Keeler: CSU Rams QB Brayden-Fowler Nicolosi talks transfer portal, Arizona Bowl, future in Fort Collins: “I’m a Ram for life”

FORT COLLINS — Last December, Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi’s mind was on his money. A year later, just as he’s about to hang with Snoop Dogg, the money isn’t on his mind.

“I’m a Ram for life,” Fowler-Nicolosi, CSU’s affable and strong-armed sophomore quarterback, told me earlier this month during preparations for a showdown with Miami of Ohio in Saturday’s Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl. “I’m bleeding green and gold.

“… I made my commitment. I’m staying through it. We’re going to ride it out. We’re going to make it great.”

The winter transfer portal closes on Saturday. And guess what? College football’s alleged $600,000 man is thankful not to be rolling in it.

“100 percent,” BFN continued. “I think (remaining at CSU is) the best decision I ever made, quite honestly. I think there’s nothing that speaks to loyalty like staying with your boys in a time like this. And so it’s pretty awesome to see the level of commitment that’s here and kind of shows the love for each other that we have.”

Love has its limits, mind you. Ex-Rams wideout Caleb Goodie (21 catches, four receiving TDs) hit the portal. So did receiver Jamari Person (36 grabs, one TD). BFN’s heading to Tucson without his top two non-Tory-Horton targets.

“It’s hard to see,” Fowler-Nicolosi, the center of transfer speculation himself after the 2023 season, said of his former comrades. “Because you spend every day — literally every day — for years, hanging out with these guys and talking to them, hanging out with them outside of football, at football, every day. And then you have to see them go and join another brotherhood. So it’s hard to watch that happen.

“But I think I’m never going to fault anyone for doing it. I’m never going to talk bad about anybody. Because everybody has their own things going on. A lot of stuff goes on behind the scenes that nobody will ever know about. And so it’s pretty cool to see people take advantage of their opportunities, whether that’s coming in or going.”

It takes a big man to take a back seat for the good of the group. Big No. 16 didn’t come here to hand off. But he gets it. BFN, Freshman Gunslinger, went 5-7. BFN, Sophomore Game Manager, is 8-4 with a game to play.

“At that point, you have to say, ‘Look, what’s going to help us get to eight, nine wins (means), I may not be the star,'” Fowler-Nicolosi reflected. “I think understanding what’s best for the team and not trying to be a personal highlight reel — that kind of maturity aspect of it is what I’m really talking about when I say I matured. Understanding that it’s a lot bigger than just me.

“Stats are cool, but I’d rather have wins on the board than a lot of passing yards.”

Once a knee injury wiped out Horton’s senior season, the Rams played the back nine with the best clubs they had left in the bag, shifting gears from Air Raid to Bruiser Ball. That meant leading with a good offensive line anchored by center Jacob Gardner, great nephew of pro wrestlers The Brisco Brothers; and a 1-2 tailback punch of Avery Morrow and Justin Marshall.

During a five-game win streak in Mountain West play that clinched bowl eligibility, CSU averaged 39 attempts on the ground while throwing it just 21 times per contest. BFN grew up slinging it with the best preps in Texas and California, where “punt to win” are about the three dirtiest words in the English language.

“Playing complementary football was the hugest thing for us this season,” Fowler-Nicolosi said. “It was just a matter of making sure our defense wasn’t put in tough spots so that we could capitalize when we got put in great spots.

“I mean, it was a lot of understanding the scheme. Last year, for sure, with the Air Raid, you better score when you touch the ball. Because you’re not going to have the ball for very long because you’re throwing it, you’re run-and-gun, you’re going to have the ball for a couple of minutes. Then the other team can just milk it, so you’ve got to score. So understanding the scheme this year and understanding that it’s not — I mean, it’s vital to score, (but) you don’t have to score every single time you touch the football, as long as you get good field position to your defense.”

After four games with multiple interceptions as a redshirt freshman — CSU went 1-3 in those tilts — in 2023, that tally got whittled to just one game in ’24. Although it was a big one — a two-pick game against CU in a chippy Rocky Mountain Showdown with plenty of narratives.

“But you know what hasn’t been a narrative for you at all?” I told the CSU QB. “Turnovers.”

Another grin.

“Love it,” he countered. “Yeah, if you look at last year compared to this year, it’s pretty awesome. You could see how the mental side of the game kind of changed for me a little bit. I slowed everything down and I was able to see things a lot better and make better decisions with the football. And I credit that to obviously the guys around me making plays for me when I needed it. And then spending a lot of time in the film room throughout the offseason, understanding where to take my shots and where not to.”

“Speaking of shots,” I wondered aloud. “Do you see yourself as the QB1 here in the summer of 2026, when this whole Pac-12 dream becomes reality?”

“I’m stoked,” Fowler-Nicolosi replied. “I think it’s a really cool opportunity for us. It’ll be a good transition.”

And the smile, this one bigger than the last, said it all.

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