Kevin Lytle and Kelly Lyell | The Coloradoan

Two 19-year-olds, barely more than a year into the program.

A 32-year-old walk-on who's also serving in the U.S. Army.

From the place-kick holder to the starting quarterback, the 10 Colorado State football players tasked with cleansing the Rams locker room of a toxic culture come from a variety of backgrounds and carry a wide range of leadership styles.

CSU coach Mike Bobo started an accountability program in the spring and this summer named 10 team leaders — one from each position group — as the Rams look to move past a lost 3-9 campaign in 2018.

The program rewards each team for positive actions from its members, while transgressions cost a team points. The goal, as Bobo said heading into the season, is to to create a "player-led team" where ownership of the Rams successes and failures extends beyond the coaching staff.

As the Rams head toward the Aug. 30 season opener against Colorado at Mile High Stadium in Denver, these are the 10 players CSU football believes have the character, tenacity and skill to turn the program around.

All about accountability: Kelly Lyell goes inside CSU football's accountability program

Adam Prentice

Special from Joshua Polson

The redshirt junior fullback may be the most respected player on the team. His work ethic is almost legendary in the locker room, and he’s considered a coach on the field.

He’s also quick to help a teammate in need. Prentice was one of the first to reach out to Rashad Ajayi after the death of his father, offering condolences and words of advice as someone who also lost his father at a young age.

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He's not the loudest on the field, but Prentice is the last teammate anyone wants to let down. It’s not a surprise that his team is one of the highest-scoring accountability teams.

“Prentice is just every day. Every day I see Prentice, he does everything right," wide receiver Warren Jackson said. "He gives everything he has literally every single rep. I’ve never seen Prentice jog, like it’s just full speed.”

Barry Wesley

Kevin Lytle/Staff

The redshirt sophomore offensive lineman entered the program as a walk-on and earned a scholarship last year. He can play every position on the offensive line and is now considered the leader of the group.

His knowledge and attention to detail is passed on to young players as he offers suggestions on how to take notes in meetings, learn the playbook and take care of their bodies during the long grind of the season.

Wesley is a sturdy hand who guides teammates in the right direction.

“As freshmen you have no idea what it’s like, they show you all these big fancy things, but you really don’t know it’s like,” Wesley said. “So when they get here, we have to show them the right things to do and not to do and guide them in the right direction.”

Who they're guiding: These 6 CSU football newcomers will make an instant impact

Joe DeLine

Kevin Lytle/Staff

The redshirt junior is a backup punter and now the Rams' placeholder. Not traditionally a position of influence on a football team, but DeLine’s work put him in the position.

Bobo said the specialists were one of the hardest working groups in the offseason Green Forge program with DeLine leading the way. “Joe DeLine kicked butt,” Bobo said. “He’s constantly working.”

DeLine's dad and brother both kicked at CSU and his pride in the success of the program is clear. Players see this when watching DeLine: if a backup punter can bust his butt all offseason, so can they.

“I was very proud to get it, because then it showed me that they appreciate hard work off the field too. It doesn’t have to be like the star player, be in the limelight, to have a role on the team and inspire other players,” DeLine said. “I’m always trying to do whatever I can to help the team out, whatever it takes.”

Dequan Jackson

Kevin Lytle/Staff

The 19-year-old sophomore linebacker impressed Bobo with his willingness to draft players to his team who could be considered question marks.

Jackson took it upon himself to make sure the potential trouble spots on his team turned into strengths. In the spring, Jackson’s team was in last place early and ended up in first.

From early-morning texts to make sure everyone is up for practice, to encouraging teammates to complete their school work, Jackson took pride in the success of his group.

Warren Jackson

Special from Joshua Polson

There’s “something different about him,” Bobo said of the junior receiver. Jackson is next in the Wide Receiver U production line. Quiet by nature, Jackson has embraced the leadership role.

"We put him in a leadership position this year in January and he was kind of shocked that I did that with him," Bobo said. "But he’s taken command not only of his team but his group of receivers, the offense.”

