — everybody will be held accountable and nobody will be hiding in this program.”

RECEIVER ROSTER

YEAR HEIGHT WEIGHT Jadon Walker So. 6-0 193 EJ Scott So. 6-1 192 Warren Jackson Jr. 6-6 219 A’Jon Vivens So. 5-11 190 Brenden Fulton Sr. 5-10 184 Logan Ludwig

Fr. 5-10 168 Ryan Lynch Fr. 6-1 175 Thomas Pannunzio So. 5-8 160 Anthony Grassi So. 5-8 187 Nikko Hall So. 6-0 180 Ryan Sayre Jr. 6-2 200 Nate Craig-Myers Jr. 6-2 202 Jaylen Hearst Fr. 6-0 163 Ty McCullouch Fr. 6-0 163 Dante Wright Fr. 5-10 165 Cameron Butler Jr. 6-2 238 Gary Williams Fr. 6-2 237 Trey McBride So. 6-3 245 Maxx Shapiro So. 6-1 220 Griffin Hammer So. 6-4 234 Kyle Helbig

Fr. 6-3 221

Green & Gold Report

| 31

Position Breakdown:

Offensive Line

Photo By Quirk Photography

By Colin Barnard

Barry Wesley

T

he Rams never found much cohesion along the offensive line in 2018 as they transitioned away from the comfort of three multipleyear starters in Jake Bennett, Zack Golditch and Trae Moxley.

They lost a fourth starter, Nicho Garcia, as well.

The result? A unit that struggled to gel for big chunks of the season, affecting the offense’s production in most

phases of the game. But if one good thing came from the down season it was the emergence of do-it-all lineman Barry Wesley. And as the group looks to rebound as a whole, the redshirt sophomore is leading the charge.

“All the confidence in the world,” offensive line coach and coordinator Dave Johnson said of Wesley. “He’s a guy that really, first of all,

OFFENSIVE LINE ROSTER YEAR Ches Jackson Fr. Kavesz Sherard Fr. Florian McCann Fr. Blake Householder Fr. Alex Azusenis Fr. Scott Brooks Jr. Luis Lebron So. Kieran Firment So. Barry Wesley

So. Joctavis Phillips So. Jeff Taylor Sr. T.J. Storment

Jr. John Blasco Jr So. Keith Williams Jr. Desmond Noel Jr. Nouredin Nouili Fr.

32 | Green & Gold Report

HEIGHT WEIGHT

6-4 6-4 6-3 5-11 6-5 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-6 6-4 6-1 6-7 6-7 6-7 6-3 6-4

290 280 283 275 285 296 335 315 310 329 305 320 324 275 299 283

loves Colorado State, loves being here and is just sold out to what we’re trying to do. He’s getting better and better every single day because he puts the work in. We talk about the guys who do the things that take no talent and he’s that kind of guy.”

The graduate of Bear Creek High School walked onto the team in 2017, redshirted and earned a scholarship before the 2018 season. He went on to start all 12 games along the left side of the line, seven at tackle and five at guard. He can play center and switch over to the right side when needed.

It’s easy, really – if you have an opening up front, Wesley is versatile enough to fill it. That gives Johnson and Bobo the freedom to mix and match until they find the best five as a group. They did just that throughout spring ball to land on the tentative group of T.J. Storment, Wesley, Scott Brooks, Ches Jackson and Keith Williams, from left to

right. Jeff Taylor nursed an injury in spring but will play this fall as the Rams’ most experienced lineman.

Wesley was originally slotted into the center position, but Brooks’ ability to take coaching put him in position to man the middle.

“Scott Brooks is a guy who’s come on and played extremely well for us,” Bobo said after the spring game.

We put Barry at center, and it was better when we had Barry at guard and put Scott at center. One thing is he knows what to do. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes assignment wise. It’s going to be a big offseason for him, really for that whole group. We’ve got to get stronger.”

Storment joined the Rams this offseason as a JUCO transfer from Fullerton College and fellow tackle Keith Williams transferred to CSU prior to last season from Independence Community College. Both measure 6-foot7, and if they continue to put on some weight, they could succeed on the outside.

“We do have expectations, and we have a standard, and we’re going to hold guys to that standard,” Johnson said.

“We’re going to work hard.

I’ve been doing this a long time. The offensive line is a development type of position, all across the board, and we have to develop guys.

Hopefully we can have some continuity and be able to function as a total unit.”

Position Breakdown:

Defensive Line

Y

Photo By Quirk Photography

By Colin Barnard

Emmanuel Jones

ear 1 was an adjustment, one the Rams struggled with. Now entering the second year of John Jancek’s 4-3 defense, though, the numbers are more encouraging.

No, not the stats from last season; those still need some work. But the numbers along the defensive line cause reason to believe the only way is up for the unit.

Outside of graduate Caleb Smith, CSU welcomes back its key contributors along the defensive front from 2018 and then some.

Juniors Emmanuel Jones and Ellison Hubbard have both played in every game since their freshmen seasons and will look to pioneer the turnaround up front. Damion Dickens, Jan-Phillip Bombek and Devin Phillips also played meaningful snaps in 2018 and enter their second seasons in Fort Collins while Livingston Paogofie has

played in all but two contests his first two years of college.

