Following is a look at where the Rams stand on the eve of the inaugural early signing period, with recruiting information provided by 24/7 Sports.
Total commitments: 19
Commitments by position: Receiver (one), tight end (two), offensive line (three), defensive line (five), linebacker (two), defensive back (four), athlete (two).
Class ranking (Mountain West/National): No. 2 / No. 85
Top dog: Receiver Jammal Houston (John Ehret High School / Marrero, La.) holds close to 30 scholarship offers, including a long list of Power 5 suitors like Arizona, Auburn, Colorado, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. The Rams’ recent success with Biletnikoff Award finalists Rashard Higgins (2014) and Michael Gallup (2017) has undoubtedly helped draw more receiving talent to Fort Collins.
Hometown hero: Tight end Trey McBride (Fort Morgan High School) had opportunities to play on scholarship at both California and Kansas State, but spurned those out-of-state Power 5 programs for the Rams. McBride is a 6-foot-4, 240-pound pass catching tight end with the frame to develop into an even more physical blocker. He missed about half of last season with injury, but still managed a team-high 30 receptions for 450 yards.
Hidden gem: Cornerback Rashad Ajayi (Langston Hughes HS / Fairburn, Ga.) decommitted from Georgia Southern last month and pledged to the Rams on Monday. His change of heart arrives at a time when Pittsburgh also entered his recruitment with a scholarship offer. If Ajayi’s CSU commitment holds true, plenty more Power 5 programs might be wondering why they didn’t jump in as well.
Still in play: Running back Garland LaFrance (St. Augustine High School / New Orleans) decommitted from Texas Tech on Dec. 11, and 24/7 Sports now predicts CSU is the favorite to land his services. The 5-foot-9, 169-pound prospect is considered a top-50 ranked overall recruit in Louisiana. The Rams do not currently have a tailback committed to this class.
Greatest class strength: The Rams struggled to pressure the quarterback in 2017 with only 19 sacks, tied for No. 102 nationally, and so it appears CSU has put a priority on building its strength up front. The Rams have five defensive linemen committed, the most of any position group. The list includes defensive end Brandon Derrow (St. Francis De Sales High School / Columbus, Ohio) and defensive tackle Damion Daley (Ridge View High School / Columbia, S.C.), each of whom turned down Power 5 scholarship offers.
Greatest class need: CSU received a verbal commitment from quarterback Matthew Baldwin (Lake Travis High School / Austin, Texas) last summer, but he jumped to Ohio State earlier this month. That leaves the Rams without a quarterback recruit in this class. CSU should be confident with Collin Hill, a redshirt sophomore next fall, as the Rams’ leader moving forward. But adding a quarterback in this class will be key for CSU’s depth at the position.
Bottom line: CSU has a much better product to sell in recruiting through one complete cycle with its on-campus stadium. But the Rams will likely find more difficulty in signing players during the early period than a well-established Power 5 school. CSU will feel much better if it can lock in at least 80 percent of its current commitments on Wednesday.
2018 Colorado State football commitments
WR Jammal Houston, 6-2, 180 (John Ehret HS / Marrero, La.)
CB Nick Martin-Morman, 5-10, 167 (Archbishop Hannan HS / Covington, La.)
DE Brandon Derrow, 6-4, 243 (St. Francis De Sales HS / Columbus, Ohio)
S Quinn Brinnon, 6-0, 185 (Bishop O’Dowd HS / Oakland, Calif.)
S Tywan Francis, 5-11, 180 (Landry-Walker HS / New Orleans)
TE Trey McBride, 6-4, 240 (Fort Morgan HS / Fort Morgan)
DL Damion Dickens, 6-2, 250 (Copia-Lincoln CC / Wesson, Miss.)
ATH Teja Young, 5-11, 170 (Palm Beach Lakes HS / West Palm Beach, Fla.)
LB Zach Schlager, 6-1, 211 (McCook Senior HS / McCook, Neb.)
DT Damion Daley, 6-4, 260 (Ridge View HS / Columbia, S.C.)
TE Gary Williams, 6-3, 220 (Zebulon B. Vance HS / Charlotte, N.C.)
LB Rushton Roberts, 6-4, 220 (The Bolles School / Jacksonville, Fla.)
ATH A’Jon Vivens, 6-0, 180 (Mullen HS / Denver)
DE Troy Golden, 6-3, 207 (Olympia HS / Orlando, Fla.)
CB Rashad Ajayi, 5-11, 175 (Langston Hughes HS / Fairburn, Ga.)
LS Ross Reiter, 6-0, 235 (Brophy College Preparatory / Pheonix, Ariz.)
OL Spencer Lovell, 6-7, 315 (Rocky Mountain HS / Fort Collins)
OL Florian McCann, 6-5, 270 (Mullen HS / Denver)
DE Jan-Phillip Bombek, 6-3, 255 (Feather River College / Quincy, Calif.)