Colorado State Football: 2022 Breakout Candidates
The Rams have had a lot of turnover in the offseason. Now it’s a matter of who is the next man up for CSU.
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Who takes advantage of a fresh start?
Colorado State has new head coach. They’ve been predicted to go anywhere from two wins to .500 and a bowl game. The coaches have brought a breath of fresh air to this program and the community has started buying in. Now it remains to be seen how that pays off for the Rams. But if these four Rams can show out, Colorado State will be a scary team sooner, rather than later.
Clay Millen, QB
Millen was the heir apparent to Carson Strong at Nevada before Jay Norvell left Reno for Fort Collins and he followed. He showed why he is going to be a four-year starter for the Rams during spring practices and the spring game. Millen was consistently putting passes in the right place for his receivers to catch. And even when he made a mistake, such as a pick-six in the spring game, Millen wasn’t afraid to go right back to it.
Some Colorado State football spring game stats:
▫️Green (No. 1) offense had 522 yards
▫️Clay Millen 22-33, 292 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT
▫️Melquan Stovall nine catches, 101 yards, 1 TD
▫️Green (No. 1) defense held White to 196 total yards of offense— Kevin Lytle (@Kevin_Lytle) April 23, 2022
Ty McCullouch, WR
McCullouch is now on his third coach since committing to Colorado State in 2018. After fighting for playing time his first two years, McCullouch woke up a little bit last season with 24 receptions for 415 yards and a touchdown (and that was in a run first offense). Just imagine what he will be able to do in an Air Raid offense with a pass-first mentality.
A.J. King, DB
After playing corner at Nevada, King will switch to safety under the guidance of new defensive coordinator Feddie Banks. He was intially reluctant when the change was put in front of him at Nevada, but has embraced the challenge for this new look Rams squad. Look for King to make more plays like the one below for Colorado State.
GIVE KING A CROWN 👑
AJ King with the clutch pass breakup to give Nevada the ball back.#BattleBorn // #NevadaGrit pic.twitter.com/Ohk4NihFpe
— Nevada Football (@NevadaFootball) November 7, 2021
Drew Kulick, LB
Kulick put in the work for the Rams during the spring and then made that hard work payoff in the spring game with an interception. There are a number of injuries for the Rams that played a part here, but Kulick took advantage of the opportunities in front of him. Whether he continues that progress in the fall or remains solely a spring game star, especially within a unit that returns other stars like Dequan Jackson and Cam’ron Carter, remains to be seen. If Kulick can continue this progress, however, it looks the Rams have a cornerstone in the defensive middle for a couple years to come.
What a 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗕! 💪 The first turnover of the day courtesy of @andrew_kulick!#Stalwart x #RamGrit 🐏 pic.twitter.com/SykoKWEfdW
— Colorado State Football (@CSUFootball) April 23, 2022
