Pat Meyer, Colorado State’s offensive line coach responsible for 10 current recruiting commitments in the state of Florida, added offensive coordinator to his list of titles Friday.
“From Day 1, he’s taken the lead role with our offense,” said CSU coach Steve Fairchild in making the announcement.
The title had been vacant since offensive coordinator/receivers coach Greg Peterson was reassigned in the last month of the season. Fairchild hired ex-CSU assistant Dan Hammerschmidt away from Wyoming last week to become receivers coach.
“You never quite know the dynamics of everyone when you hire them and how it’s going to work together, but as soon as we got together, Pat has taken the lead role,” Fairchild said. “Whenever I left the (offensive meeting) room, he was certainly the one everything went through, so this was natural.”
Meyer already had a full plate rebuilding the offensive line following the loss of four seniors. All are likely to at least get a shot in an NFL camp.
Fairchild will continue to handle the game-day play-calling, but said, “I could eventually see him doing that, and I would not say that about many people.”
Meyer, contacted by phone while recruiting in Florida, said he was honored when Fairchild approached him after the season.
“Things happen by being at the right place at the right time with the right people,” Meyer said.
He was strength coach at Florida State for a year before returning to his alma mater in 2008. He variously held strength coach and offensive line responsibility at other stops.
“Sometimes I bounced back and forth and sometimes it wasn’t my choice,” Meyer said.
He has made himself very visible in Florida recruiting and is an attractive candidate for other staffs looking to boost their ties in the talent-rich state.
Fairchild said naturally he didn’t want to lose Meyer to another program but he also didn’t want to “get hounded by 100 people looking for a job” at next week’s coaches convention.
Meyer, a 300-plus-pound offensive lineman who shed more than 100 pounds soon after his playing career, has worn numerous hats since joining Fairchild’s staff. Besides coaching the line, he was instrumental in revamping the strength and conditioning program.
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
