2022 Colorado State Rams football team

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American college football season

The 2022 Colorado State Rams football team represents Colorado State University in the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Rams are led by first-year head coach Jay Norvell and play their home games at Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado, as members of the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference.

Previous season[edit]

In Steve Addazio’s second and final year as head coach, the Rams finished the 2021 season with a 3–9 record, going 2–6 in Mountain West Conference play and finishing fifth in the Mountain division standings, above only New Mexico.[1] Colorado State lost six consecutive games to end the season after beginning conference play 2–0.

The Rams recorded wins over Toledo, San Jose State, and New Mexico. The Rams lost games against South Dakota State, Vanderbilt, and Iowa, as well as going on a six-game Mountain West losing streak against Utah State, Boise State, Wyoming, Air Force, Hawaii, and Nevada.

Addazio was fired upon the conclusion of the season after he posted a record of 4–12 through his two years tenure.[2] Four days later, on December 6, 2021, Nevada head coach Jay Norvell was hired as Colorado State’s next head coach. Nevada offensive coordinator Matt Mumme and multiple other coaches followed Norvell to Fort Collins and joined the Colorado State coaching staff.[3]

Upon the conclusion of the season, star tight end Trey McBride was named as the Nation’s best tight end and received the Mackey Award. He was also awarded unanimous All-American status, becoming the fifth consensus All-American and first unanimous All-American in school history.[4]

Preseason[edit]

Incoming transfers[edit]

As of February 16, 2022, Colorado State has added 21 transfers prior to the 2022 season, per the Coloradoan[5] and 247Sports.[6] Eleven of those transfers signed as part of the 2022 early signing class, which consisted of 22 athletes — 11 transfers and 11 high school recruits.[7]

Position Name Year High School Hometown Previous School
QB Clay Millen Rd. Freshman Mount Si Snoqualmie, WA Nevada
RB Avery Morrow Junior Garfield Seattle, WA Nevada
WR Matt Greenwald Rd. Sophomore Fairview Boulder, CO Boise State
WR Tory Horton Junior Washington Union Fresno, CA Nevada
WR Melquan Stovall Senior Junipero Serra Lancaster, CA Nevada
TE/LB Peter Montini Junior Foothill Pleasanton, CA Nevada
OL Dontae Keys Grad. Student Jack Britt Fayetteville, NC FIU
OL Gray Davis Grad. Student Parish Episcopal Dallas, TX Nevada
OL Jacob Gardner Junior Los Osos Rancho Cucamonga, CA Nevada
OL Dante Bivens Grad. Student Klein Collins Houston, TX Tulsa
OL Trevyn Heil Rd. Freshman Grandview Aurora, CO Nevada
DL/OLB C.J. Onyechi Grad. Student West Orange West Orange, NJ Rutgers
DL Teivis Tuioti Rd. Sophomore Lincoln Southeast Lincoln, NE Nevada
DB Chigozie Anusiem Rd. Senior Sonora La Habra, CA California
DB Donavann Collins Rd. Junior Cedar Hill Cedar Hill, TX TCU
DB D’Andre Greeley Sophomore Bullard Fresno, CA CCSF
DB AJ King Junior Locke Academy Los Angeles, CA Nevada
DB Greg Laday Rd. Junior Memorial Port Arthur, TX Northern Colorado
K Henry Katleman Rd. Junior Malibu Topanga, CA Oregon
P Paddy Turner Rd. Freshman Marian College Ararat, Victoria, Australia Nevada
ATH Vann Schield Sophomore Rock Canyon Castle Pines, CO CSU–Pueblo

Recruiting class of 2022[edit]

Colorado State football signed 11 recruits[8] as part of their 2022 early signing class, per 247Sports.com.[9]

Star ratings vary by recruiting service; star ratings below are 247Sports Composite ratings, a composite average of ratings across major recruiting services provided by 247Sports.com.

Position Name High School Hometown Star Rating Rating* Other Offers Commitment Date Signing Date†
QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi Aledo Aledo, TX 0.8418 Arizona, Arkansas St., Middle Tenn., Nevada,
Oregon St., Pittsburgh, Toledo		 December 14, 2021 December 15, 2021
QB Jackson Stratton La Jolla La Jolla, CA 0.8559 Brown, Columbia, FIU, Nevada, Oregon St.,
Penn, Washington, Washington St.		 December 15, 2021 December 15, 2021
WR Mekhi Fox Pasadena Pasadena, CA ‡ 0.8888 Arizona St., Florida, FAU, Nebraska, Nevada,
Oregon, UCLA, Utah, USC		 December 15, 2021 December 15, 2021
WR Louis Brown Inglewood South Los Angeles, CA 0.8178 Arizona State, Nevada December 14, 2021 December 15, 2021
WR Justus Ross-Simmons Inglewood Rochester, NY 0.8382 Nevada December 14, 2021 December 15, 2021
WR Ky Oday Jr. Cherry Creek Denver, CO 0.7993 Air Force, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado,
Penn, Wyoming		 June 7, 2021 December 15, 2021
TE Jordan Williams St. Paul Santa Fe Springs, CA 0.8426 None December 14, 2021 December 15, 2021
OL Aubrey Scott Leuzinger Compton, CA 0.8410 Arizona, Arizona St., Boise St., Kansas,
Nevada, UNLV, Utah		 December 14, 2021 December 15, 2021
OL Aaron Karas Pomona Arvada, CO 0.7943 Air Force, Army, Nevada December 12, 2021 December 15, 2021
LB Marshon Oxley Inglewood South Los Angeles, CA 0.8464 Colorado, Kansas, Michigan St., San Diego St.,
San Jose St., UNLV		 December 14, 2021 December 15, 2021
DB Corey Lambert Jr. Brother Martin Harvey, LA 0.8365 Austin Peay, Columbia, Duke, FAU, Illinois, Memphis,
Nevada, Penn, Princeton, Southern Miss, Troy, Tulane		 December 15, 2021 December 15, 2021

