The future of the program appears to be in good shape under Jay Norvell. After signing one of the top-rated recruiting classes in the Mountain West for the 2023 cycle, the hope amongst Ram fans is that the squad will finally be more competitive over the next couple of years.
While excitement is warranted when it comes to the direction of the Rams, especially with the way that the staff is recruiting, there has been a lot of transfer news for the fans to keep up with.
Roughly half of the scholarship players that were on the roster when Norvell was hired have since transferred out of the program. And while that is not uncommon in the modern era of college football, it can be challenging to stay on top of as a fan.
So with that in mind, here’s an update of where some of the former Rams are electing to take the next step in their collegiate careers. We’ll update this post as the news comes.
(WR) Dante Wright | Temple
One of two former Rams that signed with Temple this cycle, Wright and DB Tywan Francis will reunite with Andrew Liacopoulos in the city of brotherly love. Liacopoulos, who was named director of player personnel for the Owls in June, previously held the same role under Steve Addazio in Fort Collins.
Wright splashed onto the scene as a true freshman in 2019, when he displayed an immediate chemistry with QB Collin Hill in the non-conference slate. In his first-ever game with the Rams, the versatile receiver recorded 131 all-purpose yards and scored a pair of touchdowns in the final Rocky Mountain Showdown at Mile High.
He leaves CSU with 121 career receptions for 1,674 yards and nine total touchdowns.
(WR) Ty McCullouch | Montana State
McCullouch committed to CSU live on television back when he was a senior in high school.
After playing for three different head coaches and an assortment of position coaches though, McCullouch, like Wright, decided he had been through enough at CSU.
In addition to an offer from Wyoming, the 6-foot-1,180-pound wide receiver tweeted about offers from a couple of different MAC schools. He posted photos on official visits to Ball State and Montana State before ultimately signing with the FCS powerhouse.
McCullouch leaves CSU with 41 career receptions for 596 yards and one touchdown.
(WR) Melquan Stovall | Arizona State
Stovall followed Norvell over from Nevada but his CSU tenure ended up being short lived.
After starting for the Rams in the first three games of the season and recording 13 catches for 106 yards, Stovall decided to leave the program following the Washington State loss.
The athletic wide-out took official visits to James Madison and San Diego State. But in the end, he will reunite with former Nevada teammate, Aaron Frost, at ASU.
(WR) Gerick Robinson | Nevada
Robinson did not see the field much in his two years with CSU, however, he did make a good impression with the fans due his incredibly wholesome social media presence.
The 5-foot-8, 180-pound wide receiver will return to his home state of Nevada as a preferred walk-on for the Wolf Pack.
(WR) Thomas Pannunzio | Central Michigan
(TE) Tanner Arkin | Illinois
A big-bodied tight end with local roots, there were high hopes for the Fort Collins native coming into the 2022 season.
With Trey McBride no longer in the picture, the thought was that Arkin could be the next in line to be dominant at the position for the Green & Gold, especially after he was named a preseason All-Mountain West selection.
Unfortunately though things did not seem to click for the 6-foot-4, 245-pound in the Air Raid offense, and after recording just 15 catches for 131 yards in 12 games this fall, Arkin announced after the season that he would be leaving the program.
In addition to Illinois, Arkin tweeted about receiving offers from Missouri, New Mexico State, Oklahoma State, Pitt, Sam Houston State and UCONN. He announced his commitment to the Fighting Illini on Dec. 14 — though he was not listed among the signees for Illinois on Wednesday.
(DT) Devin Phillips | Kansas
After spending five years at CSU, the 6-foot-2, 305-pound defensive tackle announced he would be leaving the team in early October.
Unsurprisingly, given his experience and size, Phillips received interest from multiple power five programs this winter. But once he took an official visit to Kansas, the veteran defensive lineman was sold.
According to the linked report above from Jon Kirby of Jayhawk Slant, the plan is for Phillips to enroll at KU in January. However, he is not included on this list of early signees for the Jayhawks.
(DB) Tywan Francis | Temple
Francis carved out a role as CSU’s starting nickel in August and was actually really productive in the first four games.
Francis averaged eight tackles per game in the non-conference slate and was receiving a ton of playing time under defensive coordinator Freddie Banks. Even so, like many of the inherited players on the roster, Francis left the team after a third of the season.
He posted about taking an official visit to the University of Virginia, so I wondered if he might end up landing in the ACC. But he ultimately elected to sign with Temple, where he will be joined by Dante Wright.
(DB) D’Andre Greeley | Buffalo
Greeley transferred to CSU from the College of San Francisco after a really successful season at the junior college level.
He did not appear in any games for the Rams this fall and will continue his career at the University of Buffalo.
(LB) Tavian Brown | Georgia State
The 6-foot-1, 230-pound linebacker battled injuries for the majority of the time he was at CSU and only played in 15 total games over the last four years.
Hopefully a fresh start at Georgia State will give him an opportunity to see the field more.
(LB) Devon Edwards | Lindenwood
(LB) Bam Amina | UNLV
(RB) Alex Berrouet | Maine
Berrouet announced his commitment to Maine on Thursday.
A 2020 signee under Steve Addazio, the young running back out of Massachusetts recorded seven carries for 50 yards in a Rams uniform — all of which came against Norvell in the 2021 season finale.
