5 bold predictions for the Colorado State Rams in 2024

Intro [Music] good morning y'all we are back with another edition of dmvr rams live as always I am your host Justin Michael got a fun show planned for you today I'm going to get into some bold predictions for the 2024 season uh we're going to talk about some individuals also some team goals that I have uh for this fall obviously we're all hoping for this program to turn a corner in a major way I'm going to talk about some things that if they were to happen I would probably be a pretty good indication that this team is on in fact on the right track I'm G to play my sitdown interview with Gabe kerski as well as running backs coach Jeremy Moses those have been on YouTube um so some of you may have already seen it but we're going to kind of revisit it because I think they're both solid to kind of set the scene for what CSU needs to do this weekend obviously they're going to have to have some success in the trenches on both sides you want to see this team run the football better than they have in previous years I just kind of thought they would be fitting um before we get into everything we do have just kind of a couple of General news updates for you on the CSU side CSU football announced Rams updates that the New Mexico and Northern Colorado games will be broadcast on cable by altitude they'll also be available to stream via the mountainwest network so if you're someone like me uh who currently has Comcast and can't get altitude fear not you'll still be able to get it for free that's that's exciting all 12 games will be on cable this year that's big especially for some of the older fans that don't necessarily you know have access to Max or things like that I know the first true TV broadcast for the league was last night with San Jose State Sacramento State bit of a scare for San Jose State they were down at halftime didn't take the lead until early in the fourth but then kind of kind of pounded him down the stretch there a big win for a team that has a pretty tough schedule but I just I like that true TV is doing and and Max obviously I like that they're doing full pregame and postgame show that's more of a commitment to covering mountainwest football or basketball than we've seen from any of the other broadcast Partners in recent years so I think that's exciting it wasn't the best broadcast in the world don't get me wrong but they've got time to kind of refine it it was it was broadcast one it's it's early in the season for all of us if you missed it CSC women soccer they pulled out a 2-1 Road victory over Texas state that's three straight dubs for the Rams uh started with a draw and then lost a tight one at Nebraska but they've won three straights they've had five players score so far through five games uh so that's encouraging they'll take on UTSA Sunday afternoon before hosting du on the 12th uh we also got the annual white out tonight for CSU volleyball we're obviously a big volleyball Community here in the fort number 11 Florida coming in uh it should be another awesome atmosphere it always is then we've got Michigan State Saturday and a Northern Colorado on Tuesday tough start for Emily Cohen sad um unc's had our number the last couple years so hopefully we can get on track a nice start here with a couple of big wins would be big it's a veteran Squad they were picked first in the league in the preseason poll had a a couple of preseason All Conference selections as well with Malia Jones and Emory Herman big things potentially in store for CSU volleyball this fall um if there if you missed it there was an NCA 25 update looks like the majority of csu's freshman and transfers have been added I know there's still a couple of guys missing agde uniforms now are available to play um I will say I I don't know why the State pride uniforms are not in yet I I assumed they would be I imagine they will be soon I know CSU football expects them to be in at some point so we'll kind of see what happens there uh finally before we get to the interview with running backs coach Jeremy Moses I did just want to give a couple of thoughts on CSU football moving the marching band to the 50 I think it's going to make it a more prominent experience I am a sucker for tradition and pageantry and historically the CSU marching band is a big deal the numbers had been down from a size standpoint the last couple years but from what I've heard they're back up I know we all miss the trombone suicides I I think for legal reasons that's not ever going to come back um but I think having them be in the middle of the student section is is going to make it a much more intimidating experience for a visiting fans it's going to trap sound so much better when they were in the North End of the stadium there uh the sound just kind of went right out that open side and I I just think that in terms of having them be an integral part of your game day experience which they're supposed to be this move makes a lot of sense now I know there will be some students that are upset because they are losing some premium seating and the the students will now just kind of be around the band I think that's really cool I mean they are students too and honestly they're part of the program so like you could make an argument that nobody deserves it more than the band members um but I I just think it's going to make it a better overall game day experience I think it's going to make the band matter a little bit more again and to me as a college football traditionalist that's what it's all about um I'm going to get into five bold predictions here in a couple of minutes so make sure you stay locked in but uh here's an interview with CSU running backs coach Jeremy Moses interview Jeremy Moses kind of set in the scene it's a loaded backfield he talks about a couple of different guys he he hits on a true fresh Jaylen dpri he talks about Keegan Hollis being a unicorn in the college football world makes a joke about how he's a white running back first and foremost but I mean just having