One week until kickoff of the 2023 season for the CSU Rams and Mountain West media members have taken notice of the talent all over the field.
In the lead up to the season, media members voted on the top-5 players at every position, and Jay Norvell’s team is stacked with potential stars.
Where CSU Rams players landed on the lists
Wide receiver: Tory Horton, No. 1
This comes as no surprise to any CSU fan, nor any fan of Mountain West football. Not only is Horton the best receiver in the conference, he’s the best in the Group of 5 Conferences. Horton put on a dazzling display last year as basically the Rams’ only receiving threat, and he’ll be surrounded by players like Justus Ross-Simmons who were just getting their feet wet last year. Ross-Simmons and tight end Dallin Holker will take some of the coverage and pressure off Horton, who should surpass last year’s numbers (1,131 yards, 8 TDs).
Defensive lineman: Mo Kamara, No. 1
Like Horton at receiver, Kamara comes in as the conference’s best defensive lineman. He was an absolute force to be reckoned with last year, totaling 8.5 sacks and an astonishing 16.0 tackles for a loss. Kamara also forced two fumbles and recovered one. While receiver is a position the Rams have long been great at, defensive end isn’t. Mohamed Kamara gives the CSU defense an added dimension of a true pass-rushing threat and he’s part of the reason Norvell said recently, “I think we’re going to have one of the best defenses in the Mountain West Conference.”
Cornerback: Chigozie Anusiem, No. 5
Let’s keep it on the defensive side for a bit; Anusiem is the league’s fifth-best corner per voters. Anusiem was a lockdown cornerback—another position the Rams aren’t usually great at—breaking up nine passes and only allowing 22 receptions in 12 games played.
Safety: Jack Howell, No. 1
Again, an unsurprising pick as the Mountain West’s best safety is Howell. He was first-team All-Mountain West last year, led all defensive backs in the nation with 108 total tackles and enjoyed three interceptions, too. He’s an all-around great defensive back and the Rams will be one of the most difficult teams to pass against this year.
Quarterback: Clay Millen, No. 4
Millen surprised many considering it was basically his first year starting, completing 72.2% of his passes. And that was with arguably the worst offensive line in the entire nation, which gave up 59 sacks. Millen is almost certain to improve this year over last, with Horton, Holker and other young receivers around him as well as a bulked-up offensive line. He’s looking to lead the CSU Rams out of the darkness as the worst offense in the country to at least a mediocre one.
Tight end: Dallin Holker, No. 5
Holker is a crucial transfer and gives the Rams a true tight end threat in the passing game. He came over from BYU and had 42 receptions for 521 yards and three touchdowns in his career there. Holker will likely be able to help Millen and the offense attack the middle of the field and he may draw safety attention at times. That could, in turn, open up the receivers and lead to even more passing prowess.
Specialist: Tory Horton, No. 3
Not only did Horton catch a ton of passes, he was inserted into the lineup as the team’s punt returner due to attrition. Horton did a great job, averaging 15.5 yards per return and even scored a touchdown on a punt return against Wyoming.
Overall, the Rams are stacked with top-5 talent all across the football field and should be able to improve from their sad 3-9 record last year thanks to all the stars.