With Colorado rivalry next up, Jay Norvell's patience has Colorado State on verge of a breakthrough

In an era of quick roster flips through the transfer portal, Norvell has built the Rams roster around high school recruiting

By Shehan Jeyarajah Sep 12, 2024 at 2:30 pm ET• 5 min read

Patience is nothing new for Colorado State coach Jay Norvell. He has been patient his whole life. The longtime receivers coach and offensive coordinator spent 31 years as an assistant -- where he succeeded over and over and over again -- before he finally got a head coaching opportunity. 

"I interviewed for a ton of head coaching jobs: Iowa State, Arizona, Washington, Boston College," Norvell told CBS Sports. "I really have a lot of respect for coaches that have gone through this and are in the profession for the right reasons -- to help young people and be examples. We have an opportunity to change people's lives." 

So when Norvell was presented the opportunity to take over at Colorado State in 2022, he approached the position with his trademark patience. Remember, this was only a few months after name, image and likeness (NIL) legislation combined with the transfer portal to transform the sport. One year later, the Rams' rivals at Colorado added 52 transfers to quick-flip their roster. 

Colorado State did nothing of the sort. There were no shortcuts to flip a ground-and-pound roster into an Air Raid squad. Twelve players committed to the staff as transfers, but eight of those followed Norvell from Nevada. Wide receiver Tory Horton and offensive lineman Jacob Gardner remain on the team today. Over the past three recruiting classes, Colorado State has signed 62 high school players.