FORT COLLINS, CO. — There is no debate on who the starting quarterback is for Colorado State football. Steve Addazio had previously alluded to it but he made it perfectly clear in his introductory press conference for the 2021 spring period that Todd Centeio is his guy.
“We have a definitive starter going into spring, that’s Toddy. Toddy is our starter,” Addazio said. The second-year Rams coach did add that the big picture idea at every position is to emphasize open competition and that everyone in the quarterback room is still pushing to be the starter. But going into spring ball, it’s Centeio that will be most frequently running with the ones, and that is something Addazio is more than content with.
While many of the fans vocalized their displeasure with the decision online, it’s clear that Addazio has a ton of faith in the Temple transfer. According to Addazio, Centeio was actually going to start for the Rams against New Mexico in the opener last season. Addazio also said that after watching the film, he believes Centeio played pretty well in his chances despite being injured.
The Ram Faithful would likely disagree with Addazio’s assessment as Centeio completed just 14-of-36 pass attempts (39 percent) and had an average of 5.8 yards per attempt in his three appearances — all losses. Even more concerning, though, was that he seemed to consistently struggle with accuracy, which handcuffed the offense when he was not able to move the ball downfield through the running game. The truth is that Addazio does not care if the passing game is pretty, though.
On multiple occasions Addazio has referenced the ‘It Factor’ when it comes to being a successful QB. Addazio believes intangibles are much more important than simply throwing a good looking ball. These intangibles include leadership characteristics, decision making, and the ability to lead a team to victory.
“He’s the guy you want to be around. He’s super, ultra-competitive. The other stuff, we’re going to accentuate and develop that,” Addazio said. “… Being a quarterback is not about throwing pretty balls. Being a quarterback is about winning, And we believe that Toddy has those intangibles to lead and win. The players know he does too.”
According to Trey McBride, Centeio “runs the show” and is extremely confident when he is leading the offense. “He stays after it. He does extra and always wants you to do more. He’s one of those guys that you want leading the football team.”
Now, if we’re being honest, the head coach and leader of the team are rarely, if ever going to publicly criticize the starting quarterback, so we do have to take the high praise with a grain of salt. But it should also be added that Centeio did not walk into a comfortable situation. His training camp was significantly disrupted by the pandemic and an investigation that temporarily shut the program down.
Trying to really master a new system, in a new town, and with new teammates is tough enough under normal conditions — let alone what Centeio went through. Plus, although some of his playing time was scripted into the game plan, most of his opportunities were in relief of Patrick O’Brien. Coming into a game cold is not an easy position to be in either.
Clearly Centeio is going to have to be more effective through the air in 2021 than he was last season. Running the ball and being nasty in the trenches will always be Addazio’s identity, and that’s all fine and well, but the Rams will have to be able to stretch the field vertically if they don’t want opposing teams stacking the box against them. But the coaches certainly know this. And with weapons like A’Jon Vivens, Trey McBride, Cam Butler, Dante Wright and Ty McCullough to target in the passing game, offensive coordinator Jon Budmayr should be able to get creative with how he distributes the ball and attacks defenses.
Essentially, the point of this is to say that it’s too soon to completely write off Centeio. What we saw last year was not great but that does not mean he can’t make strides going forward. Nobody expected Sam Noyer to pan out the way he did for Colorado. Let’s at least see what the guy does in spring and fall camp before completely hitting the panic button.
There is great optimism for Luke McAllister and Chance Harris but they would have to really adjust to the D1 game fast and impress the staff quickly to earn playing time as true freshmen. It’s just not an easy thing to do. Not to mention that the last thing that the fans should want is a young quarterback getting thrown into the fire too quickly and potentially derailing his confidence and/or development.
The possibility of a grad transfer or JUCO quarterback coming in late is always open as well. Depending on what happens this spring, the Rams could get more aggressive on the recruiting front. Regardless, though, it’s been a long time since CSU had a dual-threat QB running the show and quite honestly, I like the possibility of what it could do for the Rams if Centeio is able refine his skills as a passer.
Centeio is going to get his chance to prove himself. Let’s see what the young man does with it.
