LAS VEGAS — Tory Horton leaned back and lightly shook his head.
He took a moment to think, but the memory clearly gnawed at him.
Three times Horton and the Colorado State football team lost a game in 2023 on the final play of the game. That includes a heartbreak loss to Colorado and a defeat at Hawaii to end the season that ended bowl hopes.
“Those stuck the most,” Horton said. “All of those key games we lost by that last play. Those hurt. A lot of ‘what-ifs’ and that’s just something you think about through the season as it happens.”
Horton, Jack Howell and Jay Norvell represented CSU at this week’s Mountain West media days at Circa Resort, and learning from those close losses was one of the main talking points.
Here are takeaways from that and other things discussed by CSU.
Lessons from close losses
Four CSU games in 2023 were decided on the final possession and the Rams went 1-3 in those. Truly, the difference for a 5-7 team in not going bowling was one possession.
There’s been X’s and O’s study of what went wrong, but also a more philosophical look. Horton and Howell both said parts of the team hit moments of complacency in games, leading to losing out on the thin margins that can decide close games.
They have focused on adding extra offseason work in as much of a mindset shift as anything.
“Where did we slip at? What did we do wrong? That’s what we took into consideration,” Horton said. “What do we need to fix so this doesn’t happen? That’s why we implemented that extra work, that extra quarter or extra rep we do on our own because we don’t want to go through that feeling anymore.”
Tampering a hot topic
College football (and college sports) are rampant with tampering right now. Schools often go through a third party (such as a high school coach) to alert a player that they would have an offer for them (usually involving significant money) if they were to enter the transfer portal.
Horton has always been a player other teams had interest in and Norvell accused Ole Miss and Texas A&M of tampering, while saying most teams in the country tried to lure Horton. He has also said quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi was offered $600,000 to transfer.
It’s a much-discussed topic without much of a solution right now because it’s hard to prove tampering. Also, programs must have their business in order if they’re going to try and go to the NCAA to call out others.
Continuity, leadership core and physical growth
Norvell says he made a conscious decision when he took over at CSU to do the core of the rebuild via high school recruiting.
In the transfer era, he feels high school recruiting is underserved and the Rams can win there. But it takes time. He signed huge classes his first two years and played a lot of young players, while augmenting through the transfer portal. That also meant the Rams were bullied at times.
“We were like the young kid on the playground. Guys were pushing us around and we had to take some tough lessons and take some medicine,” Norvell said. “But you know what, our kids are growing up now. They’re not the same. Sometimes those hard lessons are the best motivators for you.”
Now, he feels the group is growing up.
“You’re trying to get 115 guys all on the same page and trusting each other and trust the staff, it takes time sometimes. We understand that. We’ve just tried to be consistent. I think the kids are coming to the understanding that this is the way things are and this is the way we have to do things,” Norvell said.
“We have great leadership. You can’t ask for better leadership than Jack Howell and Henry Blackburn and Jacob Gardner and Tory Horton. … I’m excited for that. We haven’t had any guys step outside the lines in the last couple months.”
Horton, who added 10-12 pounds, and Howell both say the physical growth of the roster is noticeable.
“If you look across this team, it’s the biggest, fastest, strongest team we’ve ever been,” Howell said. “You can look at the numbers in the weight room, the speed on the boards outside, and it won’t lie.”
Jordan Ross hype begins
Jordan Ross is one of the most high-profile recruits the CSU football program has ever landed.
The 5-foot-10, 170-pound freshman was rated as a four-star recruit by most sites and he’s the second-highest ranked recruit by 247Sports in CSU’s history.
He chose the Rams over Colorado, Michigan State, Auburn, Arizona, Notre Dame, Utah, Washington, Washington State and a number of other offers.
Recruiting rankings can lie, but the early returns are positive.
“Jordan Ross, he’s the real deal,” Howell said, without being prompted with a question about Ross. “Sometimes you get some big names and you kind of question it, but Jordan Ross is really good.”
Norvell was asked about CSU’s receiving group and discussed many of the veterans before also mentioning Ross.
“We have a young freshman named Jordan Ross, and it’s probably the last time I’m going to have to remind you what his name is. He’s pretty special,” Norvell said.
Led by Horton, the group also has Power 4 transfers in Armani Winfield (Baylor) and Donovan Ollie (Cincinnati), so Ross won’t be the focal point, but the very early signs suggest he’ll have a chance in camp to earn his way into playing time.
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado State football talks transfer portal, Jordan Ross and more
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