FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Barry Wesley knows a thing or two about putting in the work.
Coming out of Bear Creek High School, Wesley was not heavily recruited. So he walked on at Colorado State, where he immediately caught the attention of the coaching staff with his attention to detail.
Following his redshirt freshman season (2017) Wesley was rewarded with a scholarship in 2018. In a video of Wesley being awarded the scholarship, former head coach Mike Bobo can be heard complimenting Wesley for always doing the right thing. Bobo jokes about how awkward the local product was when he first saw him at a team camp. “He almost tripped coming out of the huddle,” Bobo said. “He couldn’t walk and chew gum. But he worked his tail off and came here as a walk-on. Now he’s running (at) first tackle for us.” And of course, after Bobo announced the scholarship everyone in the room went wild.
While Wesley getting his schooling paid for was one of the feel-good moments of 2018, the season itself was obviously extremely brutal. The Rams finished 3-9, got outscored by 167 points, and they ended the season with a five game losing streak that included two local rivalry defeats and a trouncing from Boise State.
In an appearance on the DNVR Rams Podcast, former Rams running back, Izzy Matthews, stated that the team as a whole lacked the mindset necessary to compete at a high level consistently. One of his biggest criticisms, though, was the poor play from the offensive line. According to Matthews, aside from Wesley, the unit was extremely soft. Their play on the field, their mindset, everything — Matthews felt like the offensive line just didn’t have what it took.
When asked about his former teammate’s assessment of the situation in 2018, Wesley agreed with what Matthews had to say. He also explained that the failure for CSU to establish consistent play in the trenches over the last couple of seasons is something that’s really been on his mind in general.
“If you look at the offensive lines that were here previously. Guys like Fred Zerblis, Zack Golditch, Trae Moxley, and all of the people that were in this room before me, that’s the legacy,” Wesley said.
“For me it’s a little more personal. I’m a Colorado kid. I was here when that offensive line was playing. I saw all of those guys. With how things went last season, I definitely felt like I let them down. This year I’m holding myself to a higher standard, I’m holding everyone else to a higher standard, to live up to the legacy of Colorado State offensive lines.”
The Rams are coming off of a season in which the team averaged just 3.2 yards per carry and did not do a good enough job of consistently protecting the quarterback. But if there is a silver lining, it’s that Wesley feels things are starting to trend back in the right direction. As he explained to DNVR, the biggest difference between the Bobo era and the Steve Addazio era is accountability.
“It was just kind of nonchalant,” Wesley said of the culture in the previous regime. “Guys could do whatever they want and weren’t really being held accountable.”
Wesley continued, explaining that he could start to see things changing for the better in 2020. However, with the team and staff getting to spend more time together this past offseason, and into training camp, the change has been more noticeable to Wesley of late.
“We’ve definitely seen that increase with the intensity from the coaches, and not only the coaches, but the players as well, to make sure everyone is doing their job. They’re doing it the right way.”
Ram Nation will have to wait and see how things shake out for the Rams in the trenches in 2021. If the Green & Gold have any shot of snapping a three-year losing skid, it’s going to take much improved play from the big uglies though. Luckily for them former Boston College running back, David Bailey, has the potential to be a beast in the backfield. Having the ability to run 12 personnel with Trey McBride and Cameron Butler at tight end won’t hurt the line’s cause either.
CSU fans will have their first opportunity to see Wesley, Bailey, and all of the Rams starters in action when South Dakota State comes to town on Friday, Sept. 3. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. MT and the game will be televised on FS1.