torn his ACL twice in three years and to be a converted walk-on wide receiver that has now you know played your way into legitimate reps with the ones and twos throughout Camp it's a really cool story talks about Justin Marshall it's a really loaded room they've got six guys that could potentially factor into it but here is Jeremy Moses from earlier this week you guys have had a big emphasis kind of going back to the spring about wanting to run the ball with more consistency uh have you guys seen what you've needed to out of that running back group to to kind of go into the season feeling good about achieving those goals uh yeah I mean uh you know reflecting back on last year things we want to do better this year is more explosive runs in the Run game um you know we were towards the the back end of the country in that last year with as effective as we throw the ball if we can be an explosive run team then it makes it hard for defenses to pick who you want to defend you want to be able to defend the box and the tail back or you want to double cover Tory but you can't do both you guys have a a lot of backs I mean probably six guys I think that you could throw out there and trust is that hard to balance as it I mean just balancing everybody's ego and what's best for the system and I mean that's in a one back offense when you've got six guys that you feel are capable of being a starter for you it creates creates friendly competition every day um which is as a coach you know I got all my toys on Christmas you want to play with all of them only one guy can be on the field at the same time but whoever's out there is going to be a really talented player a quality starter uh so there's no there's no lack of depth when it comes to our room there's no lack of explosive plays when it comes to the room now it's a good group of guys that uh compete well against each other Justin Marshall obviously performed really well down the stretch laston season what kind of growth have you seen out of him uh he just he gets more confident every day he's a great kid extremely coachable uh he's done a fantastic job starting off on the right foot in his first year in the classroom that was really important to us uh making sure he had success in the class before we put him uh all that pressure on him on the field and he's done a wonderful job with it uh he's as detailed as they come in the meeting room he's as quick as they come uh when you're trying to tackle him so he he's got a good mixture good quality makeup quality as of running back I heard a lot of good things about Jaylen Dupri a true freshman um just that he's com in really poised and maybe a little bit beyond his years definitely uh Jaylen is picked up on things faster than everybody I've ever encountered as a tailb uh he comes from a high school high-profile program in Arkansas uh where he had 90s something touchdowns in his career so he's used to being the guy on a big stage uh and you haven't seen him there's no wide eyes out there he he really comfortable where he's at he's competing at a high level he picks up on things quick he's a very serious attitude gets his work done and he will run through your soul if you're a defender in the way so a lot of good things there you guys I mean obviously run the air raid so inherently going to be throwing the football a lot but when you look at back at at Jay and when they were best at Nevada they ran the ball well obviously when he was at Oklahoma they were throwing the ball a lot they ran the ball well is this offense a little bit different than what people kind of perceive the air raid definitely um I always describe detail backs if you go to Iowa you're going to have to you're going to have to squeeze between a hole that's the size of a penny cuz they're going to pack 13 people in the Box uh we're a spread offense so when we run the ball you're going to have time and space to make things happen uh you're also going to take less hits on a consistent basis playto play so uh recruiting wise what we we tell these guys is you're going to stay healthier longer you're going to get more space to be an explosive player you're going to line up like like a receiver run real receiver routes catch the ball you're going to pass protect you're going to do everything that the NFL is looking for out of a tailback in one offense versus having questions if you're a power eye Team all you've done is run power and uh block the backside of slide protection then there's questions but we uh you know you do it all at our position so uh I think it's it makes them versatile athletes those guys are going to play special teams they can line up be a receiver they can go be a corner safety if we needed them is that the biggest challenge I mean you know you look at like what Justin Marshall did this past year as a true freshman on the surface I think it's easy to be like why didn't you just play them all 12 games then but you got to be able to handle a lot of responsibility in this system there's no doubt and when recruiting these kids sit in the home and tell their parents that academics is the number one priority and we uphold that standard I've I was dead serious I wanted him to get off to a good start prove that he can treat the college classroom like he's supposed to and then he'll get opportunities on the field but often times if a kid is overwhelmed with academics he's going to be overwhelmed with Athletics uh so we wanted to make sure the priorities were in the same order that uh we gave them when we recruited them to be consistent uh and that's what we did and it's you know it may cost us a few yards in a game or two but Justin Marshall is going to finish here with the degree a great GPA and he's going to end up being an all-time leading rusher by the time it's all said and done and then the last thing I wanted to ask you is Keegan Hollis I mean it's pretty cool story just going through what he's been through I think a lot of guys probably would have chose to hung it up but seems like he's really played his way