Colorado State University Athletics
Team Selects Six Captains for Season
8/17/2024 10:55:00 AM | Football
Colorado trio represents defense
Only the players vote; the coaches have no say. All the staff does is count the votes, all of which were collected on Friday.
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But as Colorado State coach Jay Norvell was doing the tallying, there wasn't a single surprise to him among the group of six who will represent the team this season.
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"I think it's the best group of captains we've ever had. They have to go out and do it now," Norvell said. "As far as their experience and the qualities they have, it was an absolute no-brainer with the vote. They were far beyond anybody else. The players were very sure these guys are their leaders."
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For the third consecutive season, center Jacob Gardner was selected, while Henry Blackburn, Tory Horton, Jack Howell and Paddy Turner return to the role a second time. Chase Wilson is a newcomer to the crew. The group has 210 career games played.
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The vote reflected not only what the captains have done since the end of the 2023 season, but a nod to what they've meant to the team through their careers. They filled the role long before the vote was taken, which is the reason they stood before their team at the end of Saturday's practice.
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For Wilson, to be named for the first time means the world to him. To do so alongside a pair of Colorado products he's followed and learned from in the past makes it even sweeter.
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"It's an absolute honor. There's not a different group of guys I'd rather lead, not a better group of guys I've been a part of as a team," Wilson said. "It's special with Henry and Jack. It's a testament to who they are, their work ethic and their leadership skills. It's funny we're all from Colorado, but they're some great dudes. I'll follow them into battle the same way.
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"Captain is not something I take lightly. It's serious, and it means a lot to me. I do feel a lot of guys will be able to lean on me, and I embrace that."
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Gardner would stand as the captain's captain, the senior member of the group since Norvell's staff arrived. His work from his arrival on campus led him to be selected his first season – initially by a large group of players who had been in the program longer – and Norvell will tell you his aura of leadership has always grown.
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He's been selfless from the start, playing his first game at CSU at center, a spot he's ideally more suited for, but moving to tackle when injuries decimated the offensive front during the season. He's not impacted his room, but the locker room as a whole.
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Heading into his third season in the role, he feels what has been built is ready to take flight.
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"It means everything to me. Those guys in there mean everything to me, and I think when you get voted a captain, it's an honor and I'm happy about it, but it's a reminder I'm here to serve them; I'm here to work for them, " Gardner said. "We still have to go out there and prove it. We can talk all we want, but it's the little things we do every day that say we're about it or not. Game day, we have to let loose and go out there and play the way we know we can play. It's up to the captains to get everybody in the mindset they need to be in, especially helping out the younger guys in case they need to step up into roles they've never had before."
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The announcement came as the team closed out fall camp, with the squad getting a day off Sunday. Monday, the first day of classes, the team will begin the normal season routine with practice, all leading up to the season opener on the road at No. 4 Texas on Aug. 31.
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But as Colorado State coach Jay Norvell was doing the tallying, there wasn't a single surprise to him among the group of six who will represent the team this season.
Â
"I think it's the best group of captains we've ever had. They have to go out and do it now," Norvell said. "As far as their experience and the qualities they have, it was an absolute no-brainer with the vote. They were far beyond anybody else. The players were very sure these guys are their leaders."
Â
For the third consecutive season, center Jacob Gardner was selected, while Henry Blackburn, Tory Horton, Jack Howell and Paddy Turner return to the role a second time. Chase Wilson is a newcomer to the crew. The group has 210 career games played.
Â
The vote reflected not only what the captains have done since the end of the 2023 season, but a nod to what they've meant to the team through their careers. They filled the role long before the vote was taken, which is the reason they stood before their team at the end of Saturday's practice.
Â
For Wilson, to be named for the first time means the world to him. To do so alongside a pair of Colorado products he's followed and learned from in the past makes it even sweeter.
Â
"It's an absolute honor. There's not a different group of guys I'd rather lead, not a better group of guys I've been a part of as a team," Wilson said. "It's special with Henry and Jack. It's a testament to who they are, their work ethic and their leadership skills. It's funny we're all from Colorado, but they're some great dudes. I'll follow them into battle the same way.
Â
"Captain is not something I take lightly. It's serious, and it means a lot to me. I do feel a lot of guys will be able to lean on me, and I embrace that."
Â
Gardner would stand as the captain's captain, the senior member of the group since Norvell's staff arrived. His work from his arrival on campus led him to be selected his first season – initially by a large group of players who had been in the program longer – and Norvell will tell you his aura of leadership has always grown.
Â
He's been selfless from the start, playing his first game at CSU at center, a spot he's ideally more suited for, but moving to tackle when injuries decimated the offensive front during the season. He's not impacted his room, but the locker room as a whole.
Â
Heading into his third season in the role, he feels what has been built is ready to take flight.
Â
"It means everything to me. Those guys in there mean everything to me, and I think when you get voted a captain, it's an honor and I'm happy about it, but it's a reminder I'm here to serve them; I'm here to work for them, " Gardner said. "We still have to go out there and prove it. We can talk all we want, but it's the little things we do every day that say we're about it or not. Game day, we have to let loose and go out there and play the way we know we can play. It's up to the captains to get everybody in the mindset they need to be in, especially helping out the younger guys in case they need to step up into roles they've never had before."
Â
The announcement came as the team closed out fall camp, with the squad getting a day off Sunday. Monday, the first day of classes, the team will begin the normal season routine with practice, all leading up to the season opener on the road at No. 4 Texas on Aug. 31.
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Players Mentioned
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