FORT COLLINS — Colorado State will have four of its five starting offensive linemen from 2015 back this season, and Rams coach Mike Bobo is paying the group the compliment of having high expectations.
“I would have to say, in the first part of spring, I was a little bit disappointed with how we started up front,” Bobo said after Tuesday’s practice.
Bobo then brought up offensive coordinator Will Friend, who handles the line, including the returning starters — center Jake Bennett, guard Fred Zerblis and tackles Zack Golditch and Nick Callender. (Golditch played guard most of last season, but he is back at tackle, replacing the departed Sam Carlson.)
“Coach Friend has done what line coaches do, and that’s not relent, not let up and drive them,” Bobo said. “He probably drove them harder today than he did all spring, and I’ve seen improvement in every practice and every scrimmage. That’s what we have to continue to do. Just because four returning starters are coming back doesn’t mean automatically we’re going to be able to line up and be dominant. There’s a lot of work to do.”
Bennett, a junior from Bear Creek High, is in his third season as a starter, although a knee injury cut short his redshirt freshman year in 2014.
“We’ve definitely lost some big guys along the way,” Bennett said. “But we found a way to keep it going. Having four back, though, it’s nice to have that rapport and communication.”
Bennett called his football health “miles better than what it was this time last year. I’m feeling a lot better. My knees feel great, which is very nice because I don’t feel like I’m stuck in mud anymore.”
Zerblis, a senior from Grayson, Ga., said of his rapport with Bennett: “Honestly, we don’t even have to make any calls. We kind of know from where people are at, the (defensive) looks we get. We know what we’re doing.”
This is the line’s second spring in the up-tempo Bobo offense.
“I think this spring’s going way better,” Zerblis said. “Last year, we were just trying to learn the plays and understand what they want. This year, we’re really focusing on technique and fundamentals, footwork and steps, and eye development.”
Footnotes. Bobo confirmed that junior wide receiver Deionte Gaines is “not with the football team right now. … It’s an in-house matter right now. I’m not going to comment about it until I have a final statement.” Gaines was held out of the Arizona Bowl because of academic issues. … The spring game Saturday will be defense (Green) vs. offense (Gold), with a modified scoring system. Bobo said he would prefer to have more of a full game, perhaps with a draft, but said it wouldn’t be feasible this year because of manpower and depth issues.
Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or @TFrei
