Mailbag: Which Colorado State sports team has brightest future?

Summer started with a bang in the Colorado State sports world.

John Weber was named the new athletic director, Nique Clifford decided to delay his NBA dream to return to the Rams, the women's track team shined at nationals and it already feels like football season is right around the corner.

Following all the news, here's a (slightly delayed due to vacation!) mailbag answering reader questions:

1. As the dust has settled, how does (men's basketball) in (Mountain West) look…favorites for MWC title?

2. How did CSU women BB do as far as player acquisitions?

3. Your look at MW FB and where CSU sits…and W/L record?

4. Thoughts on CU-CSU FB game… (@MikeCSURam82)

We’ll begin with a whip around series of questions!

1. No, I would not call CSU the Mountain West favorites in men’s basketball right now. That’s probably Boise State and then New Mexico. San Diego State, Nevada, UNLV and CSU all have potentially strong teams. Utah State with yet another coaching change is an unknown. There are so many new pieces for the Rams, it’s hard to predict in early June how good they could be.

2. The women’s basketball team landed one of the best resumes for a transfer in CSU history. In any sport. Emma Ronsiek should be a superstar in the Mountain West after a prolific career at Creighton. CSU also added Hannah Simental from Northern Colorado and has a big freshman class. The women’s team is also new-look but seems set for a solid year.

3. I think the CSU football offense will be somewhere between good and great (depending on Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi’s development, tight end play and the offensive line). I think the defense will be better, but I have concerns. I do think the Rams go bowling. My way-too-early prediction is 6-6.

4. Rocky Mountain Showdown week is going to be mayhem. There was so much talk and drama in the lead-in to that game a year ago and I expect as much or more this season. Someone from one of the sides will say something foolish to enflame emotions in the leadup, I’m betting. I have no clue what to expect from the game itself right now, to be honest. What happens in the couple of weeks leading into the game will be important.

Do you have any details about the AD search, did they actually conduct one? (@samuelfeld on Threads)

All signs from the beginning pointed to John Weber eventually becoming the full-time athletic director after his stint as interim. Everyone I’ve talked to in and around the athletic department (folks from a wide range of positions) say Weber always seemed the likeliest choice.

Now, there may have been some other conversations with other interested parties, but Weber as AD always felt more a matter of when than if.

How is CSU’s NIL collective? (@pabernathey on Threads)

Depends on who you ask! Every coach will always say they want and need more cash for NIL. CSU took too long to get started and has been playing catchup, but strides have been made. I believe CSU is middle tier in the Mountain West in that realm, in a competitive spot but not at the top. As always, more growth is desired for CSU.

On a semi-related note, I’ve had some people express concern to me that the Green and Gold Guard (CSU’s NIL collective) will experience drop-off with Weber now out of the GGG and in the CSU athletic department. I would strongly deny that worry. There is some limit on what an AD can do in regard to NIL, but I think you can be assured those two entities will work very closely together and there won’t be slippage.

1. How many FB scholarships left?

2. What are the biggest changes to gameday that the new AD should focus on to make game days even better?

3. Will CU try to dodge CSU MBB this year? (@CSURamT)

1. I think CSU’s roster for the fall is set. To be frank, counting scholarships in offseason isn’t a terribly practical or necessary exercise in football. Between end of one season and start of the next, a staff will add how they want and make the numbers work. Not every transfer out is by player choice. Many are told they won’t have a spot. I try and track the openings, but the numbers can shift and shuffle frequently (walk-ons getting a scholarship, players leaving, etc.). But now the portal is closed, most everyone is on campus for summer workouts and this is the basic group who will take the field in 2024.

Here's the transfers: A look at all the players who joined CSU in the spring transfer period

2. Easy for me to say when I’m not counting the money, but lower concession prices! You shouldn’t have to pay as much for one Old Aggie in the stadium as the price for three of them at Road 34. Some sports venues (not many) have reverted to “normal” prices for concessions, and I love the idea of a family not having to spend several hundred dollars for tickets and food for a day out at the game.

