Colorado State 2004 — Recruiting Outcomes

Hits & Misses

Hit: Gartrell Johnson (RB) — Originally unranked. Outcome: NFL Drafted. Despite coming in without a ranking, Johnson managed to reach the pinnacle of college football success by being drafted into the NFL. Hit: Kory Sperry (TE) — Originally ranked 1069. Outcome: Undrafted NFL Roster. Despite his low initial rank, Sperry demonstrated exceptional growth on the field, making it onto an NFL roster. Miss: Jamaal Floyd (RB) — Originally ranked 596. Outcome: Bust. Floyd, unfortunately, didn't live up to his ranking, ending up as a bust. Miss: Tommie Hill (EDGE) — Originally ranked 599. Outcome: College Starter. Hill, while performing as a decent college starter, did not meet the expectations set by his high ranking.

Development Story

The 2004 Colorado State recruiting class demonstrated a remarkable ability for player development. Despite the class having no blue-chip recruits and a middling original ranking of 68, the outcomes show a story of exceeded expectations. Unranked recruits like Gartrell Johnson emerged as NFL Drafted players, and several lower-ranked athletes like Kory Sperry managed to secure places on NFL rosters. However, it wasn't all success stories for the Rams. High-ranked recruits such as Jamaal Floyd and Tommie Hill underperformed, indicating a struggle to develop top-tier talent to their full potential.

Outcome Summary

Overall, the 2004 Colorado State recruiting class outperformed expectations. The S2S rerank moved up to 38 from the original ranking of 68, a testament to the team's ability to develop overlooked and underrated talent. However, the class's inability to fully capitalize on its higher-ranked recruits prevented it from reaching an even better rerank. The key takeaway from this class is that Colorado State demonstrated a knack for developing unheralded recruits, but room for improvement remains in maximizing the potential of its top-tier commitments.