Getting on the Same Page

Chad Savage does not have children of his own, yet annually he has about 14 young men he's attempting to raise.

As he's found, there are some who receive a message right away. Others need to be told multiple times. Sometimes as the adult, you have to keep talking, often altering the verbiage to deliver the same directive until it sticks.

Louis Brown IV is hearing him loud and clear now.

"When they tell me to be that player and grow up and be consistent, what I receive from that is to come in every day and do what you're supposed to do, help our offense and help our team," Brown said. "I just take pride in that and do my best to give 100 percent every time.

"It's a complete difference. In high school, some coaches aren't really hands on, and what you have to do and the work you have to put in to get to that next level in college, man, they stress it every single day, every chance they get that you have to put in the work to get where you want to get in life."

When a player should start to worry is when a coach goes silent. The quiet will speak volumes. When they talk, they still have high hopes for you, and when it comes to Brown, tapping the full potential has always been the key.

He was rushed into the lineup as a true freshman in 2022, a matter of need. He, like classmate Justus Ross-Simmons, were asked to learn on the fly. Brown showed glimpses, finishing with 12 receptions for 98 yards, and he also displayed an ability to make defenders miss in the open field.

Fast forward a season, the Rams expected even more. Lessons were learned, and reinforcements were brought in, namely Dylan Goffney, who also plays the slot. Brown responded with his best game against Colorado, hauling in 10 catches for 131 yards and a score, a 46-yarder. Then for two weeks, he went silent, just one catch to show.

"He knows. He didn't have a great game against Utah Tech, and I pulled him aside that day after and it was more of a big-brother message," Savage, the CSU receivers coach, said. "I told him he might get frustrated with me at times because I'm always on him, but it's because I have a standard and I don't want to see him fail. He understands I'm going to put pressure on him at practice and the meeting room, and I think he's starting to see that big picture.

"Now that he's starting to have success in the games, he's starting to understand the urgency he needs to have throughout the week."

Brown bounced back the past two weeks, combining for 10 catches and 87 yards. He hauled in four against Boise State, including a key 12-yard touchdown which started the comeback.

Savage isn't the only coach who has been in Brown's ear. The head man himself has delivered a narrative or two, and his presence was required even more with Ross-Simmons dealing with a hand issue.

Jay Norvell is an avid reader, one of his favorite books being 'The Cubs Way,' which talks about the building of the World Series team. One of the points he took to heart was players with high character and high talent are those coaches never have to worry about, they just perform because of those traits.

Talent alone isn't enough.

"We have to get LB to that. His practice habits, the way he studies the game plan and how he prepares for each game, it's got to be consistent," Norvell said. "It can't be up and down. Once he gets there, he'll have that same type of productivity week in and week out."

Brown is starting to see the correlation.

The week's he has really applied himself, he's seen the results in games. When he hasn't, he can see that too. And now he has a third voice in his ear.

His own.

"Going into practice every Monday through Friday, waking up every single day, it's like God blessed me to wake up and do what I want to do, and that's to play football and go hard every single day. Being able to perform and do it, I'm grateful and I take pride in that," he said. "Actually, sometimes during game weeks, I just chat to myself, like, 'come on L, this is your time, you have to step and do what you have to do to help our team win,' and I really get locked in. I tell myself it's go time."

Every receiver comes to Colorado State for a reason, which is to catch balls. There is room for multiple stars when a quarterback throws 111 passes in two games, which Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi has done the past two weeks.

In fact, Norvell says the offense is best when multiple receivers are involved. Tory Horton already has 58 catches, tight end Dallin Holker 38. Brown is third with 25, and Ross-Simmons has 20. If the running back room gets healthy, Norvell said they'll become part of the picture through the air.

It can work. For everybody. Those who are consistent in preparation, at least.

"I really think the emergence of some of those young players is going to show up in what we can be as an offense completely. This offense is best really when you're spreading the ball around to all five guys," Norvell said. "The running backs get as many touches catching the ball as running the ball when we're really clicking. We're not quite there yet."

Brown, however, has set out to prove he's received his message. Savage will still be there, making sure he's a young man of his word.

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Louis Brown IV

Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi

Dylan Goffney

Dallin Holker

Tory Horton

Justus Ross-Simmons

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