After years of fans suffering through watching a conservative offense in Fort Collins, things look to be changing quickly for Colorado State.
Jim McElwain, who just helped coach Alabama to their second BCS Championship in three years, is an offensive genius.
The same can arguably be said about his offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin, and quarterbacks coach Billy Napier, who was the offensive quality control assistant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama with Coach Mac last year.
Napier, 32, is the youngest coach on staff and his youthful exuberance may be what gives him the inside track with teenagers as he's become a “recruiting guru.”
From 2006-2008, Napier split his workload, working with the offense in different capacities, while being Clemson's head recruiter as well. Napier put together two top-25 classes for the Tigers, including the second-best class in the nation in 2008 according to ESPN.com.
And while he'll undoubtedly be involved in recruiting in the future, Napier's immediate responsibility is to coach up Colorado State's four quarterbacks.
The Rams are in good hands.
At age 29, he was the youngest—and possibly most successful—offensive coordinator in Clemson history, as his play-calling helped the Tigers score a school record 436 points and finish with a 9-5 record and Music City Bowl win over Kentucky.
Conversely, the Rams haven't scored 400-plus points since 2002—when they went 10-2 under Sonny Lubick—and CSU's scoring has averaged 19.8 points per game the last three years.
No, Napier won't be calling the plays for the Rams, Baldwin will, but he can use his previous experience in big programs to push CSU QBs into special, yet unforeseen territory.
And while he couldn't speak specifically about which quarterback holds the lead to be the starter in 2012, Napier did comment on what the coaching staff will be looking for in terms of the offense's leader.
“Well I think the quarterback position is one we'll evaluate in Spring practice,” he explained. “Obviously, we've got a great group of guys, in terms of guys that have chosen to play the position. And usually that tells you something about that kind of guy. We're looking forward to coaching the entire unit. We have a ton of work to do before we get down to those decisions. The emphasis now is to get these guys to buy into the process, buy into the program.”
Buying into the program led by all these intelligent offensive minds should be a quarterback's dream and Napier detailed the intangibles and tangibles he'd like his quarterback to possess.
“We're looking for a guy's who models the principles of the organization that Coach Mac put together. The QB position is basically the pacesetter for the offensive unit and the team.
“We're looking for a relentless competitor, a guy that has a “will not be denied” attitude, handles adversity well, a great identity in terms of being a competitor, mentally and physically tough. And really, we'd like the guy to be pretty cerebral and have a complete understanding of what every player on the offense is supposed to be doing.”
The coach illustrates why playing quarterback is the most difficult position to prosper in American sports, because he's not only judged on his play, but attitude and intelligence as well. The QB must be mentally tough enough to have a good attitude and encourage teammates while understanding the offense from the eyes of every position.
“Our quarterback's going to be a guy that can put us in a position to win,” said Napier. “Game game management is a huge deal, accuracy, decision making and taking care of the ball.”
So, while the coach detailed that he hasn't had a chance to see any of the four quarterbacks work out, he's confident they will find their guy in the group that's currently on campus.
Sophomore Garrett Grayson seems to be the early leader, though Napier wouldn't comment on if any of the QBs have an advantage at this point. Grayson started the last three games of the 2011 season with some mixed results, though it was clear to see he's an athlete and competitor.
Senior M.J. McPeek was at times the best quarterback in practice last year, though he hasn't graced the field once in his four years in Fort Collins.
Sophomore Connor Smith seemed to possess the strongest arm of the quarterbacks on the team in 2011, though he's yet to play a snap in college either.
And the wild card of the bunch is C.J. Leonard, who played last season in Junior College, and still has four years of eligibility for the Rams. McElwain went and got Leonard, the Fossil Ridge High School product, to play on his team, meaning Leonard—not Grayson—may be the early favorite to start for CSU.
Who exactly the staff chooses to start remains to be seen, and there's no doubt these highly capable coaches will mold one of the four into a solid starter.
Other coaches announced Tuesday:
Dave Baldwin – Offensive coordinator
Marty English - Defensive line
Derek Frazier - Offensive line
Tim Duffie - Recruiting coordinator
Jeff Hammerschmidt - Special teams coordinator
Rashad Harris - assistant strength and conditioning coach
Mike Kent - Head strength and conditioning coach
Tim Skipper - Linebackers
Alvis Whitted - Wide receivers
Rich Kurtzman is a freelance journalist actively seeking a career in journalism. Along with being your CSU Rams Examiner, Kurtzman is also the Denver Broncos Examiner and writes for Blake Street Bulletin, Stadium Journey, Bleacher Report, and Mile High Hoops.
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