Green and Gold Report | 2026

2026 COLORADO STATE SPORTS PREVIEW

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2 | Green & Gold Report

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GREEN & GOLD REPORT

CONTENTS FOOTBALL 6 New League, New Identity 9 11

Rams enter the Pac-12 era in rebuild mode

Football Schedule Football Roster

VOLLEYBALL 14 Return to Dominance

Can CSU regain its juggernaut form?

15 17

Volleyball Roster Volleyball Schedule

MEN’S BASKETBALL 20 Continuity with Success

CSU roster boasts experience, potential

22 Basketball Roster WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 24 Fanning the Flames

Rams hope to catch fire with new faces

25 Basketball Roster RECRUITING 28 Football Recruiting

Instate Recruits—Class of 2027

Green & Gold Report | 3

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Green & Gold Report | 5

NEW LEAGUE, NEW IDENTITY

By Justin Michael

AFTER 27 SEASONS in the Mountain West, a conference that Colorado State once helped form, the Rams are now set to begin the Pac-12 era in 2026.

Under the guidance of veteran football coach Jim Mora, who was hired to replace Jay Norvell after a disastrous 2-10 campaign in 2025, CSU is looking to rebuild from the rubble and create a new identity in a league that presents both hope and opportunity.

The modern version of the Pac-12 might not have the star power of the original lineup. But the conference consists of a scrappy group of schools — all of which are betting on themselves during turbulent times of realignment across the sport.

With a handful of the biggest leagues slowly creating more and more separation between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’, it’s never been more pressing for schools like CSU and its peers to fight for relevance. And while the loudest skeptics might not be able to see the forest through the trees when

6 | Green & Gold Report

Rams enter the Pac-12 era in rebuild mode

Oumar Diomande it comes to the decision to leave the Mountain West in hopes of returning glory to the Pac-12, it’s a gamble worth taking when considering how these schools have all been left for dead by the SEC, Big 10, and even the Big-12.

In a time where the biggest decision makers in the sport are solely interested in their own bottom line, schools like CSU, San Diego State, etc., have been forced to get creative in hopes of keeping pace in the arm’s race. There are some sad realities of abandoning a handful of former conference mates, but the truth is that the modern landscape has forced all of the Pac-12 members to really go bold.

While there are no guarantees, this new league is a life preserver amid a storm that’s been slowly building for years. And the hope is that with an accomplished coach of Mora’s status now steering the ship, the Rams will finally be able to take full advantage of the potential that this football program has always had. If so, we might finally

get to see the type of program that was envisioned with the creation of Canvas Stadium. More importantly, we’d get to stop seeing a football team that finds ways to less with more.

Mora has gone on record multiple times saying that he has no intentions of letting year one be an excuse. In fact, he’s put it out there that he intends for the Rams to compete for a championship, even despite going into the 2026 campaign with close to 70 new players on the roster. But that just seems to be the kind of coach that Mora is. He believes in himself and he thinks that he can win at CSU. It’s why he left UConn — even after experiencing unprecedented success as the head coach of the Huskies — and he came to a program that’s done nothing but come up short for the better part of two decades.

As the great Sonny Lubick proved during his historic run, then was further validated by Jim McElwain, the right coach can do great things at CSU. The problem is that far too consistently over

the last two decades, the Rams have had neither the right coach, nor the right quarterback.

Going into fall camp, it’s still unknown who will be under center when Wyoming comes to town in Week 1. And based on what we saw over the spring practices, as well as Mora’s comments regarding the timeline of it all, there doesn’t seem to be much of a rush to publicly back Hauss Hejny or K’Saan Farrar as ‘QB1’. The encouraging thing is that while neither player has officially been given the title of starting quarterback ahead of the regular season, both transfers have flashed enough talent in practice to get the fans excited about what they could bring to the table.

Hejny, a third-year player now at his third school, was the higher rated recruit coming out of high school. A onetime four-star prospect who won back-to-back state championships at Aledo High School (Texas) prior to signing with TCU, the dual-threat athlete is hoping to revive his collegiate career after a broken ankle ended his year for Oklahoma State in Game 1 of the 2025 season.

He doesn’t have much FBS experience to this point, however, Hejny did win the starting gig for the Cowboys prior to getting hurt last fall. And based on the athleticism he displayed in the spring, it’s easy to understand why he’s such an intriguing option for the staff. Hejny is not just fast for a football player, he’s got track star speed. It’s why despite being a bit undersized, the ability to turn any carry into an explosive run is a big asset for the offense, especially when he also happens to throw a really nice ball.

Farrar is a few inches taller than Hejny and more of a pocket passer, though the redshirt sophomore does also move well when he elects to break the pocket and take off.

Frankly, given the hype for Hejny, the fact that Farrar has battled as well as he has is a testament to him. Farrar made sure that he did everything in his power to take advantage of the reps available to him. And when there were big plays on the table for him in the live settings, he tended to seize the opportunity. A great example of this was in the spring scrimmages, when Farrar connected for touchdowns of 50+ yards in back-to-back weeks.

Regardless of which guy ends up being CSU’s starter, clearly, the Rams need a lot more consistency under center than what we’ve seen in recent years. After committing multiple seasons to Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, having to bench him before getting out of the non-conference slate epitomized Norvell’s tenure. And if CSU is ever going to make a leap and truly be the type of team that’s envisioned with this move to the Pac-12, elevating the quarterback play is a great place to start.