into legitimate touches here uh he's uh a unicorn in the football World he's a white running back for one at the division one level which you don't get a lot of he's had two ACL surgeries on each knee and he shows up to practice with the toughest mindset every single day uh you could tell there's days where he's more sore than others but you don't hear any complaints he runs he doesn't talk he just runs fast sticks his to on the ground makes people Miss I'm excited to watch him live this fall uh it's been a long time coming he's going to be a breakout guy this year everybody's pulling him they all know his pulling for him they all know a story he's a great attitude in the locker room so I expect big things out of him not just on the offensive side but he's a key part of a lot of our special teams units too awesome thank you coach appreciate running backs coach Jeremy Moses for giving some time giving some insight into all those different guys I one of the biggest reasons that I have such big optimism for this offense coming in is obviously the returning talent you have under Center and out wide Braden fer niosi Tory Horton that's his Dynamic of a Duo as you could return at the QB wide receiver combo and in the G5 I mean it's there's just not a lot of teams around the country let alone you know not in power for conferences that can return a couple of guys like that but the running game I I think is going to be much improved for one thing the offensive line has looked really solid uh but obviously the depth is just significantly better van Shield did some really important work for the Rams last year he played hard they just didn't have the explosiveness the explosiveness excuse me necessary to you know consistently break off uh big runs to kind of create the dynamic plays needed to keep defense is honest and obviously they had a ton of success to the air and some of what you can do in the short game as far as the crossers and quick screens and Slants and and stuff like that goes can essentially be like a deao extension of the Run game and the air raid anyways but as Moses talked about there you know one of the things that should benefit these guys is if the passing offense is hum in the way that it's capable of you're going to have a lot of space out there and for a guy like Justin Marshall who has great vision who has you know the ability to put his foot in the ground you know make one cut and really just explode I mean his his ability to get through the hole was just something we hadn't seen probably since at least dalen Dawkins um I mean it he just he looked awesome and I mean when you watch some of these other guys in practice they've really stood out as well Keegan Hollis is the real deal Jaylen Dupri as a true freshman looks the part and you've still got Kobe Johnson you know Damen Henderson could pop in his second year in the program I I like that Jeremy Moses kind of hit on some of the things that are involved when it comes to young players in the program and their path to playing time it's not always as simple as are they athletically capable of going out there and making plays you know it's it can be overwhelming to be 18 years old in a new city in a new ath athletic and academic setting I mean a lot of these guys they struggle with that and it's important that you look out for them not just as football players but as individuals and you want what's best for their future and a lot of these guys you know would would they have benefited of getting Marshall on the field a little bit earlier probably I mean there were some games where they definitely could have used the Run game but you know he he's had some some struggles there in the classroom it sounds like he's back on track which is great to hear I love that there was accountability I love that the the staff was true to their word when it came to prioritizing not just you know football success but success in all walks of life but I think that this run game is is going to break out in a major way and I think it's going to be a major asset to the offense and uh I'm really excited so I'm gonna get into some five predictions here for CSU football uh real quick though get ready for the season ahead with quality Shades that are built to last our friends over at Shady Rays have you covered with premium polarized Shades that won't break the bank it's rated five stars we with 300,000 people their Shades have durable frames Crystal Clear Optics making them the perfect choice for all Outdoor Adventures I was on vacation recently was rocking my Shady rays in the pool had no worries you know they're really durable sunglasses you're worried about getting water spots and then if you wipe the lens it's going to scratch them up not shady race I wear those bad boys everywhere my dog you know I'm wrestling with him in the backyard he'll 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expectation going into this season I've not made a bowl game since CSU Rams 5 bold predictions 2017 haven't won one since 2013 been over a decade since either team in this state won a bowl uh but it's it's been a rough stretch for the Rams we saw them make major strides last year on the offensive side um in some ways I think you could say they maybe regressed a little bit defensively because down the stretch in 2022 despite being short-handed I felt like that defense in particular really kept CSU and some of those games allowed them to be competitive I mean they didn't really get blown out in conference play outside of the Boise State game um but uh last year you know they they struggled to play with leads they turned the ball over too much just little things that kind of added up and ended up really you know killing the Rams when it was all said and done I appreciate everybody rocking with us in the Toyota chat nice and early this morning you guys are amazing my first prediction for 2024 I think CSU was going to have at least five receivers with 4 or 50 receiving yards or more I initially was going to go CSU is going to have 21,000 wide receivers