Want some more? Toby McBride is finally over a back injury that cost him all of 2018 and most of 2017; Richard King returns after playing just two games last fall; and Jalen Bates could make an immediate impact as a graduate transfer from Arizona State.

Sheesh. The numbers are expansive, and that’s not even including one true and two redshirt freshmen joining the mix. Now defensive line coach Keith Gilmore has to make the most of it.

“Now we know we’ve got three deep, we can actually rotate guys in,” said Hubbard, who led the Rams with 2.5 sacks in 2018. “We’re building trust with our 1s and 2s and 3s, and we know that we’re gonna get some breaks, get refreshed on the sideline and just rotate and get ready to go.

Now everybody is contributing to the team, everybody on that field is important.”

It’s a luxury the Rams didn’t have a year ago. Already a young, inexperienced group, they were tarnished by injury, which only led to inconsistencies across the field. Perhaps the biggest letdown came in ] an area you might not expect at this level – tackling.

Even when the defensive line made a push into the backfield, missed tackles turned lost yardage into a gain, and it wore on the defense

throughout the year. That’s why tackling was such an emphasis in spring ball, and why players know they must hold one another accountable.

“I believe we can do it if we put our minds to it,” Jones said. “I judge hard. That’s just how I do it. I don’t mean to make it sound bad or anything, it’s just how I see things. I want the standard to be high, so all my stuff is high. Then I’m judging, trying to get there. There’s always room for improvement.”

Though there’s certainly plenty of work left to be done, the beginning signs are positive, something which excites Gilmore.

“I think we’ve made some strides since last season,” Gilmore said. “Guys have had a good offseason, they’re working hard. We’re doing more than just running plays, we’re starting to understand, and that’s the best thing that’s happening right now.”

DEFENSIVE LINE ROSTER YEAR Emmanuel Jones Jr. Brandon Derrow Fr. Damion Dickens Sr. Jalen Bates Sr. Aidan Cullen Fr. Rushton Roberts Fr. Lassine Kone So. Jamori Fox Sr. Jan-Phillip Bombek Sr. Livingston Paogofie Jr. Devin Phillips So. Richard King Sr. Toby McBride Jr. Ellison Hubbard Jr.

HEIGHT WEIGHT

6-4 6-3 6-2 6-4 6-5 6-4 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-1 6-1 6-4 6-3 6-1

266 243 265 246 241 220 330 320 255 269 318 275 265 285

Green & Gold Report

| 33

Position Breakdown:

Linebackers

I

Photo By Quirk Photography

By Colin Barnard

Cam’ron Carter (#12)

f there’s one position that looks the most different from a year ago, this might be it.

Gone is the tandem of Josh Watson and Tre Thomas, two five-year players who each played in all 51 games they were eligible for throughout their careers. The hole is massive, but it also opens up opportunity for a young unit to prove itself.

“I think we lost 240 tackles with the two seniors who graduated,” linebackers coach Chase Gibson said. “Our objective is to get better fundamentally and have an idea of some guys in a two-deep that can help us next year. Our guys are excited, which makes you as a coach excited.”

Sophomores Cam’Ron Carter and Dequan Jackson return after playing as true

LINEBACKER ROSTER YEAR Dequan Jackson So. Cam’ron Carter So. Trey Sutton Jr. Anthony Giusti Sr. Zach Schlager Fr. Kyle Crooks Jr. Troy Golden

Fr. Max McDonald Jr. Jacob Stanton Fr. Corte Tapia So. Patrick Moody So. Tanner Clem

So. Tavian Brown

Fr. Mohamed Kamara Fr. Tron Folsom

Sr.

34 | Green & Gold Report

HEIGHT WEIGHT

6-1 6-1 6-0 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-1 6-2

215 219 230 220 211 215 213 225 225 235 220 215 222 215 209

freshmen last season.

Redshirt junior Trey Sutton started three games in 2018, and Max McDonald should be a big addition for the Rams after missing the final eight games last season.

Redshirt freshman Troy Golden also ended spring camp atop the depth chart on the outside.

CSU will also benefit from Troy graduate transfer Tron Folsom joining the unit.

Folsom led Troy in tackles in each of the past two seasons and will finish his football career with the Rams.

Despite his limited playing time, Jackson has already done enough to earn the trust of his coaches as they put him in charge of one of 10 accountability groups throughout the team.

“There’s always guys you see when you recruit them and when you’re developing them as young players, that they’ve got that ‘it factor,’ the intangible,” Gibson said. “He

was one we identified. He does things right, and he’s got influence, and that’s what leadership is.”

As an entire group, the returning linebackers made less than 80 tackles last year for CSU. They recognize the inexperience, but practicing alongside workhorses like Watson and Thomas is also valuable for underclassmen maturing as players.

“I played behind Josh Watson, a redshirt senior, so I learned a lot,” Jackson said.

“I feel like I’m ready to go, take it day by day, get better and lead my team. I’m ready for a bigger role. I came in expecting to play. I came in expecting to be the alpha male.

It doesn’t just come to you, though. You’ve got to work for it. You’ve got to earn it.”

From coaches to players, everyone on the defensive side has stressed the three fundamentals the unit is working on this offseason – strain, tackling and turnovers.

