Rams add another verbal from the Lone Star State: John Locke commits to CSU

FORT COLLINS, CO. — Another day, another verbal commit. 

Colorado State Football received its 12th commitment of the 2022 recruiting cycle Tuesday evening. John Locke, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound tight end out of O’Connor High School (Texas), announced his decision via Twitter. 

In eight games last season Locke primarily played wide receiver, though he is expected to play tight end at the next level. He has experience playing quarterback as well. 

For the year he totaled 380 yards on 24 receptions. He caught four touchdowns, averaged 15.8 yards per catch, and finished with 15 more receiving yards per game than he did as a sophomore (47.5 vs. 32.5). In his high school career Locke has 41 catches and 10 touchdown receptions in 16 games played.

According to both 247Sports and Rivals, CSU is Locke’s only current Division 1 offer. In addition to his visit to ‘Fort Fun’, though, the junior from Helotes, TX. did recently visit SMU, Texas Tech and UTSA. His Twitter profile indicates interest from a couple of Ivy League programs to boot (Dartmouth and Yale). 

While he may not be racking up offers from programs around the country, Locke does fit the Steve Addazio mold. Since being hired in December, 2019, Addazio has been consistent with approach to recruiting. The 62-year-old head coach uses his East Coast connections from his time at Boston College, Florida and Temple. But for the most part Addazio is building the foundation of the roster with players from Colorado and Texas. 

Addazio has often preached that culture and identity are some of the most important components of a successful program. That said, according to Addazio, a winning tradition starts with identifying and developing under-the-radar players that have bought in wholeheartedly. What that means is it doesn’t matter how many offers or stars a player has. Instead, Addazio is more interested in the overall character, work ethic and raw traits that can be developed through quality coaching. It’s not as flashy, but it’s an old school approach that may just help bring back the “edge” the program has been missing post-Jim McElwain. 

Watching Locke on film, it’s easy to see why he was used to stretch the field in the Panthers offense. He eats up a ton of ground quickly with his long strides and demonstrates nice ball skills as a deep threat. Not only does Locke have soft hands but he shows good tracking skills and body control while the ball is in the air. For a guy that started out as a quarterback, Locke’s receiving abilities are quite impressive. 

With Locke now in the mix the Rams have a pair of tight ends to potentially come in and continue the proud tradition CSU has established at the position. Some of the most talented and popular players in program history have been tight ends. Most recently, of course, Trey McBride. Maybe Locke or Jade Arroyo will be next. 

2022 Commits

LB Cooper Walton (Colorado)

WR Ky Oday Jr. (Colorado)

WR Bryce Johnson (Colorado)

TE Jade Arroyo (Colorado)

OL Nick Ciaffoni (Massachusetts)

DL Aaron Jones (Massachusetts)

QB Jake McNamara (Tennessee)

LB Joseph Sipp Jr. (Florida)

RB Malachi Medlock Jr. (Texas)

DL Travis Bates (Texas)

S Malachi Mclean (Texas)

TE John Locke (Texas)