because I do think Tory Horton probably Armani Winfield I would be the other candidate have a pretty good chance to do that that'd be the first time that's ever happened I also thought about going with maybe this will be the first time that they had in a while that they have a thousand yard receiver and a thousand yard rusher that said there's so many guys that both positions that I'm not sure that anybody is going to get enough Touches for that to happen in the end but when you look at when this offense is is functioning to its peak capability it's lots of guys in the mix and obviously we saw some of that last year D Hulker was great Justice Ross Simmons and Lewis Brown really emerged this year they're deeper they are definitely deeper at receiver and I think it's it's kind of funny how it played out that way everyone was kind of panicking you know early on in Spring especially when Justice decided to depart after lb had already left for San Diego State and I I really like what they did this offseason between the guys they brought in from Power four schools and the young freshman that they've had in the class and then you know some of these sophomores that are really starting to pop their depth at receiver is through the roof and I mean I think Tory Horton I think Armani Winfield I think Donovan Oly I think Dylan GNE are all in the mix to have 450 plus receiving yards I think Caleb goody is a star on the rise and he's going to have a big year this year Jamari person has had a good spring in Camp and obviously you know there's a potential that even Jordan Ross does it as a freshman he is the real deal everything that we have heard from about him from his players or from the players and from his coaches it's been nothing but complimentary it it's been a lot of this guy works like Tori despite having all the talent he just you know puts his nose down and goes to work not a lot of talking or anything like that the depth and the talent at receivers is something that it's it just hasn't been in a while and I mean you also got to remember that somebody like Vince Brown you know could really break out at tight end somebody out of the backfield could put up big numbers as a receiver I I could see someone like you know Kobe Johnson very easily having more than you know 300 receiving yards and if he breaks off a couple of long runs he could be in the mix to to flirt with 450 or 500 yards like all these other pass catch there's just a lot of different guys and because of that with Braden back I think a lot of different guys are going to eat this year so I've got CSU with five players finishing with 450 receiving yards or more I expect Tori to have a thousand yard rece season potentially Armani Winfield to be in that mix as well I've got six different players rushing for a touchdown at some point this season that that's not the craziest of predictions when you really think about it first of all they've got six capable running backs but assuming that three or four of those guys find The End Zone one way or another you know you got to imagine that you'll have two three guys uh score in some capacity while running with the ones if you get up big on somebody at some point you know you could have some younger guys on the field I could see Braden rushing for at least one um maybe you put maybe you put one of the tight ends or something and in the back field and you have them just go a direct snap situation like we saw with d Hulker last year I I would be surprised if it was less than five but I'm going to say six different players rush for a touchdown at some point this year and if I had to predict who it was just kind of spitball in here we'll say Justin Marshall scores a rushing touchdown BFN scores a rushing touchdown Kobe Johnson scores a rushing touchdown Keegan Hollis and then I will go Damen Henderson I'm I'm say Jaylen drii gets in there too I know I didn't even include Avery Morrow but I'm going to go with those six right there and say six players score at some point this season it really wouldn't shock me if we see Jaylen Dupri in a pretty large capacity at some point I mean he really does look the the part for an 18-year-old it's pretty impressive um I had this one last year so maybe not uh maybe not super bold just being fair but I I think the Rams will return a Punt and a kick for a score at some point this year they've got really Dynamic options at in the punt return game with Tory Horton uh at kickoff I think Caleb goody Kobe Johnson either of those guys could bust one Jordan Ross has got burner speed they could put him back there I'm gonna say they return a punt and a kickoff for a score this year uh keeping it moving the Rams have not had a three-game win streak since 2019 it's been five years which yikes uh that's pretty crazy um if you remember back that was when Patrick O'Brien was a quarterback in bobos last season post Colin Hill ACL tear they went down to Albuquerque and laid it on the Lobos Warren Jackson had like an 87 yard touchdown in that game then they went into Fresno kind of gave it to him it was a fun back and forth game but it felt like they were really kind of turned in a corner especially because they came back and they they beat UNLV but then the season kind of ended as it always tended to uh in the Bobo regime with losses to Wyoming and Air Force and Boise and we all remember how that goes but they've not had a three-game win streak since 2019 if you're curious last four game win streak that was all the way back in 2017 coming out of that trip to Tuscaloosa CSU started with three of four conference games on the road and they actually won their first four with three big road wins they took down Hawaii to start then they went into Logan and won a really tight game against Utah State then that Thriller against Jaye orell actually that Nevada Squad probably the be the last true electric atmosphere in canas stadium which is crazy I mean but it really probably was that that game against uh the Nevada woolpack when Norville was there and then they beat