*= 247Sports Composite rating; ratings are out of 1.00. (five stars= 1.00–.98, four stars= .97–.90, three stars= .80–.89, two stars= .79–.70, no stars= <70)
†= National Signing Days for 2022 class: Early: December 15, 2021. Regular: February 2, 2022.[10].
‡= Despite being rated as a four star recruit by ESPN and 247Sports.com, Fox received a three star 247Sports Composite rating.

The 2022 early recruiting class included three teammates at Inglewood High School — Louis Brown, Justus Ross-Simmons, and Marshon Oxley. The class was highlighted by multiple players who flipped commitments from Nevada to Colorado State to stay with head coach Jay Norvell, as well as the class’s highest rated recruit, Mekhi Fox, who flipped from UCLA to Colorado State. The class consisted of six recruits from California, two from Colorado, and one from Texas, New York, and Louisiana.

According to the Coloradoan, four other players have committed to the team, but have not signed a National Letter of Intent.[11] They may sign a NLI at a later date, join the team as a walk-on, or play elsewhere. Either way, these players were not considered part of the official signing class:

Coaching changes[edit]

  • Head coach: On December 2, 2021, Colorado State announced that they had fired head coach Steve Addazio after two seasons. Addazio posted a record of 4–12 in his two years as head coach of the Rams.[12] Four days later, on December 6, 2021, Nevada’s head coach Jay Norvell was hired as Colorado State’s next head coach. Norvell became the program’s 24th head coach and the first Black head coach in school history.[3] Addazio was later hired by Texas A&M as an offensive line coach.[13]
  • Offensive coordinator: Nevada’s offensive coordinator Matt Mumme was hired as Colorado State’s new offensive coordinator and associate head coach. He replaced former offensive coordinator Jon Budmayr after one season.[14]
  • Defensive coordinator: Montana State’s defensive coordinator Freddie Banks was hired as Colorado State’s new defensive coordinator. He replaced former defensive coordinator Chuck Heater after two seasons. Banks had worked with Norvell previously, serving as Nevada’s cornerbacks coach in 2020.[15]
  • Special teams coordinator: UTSA special teams coordinator Tommy Perry was hired to fill the team’s special teams coordinator position that was left vacant during Addazio’s tenure.[14]
  • Running backs coach: Jeremy Moses was hired as Colorado State’s new running backs coach.[14] He replaced former running backs coach Brian White.
  • Wide receivers coach: Nevada’s wide receivers coach Timmy Chang was originally one of the many Nevada coaches planning to follow Norvell to Colorado State, but was later hired by Hawaii as their new head coach.[14] Nevada’s tight end coach Chad Savage took the job instead.
  • Tight ends coach: James Finley, the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at California high school Mater Dei, was hired as Colorado State’s new tight ends coach.[14] He replaced former tight ends coach Cody Booth.
  • Offensive line coach: Nevada’s offensive line coach Bill Best was hired as Colorado State’s new offensive line coach.[14] He replaced former offensive line coach Louie Addazio, who was hired by Nevada.[16]
  • Defensive line coach: North Dakota State’s defensive ends coach Buddha Williams was hired as Colorado State’s new defensive line coach.[17] He replaced former defensive line and assistant head coach Antoine Smith.
  • Cornerbacks coach: Marcus Patton was hired by CSU as their new cornerbacks coach. He was previously the defensive coordinator at Tarleton State.
  • Linebackers coach: Montana State’s defensive line coach Adam Pilapil followed defensive coordinator Freddie Banks to Colorado State to become the team’s new linebackers coach. He replaced former linebackers coach Sean Cronin.
  • Strength and conditioning coach: Nevada’s head strength and conditioning coach Jordan Simmons was hired for the same job at Colorado State.[14]

2022 coaching staff[edit]

Schedule[edit]

Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance
September 3 10:00 a.m. at No. 8 Michigan* ABC L 7–51 109,575
September 10 2:00 p.m. Middle Tennessee* KCDO L 19–34 27,641
September 17 3:00 p.m. at Washington State* P12N L 7–38 23,611
September 24 2:00 p.m. No. 7 (FCS) Sacramento State*
  • Canvas Stadium
  • Fort Collins, CO
 KCDO L 10–41 25,445
8:30 p.m. at Nevada FS1 W 17–14 18,255
October 15 5:00 p.m. Utah State
  • Canvas Stadium
  • Fort Collins, CO
 CBSSN L 13–17 35,009
October 22 2:00 p.m. Hawaii
  • Canvas Stadium
  • Fort Collins, CO
 SPEC PPV W 17–13 22,843
October 29 5:00 p.m. at Boise State FS1 L 10–49 33,895
November 5 8:30 p.m. at San Jose State NBCSBA L 16–28 16,382
November 12 5:00 p.m. Wyoming CBSSN L 13–14 30,300
November 19 7:00 p.m. at Air Force FS2 L 12–24 20,121
1:30 p.m. New Mexico
  • Canvas Stadium
  • Fort Collins, CO
 CBSSN W 17–0 20,107

Game summaries[edit]

No. 8 Michigan[edit]

1 2 3 4 Total
Rams 0 0 0 7 7
Wolverines 10 13 14 14 51

Middle Tennessee State[edit]

1 2 3 4 Total
Blue Raiders 10 17 7 0 34
Rams 0 0 19 0 19

Washington State[edit]

Colorado State Rams (0–2) vs Washington State Cougars (2–0) – Game summary

Period 1 2 3 4 Total
Rams 0 0 0 7 7
Cougars 21 7 3 7 38

at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA

  • Date: September 17, 2022
  • Game time: 2:00 P.M. PDT
  • Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C) Sunny
  • Game attendance: 23,611
  • Referee: Kevin Boitmann
  • TV: P12N

No. 7 (FCS) Sacramento State[edit]

1 2 3 4 Total
Hornets 7 17 7 10 41
Rams 0 10 0 0 10

Nevada[edit]

1 2 3 4 Total
Rams 14 0 0 3 17
Wolf Pack 0 7 0 7 14

Utah State[edit]

1 2 3 4 Total
Aggies 7 0 10 0 17
Rams 3 7 0 3 13

Hawaii[edit]

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (2–5) at Colorado State Rams (1–5)

Period 1 2 3 4 Total
Rainbow Warriors 3 10 0 0 13
Rams 0 3 7 7 17

at Canvas Stadium, Fort Collins, CO

Boise State[edit]

1 2 3 4 Total
Rams 3 7 0 0 10
Broncos 14 14 21 0 49

San Jose State[edit]

1 2 3 4 Total
Rams 7 3 0 6 16
Spartans 0 7 7 14 28

Wyoming[edit]

1 2 3 4 Total
Cowboys 0 7 0 7 14
Rams 7 3 0 3 13

Air Force[edit]

1 2 3 4 Total
Rams 0 0 6 6 12
Falcons 7 10 7 0 24

New Mexico[edit]

1 2 3 4 Total
Lobos 0 0 0 0 0
Rams 0 7 3 7 17

References[edit]

  1. ^ “Steve Addazio ejected, CSU football season ends in blowout for sixth consecutive loss”. KUSA (TV). November 27, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  2. ^ “Colorado State fires coach Steve Addazio after going just 4-12 in two turbulent seasons”. CBS Sports. December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  3. ^ a b “Jay Norvell to be named CSU Rams football coach, source says”. The Denver Post. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  4. ^ “Trey McBride becomes CSU Rams’ first unanimous All-American”. The Denver Post. December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  5. ^ “Colorado State football recruiting and transfer tracker”. Fort Collins Coloradoan. December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  6. ^ “Colorado State 2022 Football Commits”. 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  7. ^ “CSU Rams football early National Signing Day class of 2022”. The Denver Post. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  8. ^ “CSU football signing day tracker: Meet Colorado State’s first recruits under coach Jay Norvell”. Fort Collins Coloradoan. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  9. ^ “Colorado State 2022 Football Commits”. 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  10. ^ “National Signing Periods”. National Letter of Intent. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  11. ^ “CSU football 2022 transfer and recruit tracker”. Fort Collins Coloradoan. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  12. ^ “Colorado State fires coach Steve Addazio after going just 4-12 in two turbulent seasons”. CBS Sports. December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  13. ^ “REPORT: Steve Addazio set to be Texas A&M’s new OL Coach”. SB Nation. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g “CSU football coaching tracker: Which assistant coaches are joining Jay Norvell’s staff?”. Yahoo via Coloradoan. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  15. ^ “Montana State defensive coordinator Freddie Banks to be hired by Colorado State”. Missoulian. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  16. ^ “TWEET: CSU O-line coach Louie Addazio will become the new offensive line coach at Nevada”. Twitter. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  17. ^ “Bison defensive ends coach headed to Colorado State”. The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Retrieved January 3, 2022.