CSU Rams sign JUCO linebacker Anthony Giusti

Colorado State was lacking linebacker depth, but no more, after getting two commitments at the position the last two days.

Yesterday, class of 2017 linebacker Connor Kaminski of Melbourne, Florida committed. Then, early in the morning, JUCO linebacker Anthony Giusti signed, he tweeted. Head coach Mike Bobo followed.

So stoked about signing with @CSUFootball. #1anddone #JUCOPRODUCT @geoffmartzen @coachjimcollins @CoachWhitted pic.twitter.com/obh1GoiWCF

— Anthony Giusti (@Giuseontheloose) May 25, 2016

Very excited to welcome @Giuseontheloose to the #RamFam16 see you in a few weeks! pic.twitter.com/55Uv2qtal4

— Coach Mike Bobo (@CoachMikeBobo) May 25, 2016

Giusti, as the poster says, is 6-foot-0 and 225 pounds and comes to Colorado State via City College of San Francisco.

As an outside linebacker, Giusti shows sufficient speed to run down pass-catchers and uses his awareness to sniff out screen plays. His patience on those screen plays is evident, as he doesn’t just run into an offensive lineman to be swallowed up by a block, he instead chops his feet, waits for the running back to receive the ball and then Giusti takes off to make the tackle. He seems to show a solid wrap-up when he tackles and his ability to drop into coverage will be utilized by CSU this fall. See those traits and more in his highlight tape from 2015 here.

Because he’s a JUCO transfer, Giusti can play right away, which is important because the Rams were looking extremely thin at linebacker this spring due to the injury to Deonte Clyburn and his inability to practice with the team. One player which we expect to step up at the position is Josh Watson, who learned from the players ahead of him, he told us in April.

Giusti’s Hudl page says he’s from the high school class of 2014, which would make him a junior this year and give him two years of eligibility. Though, his tweet had a “#1anddone” hashtag and his Twitter says he’s from the class of 2016 in college. As soon as we can confirm how many years of eligibility remain, we’ll update here.

His Hudl also says he runs a 4.67 40-yard dash, can bench 275 pounds and squat 340 pounds. Simply, he’s an athlete who will help the Rams compete immediately for the Mountain West Championship they so desire.