Despite being a struggling football program for the majority of the last ten years, Colorado State was unable to convince two of its finest players to move schools, not even with a six-figure offer.

This offseason, $600,000 name, image, and likeness rights were extended to top wide receiver Tory Horton and starting quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi of Colorado State. The players expressed their desire to complete what they began with the Rams to Richie Cozzolino of CBS News Colorado.

That’s how I grew up. This is not where I came to make money. Play ball for the Rams and win games is why I came here, Fowler-Nicolosi stated. “I believe that if we play well here, fulfill our obligations, progress to the postseason, and shock everyone by winning a title, the money will arrive in due course. It is not my responsibility to sit here and attempt to make as much money as I can while I’m in college. I understand that many individuals find the new environment fascinating and that there are many chances available, but ultimately, I’m a 20-year-old student with bigger aspirations than to succeed financially in college.

Horton thinks in the same way.

The senior stated, “Obviously, with the new NIL stuff, the money in college is nice, but that’s not my ultimate goal.” “Going to the next level is my ultimate goal in college, not getting NIL.”

Le it be known: Colorado State can't be bought.

CSU QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and WR Tory Horton were each offered $600,000 to hit the transfer portal. They declined, and chose to stay at CSU.

I asked the pair the reason why. Their responses are impressive. pic.twitter.com/zGgeAcCaYQ

— Richie Cozzolino (@RichieCozz) August 14, 2024

In their second season under head coach Jay Norvell, Colorado State finished 5-7 last year, an improvement over their previous record of 3-9. The Rams haven’t won a bowl game since 2013 and haven’t had a winning season since 2017.

After transferring from Nevada to Colorado State two years prior, Horton recorded eight touchdowns and more than 1,100 receiving yards in each of his two seasons with the Rams. In Fowler-Nicolosi’s first full season as a starter last year, he passed for 3,460 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.

It was probably simpler for Horton to decline a big NIL deal because he projects to be a starter in the NFL. It’s clear that he and Fowler-Nicolosi are pleased with Colorado State’s direction. You have to give them credit for not cashed in.

Jack Howell discusses Colorado State’s desire to learn from its past errors, saying, “We want to them.”

Fall camp begins on Friday, marking the official start of the 2024 season.

As the third year of the Norvell era approaches, there is optimism that Colorado State can snap a six-year bowl drought and possibly make a conference impact for the first time since Nick Stevens was starting quarterback.

In 2023, CSU almost made it to a bowl game. If a few plays in two or three crucial games had gone differently, the Rams very well might have finished with seven wins. However, as some seasoned executives recently clarified during Media Days in Las Vegas, the spotlight was a bit too harsh for a group that nearly achieved its objectives but ultimately fell short.

“There are three games in particular from last year that stand out: Hawaii, UNLV, and CU,” Jack Howell said to DNVR.

Howell went on to describe how heartbreaking it was for the squad to lose in double overtime after blowing the game in Boulder in the final two minutes of regulation.

He brought up how painful it was to watch the Rams lose in Las Vegas and Honolulu to walk-off field goals when it appeared they would prevail.

Even if those defeats were difficult to accept and felt a lot like chunky milk, the fourth-year safety doesn’t want to ignore or attempt to forget what happened. Howell claims that they’re crucial teaching moments on what occurs when a team loses calm for the entire 60 minutes.

Regarding CSU’s ability to grow from its failures in the past, Howell explained, “It’s just being a team that’s been there and having experience.”

“In those circumstances, many teams become anxious. And I believe we briefly accomplished that. Furthermore, I don’t think it’s inappropriate to express that. People frequently attempt to hide their errors, and we don’t want to do that. Our goal is to possess them.

According to Howell, the Rams generally let up on their game, both offensively and defensively, and seemed a little nervous when things got close. In the end, he claimed, that’s what made us lose.

“This team has a lot of captains, experienced captains. We’ve been playing together for three or four years, so that experience will be really beneficial.

Howell’s words were mirrored by Tory Horton, who said that the squad needed to examine itself closely and consider how they could improve.

It seems like, where did we make a mistake? What went wrong for us? And that’s what we thought about: “What can we learn from this to ensure that this doesn’t happen?”

The fifth-year wide receiver clarified that in past seasons, complacency might have crept in. However, this time around, the guys in the locker room are taking things much more seriously. People are clearly expressing a desire to change the 2024 season, whether it is by dedicating more time to the film room or lifting heavier weights.

We lay a lot of emphasis on not becoming complacent, according to Horton. “Because we don’t want to experience losing in that manner during the final play or possession. Since we have all experienced that emotion, we can all relate to the motivation.

If you’re looking for a reason to think the Rams will finally turn the corner, it’s not just because of a favorable schedule that includes seven home games and eight programs with coaches in their first year; the team has been able to hold onto its biggest stars despite having very little success in recent years.

With players like Henry Blackburn choosing to come back for a fifth year, Tory Horton, Jack Howell, and Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, CSU has been able to maintain the nucleus of the squad through some really difficult times. And that’s really not a very normal event when you consider what’s going on with most teams in the nation at the moment.

The players all give praise to Norvell and the staff when asked why they decided to stay rather than take advantage of other options available through the transfer portal.

“It’s a testament to who we are as a football team,” Howell stated, going on to say that although there have been a few players leave here and there, the people who have stayed are totally dedicated to making things better as a team.

“We will accommodate those who wish to attend CSU. Furthermore, I would much rather have a big-name player who is kind of half in, half out, than a no-name player who really wants to go CSU. We’ve known individuals who had one foot in and one foot out and didn’t particularly want to be here. That pleased us. We play with who we have, and who we have is who wants to be here. No offense intended toward them; I still adore some of those players that went.

We’ll find out a lot about this club in the first month of the 2024 season, which begins one month from now against a Texas team that is expected to challenge for the national championship and around six weeks from now when the Buffs visit Fort Collins for the first time since 1996.

Folks, get ready for football. It’s at last here.