1. Justin Holland, quarterback, 2. Jordan Ross, receiver, 3. Damian Henderson, running back, 4. Mekhi Fox, receiver, 5. Tyler Smith, receiver, 6. Nikko Hall, receiver, 7. Pete Thomas, quarterback, 8. Tony Drake, running back, 9. Isiah Norton, defensive line, 10. Landon Bell, receiver, 11. Cannon Valenzuela, linebacker, 12. Brandon Crossley, cornerback, 15. Kennedy McDowell, defensive line, 16. Tristan Walker, running back, 17. Kavesz Sherard, offensive line, 18. Justin Marshall, running back, 19. Ty McCullouch, receiver, 20. Dorian Brown, running back, 21. Jonathan Gaye, running back, 22. Darius Curry, quarterback, 23. Jalen Dupree, running back, 24. Clarence Taylor, receiver, 25. Lavon Brown, receiver

What does a recruiting ranking mean?

The reality is, projecting a high school football player into college is difficult. Yes, many of the top-rated prospects across the country do hit big. But especially in the "middle tier" where schools like Colorado State work, rankings and what they lead to are volatile.

Recruiting rankings really began in the early 2000s, so this isn’t a true all-time list. Recruiting has changed drastically, and some of CSU’s all-time great recruits came before the era of rankings.

Still, it can be instructive and interesting to look back over recent times and see how the top-ranked recruits in the era of rankings fared for the Rams.

The list is compiled via the 247Sports composite rankings database of recruits back to the beginning in 2001. It is current as of commits through June 3, 2025. Transfers are not included in the rankings.

A quick explainer on the composite scores listed below: Scores are on a scale of 0 to 1.10, so a score of 0.96 is an elite-level player. Those are usually four-star recruits and the top 10% of the class. A select few have a score in the 1.0 to 1.10 range, and those are five stars and the very best of the best.

Three-stars are broken into tiers of high-three, mid-three and low-three. Almost all the players on this list are high-three star.

Here is CSU's top-25 all-time, per the 247Sports composite:

1. Justin Holland, quarterback

Signing class: 2001
Star ranking: 4
Composite score: 0.9631
Notable: Holland is an outlier in CSU’s list, far outranking anyone else and from the first class 247Sports has data for. His composite score would make him among the top 75 nationally in the 2026 rankings. There might be a bit of a case of smaller sample size from the earliest period of tracking recruiting, but he comes in at the top and had a strong career at CSU. Holland was sixth all-time in passing yards (5,668) and touchdown passes (36) when his time at CSU ended.

2. Jordan Ross, receiver

Signing class: 2024
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8900
Notable: Ross was one of the highest-profile signings in CSU history, being ranked as a four-star at the time of his commitment by 247 and ESPN. Ross chose the Rams over a number of Power 5 programs, including heavy pursuit by Michigan State. The story of Ross at CSU is still being written, with the rising sophomore a likely starter for the Rams in 2025. He played all 13 games as a freshman in 2024 and had 15 catches for 218 yards and a touchdown.

3. Damian Henderson, running back

Signing class: 2023
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8884
Notable: Despite his high ranking, Henderson was passed by another running back in his class and never made a big impact at CSU. Henderson played in five total games in 2023 and 2024 combined, carrying the ball 21 times for 91 yards. After the 2024 season, he transferred to Sacramento State.

4. Mekhi Fox, receiver

Signing class: 2022
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8880
Notable: Fox flipped from UCLA to CSU right before signing day and in some places was considered a four-star recruit. Despite that, Fox made minimal impact as a Ram. As a freshman in 2022 he played in six games but made just one catch in the 2022 season and was behind other freshmen receivers in his class. He didn't see any action in 2023 before transferring. Fox was at Pasadena City College in 2024 and has now committed to Eastern Michigan.

5. Tyler Smith, receiver

Signing class: 2017
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8839
Notable: Smith’s ranking really has an asterisk. He originally committed to North Carolina and had several huge offers early on (Alabama, Auburn and Georgia among them), but significant injuries kept him off the field for most of his final two seasons of high school and he never played for the Rams.

6. Nikko Hall, receiver

Signing class: 2018
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8809
Notable: Hall was a highly ranked, two-way player who chose the Rams over several Power 5 schools. He played early, catching eight passes and a touchdown as a freshman in 2018 but left after his sophomore season. He hasn’t played FBS football again.

7. Pete Thomas, quarterback

Signing class: 2010
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8800
Notable: Once hoped to be the QB of the future and savior for the Steve Fairchild era. Thomas has an interesting statistical history with the Rams. He’s CSU’s career completion percentage holder (.635) but never hit the heights most hoped before being replaced by Garrett Grayson and transferring when Jim McElwain took over.

8. Tony Drake, running back

Signing class: 2010
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8789
Notable: The speedster was a highly ranked recruit and showed flashes of explosiveness in the return game as a freshman but struggled to stay eligible and didn’t play past the 2010 season.

