Colorado State picks up second local commit for 2024

Bill Best is in his bag right now.

After securing verbal commitments from a pair of intriguing offensive tackles out of California on Tuesday, Colorado State received another pledge for ‘The Mob’ on Thursday.

Zach Smith, a 6-foot-7, 265-pound two-sport participant for ThunderRidge High School (Highlands Ranch), announced that he will stay local and play for CSU. Although he is currently a tight end, Smith is being recruited to play in the trenches in Fort Collins. At his height and size, the transition makes a lot of sense. And his basketball background should be beneficial when it comes to the footwork.

As a junior this past fall, Smith had 11 catches for 108 yards and one touchdown, according to MaxPreps. According to 247Sports, the three-star prospect has five other offers in total. Most notably, Oklahoma State, Nevada and Memphis have all reportedly pursued the local prospect.

With Smith now on board, the Rams have six total commitments for the 2024 cycle. Four from California and two from Colorado. Both of those states continue to be huge points of emphasis for CSU on the recruiting trail.

Another focus for the staff, clearly, is improving the depth of the offensive line. CSU signed 10 offensive linemen in the 2023 cycle and already have three commitments for the 2024 class. It’s great to see them having success recruiting an area of need.

Watching Smith on Hudl, you can see that he moves well and has plenty of experience blocking. It will be interesting to see how naturally the position change comes for him. With his athleticism though, once he puts on some weight, he could certainly end up being a steal for the staff.

2024 Commits

Jack Moran | DT | Ralston Valley | Colorado 

Kory Hall | WR | Grover Cleveland | California 

Darius Curry | QB | Long Beach Poly | California 

Berlin Lillard | OL | Bishop O’Dowd | California

John Holthaus | OL | Junipero Serra | California

Zach Smith | OL | ThunderRidge | Colorado