The principles build off each other, so it all begins with strain. If players fully commit themselves effort-wise, they’ll be in position to limit the abundance of missed tackles that plagued them last season, which only increases their opportunity to force turnovers.

“You can’t teach effort,” Carter said. “You can teach what to do right, but effort, nobody can do that. That’s 100 percent on you. If everybody goes 100 percent, we have to move the same, we can’t go back.”

Position Breakdown:

Defensive BACKS

Quinn Brinnon

T

he secondary was expected to be a youth movement in 2018, and in many ways it was. Yes, the Rams relied on sixthyear safety Jordan Fogal and graduate transfer V.J. Banks at corner. But there were plenty of gaps in the secondary, many of which were plugged by youngsters.

Rashad Ajayi already looks like the best player in the defensive backfield after starting all 12 games as a true freshman last season. Fellow freshman Quinn Brinnon played in every contest while Tywan Francis only missed one. Along with linebackers Cam’Ron Carter, Dequan Jackson and lineman Devin Phillips, the defensive youth movement certainly got rolling.

“Our core there, especially since we are the ones that kind of started off

Photo By Quirk Photography

By Colin Barnard

the freshman season, and we did play the most as freshmen, we’re going to stick together for a while,” Brinnon said.

“We’re going to be the leaders of the defense and hopefully be leaders of the team.”

That gives the Rams three true sophomores in the secondary who are mature beyond their years. And entering 2019, it could be more of the same.

Redshirt sophomore Adonis Rufran and true freshman Xavier Goldsmith impressed the coaching staff enough to break spring atop the depth chart, Rufran at corner and Goldsmith at nickel. Former walk-on Logan Stewart played well at safety while Jamal Hicks missed time with injury, and Dajon Owens is entering his second year with the team.

They still have a nice

veteran presence in senior cornerbacks Anthony Hawkins and Braylin Scott. Hicks has started 18 games in his first three seasons in Fort Collins.

In all, the numbers figure to create plenty of competition.

“Already as a defense and as a team, we’re making bigger steps than we did last year,” Brinnon said. “We have more vocal leaders, more people being active, more people being accountable for themselves. I think that will play a big role in next season.”

In his 12 starts as a freshman, Ajayi led the cornerbacks with 33 tackles, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

He also notched a pick-six against San Jose State and got in the backfield for a sack against Florida.

“Rashad started every game, and went in a threeweek stretch, played every single play, did not come out of a game,” defensive coordinator John Jancek said.

“He’s a great kid. I know he’s really motivated right now; he’s really focused. He’s going to be a great leader for us.”

Anthony Perkins joined Bobo’s staff in February as he replaces Eric Lewis as the team’s cornerbacks coach.

Perkins spent the past two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Prior to that, the University of Colorado graduate spent two years as Ohio University’s cornerbacks coach and two seasons coaching Indiana States secondary.

George Helow is still in charge of the team’s safeties.

DEFENSIVE BACK ROSTER YEAR Dajon Owens Jr. Rashad Ajayi So. Anthony Hawkins Sr. Christian Cumber So. Braylin Scott Sr. Xavier Goldsmith Fr. Mikell Harvey Fr. Eman McNeal Jr. Adonis Rufran So. Keevan Bailey Fr. Brandon Crossley Fr. Andre Neal Sr. Malcolm Magee Fr. Jamal Hicks Sr. Quinn Brinnon So. Tywan Francis So. Joshua Griffin Jr. Jack Grauberger Jr. Logan Stewart Jr. Caleb Blake Fr.

HEIGHT WEIGHT

6-0 5-10 5-10 6-0 6-3 5-8 5-8 5-11 5-8 5-11 5-10 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-0 5-11 5-10 6-1 6-1 5-10

185 175 192 180 196 159 160 170 175 164 159 187 185 200 185 180 208 198 195 174

Green & Gold Report

| 35

Position Breakdown:

SPECIALISTS

T

Photo By Quirk Photography

By Colin Barnard

Marcus McElroy

he theme around special teams entering the season is change.

The coaching staff has changed, as have some of the specialists on the field, and the Rams are hoping it results in a more productive season from the entire unit.

Nick Jones was brought on as the tight ends coach, and he’ll serve as co-special teams coordinator with linebackers coach Chase Gibson. In the spring, the staff tested out which

coaches should oversee certain phases of special teams, and they’re confident they can turn things around.

CSU’s punt return defense ranked last of 129 in the FBS, surrendering more than 18 yards per return and three touchdowns. Its own punt return stats weren’t much better, averaging less than 4 yards a return, better than only seven teams in the nation.

The kickoff stats were more even but still less than desired as the Rams were in

SPECIAL TEAM ROSTER YEAR Joe DeLine Jr. Braxton Davis Sr. Brenden Fulton Sr. Anthony Hawkins Sr. Marcus McElroy Jr. Jonathan Terry Fr. Caleb Wickstrom So. Ross Reiter So. Huck Vollmar Fr. Ryan Stonehouse Jr.

36 | Green & Gold Report

HEIGHT WEIGHT

6-0 6-0 5-10 5-10 5-11 6-1 6-2 5-10 6-3 5-11

220 170 184 192 218 175 170 235 200 170

the middle of the pack both offensively and defensively, though they did surrender one score on a kickoff.

