Fort Collins – Dion and Damon Morton are fraternal twin brothers separated by two years of college eligibility.
Damon, a senior wide receiver for Colorado State, zipped through his career, playing as a true freshman in 2004. Dion, a sophomore wide receiver, didn’t enroll until January 2005 and redshirted that fall. The staff wasn’t sure at first whether he’d play offense or the defensive secondary. He was a record-setting quarterback in high school in Riverside, Calif.
While Damon led the Rams in receiving yards (722) last season, Dion caught two passes. Now Dion looks to move into the five-wideout rotation with Damon, Johnny Walker, George Hill and Luke Roberts.
He’s also looking to join the kick and punt return corps with his brother, Hill and Walker.
The Morton brothers answered countless questions about how twins could be two years apart (a grayshirt and redshirt for Dion). Now it’s time to settle down to business, with Dion looking to grab the lone receiving/return vacancy left by Dustin Osborn.
“After being here so long, I know what to do, what the coaches expect” said the sophomore. “I feel a lot of confidence. I had a real good spring at a few different receiving positions, so it’s easier for me to get on the field now.”
Special teams coach Dave Arnold said he likes the competition on the return unit. The Mortons have been catching nearly every ball that has come in their direction during practice.
Changing routine
The coaches changed Monday’s second practice from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and moved it to Hughes Stadium. The Rams were rewarded with an extra hour of sleep before Tuesday’s single morning session. Then CSU coach Sonny Lubick complained practice ended too late to get in his jog before meetings started.
The Rams emphasized the two-minute drill for the first time. CSU will return to the stadium for today’s afternoon practice in conjunction with a Chamber of Commerce event.
Recruiting update
The summer commitment list is growing with the addition of ThunderRidge defensive end Zach Tiedgen (6-feet-5, 225 pounds), Chatfield safety Andy Clements (6-1, 195) and San Diego Valley Center High running back Jason Klingerman (6-2, 160).
Tiedgen comes from the same program that produced CSU senior DE Jesse Nading. Clements is a 200-meter sprinter on Chatfield’s track team. Klingerman plays for the same team that was coached by CSU offensive co-coordinator Dave Lay.
Staff writer Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303 954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