CSU has now gone eight straight years without an allconference quarterback, and it’s been over a decade since the Rams have a QB play well enough to be the league’s offensive player of the year. Between 1999-2003, CSU had two QBs

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Green & Gold Report | 7

account for three total Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year awards, and unsurprisingly, the Rams won three conference championships over that fiveyear period.

CSU’s last QB to receive OPOY honors, Garrett Grayson, never won the league. He did, however, lead the Rams to their last postseason victory (2013).

Grayson is also responsible for CSU’s only 10-win season post-Lubick, as well as producing two of the most prolific offenses in school history.

Asking for Hejny or Farrar to be on par with the true greats might be a bit much right out of the gate. But if the Rams are going to make a leap in 2026, the first domino that needs to fall is finding a quality starting quarterback.

Finally, while the spotlight will be heavily focused on the QBs, there is also a lot of excitement around town for the transfers brought in to bolster the skill positions.

Tight end Juice Vereen is projected

to do big things after scoring five touchdowns in a breakout season under Mora with the Huskies last fall. The tight end room in general looks pretty stacked, though. Between the UConn additions and bringing over Pearce Spurlin, expectations are pretty high across the board.

The running back room is also one of the deeper positions on the team.

Mel Brown, Oliver Lundberg and Malichi Greaves all looked the part during the spring. Durrell Robinson has big-play potential, too. But we’ll have to see how he recovers after injuries derailed him at Auburn in 2025. In 2024, when he played under Mora at UConn, Robinson was a big play machine.

Defensively, losing the nation’s leading tackler to Arizona State was a tough blow for the fanbase. That said, Oumar Diomande is now in position to improve his NFL stock with the Rams after a really stellar season at UConn.

Power four schools went after him

hard, so being able to bring Diomande over with the staff was a big win for CSU. And it will be fun to see what the linebacker’s addition, as well as the return of some injured starters, and a few other transfer additions can do on that side of the ball.

2025 ultimately proved to be a throwaway year with everything crashing and burning before we even made it to Halloween. Regardless, it’s been far too long since the Rams lived up to their potential with any type of consistency.

Maybe a change of scenery and an old-school football coach is exactly what CSU needed to finally turn things around.

2026 is a massively important season for the program, though. A new era needs to bring new trends. The time for CSU to step up and finally live up to its potential as a football program is now.

The Pac-12 can be a new beginning for the Rams. Let’s just hope the ending goes a little bit better than their time in the Mountain West.

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2026 CSU RAMS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT LOCATION Sept. 5 (Sat.)

Wyoming

Fort Collins, CO

Sept. 12 (Sat.)

Southern Utah

Fort Collins, CO

Sept. 19 (Sat.) BYU Fort Collins, CO Sept. 26 (Sat.)

UTSA

San Antonio, TX

Oct. 3 (Sat.)

Oregon State

Fort Collins, CO

Oct. 15 (Thu.)

Texas State

San Marcos, TX

Oct. 24 (Sat.)

San Diego State

Fort Collins, CO

Oct. 31 (Sat)

Utah State

Logan, UT

Nov. 7 (Sat.)

Boise State

Fort Collins, CO

Nov. 14 (Sat.)

Washington State

Pullman, WA

Nov. 21 (Sat.)

Fresno State

Fresno, CA

Nov. 28 (Sat.)

Flex Game TBD

Fort Collins, CO

Green & Gold Report | 9

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2026 COLORADO STATE FOOTBALL ROSTER #

Name

Position

0 Caleb Presley Cornerback 0 RJ Vick Wide Receiver 1 Mel Brown Running Back 1 Richard Mosley III Cornerback 2 Oumar Diomande Linebacker 2 K’saan Farrar Quarterback 3 Darius Curry Quarterback 3 Dagan Myers Safety 4 Lavon Brown Wide Receiver 4 Dylan Phelps Safety 5 D’Angelo Hagans Jr. Nickelback 5 Juice Vereen Tight End 6 Elijah Brown Cornerback 6 Jackson Harper Wide Receiver 7 Malichi Greaves Running Back 7 Jordan Lessard Cornerback 8 Hauss Hejny Quarterback 8 Antarron Turner Linebacker 9 Jordan Mosley Wide Receiver 9 Stephon Wright Defensive Line 10 Tommy Maher Wide Receiver 11 Khamani Potts Jack 11 Durell Robinson Running Back 12 Jace Bellah Safety 12 Makih Johnson Wide Receiver 13 Tommy Poholsky Quarterback 13 Elijah Mc-Cantos Safety 15 Tre’Shawn Moore Safety 15 Terrence Smith Jr. Wide Receiver 16 Darnell Kelly Quarterback 16 Ace Brown Linebacker 17 CJ Blocker Cornerback 17 Brock Camp Tight End 18 AJ Noland Safety 18 Pearce Spurlin III Tight End 19 Carter Emanuel Quarterback 19 Nykobi Brown Jack 20 Troy Foster Wide Receiver 20 Jayden Cortell Nickelback 22 Justin Lewis Cornerback 22 Cedric Ross Running Back 23 Jaseim Mitchell Linebacker 23 Damian Moore Jr. Running Back 24 Trey Vincent Safety 25 Jermaine Santana-Diaz Safety 26 Ryan McConnell Tight End 26 Thomas Cook Jr. Cornerback 27 Jaylen King Linebacker 28 Marc Pretto Linebacker 29 Xavier Wimbush Nickelback 30 Kallen Martinez Safety 30 Dominic Toy Tight End 34 Amare Gomez Running Back