New Mexico on the road New Mexico tends to always be a part of csu's win streaks I wanted to get real bold and say the Rams will have four straight wins at some point which would be the first time since 2017 I want to be right so we're gonna we're going to keep it at three I'm GNA say h first three- game win streak since 2019 uh looking at some times to do it obviously non-conference play would be super ideal early on in the conference slate I think there's an opportunity there but I've got the Rams winning three straight games at least at some point this season uh finally fifth bold prediction for 2024 Braden fer Nicolosi will throw for more than 4,7 yards break Garrett Grayson's 2014 single season record I kind of flirted with it last year without even playing in all 12 games if you go to a bowl if you could make it to the conference Championship Game you know that would obviously help your cause as well um but yeah I I just I have a hard time seeing bradden not put up big numbers this year all that Talent he's got out wide it's a system that inherently you know is going to allow the quarterback to put up big stats you look up what Carson strong did back in 2021 was around like 4,200 yards I believe so I I think you know throwing for more than 4,000 yards in the second year in the system with all this talent that they've got out wide with a little bit more familiarity uh between the play caller and BFN you know that's an underrated element of that change last year is you had a staff that had been committed to claim mland essentially for the last three years now you're you're switching to Braden on the Fly and it it takes it takes a while to kind of establish a give and take with each other you know as a coach you have to learn what works for players you know how they respond in certain situations when to press them when to back off all that fun stuff just being more comfortable with each other as a whole I I think we see a passing offense that really just kind of breaks through in a major way should help that you have a great offensive line should help that you should be able to run the ball with more consistency you've got more weapons out wide there's a lot of things working in Braden's favor on top of him just being an incredibly talented individual with a huge arm and great touch I I don't think he gets credit for some of the the things he does with ball placement I mean obviously everybody looks at the big throws they look at you know the holy Hulker and that was a that was a dime it was a perfectly placed ball the ball to Tory Horton to set it up where he just drops it in a bucket was even more impressive to me and same deal on that Hawaii game on fourth down obviously they ended up blowing it after but he hit Tori and stride just right over a couple of DBS in a way that just other quarterbacks have not been able to to execute they haven't been able to make those types of throws he really changes things out there and I I think he is I think he's in in position to have a really big season here um we are going to play our interview with Gabe kerski defensive end who transferred over from Wisconsin I think he has a really bright future in the program a guy whose dad Travis played in the NFL he's got some versatility to him you know he played a little bit of interior defensive line with Wisconsin got some snaps at outside linebacker this past spring now he comes over to CSU they're putting him you know as a defensive end and he'll have to put on some weight over these next couple years he's got three years of Eligibility to grow into his frame but he's explosive off the snap he's incredibly strong and he's highly athletic I I like his versatility so while he might not be like you know a first round freak in terms of being an edge rusher which is just you know 64 like 240 or something like that some of those dudes are are just insane uh I think he has an opportunity to be a really important addition for this program I think when it's all sudden done when we're looking back uh we might look at him especially with the departure of MOA and now newer gaku struggling with some turf toe issues as like the most important edition of the entire offseason and that's saying something because you brought over armanii Winfield you brought over Jackson Warren both your you know two out of your three starting Corners probably going to be transfer additions like this guy has really impressed and for him to be on the two deep in week one I think that's a testament to how quickly he was able to hit the ground running to his work ethic uh we talked about all of that um but we're GNA play that interview I just real quick want to shout out the homies over at raisen canes I might have to hit up raisin canes this afternoon on your mark get set eat make a pit stop for cravable hand battered chicken fingers always cook to order made just for you Racing for delicious chicken finger meals served up fast what are up tender chicken fingers crispy crinkle cut fries that buttery Texas toast of course don't forget about the creamy KW and the secret canes sauce for a cooked order hand batter chicken fingers Racin to raisin canes turbocharge your chicken fingers get them even faster by ordering online at raisin canes.com or through their mobile app raisin can's chicken fingers one love man I I think I might have to head over there get a little bit of extra Texas toast make myself a a raisin cane sandwich some extra sauce too that's always the move you can't go light on the sauce big part of the raising kan's experience shout out to kanes as well they they hooked us up with these lunch boxes back during the NFL draft and uh it's really come in really come in handy going to practice and stuff I'm a lunchbox guy now so shout out raisin canes we appreciate all that they do and love those chicken thingies all right we also love Kors light um between work social Med media and the choices that life throws our way it can be tough man it can be stressful uh you know I know me and my girl we've definitely been