Star receivers are known as prima donnas, but Jackson is the opposite. He’s begging coaches to be on every special team and will snap at teammates who aren’t focused during something as seemingly small as a walkthrough.

His off-the-field work is equally important as a veteran helping the young players. Fellow receiver Nikko Hall had and up-and-down freshman year on and off the field. Jackson now rooms with Hall to help groom him into another star receiver.

“That’s something that I had when I came in my first year with Mike (Gallup), Bisi (Johnson), Detrich (Clark) and all those guys. They took me under their wing and showed me the ropes,” Jackson said. “That’s something that I want to be to my younger teammates.”

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Kevin Lytle, kevinlytle@coloradoan.com

Rashad Ajayi

Kevin Lytle

The 19-year-old sophomore cornerback had leadership thrown on him almost immediately out of necessity. As a freshman, he was arguably the lone stable force in a struggling secondary.

He owns the cornerbacks room now. He’s relatively quiet but is renowned for his work ethic and determination.

“I try to lead by example more than talking. I will speak up when I need to,” Ajayi said. “I don’t want to overstep my boundaries and be that person that’s rah rah rah. When I say something, I want you to actually hear me and understand me and know it’s coming from the heart and I really mean it. I’m not talking just to talk, I would rather lead by action rather than words.”

Ajayi has said he felt a lack of leadership showing him the ropes last year, so he’s made it a point to answer every question from freshmen as they try and learn life as an NCAA Division I athlete.

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Joshua Griffin

Special from Joshua Polson

The man teammates jokingly call grandpa, Griffin graduated from high school in 2005 and will turn 33 in October.

Griffin is an active member of the U.S. Army who joined the team as a walk-on. He was selected as leader from the safeties position group but has since moved to running back.

He’ll tease teammates that they must be slow if grandpa is outrunning them, but he also serves as the voice of reason that not all 18- to 22-year-olds have. He tells them to check with him if in doubt about a decision. His house is a popular hangout spot and a place where teammates can come to talk about the world beyond football.

“He has influence. He’s older. He’s done a great job taking guys under his wing. If something happens, the first person they call a lot of times is Josh and I think that’s great,” Bobo said. “I’m ecstatic to have him on our football team, I think he’s a great influence on these guys.”

Cam Butler

Kevin Lytle

The junior tight end took it as a challenge when he was named a leader. He had two successful seasons personally as a freshman and sophomore but looked inward for one of his first leadership lessons.

“I feel like I was confident in myself that I was living right, of course I think it stepped my game up completely,” Butler said. “It’s little everyday things I feel like as a team, as a unit...that we could have done better."

Butler’s mom is in South Carolina’s state senate, and Butler is now embracing his role in turning the team around.

“I feel like I was in a good position to lead already but it definitely helped me as a teammate, as a person, as a man,” Butler said.

Manny Jones

Kevin Lytle/The Coloradoan

The junior defensive end took an unusual path to stardom. He played lacrosse and baseball the first half of high school instead of football because he didn’t want to play offensive line.

He re-joined the football team as a junior but was hurt most the season. His team was winless as a senior as he played middle linebacker. At CSU, he’s flourished as a defensive end.

As he’s made yearly strides as a football player, he’s just now growing into the role as a mentor on the team. After realizing last year how factions in the team drove the program apart, the quiet but popular player is now helping to bring everyone together.

“That was a big part that I feel like we didn’t focus on last year. The accountability program is something that has helped out a lot,” Jones said. “You actually see people caring, people wanting to be there instead of having to be there. It’s just a different mindset.”

Collin Hill

Special from Joshua Polson

Leadership is required from the quarterback position, and the redshirt junior is in charge of the team.

The respect level was high enough that Hill was named a captain by his teammates before a 2018 season that he started as the backup while recovering from his second torn ACL.

You won’t see tear-filled, Tim Tebow-like speeches from Hill. But everything he does and says carries weight. He may not spit fire, but Hill is unafraid to quietly call out teammates who aren’t meeting his standard.

“He has a great stance on how hard we should be working, how we should be working together, as well," running back Marcus McElroy said. "He just sort of prides himself on being able to stand up and say, 'You know what? This is what we need to do.'"