A’Jon Vivens has elected to leave the team due to personal reasons.
The redshirt senior running back and 2022 team captain was not on the field with the Rams for Saturday’s win over Hawaii. Head coach Jay Norvell then confirmed the news during his postgame press conference.
“A’Jon has decided to leave the team. He’s got some personal things going on,” Norvell said. “And I was really disappointed about that.”
While we do not want to speculate about the situation, Vivens departing is definitely more surprising than some of the other guys that have left the squad. For one thing, Norvell had just praised Vivens for his commitment to the team during his weekly Monday presser on October 17. And considering he has played in five games already this year, he’d be unable to retain his eligibility without some type of exemption from the NCAA.
When asked if it surprised him that the veteran running back chose to leave the team at this stage of the year, Norvell said that it did. “You know, a lot of things that have happened this year have surprised me by a lot of these kids. And it’s unfortunate. But you know, it’s a decision that he’s made. And so we’ll continue to work with the guys that are here.”
Vivens leaves the program with 638 career rushing yards, 100 career receiving yards and one total touchdown. His best season statistically was the condensed 2020 campaign when he averaged 4.3 yards per carry, produced 52 rushing yards per game and led the Rams in rushing yards for the year (210).
His best individual showing was the 2021 Homecoming win over San Jose State when he posted a career-best 114 yards on 31 carries. He had 39 carries for 104 yards so far this fall.
While the Mullen high school product was certainly talented, what he will likely be remembered for most is the impact that he made in the community. A 2022 AFCA Good Works Team nominee and a two-time Wuerffel Trophy watch list selection, Vivens has long been revered for commitment to service. He has always been a terrific representative of what the student-athlete is supposed to be.
It’s disappointing that he will not be on the field with the team for Senior Day — you hope everything is okay with him — from a football standpoint it won’t really change a ton for CSU though. After getting 10 or more carries in each of his first three games this year, Vivens totaled just seven touches in the Nevada and Utah State games combined. He likely would have still been a small part of the offense and it would have been beneficial to have another veteran running back to help shoulder some of the load. But with Avery Morrow going for 100+ yards in each of the last three contests and currently averaging 5.0 yards per carry, the Nevada transfer has clearly established himself as the lead back in the system.
With Vivens out of the picture look for redshirt junior Jaylen Thomas to potentially see an increase in touches. Keegan Holles, a freshman walk-on out of Cherry Creek, will probably get some more snaps as well.
