The first commitment announcement for Colorado State’s 2025 class was posted on “X” this afternoon. Caden Branston, a 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive end out of Liberty High School shared his decision via the social media site on Wednesday.

A three-star prospect according to 247Sports, Branston also holds offers from Arizona State, Iowa State, Washington State and Boston College. After recently visiting Fort Collins, though, the Arizona native is choosing to spend his future in the Green & Gold. 

In 13 games this past fall, Branston recorded 52 total tackles and 5.5 sacks for a Liberty HS squad that went 12-1 and won the Arizona open division state championship. 

Watching his film on Hudl, you can see that Branston was used in a variety of ways. He often would be outside playing a true defensive end role, however, sometimes they had him move inside where his size really overwhelmed opponents. 

A relentless rusher with a high motor and a stout run stopper to boot, it’s easy to see what intrigues the staff about Branston’s game. He does seem to rely on his size and strength quite a bit to beat opposing lineman, so it will be interesting to see what type of finesse moves he’s able to develop down the line. The thing is, all of that is coachable. What you can’t teach is his size. And based on both his consistent production, as well as what you see on video, it’s clear that he is the type of disruptive defensive lineman that goes hard every single snap. 

A lot of defensive lineman stand out on film as pass rushers, Branston is one of the few that really looks good in the thick of the trenches. He’s constantly bringing down ball carriers with offensive lineman draped all over him. His relentlessness is quite impressive for someone at the high school level. 

CSU picked up multiple verbal commitments over the weekend, including at least one offensive lineman. Expect more announcements in the coming days as CSU’s 2025 class really picks up steam.