Monday Presser: Camp Takes Turn Toward Season

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Monday, the season took a new turn. An exciting turn. One which is no longer as internal as it has been for the past eight months since Jay Norvell was announced as Colorado State's football coach.

Classes started, which brought an abrupt change to the practice schedule and the goals for those workouts. There is still much the Rams are trying to figure out for themselves, but most of the intent is turned to the season opener at Michigan on Sept. 3.

"We're starting to transition into Michigan this week," Norvell said at his first Monday press conference of the season. "That's typically how we've always done it. We like to transition the players into an in-season schedule and get them used to that, then repeat that into game week."

Norvell said he was pleased with camp, the daily attention the players responded with and meeting the expectations he sets for his program. They checked off a lot of boxes, and best yet, they came out of camp pretty healthy.

Much of the process started with the 15 spring practices, but not all hands were on deck at the time. The split practices his staff uses helped players catch up on the new schemes quicker, with more reps available to all involved. When fall started, it helped the incoming freshman to get on board quicker, and it allowed those who returned to reinstall systems at a much better rate.

"When you take a program over, you're never really happy; you're never satisfied with where you are, but you try to push the team as far as it can go," he said. "We tried to really force-feed them situations, and we're giving them experiences they can learn from. I don't think you're every pleased with where they're at. You're always pushing them to be more advanced than they are, but I do have to say this – we probably poured as many situations into this team as we have any team.

"At this point, they've really experienced quite a bit. Much further ahead of other teams than we've had. I think that's a good thing. I think this team is in good shape. We're going to find out when we start playing, but from where we were in the spring to this point, we've had very little issues injury wise, and we've had a lot of contact. This team is running well, and we poured a lot of repetitions in them, so we're stretching their game shape and getting them ready for the opener."

As much as a staff tries, Norvell said they never quite hit everything. Saturday, they'll get in a bit more during the mock game, a walkthrough for a gameday from pregame stretch through everything, including some end-of-game situations. They'll kickoff the mock game at 10 a.m., to mimic the season-opener start time.

When Monday hit, the mood changed a bit, which was welcome to the players.

"Camp is always a grind. It's getting in a lot of work in and doing that every day, so it's a bit of a relief," running back A'Jon Vivens said. "You immediately start to lock in. You need camp to get the season, so everybody is locked in and ready to go to get ready for Michigan."

Not that they haven't been practicing with a purpose. Getting better and learning the new systems has been motivating. The difference now is they have a specific target, which just happens to be the No. 6 team in the country.

One which happens to be on the road in the biggest stadium any of them have ever played a game, in front of a national television audience. It has a way of refocusing a team.

"You start practicing with a purpose. Now you have an opponent, learning their schemes, learning the different things they do," defensive tackle Devin Phillips said. "A lot of film, a lot of time put into that. You just have to be able to manage your time and get things done efficiently."

Staying Prepared

Last week, Norvell was out when he contracted Covid, proving once again the players need to remain diligent and the lineup can change at a moment's notice. It was the first time he had been diagnosed with the virus with his family being cautious throughout the pandemic because his wife, Kim, is immunocompromised. Fortunately, they both were not overly effected by the illness.

Coaching staffs always talk about the next man up having to stay prepared, but it also proved to Norvell his staff is ready for a sudden change.

"I'm a big perspective person, and we spent so much time preparing for training camp … Most of my staff and I have been together, and everybody knew what to do," Norvell said. "With all this technology, I was in every meeting, I script all the practices, so I knew what plays were coming up and I watched film with the offensive staff, and I was in all the team meetings so I could see the interaction with the players. They even Zoomed me in like the Wizard of Oz on the screen so I could talk to everybody.

"It also gives you perspective. I think it's really good to step away and watch your people work. Even in practice, I'm communicating with the quarterbacks and all that, but I stayed away from everybody because I wanted to see guys coach, I wanted to see players interact. I think it's important to get that perspective."

Feeling Settled

One of the hardest parts of spring and fall camp for returning players learning the names off all their new teammates – 59 in all, more than half the roster. It was also one of the best parts of camp, Vivens said.

There's been a tremendous amount of change, and it has created a new style of excitement for the fifth-year season. The energy around the facility is what has him and even Phillips excited for what this season can become.

"For me, it's just like another opportunity to go out and play football," Vivens said. "There is a lot of player change, and you don't know week to week how things could go, so just the opportunity to go out and play and practice, for me, I'm just grateful for everything I can get from it. It being a new season and having all this great energy, a new staff and players, I think everything feels great and I love the energy that we have. It's an exciting time."

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results