Colorado State University Athletics
Camp opens with a fresh start
7/31/2019 5:00:00 PM | Football
With the right tools to build, Rams ready to attack 2019
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – As Mike Bobo welcomed back the entire team to campus on Tuesday, it was for his fifth fall camp as the head football coach at Colorado State.
It would suggest the same old routine, the greetings, the meetings and a recap of the rules and procedures, but 2019 season already feels different.
Fresh, even.
"It does. I talked about this when we came out in January," Bobo said. "I thought there were some things we could patch up and keep going, but I didn't want to put a Band-Aid on it. I wanted to get to Ground Zero, and that's what I told the kids. Day one, everything we do, we're going to be held accountable, coaches and players. Everybody has a fresh start, no matter what happened last year. We had new coaches the year before that had kinda missed out on a lot when I dealt with what I dealt with, and it was a chance to get back on the same page with them."
As soon as Bobo returned from Mountain West media days, he and his staff set up a three-day retreat to go over every minute detail one could imagine. They reviewed and reflected. They set a direction, how Bobo wanted to proceed and how it was going to get done.
In actuality, the process started for the program back in January. The players could ignore the causes and effects of a 3-9 campaign in 2018, or they could address them. Bobo started the process by finding a shortcoming of his own design.
He's long talked about having a player-led team, but in being honest with himself, he realized he'd never given the team the materials to work with, nor the tools. He couldn't ask them to build their house without being properly equipped.
"I believe we are close to where I want to be," he said. "You look back and reflect, and I'm always talking about a player-led team, and I'm like, when did I give them an opportunity to really lead? It's always my voice. I think what we did is getting us to that point. Now, how are we going to handle some adversity when it hits? I've talked all since January about being calloused and tough and how we're going to handle those situations.
"What we did in the spring and summer was tough. What we're going to do in fall camp is going to be tough, but, it's a little bit different when the band is playing and the coaches aren't there. How are we going to handle those things? It's got to come from the players sometimes. Yes, it's coming from me and it's coming from the coaches, but it's got to come from the players, too."
That step alone has brought a new and refreshing vibe to the football team, and it showed in how they went about offseason training.
In the weight room, the Rams are bigger and stronger. During conditioning, they can run faster and longer. In the classroom, grade-point averages are climbing. And if a member of their accountability team is out of step, there are nine other players to which they have to answer.
"The transition period from last year to this year and the amount of resources they have given us to be able to be that player-led team has changed so much," offensive lineman Barry Wesley said. "We get together as unit councils and we discuss issues when somebody messes up. If somebody misses a workout, we get together as a council and talk about punishments. Most of the time, the team already knows what they are. Now we have the resources to be a player-led team."
Bobo is pleased with the results, which represent the first step, not a completed project. He has seen players change their approach, highlighting receiver Nikko Hall. He struggled last year as a freshman, experiencing the ups and downs many first-year players go through. Now, he's rooming with Warren Jackson and Cameron Butler, who have helped guide the youngster through an impressive summer of development.
The talk from the players is all positive. Wesley said a dedication and determination developed, areas he said weren't exactly strong points. Work is getting done, he said, because the players have regained a desire.
"It's absolutely refreshing. At the end of last season, it was a drag we didn't have the season that we wanted to," he said. "It's like going to work and you hate your job. That's what it felt like. The new program, the new accountability teams have given us an extra push to not only benefit the team, but we also don't want to let our team members down. It's an extra boost of adrenaline. Instead of asking yourself, 'I can't do this, I don't want to,' you're, 'yes, I want to, because my teammates are. He's doing it, why shouldn't I do it.' We're all holding each other accountable."
Rise and shine: With some players still taking classes, the first eight days of practice will run from 6:15-8:15 a.m. Bobo said it was the one time where a consistent schedule could be built and not affect schoolwork. After that, the team will return to afternoon practices.
Good to go: The Rams enter camp without any major medical setbacks, a fact which had Bobo looking for a wood door frame to knock on.
"That's a good thing," he said. "I can't think of anybody right now who isn't healthy."
On board: The last recruiting class was set in February with 20 players on hand for camp. The list of newcomers grew with the addition of graduate transfers Jalen Bates (defensive end, Arizona State) and Tron Folsom (linebacker, Troy), as well as transfer cornerback Marshaun Cameron from Northern Colorado.
