New football coach inks 25 recruits
Fairchild announces first class Wednesday
Jeff Dillon
Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: Verve
College football recruiting is always a race against the clock. But for the new CSU staff, this year was a sprint.
Steve Fairchild, hired in December after the firing of Sonny Lubick, had just weeks to put together his first recruiting class, as opposed to the months it typically takes most college coaches.
On Wednesday he officially announced that class, which features 25 total players.
"We took a process that usually takes a year or more and did it in three or four weeks," Fairchild said. "I was very impressed with how everyone came together to help us. There are some very fine football players in this class."
The group includes 21 high school seniors (11 from Colorado) and four junior college transfers. Four players will not enroll until 2009 or later.
Ranked 89th in the country and fourth in the Mountain West Conference by Rivals.com, CSU's 2008 class is made up of at least 10 players Lubick received verbal commitments from before his firing.
Fairchild said he contacted all of those recruits, and said the "re-recruiting" process went smoothly.
"We didn't lose anybody," Fairchild said. "Everybody coach Lubick had on board we were able to keep."
Fairchild credited that to his staff, including defensive coordinator Larry Kerr, who helped convince recruits to stick with the Rams.
"We just said, 'Listen, we understand that you committed to CSU and we want to honor that," Kerr said. "'We want to come meet you and we want you to come comfortable with us.'"
One of those players, Andy Clements, a safety from Chatfield High School in Littleton, said the coaching change was initially a concern.
"It was coach Lubick that convinced me to come up there," Clements said. "But they sent me a profile on Fairchild and then they came down to my house and I was convinced."
Chatfield head football coach Bret McGatlin said losing Lubick was a big deal, but that the program had too much to offer for Clements to decline.
Steve Fairchild, hired in December after the firing of Sonny Lubick, had just weeks to put together his first recruiting class, as opposed to the months it typically takes most college coaches.
On Wednesday he officially announced that class, which features 25 total players.
"We took a process that usually takes a year or more and did it in three or four weeks," Fairchild said. "I was very impressed with how everyone came together to help us. There are some very fine football players in this class."
The group includes 21 high school seniors (11 from Colorado) and four junior college transfers. Four players will not enroll until 2009 or later.
Ranked 89th in the country and fourth in the Mountain West Conference by Rivals.com, CSU's 2008 class is made up of at least 10 players Lubick received verbal commitments from before his firing.
Fairchild said he contacted all of those recruits, and said the "re-recruiting" process went smoothly.
"We didn't lose anybody," Fairchild said. "Everybody coach Lubick had on board we were able to keep."
Fairchild credited that to his staff, including defensive coordinator Larry Kerr, who helped convince recruits to stick with the Rams.
"We just said, 'Listen, we understand that you committed to CSU and we want to honor that," Kerr said. "'We want to come meet you and we want you to come comfortable with us.'"
One of those players, Andy Clements, a safety from Chatfield High School in Littleton, said the coaching change was initially a concern.
"It was coach Lubick that convinced me to come up there," Clements said. "But they sent me a profile on Fairchild and then they came down to my house and I was convinced."
Chatfield head football coach Bret McGatlin said losing Lubick was a big deal, but that the program had too much to offer for Clements to decline.
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