CSU Football adds versatile Texas athlete, Aussie punter to 2025 class

CSU Football added two more verbal commitments to the 2025 class on Tuesday night.

Nathan Sutcliffe was the first to make his announcement. The punter out of Australia is the first specialist to join the group.

A few hours later, John Smith, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound athlete out of Texas also posted his commitment to the Green & Gold.

A quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back for Sterling High School, Smith is being recruited to play safety in Fort Collins. He picked CSU over offers from Missouri State and UTSA.

Just based on the amount of unique ways that he gets used at the high school level it’s easy to tell that Smith is a versatile athlete. When you watch his highlights on Hudl, it only confirms what you’d assume going in though. He’s the best athlete on the field.

A smooth runner with long strides, Smith gets up the field in a hurry as a ball carrier. And as a receiver you can see his explosiveness and ball skills. His instincts and athleticism should really translate well in the back end of the secondary.

It may take some time for him to adjust to playing the position full time after being a guy that does it all in high school. But after he spends time in the weight program and gets coached up by the staff, he could end up being a real steal for CSU.

The Rams have pulled some intriguing athletes out of Texas this cycle and Smith is certainly one of them. You can tell that there has been an emphasis to find bigger guys that move well. And just because he is not a five-star prospect, does not mean that he doesn’t have great potential.

Some of the biggest stars in program history have been players that flew under the radar throughout their recruitment process before eventually getting to campus and shining. On the flip side, some of the more highly touted prospects were crowned before ever playing a down — only to find out that you still have to earn your role.

Smith does not have a five-star rating or a laundry list of FBS offers. What he does have is explosive traits, a great frame and experience playing all over the field. I’m very interested to see how he pans out.

Finally, getting back to Sutcliffe, there is not a lot of information about him available online. That said, Paddy Turner has been very solid for the Rams and ProKick Australia has a great track record for producing quality punters.

It makes a lot of sense that the Rams would go back overseas to try and find Turner’s future replacement.