Hometown/ High school

#

Seattle, Wash. / Rainier Beach Raleigh, N.C. / East Wake Stone Mountain, Ga. / Miller Grove Bridgerton, N.J. / Roman Catholic (Pa.) Bronx, N.Y. / John F. Kennedy Newport News, Va. / Green Run UConn Long Beach, Calif. / Long Beach Poly Morrison. Colo. / Chatfield Chatsworth, Calif. / Sierra Canyon Las Vegas, Nev. / Spring Valley Las Vegas, Nev. / Silverado Havelock, N.C. / Havelock Los Angeles, Calif. / Narbonne Simsbury, Conn. / Avond Old Farms School Queens, N.Y. / St. Thomas More UConn Montreal, Quebec, Canada Aledo, Texas / Aledo Ocala, Fla. / A.L. Brown Mobile, Ala. / McGill Toolen Los Angeles, Calif. / Cathedral Redondo Beach, Calif. / St. John Bosco Rochester, Mich. / Rochester Grand Valley State Seat Pleasant, Md. / Saint Francis Academy Pueblo, Colo. / Pueblo South Tarpon Spring, Fla. / Clearwater Academy International Evergreen, Colo. / Evergreen Little Haiti, Fla. / Edison Baxley, Ga. / Appling County Aiken, S.C. / South Aiken Barnesville, Ga. / Langston Hughes Youngstown, Ohio / Archbishop Hoban Houston, Texas / New Caney Columbia, Mo. / Hickman Tualatin, Ore / Tualatin Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. / South Walton Orlando, Fla. / Edgewater Valdosta, Ga. / Valdosta Los Alamitos, Calif. / Huntington Beach San Diego, Calif. / Eastlake Fontana, Calif. / Rancho Cucamonga Lubbock, Texas / Estacado Colorado Springs, Colo. / Harrison West Orlando, Fla. / Edgewater Grinnell, Kan. / Wheatland Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point Erie, Colo. / Erie Fort Worth, Texas / North Crowley Clayton, N.C. / Cleveland Montclair, N.J. / St. Peter’s Prep Fordham / NIU Ashburn, Va. / Stone Bridge Tampa, Fla. / Armwood Chester, Pa. / Chester San Diego, Calif. / Westview

36 Casey Carr Kicker 39 Nathan Sutcliffe Punter 40 Kali Nguma Kicker 42 Declan McKernan Long Snapper 44 Oliver Lundberg Running Back 45 Caleb Otlewski Linebacker 50 Josh Ayers Linebacker 50 Jayden Tuia Offensive Line 52 Kentez Allen Offensive Line 52 Cleto Chol Defensive Line 54 Cannon Valenzuela Linebacker 54 Quinton Harris Offensive Line 55 Desman Manuel Defensive Line 56 Kenyon Agurs Jack 56 Walker Himebauch Long Snapper 58 Peyton Garrett Defensive Line 61 Diego Rodriguez Offensive Line 63 John Holthaus Offensive Line 65 Phillip Ocon Offensive Line 70 Berlin Lillard Offensive Line 71 Zach Smith Offensive Line 71 Ismael El Bouomrani Defensive Line 72 Max Vivier Offensive Line 73 Braden Hales Offensive Line 74 Payton Stewart Offensive Line 75 Sione Netane Offensive Line 76 Toriyan Johnson Offensive Line 77 Jack Moran Defensive Line 80 Kojo Antwi Wide Receiver 84 Stephon Daily Wide Receiver 85 Grant Houser Tight End 87 Antoine Martin Jr. Wide Receiver 88 Nader Chirchi Tight End 90 Keegan Shank Defensive Line 92 Mukendi Wa-Kalonji Defensive Line 93 Robby Harrison Defensive Line 94 Alton Tarber IV Defensive Line 95 Gabe Jones Defensive Line 96 Brandon Kelley Defensive Line 97 Amare Bell Defensive Line 99 TaVeon Robinson Defensive Line 99 Cavan Craig Punter Yasser Jackson Wide Receiver Uluaki Tatafu Offensive Line Packs Ahovelo Offensive Line Luke Van Auken Offensive Line Tyrone Fitten Defensive Line Jaden Hernandez Linebacker Mickey Williams Linebacker Atticus Tillman Safety Isaiah Watson Wide Receiver Eli Rich Wide Receiver

