Colorado State University Athletics
Rams Build Roster for Mora’s Debut Season
1/29/2026 3:26:00 PM | Football
Program blends new faces into the mix in time for spring camp
A short window to work with, but productive all the same.
The Jim Mora era has already started to take shape with the start of winter workouts, a build-up to his first spring camp which will begin on March 8 with a full-roster on hand for the 15 scheduled workouts.
Three days after his hire as the program's 25th head coach, Mora signed a class of 26 high school players, and 17 of them will be early enrollees and will participate in the spring. After that came the transfer portal, with the signing of 38 additional players, 18 of whom have connections with Mora at UConn – 17 from the 2025 season for the Huskies, as well as Darnell Robinson, who played at UConn in 2024 before transferring to Auburn for the 2025 campaign.
Offense
Quarterback: Darius Curry, Carter Emanuel, K'saan Farrar, Hauss Hejny, Darnell Kelly, Tommy Poholsky
Curry started one game for Colorado State last season, while the transfer Hejny did the same – his coming in the opener at Oklahoma State. Farrar comes from UConn, so he knows the system. Both freshmen will be on hand in the spring.
Running Back: Mel Brown, Malichi Greaves, Durell Robinson, Cedric Ross, Damian Moore Jr., Amare Gomez, Oliver Lundberg
The experience comes from the portal, where Brown and Robinson have both put up strong numbers in the Mora system; they were teammates back in 2024. Coleman and Greaves were both reserves at UConn, with the two freshman both available in the spring.
Wide Receiver: Kojo Antwi, Lavon Brown, Stephon Daily, Troy Foster, Jackson Harper, Yasser Jackson, Makih Johnson, Tommy Maher, Antoine Martin Jr., Jordan Mosley, Cole Rhoden, Terrence Smith Jr., RJ Vick, Isaiah Watson
Maher and Brown each played in all 12 games for the Rams in 2025, posting 32 and 22 catches, respectively, both averaging better than 11 yards per catch. Vick had solid numbers at DII Virginia Union, and Mosley had 36 career catches for 661 yards and five scores in his career at Mississippi State. Smith, Johnson and Harper all played at UConn in 2025, with Smith finishing with 14 receptions, Harper with eight while playing on special teams. Foster will get a jumpstart on his career this spring.
Tight End: Brock Camp, Nader Chirchi, Grant Houser, Ryan McConnell, Pearce Spurlin III, Dominic Toy, Juice Vereen
McConnell's contribution down the stretch was overlooked in 2025, but important when injuries hit. The portal was necessary to rebuild the room, and UConn transfers Toy, Vereen and Chirchi all know the system; Vereen had his 2025 cut short by injury after four catches for 76 yards. Houser and Spurlin III both came out of high school highly regarded nationally. Spurlin III was forced to medically retire at Georgia, but surgery led to him being cleared again, leading him to Fort Collins to restart his career.
Offensive Line: Packs Ahovelo, Kentez Allen, Braden Hales, Quinton Harris, John Holthaus, Toriyan Johnson, Berlin Lillard, Sione Netane, Phillip Ocon, Diego Rodriguez, Zach Smith, Payton Stewart, Uluaki Tatafu, Jayden Tuia, Luke Van Auken, Max Vivier
Returners Holthaus and Ocon have three career starts and 14 career appearances between them. Tuia made a start at Oregon State in 2025, Johnson made 15 career appearances for UConn, while Harris started four games at right tackles for TCU last season. Vivier will be an early enrollee.
Defense
Defensive Line: Amare Bell, Cleto Chol, Ismael El Bouomrani, Tyrone Fitten, Peyton Garrett, Robby Harrison, Gabe Jones, Brandon Kelley, Desman Manuel, Jack Moran, Keegan Shank, Alton Tarber IV, Mukendi Wa-Kalonji, Stephon Wright
The Rams were excited about Jones last season, one which was limited to just one half against Washington before a freak injury ended his season. Wa-Kalonji is back after having his season cut short by injury, bringing veteran experience with his 16 starts. Injuries besieged the position, leading to youngsters Moran (eight starts), Tarber (one start) and Shank (10 games played) getting valuable game reps. Harrison has played a lot in his career, with CSU being his fifth school. Chol, Kelly, Wright all come from UConn with plenty of game experience. Three of the freshmen will enroll in time for spring camp.
Linebacker: Josh Ayers, Ace Brown, Oumar Diomande, Jaden Hernandez, Jaylen King, Jaseim Mitchell, Caleb Otlewski, Marc Pretto, Antarron Turner, Cannon Valenzuela, Mickey Williams
Mitchell came on to play a big role after beginning the season injured, starting the final four games and posting 32 stops, including 2.5 TFLs. Diomande brings immediate production after finishing second for UConn in tackles with 116 in 2025, as does Otlewski from Montana, where he led the team with 79 stops. Potts was an anchor at Grand Valley State. Brown and King will be in camp as freshmen.
Jack: Kenyon Agurs, Nykobi Brown, Garrett Keeler, Khamani Potts, Moso'oipala Tuitele
Agurs picked up his first real experience last season, starting 10 games and finishing with 29 tackles. Tuitele played in all 12 games, registering 24 tackles. Potts was at Grand Valley State and Brown comes over from UConn.
Cornerbacks: CJ Blocker, Elijah Brown, Thomas Cook Jr., Jordan Lessard, Justin Lewis, Richard Mosley III, Caleb Presley, Eli Rich
Brown and Blocker return after playing in a combined 23 games a season ago. Blocker also made one start in 2025 and totaled 23 total tackles, three pass breakups and one interception. Presley comes from San Jose State where he played in seven games and recorded 22 tackles, two pass breakups and one TFL. Mosley comes from Stone Hill and Lessard is a transfer from Laval University in Quebec, Canada.
Safeties: Jace Bellah, Kallen Martinez, Elijah Mc-Cantos, Tre'Shawn Moore, Dagan Myers, AJ Noland, Dylan Phelps, Jermaine Santana-Diaz, Atticus Tillman, Trey Vincent
Bellah led the team with four interceptions and was third on the team with 58 tackles in 2025. Phelps (one start), Noland (three starts) and Myers (one start) all had injury concerns during the year which limited them. Both transfers bring experience, with Mc-Cantos playing in 23 games the last two seasons at App State and Moore getting experience at West Georgia.
Nickelbacks: Jayden Cortell, D'Angelo Hagans Jr., Xavier Wimbush
Hagans Jr., returns as the only player to see the field in 2025, playing nine games. Cortell also returns after being sidelined by injury. Wimbush will be on campus for spring.
Specialists: Casey Carr, Cavan Craig, Walker Himebauch, Declan McKernan, Kali Nguma, Nathan Sutcliffe
Himebauch is the only returner with experience, and the longsnapper had a strong campaign in 2025. Nguma was great at North Texas, making 11-of-12 field goals in 2025 and is perfect on 135 career point-after attempts. Craig averaged 41.8 per attempt in 2025 at Wofford. McKernan will be on campus for spring.
Players Mentioned