going through it and from a work standpoint she is just she's been put through the ringer of late and i' I've really felt for there have been times where I've I've wanted to get upset for her and go in there you know start flipping some tables or something like that uh but we can't you know you don't want to be that kind of guy you don't want to be over reactionary you don't want to be a bummer to be around either and knowing that I'm a hotthead I am consciously always working on it I'm doing breathing exercises I'm going out in the sunshine I'm doing the little things to make sure that I stay in a chill State of Mind once I've done all that once I've done those deep breaths once I've gotten nice and chill might crack open a nice cold Coors Light cold as the Rockies a CO light is cold logger cold filtered and cold packaged for a smoother finish make the most out of the times you choose to chill choose Kors light get Kors light delivered straight to your door with instacart by going to kite.com dnvr celebrate responsibly Kors Brewing Company Golden Colorado uh I also that's that's actually it got a little bit off task there I thought we had another ad we do not shout out kite shout out raisin KES um let's play that interview with Gabe kerski appreciate him given me a couple minutes of his time how have you been adjusting to life in Fort Collins and at CS you uh I think great it's cool to be back home able to have my family close and um being able Gabe Kirschke interview to go home on the weekends in the summer and spend time with family has been a lot of fun I think the adjustment in terms of the defense has been great feel like it it fits my my body and my style of play um so I've been able to be really freed up in terms of that so how you mentioned you know nice being closer to home closer to family how big of that was that like in your decision I want to be a little bit closer to them uh I would say it wasn't huge I think it was more of like a a nice part of it I don't think it was like the main reason makes sense just kind of a nice little perk it was a nice little perk yeah I think ultimately I was like I want to go to the best place that that fits what I'm looking to do and uh so yeah from kind of I was doing some research on and from what I've read it kind of seemed like they they moved you around a little bit like maybe played a little bit at DN played a little bit outside backer and they got you at defensive end here kind of rushing quarterback y uh do you feel like this fits your skill set yeah so I feel like this fits my skill set really good um I feel like this defense is allows you to play really free and uh yeah I played I played D tackle I played uh outside linebacker there um in the spring and so I feel like I have a lot of pieces that taught me like playing inside you learn a lot to shoot use your body the right way your arms and and your length so um being able to do that and moving out outside I feel like it really prepared me well so was that challenging just getting moving around like that and like not really kind of being able to I don't know get in a rhythm or like kind of find your spot uhhuh yeah it was it was uh hard but I feel like ultimately it was I was I I was just will to do anything to play so that was ultimately that's kind of my mindset and it's always been my mindset so yeah what was it about Wisconsin in the first place that you decided you know I'm I'm going to walk on here I'm I'm going to go for it yes I took the PW there um and I think that was I really lik the coaches a lot um I feel like they had a family atmosphere I really like that and uh yeah that that coaching staff was great so I um ended up going there I feel like they were going to develop me and the history of Walk-Ons there you look at JJ Watt and all those guys so that was uh kind of why I did that and I still feel that it was a great decision and it really prepared me so what was the the game day atmosphere like that I mean obviously you see like the videos that jump around looks pretty cool it was great it was uh it was a lot of fun um I'm just excited to go play though I'm ready to here I'm ready to go here so yeah who um are you living with any of your teammates right now oh right now I'm living by myself which is different but it's been good I spent really close to to the stadium so I I get spend time with a lot of the guys and walk here every morning so it's it's awesome yeah you know if what are some of the things you do like outside of football for just entertainment you video game guy not a big video game guy shoot I uh I like to work out um that's always been still to me by my dad but uh true she did a lot of football work but outside of that a lot of fishing I love fishing so fly fishing that's where Colorado is great it's been cool to be back and having my brother too he plays uh lacrosse to Denver so he's really close right to home to me he's a two years younger so he's going to be a freshman there so it's it's pretty cool to have all that um so end up being really cool you have to get a mummy to take out I think he's a big fly fisherman oh yeah yeah yep I know I need to get with some I I went with uh Jacob Gardener over the summer up to horse too so that was a lot of fun but yeah you know you mentioned your dad uh how big of a resource is he for you just having been through this experience and I mean does that put more pressure on you to try and live up to what he did uh I think like I feel like it's prepared me really well I have a lot of wisdom uh in my ear and he's helped me a lot in terms of how to view the game how to uh compartmentalize things and and really preparing me to uh to play and and take everything day by day um and so like having him has like he's done this and he did it for a long time it's it was really really helpful and then just kind of lastly you know Jay's talked about I mean losing Mo was obviously a tough break for the defense a really talented player but he's mentioned you know top to bottom might be actually more depth like