Colorado State Rams eager to change the narrative in 2023

These are not the same Colorado State Rams. 

Coming off a 3-9 season, the fifth consecutive losing campaign for CSU, it’s easy to understand why some are skeptical of buying into what’s being built in Fort Collins. 

After essentially a half decade straight of misery and disappointment, stretches of multiple years without winning a matchup that truly matters, the stink of it all is not something that’s just going to clear out overnight. The wounds are too fresh. And frankly, the ego of the fan base is still too bruised.

For the people inside the program, though, the individuals that give their blood, sweat and tears for a chance to represent CSU on the gridiron, there is a belief. A belief that 2023 will be different. A belief that these are not the same Colorado State Rams. 

At his first weekly press conference of the season, Jay Norvell spoke to his team finally having an identity. He explained how in his first year on the job, the Rams were not the type of team he wanted to be on either side of the ball. They didn’t have the depth or the right attitude collectively. 

“I don’t think we’ve seen it yet from this program since we’ve been here,” Norvell said. “We haven’t seen that style of defense or offense that we want to play. Or special teams. And I think we have more kids that reflect the personality that we like as a program.”

Norvell continued, explaining that it takes a physical mentality to play his brand of football. Everyone on the team has to embrace a certain level of aggressiveness, and they have to understand the consistency that it takes to find success. 

“We haven’t had that yet,” Norvell said. “We haven’t lined up for one game with that (mindset) as a team at CSU. And so we’re excited to play that way. We’re excited about getting opportunities here at the start of the 2023 season. And we’re excited to show our people the type of team we have.”

Similarly to his head coach, senior safety Henry Blackburn emphasized just how vastly different things are for CSU in 2023. He talked up the depth of multiple position groups and raved about how beneficial it’s going to be for the Rams in the heat of battle. Unlike the majority of the 2022 season, if a starter is completely gassed, CSU actually has the talent to bring in an impactful substitute. The biggest difference, though, at least how the team captain sees it, is just how much closer the team is. 

“Like you can feel the energy in the locker room and just how much guys care,” Blackburn said. 

“I think that’s just the biggest thing — guys care so much about this school, and guys care so much about their teammates that you can start to feel the gel coming together with the team. And I think that’s the most important thing we’ve been working on this whole offseason.”

It’s probably too early to start stressing over bowl plans or anything like that. For years now we’ve heard that things are finally going to be different, and for the most part, all that’s led to is disappointment for a fanbase that’s absolutely starving to support a winning team.

While there may always be a million reasons to be a cynic in the preseason, the one thing I will say is that the current state of the program feels very similar to the vibes around CSU Men’s Basketball going into the second year of Niko Medved’s tenure. Year 1 was largely a struggle as the staff attempted to transition a roster that really was not suited to play their way. After some feel-good moments over the course of that first year, though, and after the staff were able to recruit their types of guys, the program really started to ascend in the second season. 

The Rams don’t need to go out and run the table to prove this thing is moving in the right direction. They just need to go out and give people a reason to believe again.

“We’ve got a lot to prove as a football team,” Norvell said. “We did not play the style of football we want to play last year and that’s a big part of what we’re going through. We’ve got a lot of guys with a chip on their shoulder and want to prove that we’re a serious football team that can be respected week in and week out. And so that’s the challenge. We’re excited about it and we’re looking forward to it.”

It’s clear the folks inside the program think this can be a special season. I’m looking forward to watching it play out.