FORT COLLINS, CO. — We’re in the thick of recruiting season and things are picking up steam for Colorado State Football. Over the last four days the Rams have added two more verbals for the 2022 cycle, bringing CSU’s list up to seven commitments as of the morning of Wednesday, June 23.
Over the weekend the Rams received confirmation from Aaron Jones, a 6-foot-2, 285-pound defensive lineman out of New England. According to 247Sports, Jones does not yet currently have a star rating but he does hold an offer from Nevada as well.
https://twitter.com/Aaronj8901/status/1406535466174853121
Jones played for St. John Paul II High School in Corpus Christi, TX. this past fall. Prior to 2020, though, Jones played his freshman and sophomore seasons in Connecticut and was a statistical monster for Bloomfield High School. Jones recorded 79 total tackles and six sacks in 2019. According to the Coloradoan, Jones will play this upcoming season for Springfield High School (Massachusetts).
Under previous coaching staffs it’s unlikely that a player from the northeast corner of the country would have committed to CSU. But as we have seen over the past couple of recruiting cycles, Steve Addazio’s east coast roots have been a factor for the Rams on the recruiting trail.
Since taking the job in December, 2019, Addazio has brought in multiple transfers from Boston College and Temple University — the first two places he was a head coach at the Division 1 level. The Rams have also signed high school players from Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire — all of which can be credited to the connections of the Addazios, Brian White, etc.
One of the other states that Addazio and Co. have been fairly successful in is Florida, which makes sense considering Steve was named national recruiter of the year while he was an offensive coordinator for the Gators under Urban Meyer.
100% COMMITTED WE ALL IN🐏🐏💚💚🐏🐏🐏🐏💚💚 @CoachSeanCronin @CoachAddazio @CoachSJR @HHSFootball7 pic.twitter.com/Tm6yDvZsub
— JOSEPH SIPP JR 🦍 (@JosephSipp) June 23, 2021
The most recent player that the Rams have been able to sway from the sunshine state is Joseph Sipp Jr. According to 247Sports, Sipp holds offers from CSU and Liberty. The 6-foot-0, 210-pound linebacker did recently post photos on visits to South Florida and Florida State though.
Sipp racked up the stats in 2020-21, finishing with 122 total tackles in 10 games played for Hillsborough High School. He recorded career-highs in sacks (3), hurries (7) and tackles for loss (14). Sipp also was a consistent impact player when it came to forcing turnovers as he totalled two interceptions and three fumble recoveries as a junior.
Although Sipp is being recruited for what he brings on the defensive side of the ball, he’s actually a two-way player for the Tampa Bay-based program. As a running back Sipp has rushed for 1,104 yards on 180 carries over the past three seasons (6.1 YPC). After rushing for 10 touchdowns as a sophomore, Sipp finished with a career-best 12 rushing touchdowns in 2020-21.
With Jones and Sipp now on board — at least for the time being — it’s clear to see that the staff is sticking to the “Moneyball” process of building up the program. Addazio has said on multiple occasions that he doesn’t care about recruiting rankings or whether or not players are receiving interest from big programs. He believes that CSU can succeed by identifying talented players that are being undervalued and essentially slipping through the cracks. While it may not be as flashy as Mike Bobo’s approach, in the end, finding these diamonds in the rough might be exactly what the Green & Gold needs to get over the hump.
