Colorado State lands a massive commitment at offensive tackle in Aitor Urionabarrenechea

FORT COLLINS — Rebuilding the offensive line was a major task for Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell and offensive line coach Bill Best.

With a complete shift in offensive ideology and significant roster turnover occurring for the Rams in the trenches, the staff relied heavily on the transfer portal in the 2022 cycle, bringing over multiple former Nevada starters along with with Dontae Keys (Florida International) and Dante Bivens (Tulsa). A handful of preferred walk-ons joined the team as well.

How the group will actually fare this fall is still to be seen. At the very least, though, CSU was able to fill the line with a group of veterans for this first season with a new staff.

Gotta give my dad @Aitor09172597 one of his birthday gifts! I am proud to announce that I am COMMITTING to Colorado State University! #RamGrit @CoachJayNorvell @BillyBestOL @giant_skillz @CSUFootball pic.twitter.com/lSTSEgzV0o

— Aitor Jr Urionabarrenechea (@Aitoru_75) July 1, 2022

When it comes to the future, the staff has been proactive in finding recruits with significant size. All three of CSU’s 2023 offensive line commits are 6-foot-5 or bigger, including the most recent to join the group, 6-foot-6, 320-pound offensive tackle Aitor Urionabarrenechea of Chaminade High School (California).

Urionabarrenechea has posted about offers from Fresno State, New Mexico State, Sacramento State, San Diego State and Wyoming, among others. He was offered by the Rams on June 15 and two weeks later announced his commitment.

Watching his high school highlight film on Hudl, it’s clear that Urionabarrenechea uses his overwhelming size to his advantage. One of things that looks especially encouraging is that he is not simply satisfied with neutralizing his initial assignment, he seeks out more carnage down the field too.