The Recruiting Road So Far: Colorado State

Welcome to the third post in our twelve-part series that hopefully makes the dead period go by a bit quicker. These articles aim to provide a detailed look at what each team has done thus far on the recruiting trail and what work still needs to be put in before NLI day in February. One team a day will be featured this year in alphabetical order. Today will look at Colorado State.

Colorado State:

The 2020 season had its bumps and bruises for pretty much everyone, and Colorado State was no exception. In what would become a theme of their season, the Ram’s very first game was cancelled due to Covid. They lost two more during the season for the same reason before Utah State forfeited their finale. When games were played, they were mostly losses. The highlight and lone with was against rival Wyoming in the border war.

With eligibility rules being adjusted for Covid, it’s a bit difficult to know which players are staying or leaving. That makes it a bit harder to understand what specific needs are in the class. That being said, this class needed to shore up the depth in almost every area after the program experienced a high amount of attrition following the coaching change. To see how they’ve done so far, look below.

The Road So Far:

Colorado State’s class has a few headliners at the top of the class, while the rest of the class will be defined by how quickly or how effectively they can be developed. Seven are from in-state Colorado, with Florida and Texas also being key states. About half are on offense and half on defense. In an interesting move, they took three quarterbacks in this class.

One of those QBs is Luke McAllister, the longest 2021 commit in this class and the conference. He is the future starter and is already a natural leader. Damir Abdullah is a huge target as a wide receiver, as are both tight ends; Drake Martinez and Tanner Akin. The theme of size continues with offensive tackle Justin Michael and center George Miki-Han comes from a powerhouse program.

The recruits on defense contain some star power, and it starts with defensive tackle Tyler Quinn. He’s joined by Grady Kelly, who has a projectable build, and so does Mukendi Wa-Kalonji at the end position. Malakai Grant is an athlete at linebacker who will be in front of two defensive backs. Langston Williams and star recruit Lathan Adams lack a bit in size but not speed and athleticism.

Number who signed in December: 19

Number who will enroll early: 5

247 Composite: 80th

The Road Ahead:

Top Targets Remaining: RB, WR, LB, DB

Unlike last year, most of the heavy lifting is done in this class. Now, it’s about filling the few remaining needs. Addazion’s scheme is a power-run game, so another running back makes sense for this class. It might also make sense to try to take a flier on another wide receiver given their track record developing that position. One or two additional linebackers would go a long way in this class, and some size in the secondary, at either corner or safety, would fit their size theme for the 2021 recruiting class.

Colorado State is in much better shape than they were at this time last year. There is nothing wrong with focusing on depth to restock talent in a new coaching regime, especially when they can land a few players who have the ability to play right away. The goal for this class is to ensure the potential stars become stars and also hit on a few other players in the class.

Previous posts: Air Force, Boise State

Coming tomorrow: Fresno State