RamWire Mailbag: Speaking of the Football Team ...

Welcome to the Mailbag.

This is our way of trying to give you a closer look inside Colorado State athletics, being as open and candid as possible. This is another step being taken by Athletic Director Joe Parker and Sales, Communications and Marketing Director Chris Ferris to allow the fans greater insight to the programs they are passionate about.

Just a few ground rules … Well, just one. Don't send me your high school film. While I consider myself to be an excellent judge of talent after watching years of recruit videos as a journalist covering Colorado State athletics, my opinions are (surprisingly) not valued by the current staff of any team here. But I do wish y'all the best of luck in your pursuit of being a Ram.

Reaching into the bag …

Why was Urban Meyer in Fort Collins on campus? Advise?

That's exactly why he was here, and I can tell you he offered his services.

There's not hiding it. There are pictures of him on campus, as well as dining with Parker and CSU President Joyce McConnell in Indianapolis.

Meyer has stated many times he cherished his time in Fort Collins as an assistant coach, and he and Sonny Lubick still have a strong relationship to this day. For those reasons, he wants to see Colorado State succeed. Because of Canvas Stadium, he feels the university has all the tools needed to emerge as one of the best programs in the Group of 5, so he offered his help.

In Steve Addazio, Colorado State found someone Meyer feels strongly about, not just as a coach, but as a mentor for young men and a good fit for the Colorado State community.

What plans are in motion to revitalize the student section in Canvas?

This is always going to be a point of emphasis for Ferris and his staff. They have worked with student leadership across campus, and in 2019, introduced some new ideas: the decorating of Ram statues around campus, game-day student-group hosts, a student tailgate in the Ram parking lot and the "Go Rams Go" cheer after each CSU score.

Using the crowd at Moby Arena for the men's basketball game with Colorado as a primary example, the energy the student section can bring and the atmosphere it creates is what the teams and the university would love to see every night. Head coach Niko Medved, still stinging from the loss, was moved to the point he made it the first topic of his press conference, expressing his gratitude.

Ferris has always welcomed feedback from the students and fans, and if anybody has any ideas they'd like to discus, he's ready to listen. Email him at: chris.ferris.colostate.edu.

Does Joe Parker want to have an awful football program? Or is football just not his thing?

You probably didn't think I'd answer this one …

Sounds like you had a particular coach in mind, and it wasn't Addazio. That's OK. Differing opinions are welcome. I'm also not opposed to smarmy questions or sarcasm.

The answer is Parker wants very much to have a consistent, championship-winning football program. He'd love something that resembles what Tom Hilbert has built in volleyball playing every season at Canvas Stadium.

As for it being his thing, he's very involved with the program, which you can see with his interaction with the players, be it at practices he attends or in the locker room after games.

Remember, Parker has been at Michigan and Texas, places where football rules the kingdom. I'm absolutely positive football is "his thing," he cares about the program and the welfare of the athletic department as a whole.

Who will coach Addazio be hiring as OC and DC?

Give it some time. He's been on campus for eight days, and he had to meet with current staff and players, hit the recruiting trail for the brief time allowed and still start to construct his coaching staff. It's just my hunch he will hire an offensive coordinator to call plays, leaving him to coordinate the entire operation.

He does have ideas for his staff, and it will play out in a logical order. You would expect the coordinator positions to come early in the process to have some input into position coaches they'll work with closely.

He is set to go home at the end of this week, when recruiting isn't allowed. It will give him time to think and bring clarity to important decisions. Ideally, he said he'd like his staff in place a week before they can hit the road recruiting again.

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