Rams Camp Notes: It's Warren Jackson's world and we're just living in it

 

FORT COLLINS, Colo.— Just over the midway point of fall camp, Colorado State football is getting closer to an established starting lineup.

Following Wednesday morning’s practice in which the Rams worked in shorts and shells, head coach Mike Bobo told reporters that he continues to be impressed with this team’s work ethic and overall energy in practice.

“I really can’t say enough about this group and the way they’re practicing,” Bobo said. “It’s been 12 really good days in a row. Again, everything is not perfect, but we’re getting a little better each day.

“…I’m excited where we’re at right now,” Bobo continued. “We’re getting close to the end of camp. After this next scrimmage, we’ll start to focus in on some of our opponents. But right now, we’re going to finish camp strong and I really like where everybody’s at.”

Big uglies

One of the biggest questions of camp has been who will be starting for the offensive line. Aside from Barry Wesley (redshirt sophomore), who has essentially been locked in as a starter since Day 1, offensive coordinator Dave Johnson has been tasked with identifying a competent starting five. According to Bobo, the staff is close to doing so.

On Wednesday, the Rams worked with an offensive line of T.J. Storment (left tackle), Barry Wesley (left guard, Scott Brooks (center), Jeff Taylor (right guard) and Keith Williams (right tackle).

“We’ll probably try a couple of different lineups in the scrimmage,” Bobo said. “But overall, I like where we’re at—they know what to do better than we did last year. We’re not perfect but we’re on the same page and it’s giving us a chance.”

Collin Hill & Warren Jackson continue to set the standard

Collin Hill looks like a different player this fall. The redshirt junior quarterback is playing with extreme confidence and is showing no signs of his previous knee injuries.

Bobo explained on Wednesday how in 300+ throws this August, Hill has thrown just three interceptions.

“That’s everything we do—that’s not one-on-ones or anything like that—that’s team-oriented stuff,” Bobo said.

Bobo explained how during one of Wednesday’s team drills, the offensive line didn’t get set up correctly. Instead of the coaching staff having to correct them, Hill took command and “got on whoever got lined up wrong”. Obviously, it would have still been a penalty in a real game, but the fifth-year head coach liked how his veteran quarterback set the standard.

“He’s playing outstanding and the guys have a lot of confidence in him,” Bobo said.

Hill isn’t the only veteran that looks like a different player, though, junior wide receiver Warren Jackson is playing like a man on a mission as well. Bobo explained how all throughout fall camp, Jackson has been the undeniable leader of the wide receiver room and has done everything in his power to stay on the field. Whether it be special teams, run blocking or working individually, Jackson isn’t taking any short cuts.

“There’s something different about him right now,” Bobo said. “He’s always been a good player for us but he’s stepping up.”

Bobo went on to say that of all the productive wide receivers that CSU has had in recent years, Jackson has been the hardest working.

“I won’t call those other guys primadonnas but Warren has just taken it upon himself to lead,” Bobo said. “We put him in a leadership position this year in January and he was kinda shocked that I did that with him. But he’s taken command of not only his team but (also) his group of receivers and the offense.”

Transfers proving to be valuable

Over the last two weeks, three transfer players have really proved to be valuable for the defense.

Andre Neal, a senior cornerback out of the College of San Mateo has positioned himself to be one of CSU’s starting cornerbacks. The 6-foot-0, 187-pound, cornerback was praised by Bobo for his efforts in last Saturday’s scrimmage and seems to be transitioning into the system well.

“He’s been able to play some man-to-man, he’s good in zone, he’s long and has got length, which helps against No. 9 Warren Jackson,” Bobo said.

Along with Neal, Tron Folsom has worked his way into a starting role at weakside linebacker. The graduate transfer from Troy has displayed phenomenal athleticism in the early stages of camp and continues to impress the staff.

“Tron had a really, really, good scrimmage,” Bobo said.

Finally, Jalen Bates has proven to be a menace at defensive end. The Arizona State graduate transfer possesses a lethal combination of speed and strength and will have an opportunity to really thrive against smaller offensive lines in the Mountain West.

Young guns coming out blazin’

While the veterans have done a nice job establishing themselves, a variety of freshmen have impressed the coaching staff of late, including wide receivers, Dante Wright,  Ty McCullough and Jaylen Hearst.

Wright is receiving reps with the ones due to Brenden Fulton being sidelined with an ankle injury. And on Wednesday, Bobo said that Hearst and McCullough have each had their best few days of camp so far.

“These young receivers have been put in a position to make plays and they’re getting constant opportunities,” Bobo said. “We’re 12 days into install, we’ve put in everything that we can possibly run — and there have been mistakes but these guys are learning at a very high rate.”

Running back Christian Hunter has also impressed Bobo. The former Kaiser High School star (California) is still learning how to be effective in protection situations, but Hunter has done enough between the tackles to potentially be CSU’s No. 3 back behind Marvin Kinsey and Marcus McElroy.

Additional Info

• Toby McBride has taken over as a starting defensive tackle.
• Anthony Hawkins has impressed the coaching staff with his consistent effort on special teams and defense. Bobo explained how defensive John Jancek is now referring to him as “Anthony” instead of “Hawk” because he’s playing like a different guy.