there's more guys just what are your thoughts on on the the talent around you and kind of the defensive line as a whole no I love the guys I think uh we have a lot of talent and we're going to we play really well together um I think when you have a d line that plays good together and and it's not one person working for themselves I feel like you can get a lot done and uh that's the best uh D lines are the ones that do that you look at the Steelers they have TJ Watt and you have high Smith and you have all these guys that are super successful because they all play together so um I feel like we have a lot of uh we we're I feel like we're going be really good what's the uh mindset going into Texas uh shoot punch them in the mouth I think like ultimately you just play hard and uh you worry about yourself sounded like uh the message is kind that was kind of the message before practice there from J like you kind of go out and basically demand respect yeah exactly and uh shoot that's what that's what I always been my mindset uh through everything so been able to go against some really good guys and and so everyone is uh you just view the next person as just a player and uh when you do that it breaks it down and you're able to play um it probably help too for you like you've been in big times you know it's not going to be the first time you've been around 90 plus thousand people yep no I feel like that that really helped me like it's just another day another practice basically and you just treat that way and uh I feel like you can play really good so yeah awesome thank you I appreciate you welcome to for cins great to meet you yeah you too thanks gab appreciate Gabe for sitting down with me kind of giving some insight into what that transition process has been like for him coming over from Wisconsin I think he has a really bright future he's obviously just you know speaking with him he's he's really articulate and I I you know he was really well spoken and I I enjoyed it quite a bit so I'm interested to see kind of what he is able to do for the Rams in his first year in the program but I think he's a big addition to the team and I'm excited to see what he can do obviously losing MO is tough when you lose a guy that has that type of production it's going to be really tough to to replicate it and you know I don't think you're going to have a a one one replacement I do think that newer gatou is um he's in line for a really big year um but the turf toe stuff that can be kind of nagging so you're a little bit worried about that I do think you can kind of Moneyball it though which is essentially you know you're not going to replace Jason giomi directly but you might be able to in the Aggregate and when you look at some of these guys that they've got at the outside I think they've got some guys that are highly athletic I think you know like Kennedy McDow for instance I think think Lich in the interior I mean I think the guys they've got some guys that are going to be able to get after the quarterback I do want to give you guys a reminder that this weekend we have a watch party at the dmvr bar I would love to see you there um got some people in the comment section asking uh why I'm not traveling uh that those decisions are are not made by me um you know I'm not going to pay for it out of pocket for work that's just how it works um but I will be at the dmvr bar uh this weekend and I'm looking forward to seeing some of you guys there our friends at Kors light are giving away a Yeti cooler which is a really exciting opportunity um I will have a postgame show on Saturday roughly around 5:30 depending on when that game ends with full takeaways you know thoughts on how CSU fairs all of that fun stuff I'll obviously have uh live coverage from every home game uh I will also you know be at every practice every press conference all of that fun stuff will be there in person as much as possible that is for sure but we'll just not be able to make it this weekend in person unfortunately I would have been kind of a bucket list destination I'm I'm definitely bummed would have loved to have done it uh but I also understand the business side of things you know when you're 33 Point underdogs it's it's a bit of a tough sell obviously if CSU makes history I'll I'll have incredible fomo but you know that's just that's how it goes sometimes uh I do want to give out an official prediction before we get out of here uh I do think that for quite a few reasons uh CSU will cover that 32 point spread I think Texas is very good don't get me wrong this is a brutal matchup to start the year and if they really had the incentive to like there's probably a world where they could run it up on the Rams pretty good but with that week two trip to Michigan looming with it being a week one game in Austin in the heat I just don't think there's there's a whole lot of reason for them to keep the starters in to you know like keep going for the kill they're not going to want to put too much on film either they have got a brutal schedule in sec I mean they play Georgia they play Oklahoma obviously they're going to Michigan week two and the noncon I mean they did not they did not hold back with this 2024 slate if you look back at what they did week one against rice last year I think they played like over 70 guys in the first half alone a sarkeesian really likes to rotate and because of that and because I do think that CSU is a significantly improved team from last year especially on the offensive side I do think the Rams will cover um I've got Texas winning 38-2 uh I think Tory Horton and Armani Winfield both score a touchdown that's kind of my bold prediction for the game again I I think it'll be very similarly to like 2017 Alabama you're in the game you're never a real threat to to take it but you hang around you make some plays you score get out of there healthy get out of there with some confidence and then you go into the next 11 games which ultimately are are going to dictate you know how successful your season is I think at