Colorado State University Athletics
Hartson Wears His Badge with Honor
4/9/2024 2:00:00 PM | Football
Willing to do it all, he’s now listed as “athlete”
The folks in charge of roster management for the website were done. Seemingly every few weeks, Brig Hartson was changing positions.
He was quarterback. A running back. A wide receiver. Sometimes back to a previous spot before moving to another. Now the walk-on from Roosevelt High School has moved to tight end. Kyle Neaves, Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Communications and Brand Enhancement opted for consistency. Sought accuracy.
This spring, Neaves simply listed Hartson as an athlete.
"That's probably my favorite thing so far about being on the team, getting to earn that title that I can do whatever it takes to help the team win," Hartson said. "It's an awesome honor.
"I got stoked. I was super excited. I had a buddy who played tight end here, and when I switched to receiver, he started calling me 'athlete' instead of my name."
Hartson has had nothing handed to him and accepted every change, every role with a willingness and a smile. He's done it the hard way, the old-school walk-on with no preferred position. He had to try out and run the 40-yard dash. When that was done, he had to wait, because all the roster spots were filled. Didn't matter. He still sat in on meetings anyhow.
And when a spot opened, coach Jay Norvell and his staff were glad to have him. He's the perfect team player who cares more about the whole than himself. A plus, he can do just about anything.
Athlete. It's easier to fit on a roster than what Giles Pooler tabbed him.
"He's ginger, right? The Irish Swiss Army Knife is what I call him," Pooler said. "He's good for everything. The big thing about him is he's willing to do everything. He just wants to get on the field.
"It's respectable. Somebody being versatile like that, it takes a lot of effort, skill and patience to learn a different position. He's done a great job doing all that, and he's really helped the team in an uncountable amount of ways."
Hartson has spent the majority of his time in the quarterback room, but he's moved to wherever the team needed a body. During the season, he's been a scout-team quarterback and a safety. He takes pride in roles others view as secondary.
No matter where the team puts him, his only thought is premium effort.
"I wouldn't be out here if I truly didn't love, one, the people, and two, the game. I had a coach a long time ago, it's not about the paper, it's about the people," he said. "It's not about where I am on the depth chart or where I am on game day, it's supporting the guys around me who I know care about me, the team and everyone else around them."
Norvell smiles at the mention of Hartson's name. He knows the story, and to him it is simply incredible. He's not just a football player, but he is holding down two jobs and his academic load.
He works 20 hours a week at Scheels. He puts in another 15 hours a week as a resident assistant at Corbett Hall. He is a good student, and fully committed to the football team. Tight end coach James Finley recalled a time when all the tight ends were going bowling. Hartson couldn't make it because of work, so he took his lunch break to meet with the guys, roll a few frames and then headed back to the grind.
"He's the best. He's the classic walk-on who has an extremely full plate, but he's just so motivated," Norvell said. "He started here as a quarterback, and we didn't have numbers on the team for him, but he wanted to be on the team. He came to meetings for a month and a half and listened to Matt (Mumme, the quarterback coach) and us talk about the offense. We just knew how committed he was and how much he wanted to be on the team, so when we did have an opening, he came right in. He does everything we want him to do. He fills in on defense, he fills in on special teams and now he's getting his opportunity at tight end. He's jumped in and learned tight end.
"All he cares about is his teammates. What a great example. I love having guys like that on our team because they remind everybody how important the team is. We love Brig."
All the work is to reach a goal, which is to play for the Rams. Moving to tight end gives him a jolt of hope, a place where he believes he can fit with his 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame.
The position is new, the approach is the same.
"Right now, I think I'm in a great spot where my skills align with the position. It's more physical than any of the other positions I've been in, and I get to utilize my hands and my speed," he said. "To be honest, I don't really care. It's wherever the team needs me and that's what I like about it."
Which is why Finley wants him to be just as focused on special teams, another place where he sees opportunity for Hartson.
Ask Hartson, he'll do it.
"If we had a lot of guys like Brig, or if a lot of guys knew what Brig did every day … He's not one of those guys who does stuff and wants you to know what he's doing. He just does it," Finley said. "That's a testament to him mom and dad and his family and hard work. He just keeps his head down and works.
"He's one of those guys who's going to be present for everything."
Hartson insists he does have a life outside of everything else – last Thursday was date night with his girlfriend. He said between her, family and teammates, they keep him grounded and help him retain his focus for every task he undertakes.
He still wouldn't change a thing. Even if he never sees the field he wouldn't.
For one, he knows he'll have stories to tell his kids, the kind which deliver a message about perseverance, persistence and putting a team first.
"Not at all. It's still the hope," Hartson said. "To be honest, I think my best chance right now is at tight end with some of our heavy formations. But if I never played a down, I would never regret a thing. I would know I had a large contribution toward helping some of these guys shaping themselves as men and the team success."
