The Odyssey of Kapri Bibbs

If you look at the accolades of Colorado State running back Kapri Bibbs, it is easy to see why he was one of former Coach Steve Fairchild's star recruits. With accomplishments such as: 4,210 career yards and 61 touchdowns, two league MVP's, one all-state selection, twenty-six school records, and State of Illinois high school records for yards and touchdowns in a game, it is hard to believe this stud high school running back hasn't even touched the field for the Rams. But nothing about his path to Fort Collins has been easy.

After gaining offers from universities across the nation, Bibbs decided to take his talents to Northern Colorado and play for Coach Fairchild. Unfortunately, academic problems seemed to put an end to the possibility of seeing this former Chicago Player of the Year play for the Rams. It is common to see players in this situation fade away and never make it to their original commitment, but Kapri Bibbs wanted to stay loyal to his word and get to Colorado State no matter the circumstances.

"I want to reassure the fans that I'm still around," Bibbs said in 2011. "I'm not going to change my mind. I'm going to be loyal to my commitment. I want to set up for a successful future with CSU. I made a lot of promises to them I want to keep."

Snow College

The first step for Bibbs to get back on track was to sign with a junior college in order to get his grades in line with NCAA requirements. He found a home with junior college powerhouse Snow College in Utah. In his one year in Ephraim, Utah, Bibbs ran for a modest 415 yards on only 74 carries in a crowded backfield. The highlight performance of the year came in an overtime win against Mesa Community College in which Bibbs rushed for 133 yards on 10 carries; one of those for the winning touchdown.

Fort Collins

After his season was done with Snow College, Bibbs still needed more credits in order to transfer to Colorado State and enrolled at Fort Collins school Front Range Community College to complete his requirements. Despite not being able to play football at Front Range due to their lack of football team, he decided being close to the school he ultimately wanted to enroll in was for the best and new head coach Jim McElwain reciprocated that sentiment by keeping his scholarship open.

All in all a four year journey from his commitment in high school to arriving at Colorado State, Bibbs finally put on a Ram uniform and reported for spring ball in spring 2013. He has his work cut out for him in a rotation lead by veteran starters Chris Nwoke and Donnell Alexander, but showed his worth in spring practices and the spring game despite his year absence from football. Bibbs will most likely take the third spot in running back core, but look for him to make solid contributions in an offense that utilizes multiple backs. Even if he doesn't live up to his high school hype, it is hard to root against a kid who showed such dedication and drive to hold true to his commitment even with the hurdles he faced.