Linebacker from Miami commits to Colorado State

Trey Sutton, who had 25 quarterback sacks and 19 other tackles for lost yardage last season as a high school junior, said Thursday he’ll sign with CSU’s football program.

Sutton, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound linebacker/defensive end at Westminster Christian High School in Miami, said he was sold on Colorado State University and its football program after making an unofficial visit Wednesday to Fort Collins.

“I liked the academics, the environment of the school, the people around,” Sutton said. “They were all nice people, it felt great, and I just felt like it was the right time to commit.”

Sutton, whose father James Sutton II was a linebacker at the University of Miami, was in on 80 tackles as a junior last fall at Westminster Christian. He had 25 sacks, 44 tackles for lost yardage, forced three fumbles and intercepted two passes while lining up as both a linebacker and defensive end in a 4-3 defense. He credits his success as a pass rusher to “good coaching.”

Westminster Christian went 11-2 and advanced to the regional semifinals of Florida’s Class 3A playoffs.

Sutton, who has 4.8-second speed in the 40-yard dash, described himself as “a game-changer, with a good attitude, a family guy.” He’s rated a two-star prospect by Rivals.com on its scale of 0-5 stars.

Sutton, whose full name is James Trey Sutton III, had offers from 13 other schools, including Memphis, Utah State, South Alabama and Army, but narrowed down his choice in recent weeks to CSU or South Florida. A recruiting visit from CSU linebackers coach Marty English convinced him to come to Colorado and take a closer look at the Rams.

“He’s a great guy,” Sutton said. “He knows what he’s talking about. He’s about winning.”

NCAA rules prohibit college coaches from discussing specific recruits until they have signed national letters of intent or financial-aid agreements, which Sutton will not be able to do until Feb. 3, 2016, national signing day.

He’s the third known commitment for CSU coach Mike Bobo’s 2016 recruiting class, joining quarterback Collin Hill from Spartanburg, South Carolina, and offensive lineman Nicho Garcia from Highland (Kansas) Community College.

Follow reporter Kelly Lyell at twitter.com/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news