Name

Position

Hometown/ High school

San Jose, Calif. / Santa Teresa Buninyong, VIC, Australia Mission, TX / Sharyland Boulder, Colo. / Fairview Gothenburg, Sweden / RIG Academy Melissa, Texas / Melissa Castle Rock, Colo. / Lutheran Pocatello, Idaho / Thunder Ridge McDonough, Ga. / Eagles Landing Lynn, Mass. / Proctor Academy UConn Jacksboro, Texas / Jacksboro Arlington, Texas / Seguin/TCU Dallas, Texas / Cedar Hill Inglewood, Calif. / Inglewood Monument, Colo. / Palmer Ridge Parker, Colo. / Lutheran Hillside, N.J. / Hillside Portola Valley, Calif. / Junípero Serra South Pasadena, Calif. / Saint Francis-La Canada Oakland, Calif. / Bishop O’Dowd Highlands Ranch, Colo. / Thunder Ridge Fort Myers, Fla. / IMG Academy Navan, Ontario, Canada / Saint James School (Md.) Olathe, Kan. / Olathe North Kelso, Wash. / Kelso Michigan State San Mateo, Calif. / Saint Francis Dorchester, Mass. / Proctor Academy Arvada, Colo. / Ralston Valley Suwanee, Ga. / Lambert Phoenix, Ariz. / Sierra Linda Wapakoneta, Ohio / Wapakoneta Houston, Texas / Iowa Colony Alexandria, Va. / Edison Scottsdale, Ariz. / Chaparral Aurora, Colo. / Grandview Greenwood, S.C. / Emerald Pompano Beach, Fla. / Deerfield Beach Dallas, Texas / W.T. White Pottstown, Pa. / Owen J. Roberts Phoenix, Ariz. / Cesar Chavez Olathe, Kans. / Olathe East Charleston, S.C. / Bishop England Oakland, Calif. / Oakland Waimanalo, Hawaii / Kailua Waimanalo, Hawaii / Kailua Franklinville, N.J. / Delsea Regional Hogansville, Ga. / Callaway Carson, Calif. / Long Beach Poly San Francisco, Calif. / Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep Arvada, Colo. / Arvada West Aurora, Colo. / Vista Peak Prep Boise, Idaho / Boise

2026 COACHING STAFF Jim Mora Tyson Summers Pryce Tracy Kyle Krantz Christian Pace

Head Coach Defensive Coordinator Offensive Coordinator Special Teams Coordinator / Jacks Associate Head Coach / Run Game Coordinator / Offensive Line

Kenny McClendon

Matt Mitchell Matty Ah You Jordan Frost-Dixon

Assistant Head Coach / Co-Defensive Coordinator / Defensive Line Passing Game Coordinator / Quarterbacks Nickelbacks Linebackers

Brayden Herdic David Hill Caleb Wilson Pat Welsh Trent Matthews Jordan Frost-Dixon

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Green & Gold Report | 11

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12 | Green & Gold Report

Green & Gold Report | 13

return to dominance

By Justin Michael

AFTER WINNING 17 REGULAR season conference championships and six more postseason tournament titles in 27 seasons in the Mountain West, Colorado State volleyball is set to begin a new journey in the Pac-12.

Under the legendary Tom Hilbert, the program earned the reputation of being the big, bad bullies on the block — a status that arose after years of running the league — but was also frequently reinforced by the way CSU would dominate teams from major conferences. Schools out of the ACC, Big 10, etc., would come to Moby Arena and be completely outclassed on the court. And while those same schools might be able to triple CSU’s football attendance on any given Saturday, the atmosphere they would experience on campus for a top 25 volleyball matchup would be truly surreal.

The point here is that things were quite good for CSU in the Mountain West. The Rams won a whole lot of trophies, and the

14 | Green & Gold Report

Photos Courtesy of CSU Athletic Communications

Can CSU regain its juggernaut form?

Karsyn Fetzer fans had a whole lot of fun building one of the more unique volleyball communities in the country. The crucial thing for CSU to do now, though, both as a program as well as a fanbase, is let the past be something to be proud of, while focusing on moving forward.

For one thing, the Rams have not earned anything in this new league. So, while the brand is certainly strong going into the Pac-12, it’s now up to Emily Kohan and Co. to uphold it.

Secondly, while Kohan guiding CSU to a sweep of both MW championships in 2024 was a much-needed bounce back for the Rams, the truth is that the gap has closed. That’s not to say that the program has less potential to be special, but conference peers like Boise State and Utah State have upped their investment into their own programs and it shows.

Nobody’s ring count comes even close to CSU’s historically, but after 12 regular season championships in a 15-year span between 2007 and 2021,

the Rams only won one in their last four years in the Mountain West.

Going into the Pac-12, CSU should feel confident about the opportunities on the table. A lot like what you would envision on the women’s basketball side of things, the recently constructed league has a higher competitive floor than the MW. And what’s great about that is while the Rams might be less dominant over their peers year to year, having a more realistic chance of getting more than one team into the NCAA Tournament is a good thing for everyone.

CSU should also be hungry to conquer a new crown. Owning the MW for all of those years was great, but now the Rams can show that a change of scenery is not enough for their peers to be able to catch up. The Rams have a chance to prove to the rest of the Pac12 that no matter what conference the schools are currently affiliated with, there are still levels to this. So, while it’s great that teams like Boise State and

CSU VOLLEYball ROSTER

2026 #

NAME

HT

POS

CLASS

HOMETOWN (LAST SCHOOL)

1

Karsyn Fetzer

5-9

OH/L

FR.

Kersey, CO (Platte Valley)

3

Brooke Holman

6-1

OH

R-FR.

Aspen, CO (Littleton)

4

Halle Jameson

6-1

OH

FR.

Rockwall, TX (Rockwall)

5

Sofia Zabjek

6-2

OH

FR.

Ontario, Canada (St. Benedict’s Catholic)

7

Jessica Lawton

6-2

MB

R-FR.

Hales Corner, WI (Whitnall)

9

Silvie Graetzer

6-2

MB

FR.

Mahtomedi, MN (Mahtomedi)

10

Brenna Rowland

6-2

MB

JR.

Scottsdale, AZ (Chaparral) / Charleston Southern

11

Abby Little

6-3

OH

FR.

Billings, MT (Billings Skyview)

15

Olivia Ewing

6-5

MB

FR.

Fort Collins, CO (Fossil Ridge)

16

Jaedyn Riley

6-1

S

FR.