“First of all, it starts with coaching,” Gibson said.

“We’ve got to coach better.

We’ll restructure the staff around some, just who’s in charge of certain units. We’re going to move some things around, some different techniques that we’ll give our guys to kind of help them.

The Rams will try to do so with new faces across many positions. Though he endured an up-and-down senior season, Wyatt Bryan leaves CSU as the program’s all-time leading scorer, eclipsing Steve Bartalo in the win over Arkansas.

His departure leaves former kickoff specialist Braxton Davis as the placekicker.

A graduate of Poudre High School in Fort Collins, the senior will assume all kicking

duties in 2019.

“Very confident,” Gibson said. “It’s always good to have guys who have played a lot. He’s got a big leg, which we’re really excited about. We’re gonna get him more consistent in the field-goal game, but we’re really excited about what he’s going to do on kickoff and being able to be that full-time role, him being able to take it and go with it and we’re excited to see what he’ll do with it this year.”

Bisi Johnson served as the primary punt returner last season, and Brenden Fulton broke spring camp atop the position this year. Marcus McElroy will get some looks at kickoff return, though the Rams also bring back Anthony Hawkins who received the majority of kicks last year.

The Rams do return a familiar face at punter as Ryan Stonehouse brings his booming leg back to Fort Collins.

He’s proved his ability to put distance on the ball, ranking fifth and second nationally in punting average in his first two seasons. But he’s also recognized the necessity to control his game more as he ranked 88th last fall in net punting.

“I’m going to be more heavily involved and take over punt,” Gibson said.

“We’ve got to get better in that avenue, we’ve got to get better in them all, there’s no secret there. It’s more of an emphasis this spring to get better fundamentally, that’s where we were lacking a lot.”

2019 Colorado State FOOTBALL ROSTER # Name

Position

Ht. Wt. Yr.

1 2 2 3 4 5 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 12 13 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 23 23 24 26 27 30 31 32 33 34 34 36 37 38 39 40 41 43 44 45 45 46 47 47 49 50 51 54 56 56 57

Wide Receiver Quarterback Cornerback Wide Receiver Cornerback Linebacker Running Back Safety Safety Safety Wide Receiver Safety Linebacker Quarterback Quarterback Linebacker Cornerback Quarterback Tight End Cornerback Cornerback Cornerback Wide Receiver Wide Receiver Cornerback Safety Wide Receiver Running Back Safety Wide Receiver Running Back Defensive End Linebacker Running Back Linebacker Safety Cornerback Wide Receiver Linebacker Punter Linebacker Linebacker Fullback Linebacker Fullback Running Back Wide Receiver Running Back Linebacker Linebacker Defensive End Offensive Line Defensive Line Offensive Line

6-0 6-1 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-1 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-6 5-11 6-1 6-5 6-5 6-0 5-10 6-5 6-2 6-0 6-3 5-8 5-11 5-10 5-8 5-10 5-10 5-10 6-1 6-1 5-11 6-4 6-0 5-7 6-0 6-1 5-8 5-8 6-1 5-11 6-1 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-0 5-9 5-8 5-11 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-4

Jadon Walker Justice McCoy Dajon Owens EJ Scott Rashad Ajayi Dequan Jackson Marvin Kinsey Jr. Malcolm Magee Jamal Hicks Quinn Brinnon Warren Jackson Tywan Francis Cam’ron Carter Patrick O’Brien Judd Erickson Trey Sutton Anthony Hawkins Collin Hill Cameron Butler Christian Cumber Braylin Scott Xavier Goldsmith A’Jon Vivens Brenden Fulton Mikell Harvey Joshua Griffin Logan Ludwig Jaylen Thomas Jack Grauberger Ryan Lynch Marcus McElroy Emmanuel Jones Anthony Giusti Hunter Williams Zach Schlager Logan Stewart Adonis Rufran Thomas Pannunzio Kyle Crooks Ryan Stonehouse Troy Golden Max McDonald Isiah Pannunzio Jacob Stanton Adam Prentice David Aggrey Anthony Grassi Drue Harris Corte Tapia Patrick Moody Brandon Derrow Ches Jackson Rushton Roberts Kavesz Sherard

193 198 185 192 175 215 206 185 200 185 219 180 219 244 219 230 192 214 238 180 196 159 190 184 160 208 168 207 198 175 218 266 220 175 211 195 175 160 215 170 213 225 235 225 236 200 187 220 235 220 243 290 220 280

