FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Collin Hill is the real deal.

The redshirt junior quarterback out of Moore, South Carolina, has been Mike Bobo’s quarterback of the future since Hill arrived on campus in 2016 — and the future is finally here.

“I think he feels more comfortable now because he truly is the starting quarterback,” Bobo told reporters at Monday’s press conference.

After battling back from multiple knee injuries, Hill looks like a matured version of the wide-eyed freshman that won over the hearts of Ram Country just a few short years ago. The only difference is Hill is bigger, stronger and has a better grasp of Bobo’s offense — oh, and he now has killer flow that sticks out the back of his helmet.

“He’s doing a good job of taking ownership of the team,” Bobo said. ” The last time he was truly the starting quarterback was when he was a true freshman (2016)… I think the guys respect him because of what he’s been through — two ACL’s surgeries and how hard he’s worked — and just the type of person he is.”

Behind an offensive line that has outplayed expectations thus far, Hill has completed 71 percent of his attempts, averaged 370 yards per game and thrown seven touchdowns. Hill’s completion percentage is tied with Utah State QB Jordan Love for the best in the league, while his passer efficiency rating (174.5) is 20+ points higher than any other quarterback in the Mountain West.

More impressive than his statistical output has been the way Hill commands the offense like a veteran. Watching Hill operate at the line of scrimmage, it’s extremely evident that the entire team responds to his leadership — something that could not be said about K.J. Carta-Samuels in 2018.

And once the ball is snapped, Hill has done an excellent job of progressing through his reads and taking what the defense is giving him. When the big play is there for the taking, Hill has showed that he has no qualms about throwing the deep ball. In each of the first two games, Hill connected on touchdown strikes of more than 30 yards.

But Hill has also shown a willingness to simply dump the football to a skill player and trust him to make a play. On both of Marvin Kinsey’s receiving touchdowns against Western Illinois, Hill tried to find a wide receiver down field but elected to hit Kinsey on the check-down route instead — and on both of those plays, Kinsey was able to make a defender miss, resulting in points for the Rams.

“I went through my progressions, gave it to him and really I just expected to punt and live another down,” Hill said after Saturday’s win. “That’s the kinda player he is — he can be really explosive and I’m happy for him because he had a great day today.”

“I’ve been really impressed with Collin,” Bobo added on Monday, before saying that Hill has converted on more check-downs in the first two weeks than the team successfully did all last season.

“I think it’s a big credit to Collin for knowing where to go with the ball and a big credit to our back for getting out where he’s supposed to be,” Bobo said.

Obviously, it’s early and with 10 games to go, a lot can change. But two games into the 2019 season, the Rams genuinely look like a team that can be dangerous if things come together. CSU is averaging 34.5 points per game on offense and in Saturday’s win over the Leathernecks, the Rams recorded seven sack on defense.

There are aspects that need to improve, such as the penalties and turnovers — both of which were mentioned by Hill and Bobo in the last few days. Overall, though, the Rams are trending in the right direction again.

“We’ve got to continue to get better,” Hill said.  “We moved the ball really well, put up big numbers, but we can’t kill drives with penalties and stuff that we’re doing to ourselves. So we just gotta continue to get better each week.”

CSU will have its biggest test of non-conference play this weekend. Facing an SEC opponent in enemy territory is something that few programs have success with but a solid showing against the Arkansas Razorbacks could be huge for the Rams’ confidence.

When CSU traveled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 2013 and 2017, the Rams were able to compete and have respectable showings against the Crimson Tide. Though, they didn’t win either one of those games, the Rams clearly came out of each matchup with a new belief in their own abilities.

In 2013, CSU went 3-1 in the four games following a 31-6 loss to No. 1 Alabama. In the return to SEC country in 2017, CSU lost to No. 1 Alabama, 41-23, before starting conference play with four consecutive wins.

Even more telling is how there was a direct correlation to how the quarterbacks looked after facing SEC teams.

Garrett Grayson stumbled out of the gate in 2013 as the Rams lost to Colorado and Tulsa in the first two weeks— in those games, Grayson threw for an unimpressive total of 309 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Grayson looked better against Cal Poly in Week 3 but after going to Alabama and completing 24-of-38 attempts (63.2 percent) for 228 yards, Grayson came out of the game with some swagger.

In that four-game period proceeding the loss to Alabama, when the Rams went 3-1, Grayson threw for 1,013 yards, 10 touchdowns, and really started to look like the legendary quarterback that would go on to lead CSU to back-to-back postseason appearances.

In 2017, aside from the Rocky Mountain Showdown, Stevens looked pretty good for most of the non-conference slate. But after the trip to Alabama, Stevens took his game to a whole new level, throwing for 1,259 yards, 12 touchdowns and no interceptions in the four-game winning streak that followed the loss to Nick Saban.

Hill has the potential to be as good, if not better than Grayson and Stevens. Purely looking at his ability to throw the football, Hill is already superior to both. What made those other guys so special, though, was not necessarily their arm talent, it was their ability to lead the offense and the guys around them.

Regardless of how Saturday’s game against the Hogs plays out, if Hill is healthy, CSU’s offense should be in great shape moving forward. Hill has grown into a solid leader and his teammates, as well as his coaches, genuinely believe in him.

If Hill has a great day against the Hogs, though, keep an eye on No. 15 in the coming weeks. There’s just something about balling out on the biggest stage that seems to help great quarterbacks reach their potential.