FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Henry Blackburn has quickly become one of the most important members of the Colorado State defense.
Just a sophomore, the 6-foot, 205-pound safety from Boulder has earned the chance to start for the Rams. Now that he has he’ll need to be an impactful player in what is a pretty thin secondary for the Green & Gold.
The Rams lost defensive back Linwood Crump for the season after already losing multiple cornerbacks via transfer in the offseason. According to folks inside the program, Crump was on track to be a starter at cornerback for the Rams in 2021. Now that he is gone and the depth at corner is thinner than ever, the safeties are going to have to step up in a major way in 2021.
We know what the team has in the front seven. The question right now is whether or not the secondary can consistently make enough plays to keep opponents out of the end zone.
Looking at the state of the roster, CSU has veteran safeties like Tywan Francis and Logan Stewart, both of which have played significant snaps in recent years and will likely be on the field quite a bit in 2021. Francis has recorded 56 total tackles, five pass deflections and a forced fumble in 25 career games, while Stewart has 102 total tackles, six pass deflections and a pair of interceptions in 16 games.
Ajayi and Cameron are both seasoned veterans at corner as well. Ajayi has unfortunately struggled to stay healthy over the years but does have 48 tackles, 11 pass breakups and an interception to his name. Meanwhile in two seasons at CSU Cameron has recorded 66 tackles, seven pass breakups, one forced fumble and one interception over the last 16 games.
All of the aforementioned will need to both stay healthy and play well for the Rams to have success in the back end in 2021. But based on what we’ve heard from Steve Addazio over the last month or so, it’s been the freshmen and sophomores that have been able to consistently stand out in fall camp. Players like Blackburn, Jack Howell, Langston Williams and Robert Floyd.
In a recent interview with DNVR, Blackburn responded to his coach’s praise of the young guns. “A lot of young guys have been stepping up for us,” Blackburn said. “Jack has been really good. He had a really good spring and he’s had a good fall camp. Robert Floyd and Langston have been really solid for us. These young guys, just with the way things are working out, they’re gonna play this year — and the thing is, we have confidence in them, because we see it on the tape.”
Blackburn continued, explaining that it really doesn’t matter if you are a true freshman or a redshirt senior, because if you’re trustworthy on the field, it’s going to come through on film. “That’s what is most important,” Blackburn said. “And so far throughout the fall camp, and throughout the season, we’ve seen that on tape. We can trust these young guys.”
While Blackburn is still a young guy himself, we have already seen him prove that he can be a real playmaker for defensive coordinator Chuck Heater. The local product recorded 23 total tackles (14 solo) and a pass deflection in CSU’s four games in 2020. However, most of that production came over the final two games, after Blackburn was added to the starting lineup.
Henry Blackburn flexes after making a tackle against Boise State in 2020. PHOTO: CSU Athletics
In his first career start at Boise State last November, Blackburn recorded six total tackles and he broke up a pass. What’s more, he followed it up with his best game of the season. CSU’s offense might not have looked particularly impressive against San Diego State in the finale but Blackburn was in what was just his second career start. He finished the night with 10 total tackles including seven solo stops.
“I started to get in a rhythm of things at that point of the season,” Blackburn said. “The beginning of the season was a little shaky, because I was still learning and still adapting to the speed and everything. But by the fourth game I had a little more experience under my belt. I felt a lot more confident.”
Blackburn is hoping to take the experience he gained last season and carry it over into the early stages of the 2021 season. He knows that the pressure to get off to a quick start is significant for the Rams, and he’s hoping to make some plays to help accomplish that.
A downhill player with above average tackling skills and an ability to absolutely lay the wood, Blackburn has a chance to be really effective for the Rams against the run. He loves to be up in the box and never shies away from contact. “I like the physicality of the game,” Blackburn said. “That’s my passion. That’s why I love football, because it’s just a legal way to hit somebody in the face and you don’t get in any trouble for it. That’s my style of play.”
In order for him to stay on the field, though, Blackburn will have to be a complete safety and he knows it. That’s why he’s really made an emphasis to improve his coverage skills. Whether it’s going up against a slot receiver or a tight end, Blackburn knows he has to be able to do it all. Luckily for Ram Nation, he’s confident that he can.
“I think my skill set fits that — being able to come down into the box and play with the big boys — and then also being able to run with the skill players,” Blackburn said.
Going into a season with so many unproven defensive backs is always a tricky situation. The silver lining is that they’ll get to play behind an extremely experienced defensive line. On Tuesday Blackburn explained just how big of an advantage that is for them.
“It’s so huge for us, because when they’re getting to the quarterback so fast, it just makes our jobs easier,” Blackburn said. He explained that it alleviates stress on the secondary and allows them to play more aggressively.
“We know what they’re going to do. We know they’re always going to have their assignments done,” Blackburn said. “That allows us to play faster just because we know what our job is, we can trust that they’re gonna get their job done every time.”
CSU’s defense will have their hands full with Friday night’s opener. South Dakota State is projected to have one of the most explosive run offenses in the FCS, and they’ll go straight through you if they’re allowed to be bullies. It’s up to Blackburn and Co. to make sure that doesn’t happen. We’ll see what this Rams defense is made of.
