Rams Camp Notes: Transfers looking to make an immediate impact on defense

FORT COLLINS, Colo.— Colorado State football had a clear mission in the offseason and it was to get stronger, tougher and more physical. The Rams did this as a whole, primarily due to head strength and conditioning coach Joey Guarascio and his new weightlifting regimen.

But CSU didn’t just look within to improve the defense, the Rams also picked up four transfers to bolster their depth.

CSU added a pair of cornerbacks, Marshaun Cameron, and Andre Neal. Cameron transferred to CSU from Northern Colorado after graduating this past spring and will have two years of eligibility remaining. Andre Neal came to Fort Collins from the College of San Mateo in California—a native of Baltimore, Maryland, Neal earned All-Bay Six Conference, all-state and All-America honors in 2018 as a sophomore.

In the front-seven, CSU will rely on defensive end Jalen Bates, who transferred from Arizona State. And Troy-transfer Tron Folsom will likely start at linebacker.

Bates, a 6-foot-4, 246-pound, defensive end played in all 13 games and made 10 starts at Arizona State in 2018. A redshirt junior at the time, Bates recorded 31 total tackles, including six for a loss and one sack. Bates also forced one fumble in his breakout season with the Sun Devils, before earning his degree in sociology last December.

Folsom is listed at 6-foot-2, 209 pounds, and joins CSU after leading Troy in tackles over each of the previous two seasons. In total, Folsom racked up 184 tackles, 17 of which were for a loss, two sacks and three interceptions. The Georgia native was named second-team All-Sun Belt in 2018 for his efforts.

Following Tuesday’s practice, BSN Rams had the opportunity to hear from Bates, Folsom and Neal on their adjustment to FoCo and CSU.

According to all three players, getting used to the system took a little bit of time. Now that they’ve had the summer to really get into the swing of things, though, the trio is excited to see what the defense can do in 2019.

Why they chose CSU:

Jalen Bates: “I felt like it was the right place, it’s a great place, and coach Gillmore won me over. I wanted a better opportunity to produce in a better position, and I feel like Colorado State offered that position for me perfectly. I’m playing defensive end, off the edge more—and at Arizona State, we ran the odd front so I felt like I was better suited for a front that would fit my needs best.”

Tron Folsom: “Once you know you’re leaving and you explore other options, everybody is going to tell you the same thing—all the coaches are going to tell you the same thing. But what really stuck out about CSU to me is when I came here, I bonded with the guys on the team quickly. I didn’t have to fit in, I could just be myself around them guys and that’s what you look for when you’re transferring. Not only are you looking for another team, but you want to be able to bond with your teammates. It makes your team closer and it makes the team better.”

Ande Neal: “When I got here, it was family-oriented and coming a long way from home, I was looking for a new family. I went to California, came here and it was the same concept as when I was there, it’s family-oriented. And when I got here, it was the same thing—I felt like I could come in and things would fall right in place, I’d be right at home.”

How they’re adjusting:

Tron Folsom: “We’ve been putting in a lot of different packages,” Folsom said. “When I first got up here it was kind of hard because I had to learn a whole new system, but as days went by it became easier—the more reps that I took at the position, the easier it became for me.”

Andre Neal: “The toughest part was there a lot more plays. When I was at JuCo, there weren’t as many plays and there were a lot more basic coverages, stunts and stuff like that with the lineman and DB’s. Now it’s a much broader playbook, there are way more plays and way more checks—calls that we have to make with the safeties, the lineman and the linebackers—that’s really been the toughest transition for me. Other than that, I just came to play. Football is easy.”

Jalen Bates: “I’m focusing on the main thing and not focusing on partying or going out and having a good time. I’m just focusing on football and school. I’ve improved my GPA, I’ve improved my game, so that helps.”

On their mindset and improving the defense:

Jalen Bates: “My mindset was I was going to come in and try to change things around. Me, Tron and Dre—we all talked before we got here and it was just the mindset that we’re going to come here and be big difference makers on the defense—and I love coach Jancek and coach Gillmore’s attitude on changing the defense. I feel like they have the pieces in line and we just have to come in and be other pieces to the puzzle.”

Tron Folsom: “Everybody came in with the mindset of being better than last year. It’s more than just us four guys that are putting it in, it’s the whole defense. Everybody has a different mentality than they had last year and we’re all coming together. It’s not going to take just four guys to win games, it’s going to take all 11 on defense.”

Whether the talent on defense surprised them or not:

Andre Neal: “A little bit, just because of their record from last year. I thought that when I got here it wasn’t going to be the most athletic dudes or maybe some kind of lower-level type dudes. But actually, there are real athletes out here and the program is changing, especially with Joey (Guarascio) helping a lot of the guys get bigger and faster. That’s big for a defense because we can get to the ball, have all 11 guys get to the ball and that’s how you play great defense.”

Jalen Bates: “Oh yeah, especially the McBrides. They’re freaks of nature. But I mean there’s a lot of people, Hub, Manny—it just opened my eyes—like man, how do y’all have these guys here? It’s crazy just to see them. We’re really talented and really athletic, so it’s going to be a fun year.”