Hometown/ High school

R-So. Lithia Springs, GA / Chapel Hills HS R-So. New Orleans, LA / Saint Augustine HS Jr. Los Angeles, CA / Gardena HS R-So. Powder Springs, GA / McEachern HS So. Fairburn, GA / Langston Hughes HS So. Jacksonville, FL / Robert E. Lee HS Sr. Atlanta, GA / Riverwood HS R-Fr. Collins, MS / Ocean Springs HS Sr. Gardena, CA / Narbonne HS So. Pleasanton, CA / Bishop O’Dowd HS Jr. Mission Hills, CA / Bishop Alemany HS So. New Orleans, LA / Landry-Walker HS So. Tucker, GA / Tucker HS R-Jr. San Juan Capistrano, CA/ San Juan Hills HS R-So. Highlands Ranch, CO/ Mountain Vista HS R-Jr. Miami, FL / Westminster Christian HS Sr. Arlington, TX / Bowie HS R-Jr. Moore, SC/ Dorman HS Jr. Columbia, SC/ Ridge View HS R-So. Denver, CO / J.K. Mullen HS R-Sr. Bakersfield, CA / Liberty HS Fr. Farmington Hills, MI / Harrison HS So. Denver, CO / Mullen HS R-Sr. Greeley, CO / Northridge HS R-Fr. Slidell, LA / Northshore HS Jr. Houston, TX/ Ross Shaw Sterling HS R-Fr. Littleton, CO / ThunderRidge HS Fr. Colorado Spring, CO / Vista Ridge HS R-Jr. Fort Collins, CO / Fort Collins R-Fr. Louisville, CO / Legacy HS Jr. Denver, CO / J.K. Mullen HS Jr. Cartersville, GA / Woodland HS R-Sr. Novato, CA / Marin Catholic HS R-Fr. Frisco, Texas / Frisco Centennial HS R-Fr. McCook, Neb. / McCook HS R-Jr. Loveland, CO / Mountain View HS R-So. Colorado Springs, CO/William J. Palmer HS So. Aurora, CO / Pueblo South HS R-Jr. Castle Rock, CO / Douglas County HS Jr. Santa Ana, CA / Mater Dei HS R-Fr. Orlando, FL / Olympia HS R-Jr. Fort Collins, CO / Rocky Mountain HS R-Jr. Pueblo, CO / Pueblo South HS R-Fr. Thornton, CO / Chaparral HS R-Jr. Fresno, CA / Clovis HS R-Fr. Aurora, CO / Rangeview HS R-So. Colorado Springs, CO/William J. Palmer HS R-Jr. Fountain, CO / Fountain-Ft. Carson HS R-So. Windsor, CO / Windsor HS R-So. Vero Beach, FL / Vero Beach Senior HS R-Fr. Columbus, Ohio / St. Francis De Sales HS R-Fr. Tifton, GA / Tift County HS R-Fr. Jacksonville, FL / The Bolles School R-Fr. Anderson, SC/ T. L. Hanna HS

# Name

Position

Ht. Wt. Yr.

58 60 62 63 64 65 66 67

Tanner Clem Florian McCann Blake Householder Alex Azusenis Scott Brooks Luis Lebron Kieran Firment Joe DeLine

Linebacker Offensive Line Offensive Line Offensive Line Offensive Line Offensive Line Offensive Line Kicker

6-2 6-3 5-11 6-5 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-0

215 283 275 285 296 335 315 200

69 70 71 72 76 77 79 80 83 84 85 86 86 87 88 90 90 91 92 93 94 95 97 97 98 99

Barry Wesley Joctavis Phillips Jeff Taylor T.J. Storment John Blasco, Jr. Keith Williams Lassine Kone Nikko Hall Braxton Davis Gary Williams Trey McBride Ross Reiter Maxx Shapiro Ryan Sayre Griffin Hammer Jamori Fox Jonathan Terry Jan-Phillip Bombek Livingston Paogofie Caleb Wickstrom Devin Phillips Richard King Toby McBride Huck Vollmar Ellison Hubbard Damion Dickens Keevan Bailey Jalen Bates Caleb Blake Tavian Brown Nate Craig-Myers Brandon Crossley Aidan Cullen Jaylen Hearst Kyle Helbig Christian Hunter Tyreese Jackson Mohamed Kamara Ty McCullouch Andre Neal Desmond Noel Nouredin Nouili Cian Quiroga Dante Wright

Offensive Line Offensive Line Offensive Line Offensive Line Offensive Line Offensive Line Defensive Line Wide Receiver Kicker Tight End Tight End Long Snapper Tight End Wide Receiver Tight End Defensive Line Kicker Defensive Line Defensive Line Kicker Defensive Line Defensive Line Defensive Line Long Snapper Defensive Line Defensive End Cornerback Defensive End Safety Linebacker Wide Receiver Cornerback Defensive End Wide Receiver Tight End Running Back Running Back Linebacker Wide Receiver Cornerback Offensive Line Offensive Line Athlete Wide Receiver

6-6 6-4 6-1 6-7 6-7 6-7 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-3 5-10 6-1 6-2 6-4 6-1 6-1 6-3 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-4 6-3 6-3 6-1 6-2 5-11 6-4 5-10 6-1 6-2 5-10 6-5 6-0 6-3 5-10 5-11 6-1 6-0 6-0 6-3 6-4 6-1 5-10

310 329 305 320 324 275 330 180 170 237 245 235 220 200 234 320 175 255 269 170 318 275 265 200 285 265 164 246 174 222 202 159 241 163 221 192 208 215 163 187 299 283 215 165

