As we get closer to signing day, everyone is going to debate the merits of the new recruits coming into Fort Collins. But the truth is that we won’t know how the 2013 class stacks up until a couple years from now.
With that in mind, now is a good time to look back at the class from 2008. All but one player has finished their career at CSU. If you’ve ever wondered, “how did CSU football get so bad?”; here is your answer. This was the offseason where Lubick was fired and Steve Fairchild came aboard. It is typical to have a down recruiting year during a coaching change; but no one could have guessed it would be this bad.
Please note that I’m grading these players on the curve, against each other.
Grade A:
Scott Albritton, LS- He was an incredibly dependable long snapper over the course of three years. If it weren’t for him, many of our punt attempts could have gone horribly awry . My only knock on Albritton was that embarrassing onside kick he attempted versus BYU. It went about three yards and then out of bounds. I can’t find the video, but if you saw it; you know what I’m talking about. Long snapper attempting an onside kick. Only Coach Fairchild.
Jordan Gragert, OL- Jordan greyshirted, then redshirted, and finally played in 10 games as a reserve during his RS-Freshman year. Started every game for the Rams in his sophomore and junior years. Depending on how his senior season goes; Gragert will probably end up as the gem of this recruiting class. Let that sink in for a moment.
Momo Thomas, CB- This poor guy was constantly on an island due to CSU’s lack of pass rush and terrible defensive schemes. He would have probably been a pretty good nickel back at a school with a better defense. Didn’t play much because of injuries, which should drop him a couple letter grades, but just wait until you see the players I’m grading him against below.
Zach Tiedgen, DL- Versatile player who played across the defensive line and saw a ton of action after redshirting out of high school. Was building serious momentum towards becoming an impact player until a serious knee injury knocked him out. He was playing basketball. Tiedgen should probably be a “Grade B”, but I’m bumping him up because of the Rams Pointe arrest. That was awesome:
