Best Bet: Building From Top to Bottom

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The recruiting pitch on surface doesn't seem overly enticing.

Needing to rebuild and improve an offensive line, Colorado State position coach Bill Best was seeking out players to help shore up a unit which allowed the most sacks in the nation last year. Finding the right guys was crucial, and if somebody is willing to be part of the solution, it's a start.

"I think it is a challenge, but challenges pose opportunities," Oliver Jervis said. "A big decision for me is I want to be an impact player on a team. They have talent in every position area, including the O line, they just need to mesh together. I felt I could come here, take on that challenge and make a big impact. If the O line gets together, this team will be very, very successful."

Best found three players who looked past the issue and wanted to be part of the reconstruction project. The Rams lost three regular starters from a season ago, but it was a group which was in constant flux due to a rash of injuries. Brian Crespo-Jaquez started the opener at Michigan, was injured, and lost for the season. The team used four different centers as they were forced to move Gardner to tackle from center, where he started the prior two seasons for Nevada.

They want Gardner back at center again, where he is a more natural fit and where his future lies. Jervis, Saveyon Henderson and Drew Moss all answered the call, all viewing the situation through the same lens.

Don't fear what happened, strive to plug the holes.

"I definitely looked at it as a challenge. When you hear stats like that, you kind of think that's kind of weird, but then you think, maybe I can make a difference and help in some way," Henderson said. "I feel if you can contribute to any part of the team then you're doing something right."

In this day and age, finding a replacement player in the transfer portal isn't all that hard. Finding the right person was crucial to Best. It wasn't just research and watching game film, it was getting to know the candidates, so Best traveled to each of them more than once for in-person conversations.

"It wasn't about going to find the most popular guy in the portal, it was about finding the right three guys in the portal. They came from lower levels, but they've all played, and they have the right attitude," Best said. "They're humble and they're excited to be here. With that, they're meshing really well, they're hanging out together, doing everything together, the meetings are running smoothly, they're asking the right questions and they have the camaraderie we need. And we need to have enough depth this spring to let those guys play the same positions every day. That will help us put it all together."

This is a project for Best with multiple layers. Finding a starting five is crucial to the offense's success, as the high flying Air Raid became more a ground-oriented attack and averaged just 13.2 points per game. When the Rams could throw the ball, Tory Horton proved to be one of the Mountain West's most exciting playmakers, earning all-conference honors with his 71 catches for 1,131 yards and eight scores. He's a touchdown-in-waiting, but only if the quarterback was upright.

Not all the sacks were the group up front. The running backs, tight ends and even the youngest quarterback room in the country all played a role in the 55 sacks allowed, but every offensive line worth its salt will carry the burden alone. All of those areas have to do their part, and Best has to build a position room which is strong to start with prepared reserves.

"Building a second group, and even a third group, is important, because that way guys coming in as freshmen can be a developmental squad," Best said. "You hope they can step up and play, but that will be a bonus."

Crespo-Jaquez made his first start at Michigan, and it was the only game he played. He is also out all spring recovering from surgery. Keegan Hamilton was thrown into the fire as a true freshman walk-on, starting three games at center. It wasn't ideal at the time, but it will prove beneficial down the road. He's looking for Aubrey Scott, Tex Elliott, Trevyn Heil, Cameron Cooper and a finally healthy Justin Michael to make major improvements this spring, as well as the fall.

But the starting five comes first, which is where the newcomers fit in. All of them played at smaller schools – Moss at Lamar, Jervis at Monmouth and Henderson at Lane College – but what head coach Jay Norvell likes is they all played a lot. Each of them registered more than 700 snaps as a starter a year ago, and availability is his favorite ability of all.

Now, they have to learn something new.

"The best way for me to become part of the team is come in here, humble myself and be like, whatever I learned at my old school is not what I'm doing here," Jervis said. "I want to play the way Coach Best wants me to play the O line, I'm running the offense the way Norvell wants it run. The hardest thing for me is learning the new words. At the end of the day, inside zone is inside zone, but the calls we make to get there are different. I'm trying to learn the small things step by step. It's not about putting people in the ground yet; it's about learning the offense. Once fall camp comes around, we can start really putting people down."

At the start, Henderson and Jervis will begin camp side by side, Henderson at left tackle. Moss will be Henderson's opposite bookend.

Being next to each other every day, even while learning, they feel will be beneficial to getting up to speed with everything they need to know. Having Gardner next to them is a plus.

"One of the main things is attention to detail. Learning the new ways and learning how things are run here," Henderson said. "It's not hard when you really want it; you can work toward it. It's definitely something different.

"I think we have two guys who come in together starting something new and don't know how to play with each other, you learn so much about the other person. It allows you to become a better person and a teammate. You learn how that person feels and how they are in a situation where they may be comfortable or they're not."

The wildcard is Teivis Tuioti, a defensive tackle moved to guard and thrust into the starting group. He is a player Best knows well from Nevada, a guy he always joked to the staff would look good as an offensive lineman without pressing to hard.

Or was he just planting the seed which they hope will take root this spring?

"I mean, it's possible," Best said with a smile. "Teivis is a coach's kid, and he was with us at Nevada, so I saw him develop. I've always wanted him: I never campaigned for it, other than joking. But I certainly wasn't going to turn it down. He's loyal to us as a coaching staff. He's what you want, all the intangibles, and it's our job to make him a great player."

The goal is to put it all together for a great line. The Rams need a stronger performance. On that they all agree. Gardner, the holdover, is as adamant about creating a turnaround as his coach. The newcomers understand that all so well, as he immediately became a mentor, a friend and a sounding board for all of them.

When somebody is that vested, it rubs off. The challenges, as they see them, have been accepted.

"I think when you have somebody who has a strong mindset, it makes you a better person and a better player," Henderson said. "When you can see he's real and he wants it, it makes you want it more, so you go harder."

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Cameron Cooper

Brian Crespo-Jaquez

Tex Elliott

Keegan Hamilton

Trevyn Heil

Saveyon Henderson

Tory Horton

Oliver Jervis

Justin Michael

Drew Moss

Aubrey Scott

Teivis Tuioti

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