9. Isiah Norton, defensive line

Signing class: 2011
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8768
Notable: Norton never played for the Rams.

10. Landon Bell, receiver

Signing class: 2024
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8744
Notable: Bell picked CSU over a number of Power 4 offers, including Arizona, Colorado and Michigan State. Bell redshirted as a freshman in 2024 and will be fighting to earn time at receiver for the Rams in 2025.

11. Cannon Valenzuela, linebacker

Signing class: 2025
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8719
Notable: Valenzuela shot up the recruiting rankings. While he's a three-star in the 247 composite, the "Top 247" ranking has him as a four-star and he's the top-rated recruit in CSU's 2025 class. Valenzuela will be a true freshman in the 2025 season. As a high school senior, he had 1,392 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns in 2024 as well as 136 tackles, nine tackles-for-loss and three interceptions.

12. Brandon Crossley, cornerback

Signing class: 2019
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8711
Notable: Crossley played in every game in 2019 as a true freshman at CSU, recording four passes defended. He transferred to Southern Methodist after CSU’s hiring of Steve Addazio before the 2020 season and played 54 games and recorded six interceptions at SMU.

T-13. Joe Caprioglio, offensive line

Signing class: 2008
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8689
Notable: Caprioglio played in 28 career games and started 22 at CSU, securing the left tackle spot on the later end of his time as a Ram.

T-13. John Froland, defensive line

Signing class: 2010
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8689
Notable: Froland was on the CSU football team from 2010 to 2012 and recorded 3.5 sacks as a freshman before being limited by injury as a sophomore.

15. Kennedy McDowell, defensive line

Signing class: 2023
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8681
Notable: McDowell chose CSU over multiple Power 5 offers. McDowell saw the action in 16 games over his first two seasons at CSU (2023 and 2024), recording 1.5 sacks and 11 tackles.

16. Tristan Walker, running back

Signing class: 2002
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8667
Notable: Walker saw action at CSU from 2002 to 2006, rushing for just more than 100 career yards and a touchdown.

17. Kavesz Sherard, offensive line

Signing class: 2018
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8655
Notable: Sherard redshirted in 2018 and did not appear in any games in 2019 before leaving the program.

18. Justin Marshall, running back

CSU football running back Justin Marshall (29) runs around the edge for a touchdown against Colorado in the Rocky Mountain Showdown at Canvas Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Fort Collins, Colo.

Signing class: 2023
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8647
Notable: Marshall was below Henderson in the rankings of CSU's 2023 signing class but was still No. 2 in the group and he quickly made an impact. Marshall was a starter by the end of his freshman (2023) season. He's battled injuries but has made an impact when on the field. Through 16 career games entering the 2025 season, Marshall has 211 carries for 1,056 yards and six touchdowns. He's expected to heavily feature in the 2025 offense.

19. Ty McCullouch, receiver

Signing class: 2019
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8639
Notable: One of the last signings of the Mike Bobo era, McCullouch played in 19 games over four seasons for three different head coaches at CSU. He caught 51 passes for 596 yards and a touchdown as a Ram. He transferred to Montana State and had more than 1,000 total receiving yards in 2023 and 2024 combined.

20. Dorian Brown, running back

Signing class: 2011
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8636
Notable: Brown suffered a significant knee injury as a high school senior at Loveland’s Thompson Valley before signing for the Rams. He left the program before seeing any game action.

21. Jonathan Gaye, running back

Signing class: 2008
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8633
Notable: Gaye redshirted as a true freshman and didn’t appear in any games in 2009 before transferring.

22. Darius Curry, quarterback

Signing class: 2024
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8617
Notable: Curry chose CSU over offers from several Power 5 schools. He redshirted as a true freshman in 2024 and is battling for the backup spot entering the 2025 season.

23. Jalen Dupree, running back

Signing class: 2024
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8614
Notable: Dupree showed flashes of excellence as a true freshman in 2024. He had just 25 carries but ran for 153 yards (6.1 yards per carry) and a touchdown with those touches. He missed the latter portion of the season injured. Dupree is expected to be heavily featured in 2025.

24. Clarence Taylor, receiver

Signing class: 2025
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8611
Notable: Taylor led Alabama high school players as a junior with more than 1,600 yards and had more than 2,500 career high school receiving yards. Taylor will be a true freshman for the 2025 season.

25. Lavon Brown, receiver

Colorado State's Lavon Brown gets ready for a play during a spring practice game "Spring Showcase" event at Canvas Stadium on April 26, 2025, in Fort Collins, Colo.

Signing class: 2023
Star ranking: 3
Composite score: 0.8606
Notable: Brown chose the Rams over several Power 5 offers. He redshirted for CSU in 2023 and in 2024 (as a redshirt freshman) played in 11 games as a receiver and on special teams, catching four passes for 41 yards. Brown is in the mix for an increased role in 2025.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: The top-ranked Colorado State football recruits of all time and how they fared at CSU