FORT COLLINS, CO. — We may still have a few months until the highly anticipated 2021 opener against South Dakota State on Friday, Sept. 3, but the action on the recruiting trail is really starting to heat up. Prospects from all around the country are attending camps, posting their offers, and verbally committing to the programs that best suit the vision for their respective futures. 

After an extremely odd cycle last spring, it’s nice to see things getting a little bit more normal on the recruiting trail. As Colorado State head coach Steve Addazio has emphasized multiple times, the in-person component of recruiting is paramount on multiple levels. For one thing, it allows the coaching staff to confirm that what they are seeing online will actually translate at the D1 level. But on a more personal level, just being able to establish that human connection and build a relationship is so much easier to do when you are face to face. 

College football might be changing — there is currently more player movement than ever — but building bonds, establishing trust, and developing under-the-radar talent will always be key for a team like the Rams to have consistent success. That process begins with the offseason camps on campus, in-home visits with parents, and attending high school games and/or practices in person, though. And, obviously, all of that was lost in the heart of the pandemic. 

Keeping all of this in mind, it’s important to note that even with a more traditional recruiting cycle, the process is still basically the wild, wild, west. Until a recruit signs their name on the dotted line, a verbal commitment really doesn’t mean a whole lot. Shoot, even after some players sign their NLI, they still might end up elsewhere when it’s all said and done. But as a wise man once said, “it is what it is”. So, let’s focus on 2022.

So far it’s been a relatively quiet start for the Rams coaches on the recruiting trail; at least when it comes to sheer numbers. As of the morning of June 8, the Rams have just two publicly known verbals for the 2022 cycle. Malachi Medlock, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound running back from Duncanville, TX. was the first to commit to CSU back on May 8. He did so over offers from Marshall, UCONN and Wyoming, among others. CSU’s most recent commit, though, is homegrown. 

Committed. Thank you to everyone who has go helped me get here. @CoachAddazio @DLpride1 @CoachAlexBailey @mrwashingten #gorams #csu pic.twitter.com/kwRrBMCWOC

— Ky Oday Jr. (@KyOdayJr) June 8, 2021

Ky Oday Jr., a 5-foot-11, 170-pound, multi-sport star out of Cherry Creek High School, announced his intent to sign with the Rams on Monday night. The versatile athlete currently holds offers from Air Force, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Pennsylvania and Wyoming, but will be using his talents for the Green & Gold instead. 

In five games played in 2020, Oday Jr. scored three total times according to Max Preps. Two of his touchdowns came through the air and one of them was a 97-yard kickoff return, where Oday just absolutely torched the coverage. For the season Oday Jr. totaled nine receptions for 152 yards (16.9 AVG). His average of 30.4 receiving yards per game was also good for third-best on what was an extremely stacked Cherry Creek offense. 

While his numbers are not jaw dropping, watching Oday’s junior highlights for both football and track, it’s clear that he is an incredibly explosive athlete. There are certain abilities that cannot really be taught and burner speed is one of them. He may have work to do as a route runner as most high school prospects do, but with quality coaching and advantageous play-calling, Oday has the potential to be a real game breaker for the Rams offense. Whether it’s getting him the ball in space with a bubble screen or calling a drag that allows him to catch the ball in motion, Oday has the rare combination of speed and agility to take any play to the house. He’ll need to add some weight to be able to fight through bigger defensive backs at the D1 level, but I have a feeling that this guy is going to be a real steal for Addazio and Co. 

Keeping athletes like Oday in state and out of Laramie, WY. was not an emphasis during the Mike Bobo era and it came back to bite the Rams in the ass repeatedly. Since being introduced as head coach in December, 2019, though, Addazio has stayed true to his commitment to make Colorado a true recruiting priority. CSU will always need to have success in states like California, Texas and Florida, but the best years of CSU Football have historically been with rosters stacked with local talent.

Over the course of the coming months, it will be interesting to see how many more Colorado recruits end up pledging their futures to the Green & Gold, but the Rams are definitely off to a great start with Oday Jr.

2022 commits

RB Malachi Medlock (Duncanville, TX.)

WR Ky Oday Jr. (Englewood, CO.)