Hometown/ High school

R-So. Conifer, CO / J.K. Mullen HS R-Fr. Denver, CO / Mullen HS R-Fr. Missouri City, TX / Dulles HS Fr. Powell, Ohio / Olentangy Liberty HS Jr. Moorpark, CA / Moorpark HS R-So. Jacksonville, FL / Sandalwood HS R-So. Oakdale, PA / West Allegheny HS R-Jr. Steamboat Springs, CO Steamboat Springs HS R-So. Morrison, CO / Bear Creek HS R-So. West Monroe, LA / Neville HS Sr. Jonesboro, GA / Jonesboro HS R-Jr. Statesville, NC / Statesville HS R-So. Tacoma, WA / Stadium HS R-Jr. Baltimore, Md. / Overlea HS R-So. Denver, CO / Manual HS So. Calabasas, CA / Calabasas HS R-Sr. Fort Collins, CO / Poudre HS R-Fr. Charlotte, N.C. / Zebulon B. Vance HS So. Fort Morgan, CO / Fort Morgan HS So. Phoenix, Ariz. / Brophy College Prep R-So. Claremont, CA / Claremont HS R-Jr. Castle Rock, CO / Douglas County HS R-So. South Elgin, Ill. / St. Charles North HS R-Sr. Marietta, GA / Cherokee HS R-Fr. Castle Rock, CO / Castle View HS Sr. Hamburg, Germany / Hamburg HS Jr. Arlington, Texas / Bowie HS R-So. Fort Collins, CO / Heritage Christian Acad.

So. Monroe, LA / Neville HS R-Sr. Aurora, CO / Rangeview HS R-Jr. Fort Morgan, CO / Fort Morgan HS R-Fr. Colorado Springs, CO / Air Academy HS Jr. Loganville, GA / Grayson HS Sr. Lexington, MS / Holmes County HS Fr. Conyers, GA / Salem HS R-Sr. Kaplan, LA / Kaplan HS Fr. Orlando, FL / Bishop Moore Catholic HS Fr. Demopolis, ALA / Demopolis HS Jr. Dade City, FL / Tampa Catholic HS Fr. Little Elm, Texas / Little Elm HS Fr. Monument, CO / Palmer Ridge HS Fr. Keller, Texas / Fossil Ridge HS Fr. Broomfield, CO / Holy Family HS Fr. Fontana, CA / Kaiser HS Fr. New Iberia, LA / Westgate HS Fr. Newark, N.J. / Central HS Fr. Moreno Valley, CA / Rancho Verde HS Sr. Baltimore, Md. / New Town HS R-Jr. Cincinnati, Ohio / Colerain HS Fr. Firth, Neb. / Norris HS Fr. Denver, CO / Valor Christian HS Fr. Navarre, FL / Navarre HS

2019 Coaching Staff Mike Bobo - Head Coach Ronnie Letson – Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks Dave Johnson – Offensive Coordinator/ Offensive Line John Jancek – Defensive Coordinator Chase Gibson – Co-Special Teams Coordinator/Linebackers Nick Jones – Co-Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends Bryan Applewhite – Recruiting Coordinator/Running Backs Joe Cox – Wide Receivers

Keith Gilmore – Defensive Line George Helow – Safeties Anthony Perkins – Cornerbacks Joey Guarascio - Head Football Strength & Conditioning Coach Ben Larson – Football Analyst/Special Teams Ben Robertson – Defensive Quality Control Jordan Jefferson – Offensive Graduate Assistant Fred Zerblis – Offensive Graduate Assistant Zac Jancek – Defensive Graduate Assistant

Carl Miller – Associate Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Shelton Gaffney – Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach Tom Ehlers - Director of Football Operations Marcie Johnston – Director of Football Administration Anthoney Hill - Director of Player Development & Community/ Alumni Relations David Stenklyft – Director of Player Personnel Jessica Jefferson – Director of Recruiting

Green & Gold Report

| 37

2019 Colorado State Football Schedule vs. Colorado (Denver) vs. Western Illinois at Arkansas vs. Toledo at Utah State vs. San Diego State at New Mexico at Fresno State vs. UNLV

Photo By Quirk Photography

08/30 09/7 09/14 09/21 09/28 10/5 10/11 10/26 11/2 11/16 11/22 11/29

vs. Air Force at Wyoming vs. Boise State

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2019 Colorado State VOLLEYball ROSTER # NAME

HT

POS

CLASS

HOMETOWN (LAST SCHOOL)

0 Alyssa Bert

5-10

Libero

Fr.

Oklahoma City, Okla. (Westmore)

1 Madison Boles

5-11

Outside Hitter

Fr.

Tacoma, Wash. (Life Christian Academy)

2 Ellie Gubser

6-4

Opposite Hitter

JR

Colorado Springs, Colo. (Cheyenne Mountain)

3 Olivia Nicholson

6-0

Outside Hitter

SR

North Platte, Neb. (North Platte)

4 Brooke Hudson

5-3

Defensive Specialist

DS

Houston, Texas (Cypress Lake)

5 Jenna Heinemeyer

5-6

Defensive Specialist/Setter

JR

Parker, Colo. (Regis)

6 Alana Giles

6-0

Middle Blocker

Fr.

Conifer, Colo. / Conifer HS

7 Sasha Colombo

6-2

Middle Blocker

SO

Milan, Italy (Liceo Scientifico Giordano Bruno)

8 Alexa Roumeliotis

5-7

Defensive Specialist

Jr.

