Colorado State has prioritized the state of Texas and it’s paying off for the Rams on the recruiting trail.
Including the most recent commitment from Michael Dever, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound wide receiver out of Lubbock-Cooper High School, three of the six public verbals for CSU in the 2025 cycle are out of Texas. The others so far are linebacker Cannon Valenzuela (Jacksboro HS) and wide receiver Antoine Martin Jr. (Iowa Colony HS).
Dever does not have a profile on 247Sports which is surprising, however, according to On3 Recruiting, he has at least six FBS offers including Texas Tech, North Texas, Texas State and Memphis. His Twitter profile also lists some Division II offers, along with a chance to play at Wyoming.
Lubbock-Cooper High School does not have stats available for their 8-4 season this past fall. That said, it only takes a few moments of watching his Hudl highlights to see that Dever is a big-time playmaker for his squad.
The type of receiver that can hurt you from anywhere on the field, Denver can frequently be seen scoring on vertical routes where he simply beats the defensive back by out-running them. He’s also capable of shedding a tackle in the open field though. He’s got a nice variety of contested catches on film too.
An explosive runner with soft hands and a knack for getting open, Dever certainly fits the qualities of an Air Raid receiver. Doesn’t hurt that he is also an accomplished track athlete either. Dever has 4.4 speed and is a 6’8″ high jumper.
CSU has obviously had no shortage of talented wide receivers to come through the program over the years. It’s encouraging to see the staff continue to pull highly talented players out of key pipeline states, especially at the skill positions.
In addition to the intriguing recruits that the Rams are currently in on at the high school level, a handful of key transfers for 2024 are also originally from Texas. Wide receivers Donovan Ollie (Wylie) and Armani Winfield (Lewisville) are both Texas high school football products. So is tight end Jaxxon Warren (Flower Mound).