Keeler: Forget Bryce Young. Or Spencer Rattler. If Heisman Trophies were won on promises, CSU’s Todd Centeio would be 2021 front-runner.

FORT COLLINS — If Heisman Trophies were won connected promises, you tin hide J.T. Daniels, Bryce Young and Spencer Rattler. That puppy is Todd Centeio’s bust to lose, America.

“I don’t judge that I’m an impaired passer,” Centeio, CSU’s postgraduate quarterback, said Tuesday astatine the Rams’ shot media day. “I consciousness similar I really propulsion the shot amended than I tally the ball. And I genuinely judge that moving the ball, I’m bully astatine that arsenic well.”

With that, helium paused and grinned. Knowingly.

“I can’t hold to conscionable amusement you guys this year,” Centeio continued. “That’s each I tin say.”

We want to believe. Honest, we do. Coach Steve Addazio, who handed No. 7 the keys astir this clip a twelvemonth ago, keeps doubling down connected Team Todd’s ceiling. The ‘It’ factor, Daz calls it.

“Other players, they cognize erstwhile a feline either has that oregon they don’t person that,” Addazio said, “and Toddy has that.”

Mind you, we were promised a mediocre man’s Tim Tebow successful 2020, a savvy runner who could marque capable throws to support defenses honest.

We got the runner part. The rest, though, felt similar a fib. Over 3 banged-up appearances with the Rams past fall, the transportation retired of Temple completed 14 of 36 passes (38.9%) for 207 yards, 1 passing touchdown and a pick.

On an discourtesy whose champion players were an NFL-caliber choky extremity successful Trey McBride and a imaginable NFL speedster successful wideout Dante Wright, it looked similar an incongruous fit. A discarded of rare, chain-moving assets. A food connected a bicycle.

Former Rams backmost Patrick O’Brien bolted for Washington. Freshman Luke McAllister, the ex-Palmer Ridge slinger who was expected to propulsion for the occupation during grooming camp, transferred retired successful June.

Backups Matt Valecce (ex-Boston College) and Jonah O’Brien (ex-Eastern Illinois) person thrown each of 7 vocation passes, combined, astatine the FBS level. All of those throws are Valecce’s. If Plan A is Toddy, Plan B is simply a supplication and a punt.

The taxable for 2021: Same bicycle. Only a smarter, healthier, and a better-prepared food this clip around.

“I don’t judge I was prepared (last fall),” Centeio explained. “’Unprepared’ is the word. I got retired an Expo marker and I wrote down, ‘Preparation, preparation, preparation.’ …

“That’s 1 happening that I’m truly focusing on. Every day, earlier I spell to sleep, I’m successful my notes, each day, speechmaking each my notes from the archetypal day, adjacent if it’s the eighth day.”

To beryllium fair, arsenic weird arsenic 2020 got for assemblage shot due to the fact that of COVID-19, Fort Fun became the epicenter of bonkers. The Rams lone got 4 games successful past fall, winning one. Their regular-season location finale against Utah State coiled up getting canceled the nighttime earlier due to the fact that the Aggies players staged a boycott. For Centeio and his CSU teammates, it felt a small similar jumping into a moving train, past being instructed to get disconnected and hold connected the platform, past having to leap backmost onto the bid aft it had started chugging guardant again.

Then determination was societal media, particularly aft that Fresno State opener past October. The mean tweets.

“Oh, they did (send those),” Centeio recalled with a chuckle. “They did, I’ll archer you that. They did.”

That adhd substance to the fire?

“It’s each right. I’m not disquieted astir it … it adds substance to the fire, though. Because I similar to beryllium them wrong.”

Is that your connection for 2021, then?

“Nah. My connection is to travel retired to the games and let’s person immoderate fun.”

There’s much there. It’s a question of however much. And however rapidly it lands. New violative coordinator Jon Budmayr, a erstwhile Wisconsin backmost and Badgers lieutenant, has already likened Centeio to a young Russell Wilson.

That’s an awfully precocious barroom to clear. But if Todd makes it astatine slightest halfway there, Rams fans tin see astir of those preseason promises delivered.