Oakdale, CA (Oakdale)

17

Sophie Stephenson

6-2

OPP

GR.

Seattle, WA (The Bush School) / LMU / Illinois

21

Ella Stowell

6-1

OH

FR.

Olathe, KS (Olathe West)

23

Erin Debiec

6-1

S

R-FR.

Potomac. MD (Bishop O’Connell)

24

Hayden Grimes

5-9

L/DS

FR.

Andale, KS (Andale)

26

Maria Brun

6-1

OH

SO.

Barcelona, Spain / CV Sant Cugat Club

27

Eve Wilson

6-3

MB

JR.

Sandy, UT (Skyline) / High Point

33

Kekua Richards

6-7

MB

R-SO.

Pa’ia, Maui, HA (Seabury Hall)

Rams Volleyball Coaching Staff Emily Kohan—Head Coach April Sanchez Assistant Coach

Emery Herman Assistant Coach

Bruno Chateau Assistant Coach

Bri Olmstead Director of Volleyball Operations Green & Gold Report | 15

Utah State have climbed a few tiers, the standard is still set in Fort Collins.

If the Rams are going to reach their goals in year four under Kohan, not only will they have to make it through a tough league slate, but the non-conference portion of the schedule is far from a cakewalk. After taking on former conference foes Air Force and UNLV in exhibition matchups, CSU will open the regular season by hosting UC-Davis (Aug. 28) and SMU (Aug. 29), two schools who combined to go 48-13 in 2025.

The Mustangs were especially impressive, sweeping their way through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament before falling to No. 12 Purdue in the regional semifinal. Both teams should be a solid test for the Rams over the opening weekend, through a two-game stretch that historically draws big crowds and a lot of excitement.

On Sept. 1, CSU will play what is arguably the most important match of the opening month when Northern Colorado

16 | Green & Gold Report

comes to town. The Bears have gotten the best of the Rams in four straight years, so you know that Kohan is dying to get her first win in the regional rivalry. Not to mention how eager Ram fans are to see CSU restore some order.

Rounding out the key non-conference matchups, CSU will go on the road to take on North Carolina (Sept. 4) and James Madison (Sept. 5). The Rams will also host the UCSB Gauchos on Sept. 11 before playing Wyoming in Laramie the next day. CSU will play its annual homeand-home with Colorado ahead of the Pac-12 schedule on Sept. 17 (Boulder) and Sept. 18 (Fort Collins).

Though there are quite a few new faces, the roster will have a strong regional presence in 2026 with three Colorado-born players – Karsyn Fetzer, Brooke Homan, Olivia Ewing, and three more from adjoining states.

The Rams will also have the benefit of being able to rely on returning middle blocker Brenna Rowland and a veteran

transfer addition in Sophie Stephenson (LMU / Illinois).

Much of the roster, though, consists of underclassmen that were signed

by Kohan. That’s not necessarily a negative, especially when looking at how acclaimed the signees were coming into the program. But it just means that this group is a little less battletested together than, say, the 2024 championship team which was infamously made up of a bunch of fifth-year players.

The 2026 season could be the beginning of something special in the Pac-12. It’s up to the Rams to avoid complacency and continue to strive to be a championship caliber program. It takes time to build up a true juggernaut like CSU did in the MW era, but the fall of great programs tends to happen much quicker than anyone ever sees coming.

Will the Rams still be the team to beat as we push forward through these uncharted waters? It’s time for Kohan to either sink or swim.

2026 CSU VOLLEYball SCHEDULE DATE

OPPONENT LOCATION

Aug 15 (Sat.) Air Force (Exhibition) Fort Collins, CO Aug 22 (Sat.) UNLV (Exhibition) Las Vegas, NV Aug 28 (Fri.) UC Davis Fort Collins, CO Aug 29 (Sat.) SMU Fort Collins, CO Sep 1 (Tue.) Northern Colorado Fort Collins, CO Sep 4 (Fri.) North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC Sep 5 (Sat.) James Madison Chapel Hill, NC Sep 10 (Thu.) South Dakota Fort Collins, CO Sep 11 (Fri.) UCSB Fort Collins, CO Sep 12 (Sat.) Wyoming Laramie, WY Sep 17 (Thu.) Colorado Boulder, CO Sep 18 (Fri.) Colorado Fort Collins, CO Sep 24 (Thu.) San Diego State Fort Collins, CO Sept 26 (Sat.) Texas State San Marcos, TX Oct 1 (Thu.) Gonzaga Spokane, WA Oct 3 (Sat.) Utah State Logan, UT Oct 8 (Thu.) Washington State Fort Collins, CO Oct 10 (Sat.) Oregon State Fort Collins, CO Oct 17 (Sat.) Utah State Fort Collins, CO Oct 22 (Thu.) Washington State Pullman, WA Oct 24 (Sat.) Boise State Boise, ID Oct 29 (Thu.) Fresno State Fresno, CA Oct 31 (Sat.) Oregon State Corvallis, OR Nov 5 (Thu.) Gonzaga Fort Collins, CO Nov 7 (Sat.) Boise State Fort Collins, CO Nov 12 (Thu.) Fresno State Fort Collins, CO Nov 14 (Sat.) San Diego State San Diego, CA Nov 17 (Tue.) Texas State Fort Collins, CO

Green & Gold Report | 17

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CSU roster boasts experience, potential

Photo Courtesy of CSU Athletic Communications

Continuity with success

By Justin Michael Jase Butler RUN IT BACK. Colorado State men’s basketball will have the benefit of having real continuity going into year two under Ali Farokhmanesh.

