Rams continue to box in local prospects as 2021 class reaches 12 commits

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Colorado State football is racking up early commits at an unprecedented rate. The 2021 class has already cracked double-digits and there seems to be no signs of slowing down.

After picking up a verbal commitment from Navarre High School’s stand-out defensive tackle Grady Kelly on Tuesday morning, the Rams received even more good news in the afternoon, with Tanner Arkin announcing that he will stay local for his collegiate career.

COMMITTED TO COLORADO STATE!! 🐏 🐏 #2am1ly #ColoradoSTATEofMind #RamClash🤜🤛 pic.twitter.com/1m610VCan3

— Tanner Arkin (@ArkinTanner) May 12, 2020

Arkin, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound tight end out of Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, is listed as a three-star prospect by 247Sports. According to the recruiting site, Arkin is the No. 20 overall recruit coming out of Colorado and a top 100 tight end prospect in the nation (No. 81).

Along with CSU, Arkin currently holds offers from Wyoming and the University of Pennsylvania — but he is receiving interest from Air Force and California as well. Had he not missed essentially all of the 2019 season with a broken collarbone, though, Arkin’s list of suitors likely would have been much longer.

In a recent interview with DNVR Rams, Arkin said that the injury definitely impacted his recruiting process because he didn’t have a ton of film for coaches to evaluate. Arkin was only able to play in a preseason scrimmage and three quarters of the seventh game of the regular season before re-injuring himself. But after recovering from surgery, Arkin is determined to show that he can be an elite tight end at the collegiate level.

“It made me want to work harder,” Arkin said.

Although Arkin has played some linebacker and wide receiver throughout his high school career, a big part of what sold Arkin on CSU was the fact that the coaches were willing to let him play the position he feels most comfortable in.

“They definitely recruited me the hardest,” Arkin said. “I really like the tight end coach, coach (Cody) Booth. He gave me the opportunity to play tight end, which is where I wanted to play at the next level. Some other schools wanted me to play defensive end.”

The other major factor, according to Arkin, was the chance to play for his home city and stay close to his family.

“They were ecstatic,” Arkin said of his family’s reaction to him committing to CSU. “They were very excited for me… They’re just very excited to be able to come to all of my games.”

Since being hired in December, Steve Addazio has made a big splash in the local recruiting scene. Addazio signed four local players to his inaugural recruiting class and he is already on pace to surpass that figure for the 2021 cycle. With the commitment of Arkin, the Rams now have 12 verbals in total for 2021— four of which are from Colorado, including two players from Fort Collins high schools.

2021 commits

QB | Luke McAllister | 6-foot-4, 187 pounds | Monument, CO.

RB | Alex Berrouet | 6-foot-1, 200 pounds | Acton, MA.

RB | Patrick Smith | 5-foot-11, 185 pounds | Absecon, NJ.

WR | Gerick Robinson | 5-foot-11, 160 pounds | Las Vegas, NV.

TE | Drake Martinez | 6-foot-3, 205 pounds | Houston, TX.

TE | Tanner Arkin | 6-foot-3, 215 pounds | Fort Collins, CO.

OL | Justin Michael | 6-foot-5, 260 pounds | Fort Collins, CO.

OL | George Miki-Han | 6-foot-1, 300 pounds | Santa Ana, Calif.

DL | Grady Kelly | 6-foot-3, 257 pounds | Navarre, FLA.

DB | Lathan Adams | 5-foot-9, 160 pounds | DeSoto, TX.

ATH | Langston Williams | 5-foot-10, 155 pounds | Centennial, CO.

P | Jackson Ray | 5-foot-11, 150 pounds | Gilbert, AZ.