3. Last I heard, there’s a tentative date. Niko Medved has told me they hope CSU and CU will play this upcoming season, but it wasn’t set in stone yet. That game needs to happen annually.

Are you more optimistic for football or men’s basketball next season? Next 5 seasons? (@Jatodda)

The CSU men’s basketball team has gone 105-55 (65.6 win percentage), made the NCAA Tournament twice and the NIT Final Four once in the last five years. The football team has gone 16-36 (30.1 win percentage) and hasn’t made the postseason in that timeframe.

Very easy answer: men’s hoops. The program is stable and winning. Football needs to prove it can win.

Does Nique clarify your thoughts on Ram rotation (other than Nique starts) or make it even harder to figure? And I don’t mean that in any negative way. (@mangtheram)

Nique Clifford’s return to CSU rather than going pro is a huge boost for the CSU men’s basketball team. Make no mistake, this was unexpected a couple of months ago when he first entered his name. Clifford had every intention of going pro, but he took his time, absorbed all the information he could and decided to come back.

As far as the rotation? Yeah, I still don’t know! Clifford starts, I can promise that! I had penciled Keshawn Williams into Clifford’s spot if he went pro, so that’s one change. I expect Jaylen Crocker-Johnson to start in the front court, likely along with Rashaan Mbemba. The guard spots are very interesting to me.

I’ll be out at CSU men’s basketball summer practice soon, but I think there’s a lot of shifting and tinkering that will go on between now and November.

Can men’s bball be better than last season? (@csurams95)

CSU’s 2023-24 will always be an odd evaluation because seventh in the Mountain West sounds not-so-good, but lots of time in the top-25 and an NCAA Tournament appearance (and First Four win) are very good markers.

Overall, it was a quite good season for CSU. Can 2024-25 be better? Clifford returning sure helps the case, but (I promise I’m not trying to dodge the question) I don’t think anyone (coaches included) really knows right now with so many new pieces coming in. The factor of Isaiah Stevens being done is huge.

Which transfer are you most looking forward to seeing play?  Which freshman? (@TheRealDDJohnsn)

Great question and there are so many options! For transfers, I think I’ll go with Crocker-Johnson just for the curiosity of how his game will translate into a bigger conference and how he can develop with three years of eligibility remaining.

For freshmen, Jaden Steppe has probably received the most fan interest (and understandably so), but to mix it up I’ll go somewhere different. How about Jon Mekonnen? He doesn’t have a huge social media presence, so he has gone somewhat under the radar publicly, but he’s a big-time athlete and a lefty, which is fun! CSU hasn’t had many lefty scorers.

It’s such a new-look team, but I’m very excited to see how it all comes together.

Who are our starting five in men's basketball?

Rank the sports by winning percentage next year, volleyball, football, men's basketball, women's basketball. (@aarongharris)

For the men’s hoops starting five, I don’t know. I doubt Medved knows. A fairly wild guess: Kyan Evans at point, Jalen Lake, Nique Clifford, Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, Rashaan Mbemba. This could end up way off, though. I bet the staff truly doesn’t know what the lineup or rotations will be. I’m sure Bowen Born is in for a lot of minutes, but starting or off bench? Ethan Morton and Keshawn Williams seem like they'll have important roles. Big man Nikola Djapa is a bit of an unknown, too. I also feel a freshman could work into the rotation, but who and how?

A lot to figure out between now and November. Summer practices will be interesting!

Guessing the win percentages is nearly impossible without knowing all the schedules, but it’s a fun exercise! I’m making these guesses with a series of thoughts in my head such as typical strength of scheduling, conference strength, how good I think the team will be.

Here goes: women’s basketball, men’s basketball, volleyball, football.

Is there any real news on Pac12/MWC realignment? (@MikeCSURam82)

No, not really. The Pac-12 leftovers have a cushion of time before they have to be in a full conference, so there’s no need for a rush. I’m sure they would like to rebuild the Pac, but it will be very difficult financially to pluck some of the Mountain West but not all.

My best guess is eventually a MW/Pac-12 merger (or reverse merger) and maybe some other additions is where it will settle.

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Mailbag talking Colorado State football, basketball and more