In an era where it has become the norm for teams to turn over their entire lineup—either by order of the staff or the players themselves electing to leave—the Rams are going into 2026-27 with cohesion.

Coming off of a 21-win campaign in which CSU had some real highs, like beating a good South Florida team in November, taking down Colorado at home, and eventually winning eight straight in the Mountain West slate, the hope is for the Rams to build off of the good we saw when this core was rolling. And ideally, now with a group of predominantly upperclassmen, a more experienced CSU team will be able to find some consistency and collectively make a leap together.

That concept may feel foreign to those who have only known the sport in the

20 | Green & Gold Report

chaos of the transfer portal era. But it used to be the norm for teams to grow together. And for Farokhmanesh and Co., it was not just a nostalgic move, it was the best bet the Rams could make in hopes of returning to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time this decade.

Going into the second season for this staff, the coaches could have leaned hard on the portal again, like they had to after Niko Medved’s departure to Minnesota. The thing is, bringing in five transfers and really needing to hit on them all like CSU did in the first recruiting cycle under Farokhmanesh is a pretty tough process to replicate.

Hanging onto a few kids who you know have good potential, plus who have already spent at least a year in the system, is a more realistic path to success. And honestly, given the way injuries proved to limit this group’s ceiling in 2025-26, there’s good reason to believe that if the rotation can stay a little bit healthier, the Rams will have a chance to be solid in the first season in

the Pac-12.

We have already seen how effective Kyle Jorgensen and Rashaan Mbemba can be as bigs in CSU’s four and fiveout looks on the offensive end. Finding centers that can handle all of their passing and screening responsibilities is borderline impossible. Let alone players who can play with their backs to the basket and handle the physicality in the post, but still step out to the top of the key and open up the spacing by being a respectable shooter. Because of that, being able to bring those two bigs back for a third and fourth season, respectively, was a major win for the coaches. It was a major win for the fanbase, too.

The fans should also be thrilled that after seeing them break out in their first year in the program, both Carey Booth and Jase Butler made the savvy decision to not mess with a good thing and stay with a staff that has given them a chance to flourish.

After transferring over from

Washington, it took a minute for him to find his footing, but Butler was a top 15 player in the conference over the last six weeks of the season. It will be interesting to see if having two more capable ball handlers in the mix can free him up even more as a shooter. Big things could definitely be in store for the junior, though.

And for Booth, who is as naturally athletic as anyone in the country, the hope is that he’ll be able to just continue to evolve as a player. He’s already a more efficient 3-point shooter than anticipated, which is key, because defenders having to respect him along the perimeter is only going to open up driving opportunities.

But if Booth can continue to grow as a creator, and he can play with the confidence and trust in himself that started to come as this past season progressed, there is a world in which he really takes things to a new level.

Especially if he can also become a more

consistent rebounder and rim protector.

Finally, the biggest wildcard at the moment might be the role of point guard. JoJo McIver is back for his sophomore season and if all goes well, we’ll see him make the type of jump that leaves the skeptics feeling silly for ever doubting him in the first place. But if some of the offensive struggles he displayed as a freshman continue to persist, maybe he becomes more of a defensive specialist off the bench. And in turn, one of the transfers assumes the role of being the primary facilitator.

The encouraging thing is that in addition to signing the highest rated group of freshmen in program history, including the Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year, the Rams went out and signed two veteran guards to hopefully eliminate some of the struggles that last year’s team had against more aggressive defenses.

Justin Menard comes to CSU by way of Marist College, which is the same

program where his now-teammate Josh Pascarelli started. And Amondo Miller has landed in Fort Collins for his final stop after most recently starring for Lubbock Christian University. Prior to being a Division II standout, though, Miller initially began his career at CU. For CSU, the expectations might not be on par with Gonzaga, who will likely be the preseason pick to win the league every single year. But this is a program that has been on the rise for the better part of a decade. And while losing Medved to his alma mater was a bit of a speedbump, the plan is still very much for the Rams to continue to climb the ladder and elevate nationally to be on par with the best mid-major brands in the sport.

Hopes are high for the Rams going into a new league with significant potential. We’ll see what 2026-27 has in store for this team in the end, but the possibilities are certainly endless for a roster that on paper looks good enough to go dancing.

Green & Gold Report | 21

2026-27 Colorado State University

mens BASKETBALL ROSTER #

NAME

HT

POS

CLASS

HOMETOWN (LAST SCHOOL)

0

Carey Booth

6-10

Forward

SR.

Englewood, CO (Brewster Academy N.H. / Illinois)

1

River Sawyer

6-4

Guard

FR.

Windsor, CO (University High School)

2

Pops Dunson

6-1

Point Guard

FR.

Douglasville, GA (Alexander)

3

Justin Menard

6-3

Guard

JR.

Higganum, CT (The Branson School / WA)

4

Jase Butler

6-4

Guard

JR.

San Anselmo, CA (The Banson School / WA)

5

Josh Pascarelli

6-3

Guard

SR.

Cambria Heights, NY (St. Francis Prep / Marist)

7

Jaden Ghoreishi

6-9

Center

FR.

Mead, WA (Mt. Spokane)

8

Jojo McIver

6-3

Guard

SO.