times you know we can get to over reactionary to week one which is certainly why I'm not like on here troll oner spouting my mouth off off of you know what we saw last night uh with those results I will say looks like a pretty similar team uh which if you're CSU you know at home you got to feel pretty good about that um but we'll we'll see I'm excited for football to be back I'm excited for this watch party presented by Kors light on Saturday I would love for you guys to come especially if you're not out in Austin I know there are quite a few of you that have made the trip out there which is awesome to see uh the Rams they've got great fans they've got great support you guys are so due you know to get the get the memorable and fun season that you know we've all just been been craving out for about a decade I I think there's a chance here for this to be quite a memorable year I think also there's a chance that it could be you know same old Ram stuff where a team with a ton of talent just finds ways to essentially not live up to their ceiling and that's been a problem far too often over the last 20 years some of those teams have been flat out bad some of them have underachieved last year they made a lot of progress but they still underachieved as a whole because that should have been a seven- win team I think you can make the argument that Boise was a fluky win but you know he should have beat CU you had him on the ropes you should have beat Hawaii you should have beat UNLV so it it stings you know to be that close and to come up short repeatedly knowing you know you had an argument that you had the best offensive and defensive player in the conference between Tory Horton and mo chimra you lose Mo this year but I I think that the depth in that D line is in a really good spot I think they're definitely deeper at receiver you're another year wiser uh under Center and I think the trenches are in the best spot that they've been since at least 2017 so I think this is going to be really fun year I think this team is going to surprise some people especially with what they are able to do offensively and and putting some points on the board I don't think it's a conference Championship or bus type season I you know you just you got to make small steps and the reality is is there's a program that has not contended in a long time but I do think they should at very minimum take a major step in the right Direction now if you're sitting there you know with like nine wins or something in November and you have an opportunity to play your way into the Mountain West championship game which is certainly possible especially given that Troy Calhoun is the only established coach that you have to face it's a whole lot of uh unproven teams and you've got a pretty good continuity on both sides of the ball you know then at that point you know you strive for more but at least in the preseason here like just being realistic I think the Hope needs to be you know they need to win like seven plus games take a couple of rivalry games you've got obviously three of all three of your Front Range rivals on the schedule two of which are at home and Air Force is is really unproven they lost 18 of 22 starters they're a very unique situation they always tend to just kind of reload but when you look at the history of the program under Calhoun there usually tends to be one or two years roughly uh for every decade where they are down and I do wonder if this is maybe one of those years that the just that many important guys that they've lost between the front seven and in the back field over these last two three years that at some point I think it's got to catch up to him um so I I again I know there's so many of you that are like I'll believe it when I see it and I think that's fair because if you're jaded at this point I can't look at you with a straight face and say that you're wrong uh but I also think that there is a possibility for this team to really do some special things with the talent that they have and I think the top end talent that they have uh in particular that combined with better depth in the offensive line just I I think they could be a pretty dangerous team in a year where the league feels pretty pretty wide open you know and I know Boise's getting a lot of love in the preseason and they should I mean that brand is is what it is for a reason and they've got a ton of talent defensively Genty I think is the best running back in the country like they should be getting a lot of love but when you look at some of these other top teams you know Fresno's kind of unproven right now just post Tedford uh can UNLV match what they did a year ago now that Maya is no longer in the picture what is Wyoming gonna be like in a different offense and no Craig bull there's just a lot of a lot of question marks right now and if you're the Rams I think you need to be looking at this situation eager and like ready to take advantage so uh again you know I I understand it's been a long time since this program has has done what it is capable of uh but think this year will be different I do and I'm not saying they're going to win double digit games or anything like that but I do firmly think they will be in the postseason I think they'll be playing relevant games come November and I'm excited to see it all play out so I see you guys on Saturday at that watch party shout out to everybody in the Toyota chat much love to all of you um I I I cannot thank you guys enough for continuing to support the content I'm going to try and get another written piece out before that game tomorrow following the game make sure you're locked into the postgame show I'll have written takeaways probably some type of column reactionary piece as well uh and I hope you guys are enjoying this this has been a lot of fun we've got more live shows than ever more YouTube content than ever I'm a oneman band but I do what I can to you know bring you guys as much Rams coverage as possible always proud to be y'all much love peace we all sitting like the mayor