Colorado State's roster is loaded with athletic performers, but the Rams have only one Hartson, which they all consider a shame.
He was quarterback. A running back. A wide receiver. Sometimes back to a previous spot before moving to another. Now the walk-on from Roosevelt High School has moved to tight end. Kyle Neaves, Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Communications and Brand Enhancement opted for consistency. Sought accuracy.
This spring, Neaves simply listed Hartson as an athlete.
"That's probably my favorite thing so far about being on the team, getting to earn that title that I can do whatever it takes to help the team win," Hartson said. "It's an awesome honor.
"I got stoked. I was super excited. I had a buddy who played tight end here, and when I switched to receiver, he started calling me 'athlete' instead of my name."
Hartson has had nothing handed to him and accepted every change, every role with a willingness and a smile. He's done it the hard way, the old-school walk-on with no preferred position. He had to try out and run the 40-yard dash. When that was done, he had to wait, because all the roster spots were filled. Didn't matter. He still sat in on meetings anyhow.
And when a spot opened, coach Jay Norvell and his staff were glad to have him. He's the perfect team player who cares more about the whole than himself. A plus, he can do just about anything.
Athlete. It's easier to fit on a roster than what Giles Pooler tabbed him.
"He's ginger, right? The Irish Swiss Army Knife is what I call him," Pooler said. "He's good for everything. The big thing about him is he's willing to do everything. He just wants to get on the field.
"It's respectable. Somebody being versatile like that, it takes a lot of effort, skill and patience to learn a different position. He's done a great job doing all that, and he's really helped the team in an uncountable amount of ways."
Hartson has spent the majority of his time in the quarterback room, but he's moved to wherever the team needed a body. During the season, he's been a scout-team quarterback and a safety. He takes pride in roles others view as secondary.
No matter where the team puts him, his only thought is premium effort.
"I wouldn't be out here if I truly didn't love, one, the people, and two, the game. I had a coach a long time ago, it's not about the paper, it's about the people," he said. "It's not about where I am on the depth chart or where I am on game day, it's supporting the guys around me who I know care about me, the team and everyone else around them."
Norvell smiles at the mention of Hartson's name. He knows the story, and to him it is simply incredible. He's not just a football player, but he is holding down two jobs and his academic load.
He works 20 hours a week at Scheels. He puts in another 15 hours a week as a resident assistant at Corbett Hall. He is a good student, and fully committed to the football team. Tight end coach James Finley recalled a time when all the tight ends were going bowling. Hartson couldn't make it because of work, so he took his lunch break to meet with the guys, roll a few frames and then headed back to the grind.
"He's the best. He's the classic walk-on who has an extremely full plate, but he's just so motivated," Norvell said. "He started here as a quarterback, and we didn't have numbers on the team for him, but he wanted to be on the team. He came to meetings for a month and a half and listened to Matt (Mumme, the quarterback coach) and us talk about the offense. We just knew how committed he was and how much he wanted to be on the team, so when we did have an opening, he came right in. He does everything we want him to do. He fills in on defense, he fills in on special teams and now he's getting his opportunity at tight end. He's jumped in and learned tight end.
"All he cares about is his teammates. What a great example. I love having guys like that on our team because they remind everybody how important the team is. We love Brig."
All the work is to reach a goal, which is to play for the Rams. Moving to tight end gives him a jolt of hope, a place where he believes he can fit with his 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame.
The position is new, the approach is the same.
"Right now, I think I'm in a great spot where my skills align with the position. It's more physical than any of the other positions I've been in, and I get to utilize my hands and my speed," he said. "To be honest, I don't really care. It's wherever the team needs me and that's what I like about it."
Which is why Finley wants him to be just as focused on special teams, another place where he sees opportunity for Hartson.
Ask Hartson, he'll do it.
"If we had a lot of guys like Brig, or if a lot of guys knew what Brig did every day … He's not one of those guys who does stuff and wants you to know what he's doing. He just does it," Finley said. "That's a testament to him mom and dad and his family and hard work. He just keeps his head down and works.
"He's one of those guys who's going to be present for everything."
Hartson insists he does have a life outside of everything else – last Thursday was date night with his girlfriend. He said between her, family and teammates, they keep him grounded and help him retain his focus for every task he undertakes.
He still wouldn't change a thing. Even if he never sees the field he wouldn't.
For one, he knows he'll have stories to tell his kids, the kind which deliver a message about perseverance, persistence and putting a team first.
"Not at all. It's still the hope," Hartson said. "To be honest, I think my best chance right now is at tight end with some of our heavy formations. But if I never played a down, I would never regret a thing. I would know I had a large contribution toward helping some of these guys shaping themselves as men and the team success."
Colorado State's roster is loaded with athletic performers, but the Rams have only one Hartson, which they all consider a shame.
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