Kubiaks keep CSU in family

Regis quarterback Klay joins brother Klint as teammate

Randy Holtz, Rocky Mountain News

Published January 20, 2007 at midnight

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When Klint Kubiak showed up for practice at Colorado State in the summer of 2005, CSU coaches were amazed by his immediate grasp of football concepts and quick understanding of the stepped-up speed of the college game.

This coming summer, there's a good chance they will see the impressive debut of a virtual Klint Kubiak clone.

Klay Kubiak, who starred at several positions at Regis High School but initially will be given a chance to compete at -quarterback, will join his older brother in preseason drills in August.

And Klint, who contributed on special teams as a true freshman before becoming the Rams' -starting free safety and leading the team in tackles with 90 as a sophomore last fall, is bullish on his brother's chances of making a similarly speedy impact.

"When I think of Klay, I think of toughness," Klint Kubiak said this week as the recruiting season began to wind down to its Feb. 7 signing-day finish.

"I've always thought of him as a bruiser, as a tight end or a linebacker.

"But I think he proved this past season that he can bring that toughness to the quarterback position, too. He's got the perfect kind of mind-set to play here, and I think the coaches are going to love him. It's always been easy for him to grasp the concepts of the game."

Klint is the oldest of the three sons of Gary Kubiak, the former Denver Broncos quarterback and assistant coach who now coaches the Houston Texans.

Klay is considered a football prospect of Klint's quality, while younger brother Klein could be headed for a career in college baseball.

Klay is fairly new to quarterbacking, spending his first couple of years at Regis as a tight end and linebacker.

He displayed excellent running ability and a nice arm this past fall for Regis, and while he might be asked to switch positions by the CSU staff down the line, he will begin drills this summer as a quarterback.

"I've only been a quarterback for two years, so I feel I have so much room to grow," said Klay, who will be one of about 18 recruits to sign letters of intent with Colorado State in early February.

"I feel I made some great strides over the past year, and I expect to get a lot better. I think I have a big upside as a quarterback, and I can't wait to get going this summer."

Klay, like Klint, thinks it's a major advantage to be raised by an NFL insider.

"I've been around a lot of great football players my whole life because of my dad's job," he said. "You're around guys like Steve Young and John Elway and you get to know what it takes to compete, how to work within the framework of the team, how to practice the right way.

"I know that helped Klint get the coaches' attention right away, and I'm hoping I can do that, too. I realize it's a big step from high school to college, but I think I have an advantage coming into CSU because Klint's been through it. I think we're pretty similar mentally and physically, so I'm hoping to surprise some people on scout teams and maybe get some playing time on special teams like Klint did."

Meanwhile, the class coach Sonny Lubick will announce on national letter of intent signing day Feb. 7 is all but completed.

Because of the size of recent recruiting classes, CSU has a relatively small number of scholarships to give this season, with Lubick saying the Rams will sign no more than 19 players.

However, Lubick and his staff still are working to lure a handful of high school seniors who might "grayshirt," delaying their enrollment until January 2008 and counting against the numbers of next year's class.

One player on this year's list committed to CSU two years ago before going on a church mission. Paul Madsen, an offensive lineman from San Ramon, Calif., will be among this year's signees. Madsen is the brother of Mark "Mad Dog" Madsen, who plays for the NBA Minnesota Timberwolves.

The only junior-college transfer in CSU's upcoming class, linebacker Johnny Clark, is expected to compete for playing time immediately. Clark played two years at Fresno (Calif.) City College.

In other news involving the Rams, two CSU players who will be seniors in the fall have made the rankings of top draft-eligible seniors for the 2008 NFL draft as listed by the Web site www.NFLDraftCountdown.com. Jimmie Kaylor is listed as the No. 1 senior punter, while Kory Sperry is listed as the No. 4 senior tight end prospect.

2007 CSU football commitments

The following 19 players have given oral commitments to sign national letters of intent with Colorado State on Feb. 7.

Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (school)

Lester Arnold RB/CB 5-10 170 San Diego (Point Loma)

T.J. Borcky QB 6-4 184 Orlando, Fla. (Lake Highland Prep)

Johnny Clark LB 6-2 225 Fresno City College

Steve Collins OL/DL 6-2 260 Loveland (Loveland)

Eugene Daniels DE/DT 6-2 220 Kileen, Texas (Shoemaker)

Leo Davis TE/DE 6-3 235 Billings, Mont. (Skyview)

Luke Diehl LB 6-2 208 Castle Rock (Douglas County)

Zach Donaldson RB/DB 6-1 195 Fort Collins (Fort Collins)

Jake Gdowski OL/DT 6-2 260 Grand Island, Neb. (Grand Island)

Michael Kawulok* LB 6-2 198 Louisville (Monarch)

Klay Kubiak QB/TE 6-0 200 Centennial (Regis)

Nuku Latu TE/DE 6-2 250 Gilbert, Ariz. (Highland)

Paul Madsen OL 6-4 280 San Ramon, Calif. (San Ramon Valley)

Tyler McDermott C 6-2 270 Wellington, Fla. (Palm Beach Cent.)

Jarrad McKay DB/RB 6-0 185 Lakewood (Lakewood)

Phillip Morelli RB 5-10 180 Denver (Mullen)

Eric Peitz TE/DE 6-5 230 Crofton, Neb. (Crofton)

Jacob Tigges TE 6-2 255 Tulsa, Okla. (Union)

Matt Yemm QB/WR 6-0 195 Fort Collins (Fort Collins)

* Kawulok is expected to "grayshirt," delaying his enrollment until December. His CSU scholarship will count toward next year's recruiting-class limit.

holtzr@RockyMountainNews.com.

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