Colorado State 2012 Recruiting

Colorado State Rams 2012 ... Head Coach: Jim McElwain

Colorado State Rams

2011 Record: 3-8

Sep. 3 at New Mexico W 14-10
Sep. 10 No Colorado W 33-14
Sep. 17 Colorado L 28-14
Sep. 24 at Utah St W 35-34 2OT
Oct. 1 San Jose State L 38-31
Oct. 8 OPEN DATE
Oct. 15 Boise State L 63-13
Oct. 22 at UTEP L 31-17
Oct. 29 at UNLV L 38-35
Nov. 5 OPEN DATE
Nov. 12 San Diego St L 18-15
Nov. 19 at TCU L 34-10
Nov. 26 Air Force L 45-21
Dec. 3 Wyoming

2010 CFN Prediction: 4-8
2010 Record: 3-9

Sept. 4 Colorado L 24-3
Sept. 11 at Nevada L 51-6
Sept. 18 at Miami Univ. L 31-10
Sept. 25 Idaho W 36-34
Oct. 2 TCU L 27-0
Oct. 9 at Air Force L 49-27
Oct. 16 UNLV W 43-10
Oct. 23 at Utah L 59-6
Oct. 30 New Mexico W 38-14
Nov. 6 at San Diego St L 24-19
Nov. 13 BYU L 49-10
Nov. 20 at Wyoming L 44-0
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Colorado State Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. LB Deonte Wortham
6-1, 220, Scout.com 58th ranked, three-star middle linebacker.

2. WR Jordan Vaden
6-3, 170, Scout.com 138th ranked, three-str receiver.

3. LB Nick Januska
6-2, 210, Scout.com 124th ranked, two-star outside linebacker.

4. LB Kevin Davis
6-2, 218, Scout.com 145th ranked, two-star outside linebacker.

5. CB D’Arric Thomas
6-0, 180, Scout.com 157th ranked, two-star cornerback.

The 2012 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.

Team Concerns For 2012: Quarterback. With Pete Thomas transferring to NC State, the Rams lose their franchise quarterback who was supposed to be hitting his stride right about now. Garrett Grayson was one of last year’s good recruits, and he has to grow up in a real hurry or McElwain will have some work to do all offseason. The O line needs the most instant help with three starters gone.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain has to jump-start an offense that finished 101st in the nation in scoring, but his bigger issue is a miserable defense. Getting more out of the defensive line is a must with three starters back and six starters returning to the back seven. Can QB Pete Thomas take another step forward under McElwain? His top receivers are back and Chris Nwoke is a good back to hand off to. However, three starters are gone up front.

The 2011 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.

Nov. 26 Air Force 45 … at Colorado State 21

(AP) FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Tim Jefferson threw three touchdown passes to Zack Kauth in the second quarter and Air Force routed rival Colorado State 45-21 Saturday night to reach bowl eligibility for the fifth straight season.

The Falcons (7-5, 3-4 Mountain West) were expected to have their best season under fifth-year coach Troy Calhoun but a spate of injuries left them battling for a bowl on their season finale instead. Their resounding win marked the first time in the program's history that Air Force has won seven or more games in five straight seasons.

The Rams (3-8, 1-5) lost their seventh straight game overall and their sixth in a row to the Falcons despite sophomore Chris Nwoke's career-best 269-yard rushing performance that included TD runs of 62 and 2 yards.

Kauth came into the game with just one TD catch this season. All three of his grabs Saturday were TDs, covering 33, 40 and 50 yards.

Asher Clark ran for 111 yards and a touchdown for the Falcons, who rolled downfield on the game's opening drive before linebacker Mychal Sisson punched the ball out of Jefferson's hands.

Linebacker Max Morgan recovered at the Colorado State 13, and the Rams then drove 87 yards and freshman Garrett Grayson hit Byron Steele with a 4-yard touchdown toss.

Colorado State would only gain 12 more yards the rest of the first half before trudging to the locker room down 31-7 thanks to Kauth's three receptions for 123 yards.

Air Force tied it on the first play of the second quarter when Kauth raced past cornerback Shaq Bell and hauled in a 33-yard TD throw from Jefferson, who was creamed by linebacker James Skelton just as he released the ball.

Kauth lined up on the left side on the Falcons' next drive, slipped past cornerback Momo Thomas and hauled in Jefferson's 40-yard touchdown toss in stride to put Air Force ahead for good.