It would suggest the same old routine, the greetings, the meetings and a recap of the rules and procedures, but 2019 season already feels different.
Fresh, even.
"It does. I talked about this when we came out in January," Bobo said. "I thought there were some things we could patch up and keep going, but I didn't want to put a Band-Aid on it. I wanted to get to Ground Zero, and that's what I told the kids. Day one, everything we do, we're going to be held accountable, coaches and players. Everybody has a fresh start, no matter what happened last year. We had new coaches the year before that had kinda missed out on a lot when I dealt with what I dealt with, and it was a chance to get back on the same page with them."
As soon as Bobo returned from Mountain West media days, he and his staff set up a three-day retreat to go over every minute detail one could imagine. They reviewed and reflected. They set a direction, how Bobo wanted to proceed and how it was going to get done.
In actuality, the process started for the program back in January. The players could ignore the causes and effects of a 3-9 campaign in 2018, or they could address them. Bobo started the process by finding a shortcoming of his own design.
He's long talked about having a player-led team, but in being honest with himself, he realized he'd never given the team the materials to work with, nor the tools. He couldn't ask them to build their house without being properly equipped.
"I believe we are close to where I want to be," he said. "You look back and reflect, and I'm always talking about a player-led team, and I'm like, when did I give them an opportunity to really lead? It's always my voice. I think what we did is getting us to that point. Now, how are we going to handle some adversity when it hits? I've talked all since January about being calloused and tough and how we're going to handle those situations.
"What we did in the spring and summer was tough. What we're going to do in fall camp is going to be tough, but, it's a little bit different when the band is playing and the coaches aren't there. How are we going to handle those things? It's got to come from the players sometimes. Yes, it's coming from me and it's coming from the coaches, but it's got to come from the players, too."
That step alone has brought a new and refreshing vibe to the football team, and it showed in how they went about offseason training.
In the weight room, the Rams are bigger and stronger. During conditioning, they can run faster and longer. In the classroom, grade-point averages are climbing. And if a member of their accountability team is out of step, there are nine other players to which they have to answer.
"The transition period from last year to this year and the amount of resources they have given us to be able to be that player-led team has changed so much," offensive lineman Barry Wesley said. "We get together as unit councils and we discuss issues when somebody messes up. If somebody misses a workout, we get together as a council and talk about punishments. Most of the time, the team already knows what they are. Now we have the resources to be a player-led team."
Bobo is pleased with the results, which represent the first step, not a completed project. He has seen players change their approach, highlighting receiver Nikko Hall. He struggled last year as a freshman, experiencing the ups and downs many first-year players go through. Now, he's rooming with Warren Jackson and Cameron Butler, who have helped guide the youngster through an impressive summer of development.
The talk from the players is all positive. Wesley said a dedication and determination developed, areas he said weren't exactly strong points. Work is getting done, he said, because the players have regained a desire.
"It's absolutely refreshing. At the end of last season, it was a drag we didn't have the season that we wanted to," he said. "It's like going to work and you hate your job. That's what it felt like. The new program, the new accountability teams have given us an extra push to not only benefit the team, but we also don't want to let our team members down. It's an extra boost of adrenaline. Instead of asking yourself, 'I can't do this, I don't want to,' you're, 'yes, I want to, because my teammates are. He's doing it, why shouldn't I do it.' We're all holding each other accountable."
Rise and shine: With some players still taking classes, the first eight days of practice will run from 6:15-8:15 a.m. Bobo said it was the one time where a consistent schedule could be built and not affect schoolwork. After that, the team will return to afternoon practices.
Good to go: The Rams enter camp without any major medical setbacks, a fact which had Bobo looking for a wood door frame to knock on.
"That's a good thing," he said. "I can't think of anybody right now who isn't healthy."
On board: The last recruiting class was set in February with 20 players on hand for camp. The list of newcomers grew with the addition of graduate transfers Jalen Bates (defensive end, Arizona State) and Tron Folsom (linebacker, Troy), as well as transfer cornerback Marshaun Cameron from Northern Colorado.
Players Mentioned
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