Killeen, TX (C.E. Ellison)

18

Amondo Miller Jr.

6-7

Guard/Forward

GR.

Littleton, CO (Valor Christian / Lubbock )

21

Rashaan Mbemba

6-7

Forward

SR.

Vienna, Austria (Borgi St. Polten)

30

Charlie Dortch

6-7

Forward

R-JR.

Fort Collins, CO (Rocky Mountain / Fort Lewis)

35

Kyle Jorgensen

6-9

Forward

JR.

Minneapolis, MN (Minneapolis Washburn)

41

Docker Tedeschi

6-9

Forward

R-FR.

Benton, IL (Benton Consolidated)

42

Jaxson Clark

6-10

Center

FR.

Keokuk, IA (Keokuk)

43

Eric Fiedler

6-6

Power Forward

FR.

Aurora, CO (Regis Jesuit)

Rams MENS BASKETball Coaching Staff Ali Farokhmanes—Head Coach

22 | Green & Gold Report

Cole Gentry - Assistant Coach

Tim Shelton - Assistant Coach

Chris Haslam - Assistant Coach

Chris Howell - Director of Player Personnel

Dave Pillipovich - Assistant Coach

Baylor Hebb - Director of Player Development

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Rams hope to catch fire with new faces

Fanning the flames

By Justin Michael Kloe Froebe THE COLORADO STATE WOMEN’S basketball team went out on top in the Mountain West.

En route to an epic battle with No. 20 Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament—a game which the Rams lost 65-62, but earned the respect of the nation with an admirable performance as 18.5-point underdogs—CSU was finally able to get over the hump and deliver the second conference championship of the Ryun Williams era.

Led by a group of veteran players who had all been through the fire before and knew just how gut wrenching it feels to come close to your dreams, only to come up short in the conference tournament, CSU won nine straight games between Valentine’s Day and March 10th, including the three games in Las Vegas to punch their ticket to the big dance.

24 | Green & Gold Report

And although Hannah Ronsiek’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer missed against Michigan State, tragically bringing the Cinderella story to an end, seeing the Rams catch fire last spring was one of the more fun and memorable stretches the program has produced in years.

The big question moving forward is whether CSU can keep that flame going in a newly constructed league that will hopefully have a more viable path to multiple bids.

Under Williams’ leadership, CSU has won 20 or more games 10 different times, including four different campaigns with 25+ wins. In a one-bid conference, though, the Rams have only made two NCAA Tournaments over the last two decades, which is a trend that would ideally change during a time

when the women’s game is exploding with popularity.

It was easy to take things for granted when the Rams received five bids in seven years in the late stages of the WAC and the early years in the Mountain West. And if we are being realistic, it’s tough to imagine CSU pulling something quite like that off again now that the transfer portal has become so prevalent. Just imagine the type of NIL offers that players like Becky Hammon would have commanded after she exploded onto the scene.

But while it might be tough to expect the kind of sustained dominance as a mid-major in the modern era, the hope should still be to build off of the success of 2025-26 and hit the ground running in the Pac-12.

2026-27 Colorado State University

womens BASKETBALL ROSTER #

NAME

POS

HT CLASS

HOMETOWN (LAST SCHOOL)

1

Camryn Runner

Guard

5’ 8’’

Cicero, Ind. / Hamilton Heights HS / Evansville

3

Elsie Larsen

Guard

5’ 10’’ Fr.

Springfield, Mo. / Strafford HS

4

Allie Roden

Guard

5’ 10’’ R-Fr.

Clackamas, Ore. / Clackamas HS

5

Kloe Froebe

Guard

5’ 10’’ Jr.

Lincoln, Ill. / Lincoln Community

8

Anna Wikstrøm

Guard

6’ 0’’

So.

Bergen, Norway / Ulriken Eagles / Duke

9

Emilie Borges-Michaelsen

Forward

6’ 2’’

Fr.

Copenhagen, Denmark / Rungsted Gymnasium

10

Bree Bowman

Guard/Forward

6’ 0’’

R-Fr.

Prior Lake, Minn. / Prior Lake HS

11

Gianna Smith

Guard

5’ 11’’

So.

Littleton, Colo. / Our Lady of Victory

12

Kyla Hollier

Forward

6’ 2’’

Fr.

Johnstown, Colo. / Roosevelt HS

19

Heiður Karlsdóttir

Forward/Center

6’ 4’’

Jr.

Laugavellir, Iceland / Commercial College of Iceland / Wyoming

23

Caitlin Kramer

Guard

6’ 3’’

R-So.

Colorado Springs, Colo. / Air Academy

24

Olivia Pawlicki

Forward

6’ 1’’

R-So.

Shakopee, Minn. / Shakopee

31

McKenna Murphy

Guard

5’ 11’’

R-So.

Omaha, Neb. / Elkhorn North

44

Maryn Archer

Guard

5’ 9’’

R-Sr.

Derby, Kan. / Derby HS / Arkansas

55

Sophie Sene

Forward

6’ 3’’

R-Sr.

Nice, France / Utah State / Rhode Island

Jr.

