It will be an interesting year for the CSU Rams.
To say the few CSU fans are upset with HC Mike Bobo would be putting it mildly. Bobo appears to be a dead man walking, who probably would’ve been fired already had he not had a cost prohibitive contract. You wonder how he will respond under even greater pressure, with Matt Lubick waiting in the wings to take over, while still sadly battling a chronic disease.
On offense, they will start QB Hill, coming off his 2nd major knee injury. While not a statue, Hill is not a mobile quarterback that can create when the pocket breaks down. This hasn’t historically been a major problem as CSU has produced decent offensive lines, with several players moving on to the NFL. The pattern has broken down of late, though, after former line coach Will Friend left for Tennessee. The offensive line is being completely rebuilt this year, with returning experience limited to prior spot duty for most of the projected starters. The O line has to be their #1 concern heading into the fall.
The WR position loses a lot of production as both Preston Williams and Bisi Johnson are off to try and make NFL rosters. Both showed well at the combine, with Bisi putting in an impressive 40 time. I always thought his game was underrated by CU fans. Both will be missed. They will need Junior WR Warren Jackson to step up this year. Jackson may not have the speed of Williams and Johnson, but he’s a lengthy 6’6. They also have an Auburn WR transfer set to arrive this summer. Overall, their receiving corp seems like it will be down this year.
We’ve seen their running backs. Serviceable players but.nothing special
Their defense has more returning starters, but that is good news / bad news, as the unit was awful. The defensive line generated almost zero pressure against a terrible CU line last year, and largely returns. Will more experience and another year in the weight room produce better results? Probably, but it should still be a plus matchup for the Buffs offensive line.
Things get more dicey in their secondary. They have a good corner in Rashad Ajayi, who played well as a freshmen, but the rest of the DBs aren’t very good. Once again, I like the matchup of Montez, Shenault, Nixon, et al. against this crew.