Rams Recruiting Radar: Andrew Laurich becomes Colorado State's first defensive commit for 2023

FORT COLLINS — It’s going to be an extremely busy month for Colorado State football on the recruiting front. 

Between camps, official visits and sending assistants out on the road, this is one of the more crucial periods for the staff to try and build relationships with prospective student-athletes without the chaos of the regular season serving as a distraction. And although nothing is official until Signing Day rolls around, the months leading up to the fall are typically when most incoming high school seniors like to start verbally committing to the program that they intend to play for at the collegiate level. 

CSU’s first verbal commitment for the 2023 cycle, quarterback Jackson Brousseau, announced his intention to play at CSU back in April. After three-star wide receiver Stephon Daily officially became the Rams’ second commit on Sunday, though, on Monday CSU added its first defensive commitment for 2023 in defensive lineman Andrew Laurich. 

100% Committed🟢⚪️@CoachJayNorvell @coach_buddha @CoachVang @CoachBanks13 @CoachDanMcGuire @EDGYTIM @AllenTrieu @Lgauthier_ pic.twitter.com/ns3hqr4OU7

— Andrew Laurich (@AndrewLaurich) June 13, 2022

Laurich is listed at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, so he certainly has an appealing build for someone that still has a full season of high school football to play. He’s coming off of a junior year in which he recorded 41 total tackles, 17 of which went for a loss, and he also had five sacks, four QB hurries, a couple of forced fumbles and an interception to go with it. 

According to 247Sports, the Yorkville High School standout currently holds offers from a variety of G5 schools across the country, including but not limited to Air Force, Army, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Navy, Toledo and Wyoming. FCS programs like North Dakota State and Northern Iowa have offered him too. After visiting campus over the weekend, though, much like Daily, Laurich elected to go ahead and make his pledge to the Rams public. 

Again, a verbal commitment does not hold a ton of weight in the modern era, so up until the prospects sign their names on the dotted line in about six months, all excitement must be tempered with the understanding that things can change quickly. Having said that, though, it has definitely been encouraging to see how many players that Jay Norvell and Co. have seemingly been able to win over after getting them on campus. For a half decade now CSU has had the resources available to be one of the premiere G5 schools in the country, but it’s all about having the right leadership in place to take advantage of it all. 

2023 Commits 

QB Jackson Brousseau | 6’5 | 215 lbs | Lehi, UT 

WR Stephon Daily | 6’4 | 175 lbs | Tolleson, AZ

DE Andrew Laurich | 6’5 | 250 lbs | Yorkville, Ill