Menlo Park, Calif. / Menlow-Atherton HS

9 Ciera Zimmerman

6-0

Setter

SO

Auburn, Wah. (Auburn Riverside)

10 Jacqi Van Liefde

6-0

Outside Hitter

SO

Chula Vista, Calif. (Eastlake)

11 Paulina Hougaard-Jensen

6-1

Middle Blocker

SR

Copenhagen, Denmark (Falkonergaardens & HF)

13 Kirstie Hillyer

6-6

Middle Blocker

SR

Bayfield, Colo. (Bayfield)

15 Breana Runnels

5-10

Outside Hitter

JR

Bakersfield, Calif. (Independence)

21 Jessica Jackson

5-11

Outside Hitter

SR

Denver, Colo. (Thomas Jefferson)

22 Katie Oleksak

5-10

Setter

SR

Phoenix, Ariz. (Sunnyslope)

Rams Volleyball Coaching Staff Tom Hilbert Head Coach

Emily Kohan

Assistant Coach

Dri Culbert

Assistant Coach

Bri Olmstead

Director of Volleyball Operations

2019 Colorado State VOLLEYball SCHEDULE DATE

OPPONENT

LOCATION

TIME

DATE

OPPONENT

LOCATION

TIME

08/30/19 vs. Chicago State Fort Collins, Colo.

11:00 a.m. MT

10/10/19 vs. Fresno State

Fort Collins, Colo.

7:00 p.m. MT

08/31/19 vs. California

Fort Collins, Colo.

1:00 p.m. MT

10/12/19 vs. San Diego State Fort Collins, Colo.

1:00 p.m. MT

08/31/19 vs. Oklahoma

Fort Collins, Colo.

7:30 p.m. MT

10/17/19 at Boise State

Boise, Idaho

TBA

09/06/19 vs. Florida Atlantic Fort Worth, Texas

1:00 p.m. MT

10/19/19 at Utah State

Logan, Utah

TBA

09/06/19 at TCU

Fort Worth, Texas

7:00 p.m. MT

10/24/19 vs. San Jose State Fort Collins, Colo.

7:00 p.m. MT

09/07/19 vs. Florida State

Fort Worth, Texas

1:00 p.m. MT

10/26/19 vs. Nevada

Fort Collins, Colo.

1:00 p.m. MT

09/12/19 vs. Colorado

Fort Collins, Colo.

7:00 p.m. MT

10/29/19 vs. Wyoming

Fort Collins, Colo.

7:00 p.m. MT

09/13/19 at Colorado

Boulder, Colo.

6:00 p.m. MT

10/31/19 vs. Air Force

Fort Collins, Colo.

7:00 p.m. MT

09/18/19 vs. N. Colorado

Fort Collins, Colo.

7:00 p.m. MT

11/07/19 at Fresno State

Fresno, Calif.

7:00 p.m. MT

09/19/19 vs. Cal Poly

Fort Collins, Colo.

7:00 p.m. MT

11/09/19 at San Diego State San Diego, Calif.

3:00 p.m. MT

09/20/19 vs. Oregon State

Fort Collins, Colo.

7:00 p.m. MT

11/14/19 vs. Utah State

Fort Collins, Colo.

7:00 p.m. MT

09/26/19 vs. New Mexico

Fort Collins, Colo.

7:00 p.m. MT

11/16/19 vs. Boise State

Fort Collins, Colo.

TBA

09/28/19 at UNLV

Las Vegas, NEV.

3:00 p.m. MT

11/21/19 at San Jose State San Jose, Calif.

7:00 p.m. MT

10/01/19 at Wyoming

Laramie, WYO

6:30 p.m. MT

11/23/19 at Nevada

Reno, Nev.

1:00 p.m. MT

10/05/19 at Air Force

USAF Acad., Colo.

6:30 p.m. MT

11/30/19 at Denver

Denver, Colo.

1:00 p.m. MT

Green & Gold Report

| 39

Volleyball Preview

By Colin Barnard

Experienced Rams are Set for a Strong Season 40 | Green & Gold Report

W

ith all Katie Oleksak and Kirstie Hillyer have accomplished at Colorado State, nobody would blame you for thinking their collegiate careers came to an end last season. The stats and accolades certainly suggest so.

Hillyer has been the Rams’ force in the middle since her freshman year when she ranked fourth nationally in blocks and has since earned Mountain West All-Conference honors every season since. Oleksak is the two-time reigning MW Player

Photo Courtesy CSU Athletics

Katie Oleksak

if they’re able to bring it in, keep everyone else around them going and mentor people through the summer.”

Though Hilbert and the Rams reached the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd consecutive season in 2018, the journey there was bumpier than most.

It included four dropped matches in non-conference and consecutive losses in MW play for the first time in 10 years.

Not ideal, especially for a team with as touted a history as CSU. But it also forced the Rams to really address the issues and turn things around.

“That experience was a very good one, but I hope it doesn’t take a wakeup

Photo Courtesy CSU Athletics

of the Year and record holder for a host of different setting stats in CSU’s history.

Quite the careers, right?

Well, yes, but they’re not done yet. Both players have another year in the green and gold, and along with four other seniors on the team, the experience is setting up Tom Hilbert and company for another deep run.

“They’re obviously both seasoned players, they’ve started for three years prior to this year,” Hilbert said.

