This past Saturday, Colorado State Football held their second practice of the season. Along with getting back to the grind, the green and gold held their official Junior Day. According to the team, there were over 100 high school athletes from 16 different states on campus Saturday.
The prep athletes got a tour of campus, athletic facilities and went inside construction of the new on-campus stadium, an obvious selling point for Mike Bobo and the program. With over 100 athletes from 16 states participating in event, Ram fans should be excited that the program is on the map.
With much of the coaching staff having experience recruiting the south, it is no surprise CSU has seen an increase in players from Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and so on, showing interest in Colorado State.
Along with the southern states, CSU has recruited the state of Colorado hard. If the Rams are going to build a consistent conference powerhouse, they need to sign the best players in their own backyard. Contrary to popular belief, the quality of high school football in Colorado has improved significantly over the last decade.
In-state players have made a huge impact for CSU in recent years. Joe Hansley was a local guy, coming from Highlands Ranch. Sam Carlson was a Fort Collins native, attending Poudre High School before coming to CSU. Even on the roster right now, Jake Bennett, Zack Golditch, Kevin Davis, Olabisi Johnson are just a few examples of the many players from Colorado, ones expected to make an impact in 2016.
Unfortunately there are many examples of players that got away. Most recently the McCaffrey brothers, Christian and Dylan. D. McCaffrey, committed to the University of Michigan, a part of their 2017 signing class. C. McCaffrey took the college football world by storm last season, earning the Associated Press Player of the Year, and finishing as a Heisman finalist.
One of the nation’s most outstanding players came from just hours south of here. If the Rams can get those type of players coming to CSU, it will play a huge role in the success of the team, and will also help the team recruit on a national scale.
“The U” famously owned South Florida, making it an emphasis to sign all the players in their own backyard. The Rams should take a similar approach in the Denver-metro area, and Colorado in general.
Check out some tweets from some of the players that participated in the CSU Junior Day.
Colorado State Keep Showing Love 🔥🔥✈❌💯 #Rampage17 pic.twitter.com/ogOoyk5rt7
— DatsQ9 (@Datsq9) March 29, 2016
Had an awesome Junior day visit at Colorado State with Head Coach Bobo and the rest of the staff🏈 #RAMPAGE17#CSURams pic.twitter.com/JMYLLd6TmI
— Brock (@BrockHersh45) March 26, 2016
https://twitter.com/alexoelsner/status/713911265186283520
https://twitter.com/Greatness_Kb/status/713955751375409152
#RAMPAGE17 it was a great experience pic.twitter.com/Xb3jND50ai
— Maurice Wyatt (@moewyatt_) March 27, 2016
https://twitter.com/TheRealTajHoard/status/713932666370822144
Colorado State was Great !!#RAMPAGE17 🐏
— 4E (@cvatroe) March 27, 2016
Great Jr. Day visit at CSU💯 @SixZeroStrength thanks @CoachMEnglish @CoachBobo_CSU #RAMPAGE17 pic.twitter.com/V6KhqVElYC
— Jackson Block (@JacksonBlock17) March 27, 2016
Had a great day at Colorado State #RAMPAGE17 pic.twitter.com/0d106RxHWG
— Jalen Harris (@TheHarris_Era) March 27, 2016
https://twitter.com/Gavin_Holmes23/status/713862707989123072
Colorado State visit was definitely one to remember! 🐑 #RAMPAGE17 pic.twitter.com/GGwp0cUN2A
— Caden McDonald (@CadenMcDonald) March 26, 2016
https://twitter.com/malikhaus_8/status/713855266219888640
