Addazio Signs First Part of His Inaugural Class

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The day represents the start of something new. For the players who sign National Letters of Intent, as well as the programs they join. With Steve Addazio now occupying the head coach's office at Colorado State, there was an added layer to Wednesday's proceedings.

Dawn had not cracked the horizon over Canvas Stadium when the activity started. Director of player personnel David Stenklyft was in first, tidying up the white boards and putting on the final organizational plans. By 5:45 a.m., the room started to fill up with members of the staff, waiting for the first letter to arrive.

It was an important one, a little piece of history at the start of the Addazio era at Colorado State. At 5:57 a.m., Dylan Walker's National Letter of Intent had cleared compliance, and the tight end out of Royersford, Pa., was soon on the phone his new with head coach, congratulations all around.

"I think these guys worked really hard to handle business," Addazio said of the staff still on hand. "I think we got a bite. We have a lot of bites left that have to be taken, but I think we're off and running. I've gone through our recruiting needs, I've gone through our roster, I've gone through every player. I have a good sense of really what we need to sign, what we need to go after.

"I have that all organized right now. I think we should be able to come back after the first of the year and hit the ground running to have a great finish to recruiting and try to complete this."

By the end of the day, the Rams had recruited from sea to shining sea, nabbing a running back from Jacksonville, Fla. (Kyjuan Herndon) on the Atlantic coast, to a defensive back from the California coast (Brandon Guzman).

Then the letters started rolling in, each met by applause from the room, excitement coming through the speakerphone, or in the case of Herndon, via FaceTime.

"Let's go Rams!," Ralston Valley product Chase Wilson shouted when Anthony Perkins let him know it was official. When John Jancek told Guzman he was awesome, the reply was, "No, you are."

Wilson was the last of the in-state products to make it official, which was notable. He marked four from the Centennial State, the most signed by CSU since five in 2015. In the case of Gatorade Player of the Year Tanner Hollens, the move came late.

Addazio had been in the Centennial State for around 24 hours when he was on the campus at Columbine to meet with the running back who rushed for more than 4,000 yards in his career.

For a kid who grew up wanting to play for Colorado State, the effort spoke volumes. He'd never seen the old staff in the building, then a day after Addazio was introduced as the Rams' head coach, he was shaking hands with the man.

"He's a really great guy and he sold my parents on everything there, then just him talking to me about the future he's trying to have, all that … he's a great guy," Hollens said. "That's pretty much the reason I committed."

He said Addazio's demeanor struck him immediately, mirroring his high school coach, Andy Lowry. Recruited as an athlete, he's ready to play where ever he fits since he will be wearing green and gold.

Hollens believes Addazio will make an impact within the borders, and the coach said he will make a point to have each member of his staff in charge of an area of Colorado, with him being personally involved.

"I've been in places where the five-hour radius was talked about. That's hard here," Addazio said. "This is more about the state of Colorado, then the auxiliary, satellite areas you're going to go into. You have to find those guys, the Colorado kids, who it's really important to them to be here. The pride in Colorado, coming to CSU is important. They're developmental guys, you come in here and develop them and they have an allegiance. I think that's critically important."

The class of nine – which can still be added to through Friday -- was split between four defenders, four on offense and Hollens' designation as an athlete, where they see him as a possible running back, slot receiver or safety. The defensive front was addressed with Casey Irons, Jr. and James Mitchell out of Texas, with Blackburn and Guzman seen as members of the secondary.

Three of the players – Blackburn, Herndon and Irons Jr. – will be midyear enrollees and on campus in time for spring camp.

Addazio has been able to analyze the current roster, and with the players already signed, he has a blueprint for moving forward in positions of need. The focal point, he said, is the offensive line, with a scattering of positions to fill in gaps. He will be active in looking for high school players, but he's not opposed to the fifth-year or transfer-portal markets.

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