2013 Colorado State Spring Football Analysis

Colorado State Rams 2013 ... Head Coach: Jim McElwain

Colorado State Rams

2013 Schedule
Not Yet Released

Why To Be Excited If experience means anything, the Rams should be ready to make a big step forward under Steve Fairchild. It’s been a fight to get back to respectability, but CSU managed to win three of the final five games and started to show a little bit of offensive fight. 19 starters are back including nine to a defense that did a nice job of closing down the mediocre offenses and wasn’t bad against the pass. End Lanston Tanyi is done along with tackle Zach Tiedgen, but that’s it. This was a young team last season that’s now starting to mature.

Why To Be Grouchy The four wins last year came against four miserable teams – Colorado, Hawaii, UNLV and New Mexico. There are still several bad teams to play this season, but the Rams weren’t even remotely close against the good ones with all eight loses coming by double digits. It’s not like the offense went anywhere, and there aren’t any irreplaceable parts, but receiver Marquise Law is gone from the outside and top tackle Joe Caprioglio is done from the left side. The O still has to find a steady quarterback with M.J. McPeek gone and Conner Smith and Garrett Grayson fighting for time.

What Needs Working On The offense has to be more effective, and for what seems like the 19th year in a row, the ground game and line have to be stronger. The offensive front never seemed able to generate a steady push with just one 200-yard rushing game all year and a mere 12 scores on the ground. Three seniors will start in the interior, and running back Donnell Alexander came on late to look like a potential star, but now it all has to work. Getting steady quarterback play would take the heat off; teams have to stop being able to cheat up to stuff the run.

Team Concerns For 2013: The Rams are full of veterans with 18 starters returning. Now they all have to be better at playing college football. The Rams were last in the Mountain West in both scoring and yards, struggling to find a steady passing game and not getting enough out of the line to get the ground attack working. For the first time in a while, the defense started to shine with a decent year against the pass, but the front four didn't hold up well against the run.

The 2013 Class Is Heavy On ... Linebackers. The offense is getting a little bit of help with a good class of tight ends including JUCO transfer Martavius Foster and big prospect Trae Moxley, but the defense is getting the most help. JUCO transfer LaRyan King is going to be asked to be one of the team's anchors at defensive tackle from the moment he gets to practice, but it's the linebacking corps that should shine down the road with Kiel Robinson, Deonte Clyburn and Evan Colorito needing to be the foundation for the 2016 defense.

2012 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 106. That Class Was Heavy On ... New head coach Jim McElwain didn’t get any time to work after helping lead Alabama to the national title. The last few Ram recruiting classes have been strong, and they’re going to have to make due for a while with this class not likely to be anything special. The linebacking corps will get one star to work around with Deonte Wortham coming in from out of Dallas, but overall it’s going to be a mad scramble to piece something together. 

2011 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 79. That Class Was Heavy On ... Running back. Head coach Steve Fairchild took over the job a few years ago wanting to get physical with the ground game. The Rams were 103rd in the nation in rushing last year (partly because of all the sacks the line gave up). This class revolves around the backfield to help out franchise quarterback Pete Thomas with five good recruits led by big, fast Dorian Brown and with thumper George Talanoa, who could be a linebacker is he’s not a fullback.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 104. That Class Was Heavy On ... Defensive linemen. LB Charles Favors might be the star of this recruiting class, but the Rams need a few linemen to shine. With all the quarterbacks brought in last year finding more signal calling prospects wasn't a pressing need, but the Rams still signed three decent ones highlighted by Peter Thomas, a big bomber who'll get a long look this offseason. But the strength-in-numbers part of the class is on the defensive line with six players led by end Ra'Shawde Myers.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 103. That Class Was Heavy On ... Quarterbacks. Billy Farris is gone opening up a hole at quarterback, and while there are options in Grant Stucker and Klay Kubiak waiting to step in, JUCO transfer Jon Eastman will be in the mix right away, Nico Ranieri might be the most talented player of the bunch, but the new recruit might have to wait around for a few years before getting his shot.