Rams WOMENS BASKETball Coaching Staff Ryun Williams—Head Coach

SUPPORT STAFF

Rico Burkett—Assistant Coach

Annie Lopez-Bauman—Athletic Trainer

Linda Sayavongchanh—Assistant Coach

Michael Taylor—Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach

Rachel Erickson—Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator

Ross Barr, Psy.D, LP— Assistant Athletic Director for Student-

Annie Brady—Assistant Coach

Athlete Mental Health and Performance

Marcie Johnston—Director of Women’s Basketball Operations Green & Gold Report | 25

Photo Courtesy of CSU Athletic Communications

Unfortunately, for the Ram faithful at least, Brooke Carlson cashed in on her monster performances down the stretch last spring and transferred to the University of Washington. The Huskies saw her average 17 in the Mountain West Tournament before dropping 26 points against the Spartans last March, and were able to sway Illinois native to take her talents to the Big 10.

Replacing a scorer of Carlson’s caliber is always to be challenging, particularly when they prove to be as clutch under the bright lights as she was last year. The silver lining, of course, is that Williams has had a terrific hit rate on transfers over the last half-decade.

So, the odds of the Rams hitting on another one feel solid after seeing CSU have the MW Newcomer of the Year in four straight seasons (2022-26).

In total, CSU signed five transfers this past cycle.

Camryn Runner is the most

26 | Green & Gold Report

accomplished of the bunch, having averaged 18.2 points per game for Evansville as a sophomore this past season. In addition to being the team’s leading scorer, the 5-foot-8 guard also dished out a little over five assists per game and was active on the glass, too (5.6 rebounds).

With the loss of Carlson, adding an all-conference talent like Runner, who has proven she can stuff the stat sheet if needed, is a nice move for the Rams.

Runner, in just two seasons, has already scored 1,000 points in her collegiate career. She’s already produced a tripledouble as well, which is pretty incredible in a 40-minute basketball game.

Along with Runner, the other big name in the transfer class is Sophie Sene. A 6-foot-3 center out of Nice, France, Sene was originally someone the Rams had to design a game plan to try and slow down when she was starring for Utah State. Now wearing

green and gold, if Sene can bounce back from injury, she’ll have a strong chance to be one of CSU’s key players.

Sene averaged 9.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in 20 total appearances for the Aggies last season. What really stood out was her 3-point shooting, though. Even as a true five, she was able to shoot an impressive 41.7 percent from deep.

That ability to use her size in the post or stretch the floor with her shooting makes Sene a really tough matchup for the opposition defensively.

Anna Wikstrøm, a native of Bergen, Norway, came to CSU by way of Duke.

After averaging about 10 minutes of action in 18 appearances as a freshman for the Blue Devils, the 6-foot guard gives CSU an up-andcoming player who won’t be coming in completely green.

Finally, Maryn Archer (redshirt senior) will be wrapping up her career after initially playing at Arkansas. The 5-foot9 guard played in 43 total games for the Razorbacks, primarily as a reserve, but was at one point a blue-chip prospect coming out of high school.

And rounding out the group, Heiður Karlsdóttir, a 6-foot-4 junior forward has also joined the team after playing about 15 minutes for Wyoming last year.

Though the rotation will look much different from the group that went on a magnificent run in 2026, CSU will have the benefit of bringing back guards Kloe Froebe and McKenna Murphy, both of which played key roles as underclassmen. The key question is how much they can elevate their games given what was lost from a production standpoint. And obviously, in the portal era, it’s always going to be interesting to see how quickly this many new players can gel.

The Rams did some big things this past spring and really gave the fans some much-needed hope. We’ll see if they can build off that success and help create a new standard for CSU women’s hoops in the Pac-12 era.

Opportunity is knocking right now.

Will the Rams answer?

Green & Gold Report | 27

Football Recruiting Colorado’s Top 12 Instate Recruits — Class of 2027 Rank

Player

Pos.

Ht. / Wt.

247Sports Composite Rating

High School / Hometown

#1

Jackson Roper

IOL

6-5 / 305

National NA, Position 17

Cherry Creek / Englewood, CO

#2

Cristian Mbamarah

CB

6-1 / 175

National NA, Position 37

Cherokee Trail / Aurora, CO

#3

Troy Mailo

EDGE

6-3 / 252

National NA, Position 53

Mullen / Denver, CO

#4

Reis Russell

IOL

6-3.5 / 290

National NA, Position 62

Valor Christian / Littleton, CO

#5

Jackson Coleman

WR

6-3 / 185

National NA, Position 115

Valor Christian / Littleton, CO

#6

Matthew Schimberg

TE

6-6 / 235

National NA, Position 43

Grandview / Aurora, CO

#7

Quentin Dorsey

DL

6-3.5 / 240

National NA, Position 111

Grandview / Aurora, CO

#8

Caleb Camping

TE

6-5 / 220

National NA, Position 49

Fossil Ridge / Fort Collins, CO

#9

Jayden Bradley

S

6-1 / 170

National NA, Position 143

Eaglecrest / Aurora, CO

#10

Ryan Pankey

ATH

6-6 / 230

National NA, Position 118

Montrose / Montrose, CO

#11

Alijah Landrum-Hamilton WR

5-8 / 165

National NA, Position 210

Cherry Creek / Englewood, CO

#12

Marquise Reese

6-1.5 / 195

National NA, Position 95

Mountain Vista / Littleton, CO

QB

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

28 | Green & Gold Report

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Find out more about leadership and scholarships at CSU Army ROTC by scanning the QR code or visiting our website at armyrotc.colostate.edu, or contacting the CSU Army ROTC Enrollment Advisor at 970-491-7964, or via email Army_ROTC_Enrollment_Advisor@colostate.edu ©2026 U.S. ARMY. PAID FOR BY THE U.S. ARMY.

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