Kelly Lyell

kellylyell@coloradoan.com

LAS VEGAS – To hear Mike Bobo tell it, the CSU football coach is no closer to naming a starting quarterback for the upcoming season than he was during spring practices.

Junior Nick Stevens, a returning starter who threw for 2,679 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2015, is battling to keep the job in a three-man race with newcomers Faton Bauta, a graduate transfer from Georgia, and Collin Hill, a true freshman who graduated a semester early from high school in order to participate in Colorado State University’s spring drills.

“I’m looking for the guy, at the end of the day, that when he steps into that huddle … those 10 guys believe in him, those 60 on the sideline, those ‘X’ number that didn’t dress out. That is the guy for the job.”

Bobo said he had to create competition at the position last year before selecting Stevens as the starter over Coleman Key, a redshirt freshman who has since transferred to Oklahoma State. This year, he brought in the two newcomers, hoping competition among the three will make them all better.

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Stevens and Bauta, who threw four interceptions in a loss to Florida in his only start last year at Georgia, shared practice time with the No. 1 and No. 2 offenses during spring scrimmages and practices, and coaches saw enough potential from Hill to work him into the rotation some.

Offensive coordinator Will Friend insisted earlier this month that it was still a wide-open race, and senior tight end Nolan Peralta said Tuesday that all three QBs have performed well in player-led 7-on-7 practices over the summer. All three have stuck around afterward to throw additional passes to receivers and work on their mechanics and timing.

CSU begins fall practices Aug. 4 and opens the season Sept. 2 in Denver against the University of Colorado.

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“Honestly, the position is up to whoever takes it in this camp,” Peralta said. “What’s great about having quarterbacks that are all great is they compete every day.”

Bobo said he hopes one of the three separates himself from the pack during fall camp, the first two weeks of fall practices. But he won’t force the issue, he said.

“I’m looking for the guy that can make the routine play, looking for the guy that protects the ball,” Bobo said. “… I’m going to make that determination by their play in practice and how they perform, and hopefully you’ll have that done in camp. And if we don’t, it might go through the season, like it did a little bit last year.

“Everybody, Nick and Faton, this true freshman’s pretty good, too. So it’ll be interesting to see.”

Big shoes to fill

Bobo said there are a lot of contenders to fill the void left by the departures of standout receivers Rashard Higgins and Joe Hansley, both in NFL training camps this week.

But he’s not yet sure who will step into those roles, given that the next-best receivers from last season — Deionte Gaines and Jordon Vaden — have also moved on — Gaines to Southern Illinois after being dismissed from the team for an undisclosed reason during spring practices and Vaden to cornerback, where he’s a projected starter.

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Junior Xavier Williams, the most-experienced of the contenders with 22 games and seven starts over the past two seasons, has had some off-field issues that Bobo said must be dealt with before he can move into the starting lineup. Elroy Masters, also a junior, is coming off a shoulder injury that sidelined him after just four games last fall and limited his participation in spring practices. Another contender, senior Robert Ruiz, missed all of last season with a torn ACL.

So junior Sammie Long, who caught five passes for 60 yards a year ago; sophomore Bisi Johnson, who had two catches for 15 yards in 2015; and sophomore Marcus Wilson, a safety who didn’t play last season, will all be vying for playing time. Junior college transfers Detrich Clark and Michael Gallup and true freshman Anthony Hawkins will have a chance to move up the depth chart quickly during fall camp, Bobo said.

Clyburn questionable

Senior linebacker Deonte Clyburn, the team’s fourth-leading tackler last season with 69, has been participating in agility drills with his teammates over the summer but hasn’t yet been cleared to practice, Bobo said.

Clyburn was more like a coach than a player during spring practices, which he was unable to participate in because of an undisclosed injury.

“We’re still waiting,” Bobo said. “I don’t want to get into specifics of why he’s out; that’s Deonte’s business. But hopefully we’ll know something by the end of this week of where we’re going and what direction. He’s doing great. He’s working out with the team. He’s got to go through some tests and stuff, but hopefully we’ll get him back.”

Sweet's status unclear

Bobo said he’s not yet sure if junior safety Justin Sweet, who was arrested for suspicion of drunk driving last month, will be suspended from any games or not this fall.

“His discipline’s being handled internally,” Bobo said. “There’s certain things that he has to do for me before I say he’s going to play the first game or not. Right now, he’s doing what he’s supposed to do, and it hasn’t been determined whether he’ll be suspended.

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

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