“They know better than most what it takes to win another championship. Those two kids work very, very hard and I think they want to be great and they understand what it takes to be good.

It’s all gonna be a matter of

Tom Hilbert

Green & Gold Report

| 41

Breana Runnels 42 | Green & Gold Report

The turnaround resulted in 12 consecutive victories, a 15th MW title and another trip to the big dance where CSU played Tennessee. And despite taking a two-set lead, the Rams dropped the ensuing three frames to end the season. The first-round loss offered another bit of experience Hilbert hopes his team can take into 2019.

“We can compete with nine out of 10 teams in the

United States,” he said. “But competing with them and then being able to finish it off when both teams are within five points at the end, that’s when you’ve gotta do it. That takes mental toughness, that takes a lot of grit and it takes players who understand how to prepare for that. Going through it should help you, and I hope that it does.”

As the Rams look towards 2019, they’ll see

Photo Courtesy CSU Athletics

call for a team to play like that, like it did last year,” Hilbert said. “There was a point where we were not playing very well and our team didn’t really realize it, and then it hit them in the face when we lost at Fresno.

They regrouped and to their credit, they got their act together. That’s good, but I hope we can do that without having something hit us in the face this time.”

something that’s become comfortable them – a nonconference slate loaded with marquee programs. CSU has seven matches scheduled against Power Five foes of its 11 games out of conference.

The Rams will host California, Oklahoma, Colorado and Oregon State while battling TCU, Florida State and CU on the road. For Hilbert, the benefits are bountiful and prepare the Rams for what they’ll face in December.

“It’s always been something I’ve felt like we need to do,” he said. “It doesn’t scare me to do it, I want to play against some of the best in the country, and I think the team’s used to it. When you’re playing against an Oklahoma and your team never played them before, it gives them a certain level of alertness and urgency, and they play well, it raises their level.”

Middle blocker Paulina Hougaard-Jensen joins Hillyer as a senior at the net. Hitters Olivia Nicholson and Jessica Jackson give the Rams two more seniors on the outside while defensive specialist Amanda Young rounds out the fourth-year players.

While it is an extensive list of experience, the coach also knows there are holes which younger players will have to fill.

“We’re gonna need at least two players who have not had extended playing time to play this year, without a doubt,” Hilbert said. “We’ve got incoming freshmen who are really good, we’ve got Sasha Colombo who’s really good, Jacqi Van Liefde – some

Photo Courtesy CSU Athletics

of these people are gonna have to get on the court.”

Lucky for him, he has options. Redshirt junior Breana Runnels returns after leading the team with 454 kills last season. Colombo and Van Liefde got their feet wet as freshmen in 2018 while rising juniors Jenna Heinemeyer and Ellie Gubser each made strides during their sophomore years.

Now the focus turns towards offseason improvement. With the number of players who have been in leadership positions already in their careers, Hilbert doesn’t have to worry as much about the summer. He knows players like Oleksak and Hillyer understand what needs to happen in the offseason.

Paulina Hougaard-Jensen And the more time they spend around those younger, less experienced players, the more their yearning to play grows. Nobody will complain about that.

“A lot of those kids

are itching to play, they talk about it to me,” Hilbert said. “And you’ve got good seasoned people in front of you, but you still come into every training camp where it’s wide open. And if

they compete well, they can step into one of those roles.

If they improve over the course of the season, they can step into one of those roles. It’s always out there in front of them.”

In House AD?

Green & Gold Report

| 43

Football Recruiting

SPONSORED BY:

Colorado’s Top 12 Instate Recruits - Class of 2020

Rank Player

Pos.

Ht. / Wt.

247Sports Composite Rating

High School / Hometown Columbine / Littleton, CO

#1

Andrew Gentry

OT

6-8 / 310

National 47, Position 6

#2

Roger Rosengarten

OT

6-7 / 275

National 204, Position 18 Valor Christian / Littleton, CO

#3

Reece Atteberry

OC

6-5 / 280

National 392, Position 7

#4

David Moore III

RB

5-8 / 183

National 304, Position 23 Pine Creek / Colorado Springs, CO

#5

Aidan Atkinson

QB

6-3 / 212

National 278, Position 12

Fairview / Boulder, CO

#6

Aidan Keanaaina

DT

6-3 / 292

National 388, Position 36

J.K. Mullen / Denver, CO

#7

Kole Taylor

TE

6-6 / 225

National 359, Position 10

Central / Grand Junction, CO

#8

Carson Lee

OC

6-2 / 333

National NA, Position 17

Cherry Creek / Englewood, CO

#9

Adam Karas

OT

6-5 / 272

National NA, Position 122

Pomona / Arvada, CO

#10

Kyle Moretti

ILB

6-0 / 212

National NA, Position 64

Pomona / Arvada, CO

#11

Anthony Roberson II

ATH

5-10 / 170

National NA, Position 165

Palmer Ridge / Monument, CO

#12

Max Marsh

QB

6-2 / 179

National NA, Position 78

Central / Grand Junction, CO

Eaglecrest / Aurora, CO

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

44 | Green & Gold Report

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D I NI N G GU IDE

46 | Green & Gold Report

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48 | Green & Gold Report