Lost in the madness of March and NFL free agency, spring football practices for schools around the country are kicking off this week. The Colorado State Rams have a unique situation, where the football program began spring practice today and prepares for their August 31st opener against the Texas Longhorns, while the Men’s basketball team prepares for their match-up against the Longhorns in the round of 64 at the NCAA Basketball tournament tonight. The similarities, however; end with that common opponent. The Rams football program is coming off a year of improvement in head coach Jay Norvell’s second season at the helm, and are looking to lean on one of the top recruiting classes in the Mountain West to get over the hump in year three. The Rams have gone 3-9 and 5-7, respectively in coach Norvell’s first two seasons, and haven’t appeared in a bowl game since 2017, where they lost to Marshall in the New Mexico Bowl. That was two coaches ago with a college football landscape that looked much different then than it does today
Preparing for Texas through spring practice starts today
Red-shirt Sophomore quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi is expected to compete for the starting job again in 2024 after handling most of the Rams snaps last season. He will face stiff competition from a number of other players, including incoming Freshman Darius Curry out of Long Beach, CA. Curry was a consensus three star prospect out of high school and is regarded as a pure pocket passer with the ability to create plays with his legs as well. Quarterback competitions usually receive the most attention for any program and the Rams situation expects to be no different. The Rams will also be looking to find explosiveness on offense, and a new group of wide receiver recruits from California may just provide the spark the Rams are looking for. Kory Hall, Jordan Ross, and Landon Bell are all expected to compete for a role in the passing game this season. The Rams will be looking to replace a trio of play-makers who are expected to be selected in the 2024 NFL draft as well, including star edge rusher Mo Kamara. Tight end will be another position of concern, after Dallin Holker showed out at the CSU pro-day held on campus earlier this week. Another hit to the defense will come in the secondary, as Cal transfer Chigozie Anusiem built on his solid senior season with an exceptional pro-day. Spring practice should give the Rams coaches ample opportunity to begin identifying replacements for these players, and others, while establishing the identity of the team for the upcoming season, which includes the Rams hosting the Rocky Mountain Showdown on campus for the first time since 1996, when they’ll face Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, September 14, 2024.
Colorado State Rams preparing for Texas, Mountain West schedule
— Colorado State Football (@CSUFootball) March 21, 2024
While a victory over a program now in the SEC and coming off of a 2023 College Football Playoff appearance would be a great way to kick off the 2024 season, the Rams are taking more of a long view and aiming for a bowl berth, while competing for a Mountain West Conference title. Key conference match-ups will include a trip to Colorado Springs to face Air Force on October 19, 2024, the annual Border War with Wyoming on November 16, 2024 in Fort Collins, and at Fresno State on November 23, 2024. Preparing to beat one team is hard enough, preparing to run through an improved Mountain West, with the semi-addition of former Pac-12 schools Oregon State and Washington State will be even tougher. If the Rams can beat Texas in the basketball tournament tonight, then anything is possible for the football program as they look to gain inspiration from their fellow student athletes.
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