Jefferson, who threw for 221 yards, overthrew Kauth on a fade pass into the corner of the end zone on their next possession and Air Force settled for Parker Herrington's 22-yard field goal and a 17-7 lead. But Jefferson didn't misfire the next time he targeted Kauth, who again beat Thomas and grabbed a 50-yard TD throw that made it 24-7.

Grayson, a freshman subbing for injured starter Pete Thomas (knee) scrambled for a big gain on the Rams' next drive but instead of sliding, he stayed standing as he was gang-tackled and lost the ball, his first of two fumbles that were recovered by the Falcons.

Clark reeled off a 36-yard run that set up Cody Getz's 12-yard dash into the end zone that made it 31-7 at halftime.

The Falcons responded to Nwoke's 62-yard TD with 3-yard touchdown runs by Mike DeWitt and Clark.

Nwoke's performance was his second 200-yard game this month. He gained 232 against San Diego State on Nov. 12.

The Rams host Wyoming next week in their quest to end their long losing skid dating to a 35-34 win at Utah State on Sept. 24. Coach Steve Fairchild has a year and $750,000 left on his contract and athletic director Paul Kowalczyk reiterated Saturday that he'll review his head football coach's status after the season.

Kowalczyk told The Associated Press that the NCAA's recommendation for $2,000 annual stipends for student athletes beginning in the next academic year would cost CSU about $300,000 in scholarship boosts but that would have no effect on his decision whether or not to stick with Fairchild.

Nov. 19 at TCU 34 … Colorado State 10

Nov. 12 San Diego State 18 … at Colorado State 15

Oct. 29 at UNLV 38 … Colorado State 35  

Oct. 22 at UTEP 31 ... Colorado State 17  

Oct. 15 Boise State 63 … at Colorado State 13
CFN Analysis: Colorado State ran into a buzzsaw. The offense hasn’t exactly been a juggernaut all year, and it had no chance whatsoever of keeping up the pace with a motivated Boise State team playing a near-perfect game. Take it a and blow it off; this is a BCS title-level team that did everything right, but now the Rams have lost three of the last four games with three road games in the next four. Going to UTEP will be tough unless the offense starts to pick up the pace, but going to UNLV shouldn’t be a problem. However, Pete Thomas has to be better. He and the passing game aren’t progressing as hoped, and while the Broncos might be great, completing 10-of-24 passes for 199 yards with a pick isn’t good enough. The offense has just enough talent to be better no matter what the competition. 

Oct. 1 San Jose State 38 ... at Colorado State 31
CFN Analysis: The Colorado State defense didn’t come up with the stop it needed to. The pass rush that was strong for most of the game didn’t get to Matt Faulkner late and the D got picked apart giving up a game-winning 38-yard touchdown. The offense turned the ball over three times, with Pete Thomas giving up two picks, but he threw for 387 yards and three touchdowns and had one of his best games of the year. The running game failed too often and Thomas had to press, but the O did just enough to win the game. It needed a little more help, and now it’ll be a long two weeks before facing Boise State. 

Sept. 24 Colorado State 35 … at Utah State 34 2OT
CFN Analysis: This was the gut-check win the Rams have been missing under Steve Fairchild. The offense managed to come up with the big late drive and the late touchdown to force overtime, using Chris Nwoke and a power running game that’s been missing, and Pete Thomas was cool and calm when he had to be even though the passing attack wasn’t working. The four takeaways were a huge help, and the run defense wasn’t as bad as the stat-sheet looks, giving up 281 yards and five scores. With star linebacker Mychal Sisson done for the year, others started to pick up the slack with Shaquil Barrett making 14 tackles and a sack and James Skelton coming up with ten. The Rams can hit the layup against San Jose State, they’ll be 4-1 with Boise State coming to town. With dates against UTEP, UNLV and Wyoming still to deal with, a winning season and a bowl game are musts.  

Sept. 17 Colorado 28 … Colorado State 14
CFN Analysis: The Rams did what they could, but they were hamstrung on defense with the loss of star linebacker Mychal Sisson and missing some other key players, but the offense was the real concern failing to take advantage of the poor play from the Buffs early on. Pete Thomas once again was accurate, but he’s not getting any yards after the catch and he’s not taking any shots down the field. Raymond Carter didn’t run like he did against Northern Colorado, and it put the pressure on the passing game to come through. It didn’t work. With Utah State up next, the Rams have to be ready to get more involved in a shootout, and they have to be prepared to deal with a mobile running quarterback better than they did against CU. 

