Homegrown Talent
From Pop Warner to Canvas Stadium, a group of locals have come full circle
Mike Brohard
What happened was unexpected to all of them. It’s even a bit bizarre to think life has brought them all to this point.
They were teammates, even rivals, growing up. Even before high school. They played Pop Warner football in Fort Collins together, and against each other. Then they moved on to middle school ball. Then high school.
If they didn’t know each other personally, they knew one another by reputation on the football field. Ten years ago, they were among the best players in Fort Collins. Flash forward to the current day, and Tanner Arkin, Brian Crespo-Jacquez, Duante Davis, Jack Howell, Justin Michael, Giles Pooler are players Colorado State’s football team will count on this fall.
Even today, Sarah Pooler can’t help but see them all as little boys.
“I watch practice and I see Giles throwing to Tanner in the corner of the end zone, and I’ve seen that before,” she said. “I’ve got them as 14-year olds doing the exact same play. Now it’s oh my God, could they do this in the Big House of Michigan if Giles ever gets on the field?
“They’re all part of this community. They all scattered for high school but came back to CSU. Giles and Tanner were confirmed together in eighth grade at our church. They get to play for the hometown team. You have five in one class all playing for the hometown team. Give these boys NIL deals Fort Collins. This is the hometown team.”
All of them took different routes to get to this point. Arkin and Davis, they played rec ball growing up, while the others took part on the Pop Warner program Howell’s father, John, created. The first team was the Big Horns, in honor of the college program John starred for under Sonny Lubick, sporting the same colors.
Jack and Giles grew up battling it out in quarterback camps growing up, and both would eventually leave the city to play high school football elsewhere – Jack’s family moving, Giles’ family heading to Louisville, Kent., for family reasons during a pandemic which allowed his parents to work remotely. They were the first clients former CSU coach Steve Fairchild had when he started his quarterback training business. At a youth camp, Giles was mad when Jack was named the MVP. He took the title a year later, noting Jack was not at the camp.
While both of them played quarterback through high school, only Giles still sticks at the position. But neither of them may have been the best youth quarterback in the group. That title just may belong to Michael.
“I actually was his tight end in third grade. He threw me my first touchdown,” Giles said. “I remember at Bighorns practices; the kids would always complain Justin threw the ball too hard. That was hilarious. ‘Stop throwing it so hard,’ and he’d say, ‘that’s what you were supposed to do.’”
I’d say it’s pretty crazy how it came full circle. I knew these guys – I wasn’t really close with all of them, and now they’re some of my best friends. We definitely want to change the narrative of CSU, and we want to bring a winning culture back here, just having that pride of Fort Collins and growing up here. Having those people behind us is pretty cool.Tanner Arkin
Last year, they were all back together. Most of them had been originally recruited by Mike Bobo, offers eventually remade under Steve Addazio. For the first time, they were all in the same locker room.
“I’d say it’s pretty crazy how it came full circle. I knew these guys – I wasn’t really close with all of them, and now they’re some of my best friends,” Arkin said. “We definitely want to change the narrative of CSU, and we want to bring a winning culture back here, just having that pride of Fort Collins and growing up here. Having those people behind us is pretty cool.”
Growing up, they all have stories, some shared, some remembered just a little bit differently. But they all make them laugh. Of course, they remember the best stuff best. For Arkin, it’s the about 20 touchdowns he caught from Giles as a freshman at Fossil Ridge, adding he caught a couple from Jack in middle school.
They all have memories of Michael, who frankly said he no longer played quarterback “when I became too fat.”
His teammates remember him a more favorable light.
“Justin was scary. He was scary at linebacker,” Jack said, with Giles interjecting ‘the dude was massive’. “The dude would hit. He has always been big, and I was like 100 pounds, and he was 200. I was never afraid of him. I would run around him, but if he got to you, he was scary.”
Growing up, they all kept tabs on Colorado State. Jack, naturally, because his father played there. Sarah has been a journalism professor at the university for 14 years, and many of them had family ties to the school in their neighborhood.
Attending games was part of their youth. So were CSU team camps.
“My aunt and uncle were season ticket holders, so I was always at the games,” Michael said. “I followed other schools, but I always knew what CSUs record was and who they were playing.”
As they progressed in years, they did so in talent. Soon enough, they were all dreaming of playing college football, but truth be told, not all of them were originally locked on CSU as the end-all-be-all when recruiting started.
For some, there is a draw for playing at home, but for others, they want to see something new. Jack and Giles did, and their time away reminded them of how fond they actually were of Fort Collins and the people who had supported them growing up.
When it came time to making the final decision, the choice was easy.
“My dad is from Wisconsin and went to Air Force, and my mom went to CU, so I never really stayed in touch with CSU,” Arkin said. “When they recruited me, it felt like where I needed to be, and it was clear it was my best option.”
I’m playing with all my brothers in Fort Collins, and it means something. You get to represent your family and everybody who supported you through high school, and now they can support you here.Justin Michael
What their time in Fort Collins gave them was institutional knowledge. They already didn’t like Wyoming, Air Force or CU, but it wasn’t until they actually were actually participants until they understood the full breadth of what the rivalries really meant.
They’re no longer Big Horns, a mini version of the team from which inspiration was drawn. They are now Rams, and it is special. Much more so than they ever fully realized.
“I think there’s a certain pride that comes with it. I think I can speak for everyone, we talked about having pride in this university and this state, and a lot of people overlook the state,” Jack said. “When we do turn this thing around, it will be nice there’s a good group of Colorado core guys here who are leading that push.”
No matter how big and good they become, the parents still can’t avoid seeing the flashbacks. They, too, grew close through the years, sitting in the stands and cheering, offering support in any way they could as some of the father’s coached teams.
They carpooled and had snacks on hand. They washed uniforms and cheered in the stands. Sitting there now, the memories are vivid.
“Laura Howell and I sit in the stands now and joke about, thank god we don’t have to pick up the trash after this game, or we don’t have to feed these kids orange slices,” Sarah said. “We have the memories, and I sit up there, and I look at Jack and he’s always been fast. He was fast since he was a little kid. I look at Justin Michael and he was always huge. And then Tanner was always a beast. I shot the video and Giles’ first ever TD was a pass from Justin Michael, and he ran one sock up, one sock down right into the end zone and right out the other end, just kept running.”
Little did the little kids now they’d run back into each other again, all chasing down individual dreams together once again. It’s not just high school teammates sticking together, it’s youth-league teammates together all these years later.
Back in the same fold, close or not, the bonds came easy. They now count themselves among their best friends. And their biggest supporters are still around, renting them houses to live in through their college years. They are in the stands, still supporting them.
“I’m playing with all my brothers in Fort Collins, and it means something,” Michael said. “You get to represent your family and everybody who supported you through high school, and now they can support you here.”
They never would have imagined, but they’d have it no other way now that it’s a reality. Back together again with memories of the past and yet more to create.