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CSU football looks forward to first road test against Washington

Michael Hovey, Sports Editor

August 27, 2025

Collegian | Cait Mckinzie

Wide receiver Lavon Brown (82) celebrates a touchdown with wide receiver Keynan Higgins (89) during a spring football scrimmage April 26.

Anything can happen in week one.

For Colorado State football, excitement and anticipation overshadow the questions surrounding a season-opener between two modified rosters. Both Washington and CSU saw turnover appropriate of the new transfer portal era, but they also will both feature new coordination for the first regular-season game. The Rams get yet another tough road test, similar to last year’s opener against Texas, to iron out any kinks that may remain from a productive fall camp.

“I really believe that having Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi in his third year as a starter is a real comfort for me as a head coach.” –Jay Norvell, head coach

Head coach Jay Norvell doesn’t see much of a difference between the two teams.

“It’s always fun to go play a good football team,” Norvell said. “I think they’re a lot like us, to be honest with you. (We) have a lot of similarities to their team last year; it’s just going to come down to who focuses and executes the best. We’ve talked a lot about that as a team — how to go on the road and what things are important to us.”

However, neither team is the same as it was just a season ago.

For the Rams, Tyson Summers brings a purposeful defensive energy and mindset that emphasizes disruption, which could play into a potential offensive weakness for the Huskies: the O-line. UW head coach Jedd Fisch was tasked with rebuilding an offensive front that struggled in the Big Ten in 2024, and it still remains to be seen how successful he was.

“I think (the defensive line has) improved,” Norvell said. “And I think we have an opportunity to have the best D-line that I’ve had since we’ve been here. (I’m) very, very excited about the kids we brought in.”

But it seems like the best chance for the Rams to compete against their toughest opponent is to catch them off guard. Defensively, captains Jacob Ellis, Owen Long and JaQues Evans make up the linebacker core responsible for stopping running back Jonah Coleman, who Norvell views as the best player on UW’s roster.

The Huskies’ defense and new Defensive Coordinator Ryan Walters could be even more of a threat, though.

“(Walters is) coming from Purdue; I coached with Ryan when I was in Oklahoma,” Norvell said. “I’ve known him a long time. Excellent coach, really a high pressure defense and they play some unusual schemes. (He used) a lot of bear at Purdue. We’ll see if that carries over to this year. But (he has a) really a unique defensive style.”

Both offenses could be in for a surprise in their first matchup, and it could be even tougher for the Rams; they’ll be facing crowd noise from one of the most infamous away environments in the country in Husky Stadium.

Luckily for CSU, Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi has two years of starting under his belt and has garnered praise concerning his development.

“I really believe that having Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi in his third year as a starter is a real comfort for me as a head coach,” Norvell said. “You know, he’s become the face of our program. There really isn’t much that he hasn’t seen as a quarterback, and I feel very good about him going into this season And his progress, his leadership has grown tremendously.”

Fowler-Nicolosi has had varied levels of success as CSU’s play caller, but his pass-catching group this season looks the deepest its been since he took over.

Transfers Tay Lanier and Rocky Beers add to a wideout group that has other returning players like Lavon Brown, Tommy Maher and Jordan Ross, who showed promise late last year. Tight end Jaxxon Warren looks to create a one-two punch with Beers — the two consistently received looks during fall camp — and potentially generate use from two tight end sets in an offense that has more pieces to move around.

The team might also find solace in its returning running backs with Jalen Dupree and Justin Marshall expected to lead the backfield. Dupree has the build and physical running style to fill what was lost when Avery Morrow graduated last season after leading the team in rushing yards, and Marshall will look to continue providing the outside speed he’s become known for.

The depth with running backs wasn’t always a big talking point for Norvell during camp, as he really praised Summers and the defense for their progress. But it’s clear that isn’t a big concern.

“Our running backs are all very talented,” Norvell said. “(Lloyd Avant) has been a great addition, and Javion Kinnard, our little freshman, he’s like ball of energy. Now, our guys have a hard time tagging them, let alone tackling them. So we (have) got an excellent room. (Keegan Holles) has done a great job. So all those guys are fun.”

Overall, Norvell believes taking things one day at a time has set up his team to compete against UW. Week one questions will be answered at 9 p.m. Aug. 30 in Seattle at Husky Stadium.

Looking for more insights? Read here for a look into UW’s week one preview.

Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on social media @michaelfhovey.

About the Contributors

Michael Hovey, Sports Editor

Michael Hovey is one of the sports editors for The Rocky Mountain Collegian, facilitating the sports desk, collaborating with reporters and writing pieces of his own. He joined the newspaper in February and has greatly appreciated all the opportunities that have come with the organization. After settling on a business administration major with a concentration in marketing, Hovey stumbled upon The Collegian at the recommendation of a friend. Writing news stories gave him a deeper connection to Colorado State University and its community, making his studies that much more meaningful. Having played numerous sports at a fairly mediocre level, Hovey jumped at the opportunity to cover Division I sporting events. He now gets the chance to surround himself with talented writers, artists and athletes while exercising his preferred form of the English language. Hovey’s favorite part of the job is meeting new people and learning about the things they’ve dedicated their lives to. The most surprising part has been the extraneous passions he’s discovered in nearly each one of these people. Hovey’s main goal this year is to foster discovery and allow people in athletics to show a separate side of themselves that may not generally be known. His secondary goal: Try not to stutter on a national broadcast. If not working at The Collegian, Hovey can be found engaging in outdoor activities, finding something tasty or listening to hip-hop.

Cait Mckinzie, Photo Director

Cait Mckinzie is a second-year student double majoring in art and journalism and media communication. She is one of two photo directors for the 2024-25 school year. Despite growing up in Renton, Washington, Mckinzie knew she wanted to go to Colorado State University since middle school. She had only ever been to Colorado twice, but she visited campus once, and that was all it took. At first, there wasn’t much in Fort Collins that Mckinzie was familiar with. But in high school, she was the co-head of visuals for her school newspaper, so she applied to The Collegian as a photographer to get back into a similar environment. Mckinzie was first introduced to photography by her grandfather, who has been a photographer most of his life. After he gifted Mckinzie her first camera in her junior year of high school, she began to take any assignment she could for her high school paper to improve her skills. Of all the memories made in her first year at CSU, most of the interesting ones came from The Collegian. One Halloween drag show assignment, a lot of mentorship and a few months of practice later, Mckinzie found herself being offered the position of photo director for the next academic school year. Mckinzie is excited for another year at The Collegian and aims to continue learning and growing during her time as one of the photo directors.

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