Sept. 10 Colorado State 33 … Northern Colorado 14
CFN Analysis: The Rams continue to bring the pressure. After a great first week defensively against New Mexico, they dominated Northern Colorado as Nordly Capi was at it again with one of the team’s two sacks for a D that allowed just 129 yards on the ground and 87 through the air. Capi has been the story over the first two weeks, but the play of Mike Orakpo was a big key going forward with ten tackles, showing he should be a disruptive force. Offensively, Raymond Carter finally got rolling with 100 yards and two touchdowns, but Pete Thomas threw three picks and wasn’t nearly good enough on third downs. Even so, the team held on to the ball for over 41 minutes and won in a walk, but there are plenty of things to work on before dealing with Colorado.

Sept. 3 Colorado State 14 ... at New Mexico 10
CFN Analysis: It wasn’t exactly the offensive performance Colorado State would’ve liked, even though Pete Thomas completed 22-of-26 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown, but the defense was phenomenal. The front seven attacked, attacked, and attacked some more with seven sacks led by a tremendous day from Nordly Capi, who came up with three sacks and seven tackles as he helped keep the Lobo offense from ever getting on track. The Ram running game wasn’t there with Raymond Carter coming up with just 46 yards and Chris Nwoke pounding out 46 yards, while Thomas got nothing going deep. The short passing game was fine, but too many drives stalled and the points were too hard to come by. Coming up with just 270 yards against New Mexico is a warning flag. 

The 2011 Recruiting Class Is 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.

Five Colorado State Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. DT Isiah Norton
6-5, 290, Scout.com’s 27th ranked defensive tackle. Big defensive lineman, he plays hard and goes after the ball. On the minus side he plays too high at times, he has gotten away with this on the high school level but won't be able to outsize opponents on the next level. Plays all over the field and is even used in coverage and kickoff returns. Has a nose for the ball.

2. RB Dorian Brown
6-1, 225, Scout.com’s 96th ranked running back

3. TE Joe Kawulok
6-6, 210, Scout.com’s 32nd ranked tight end

4. DT Bryan Bosworth
6-1, 275, Scout.com’s 138th ranked defensive tackle

5. DE Colton Paulhus
6-2, 255, Two-star JUCO transfer

2011 Entire Recruiting Class

Keenan Adams K/P 5-10 186 Bainbridge, Ga./Bainbridge HS
Donnell Alexander RB/ATH 5-11 215 Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs South HS
Kapri Bibbs RB 5-11 203 Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North HS
Dorian Brown RB 6-1 220 Loveland, Colo./Thompson Valley HS
Sam Carlson OL 6-4 260 Wellington, Colo./Poudre HS
Trey Cassidy OL 6-3 276 Angleton, Texas/Angleton HS
Lee Clubb WR 5-10 185 Iowa Park, Texas/Iowa Park HS
Aaron Davis LB 6-0 192 Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos HS
DeAndre Elliott DB 6-1 175 Dallas, Texas/Carter HS
Nu'uvali Fa'apito LB 6-0 205 La Quinta, Calif./La Quinta HS
Garrett Grayson QB 6-2 202 Vancouver, Wash./Heritage HS
Justin Hansen OL/DL 6-5 293 Longmont, Colo./Longmont HS
Cory James LB 6-0 210 Del Rio, Texas/Del Rio HS
Blake Jones TE 6-5 235 Tulsa, Okla./Union HS
Joe Kawulok DL 6-6 220 Louisville, Colo./Monarch HS
Charles Lovett WR 5-8 170 Tampa, Fla./Hillsborough HS
Trent Matthews DB 6-3 195 Converse, Texas/Judson HS
George Maumau FB 5-11 230 Denver, Colo./Valor Christian HS
Steven Michel LB 6-1 206 Orlando, Fla./Jones HS
Isiah Norton DL 6-6 295 Dallas, Texas/Kimball HS
Robert Nunn WR 5-11 180 Bastrop, Texas/Bastrop HS
Colton Paulhus DL 6-2 260 Granite Bay, Calif./American River College
Kevin Pierre-Louis DB 6-1 190 Del Rio, Texas/Del Rio HS
Beau Reilly QB 6-4 175 Valley Center, Calif./Valley Center HS
Drew Reilly DB 6-3 190 Valley Center, Calif./Valley Center HS
Davon Riddick RB 6-0 205 Abilene, Texas/Cooper HS
Conner Smith QB 6-5 220 Richmond, Texas/Travis HS