CSU-Pueblo football lands some homegrown talent

Zach Cozzolino is following in the footsteps of a former Colts quarterback going from South to CSU-Pueblo, his head coach John Wristen. Though Wristen is a little jealous of Cozzolino’s the only South quarterback to ever win a state title, “I love the kid he’s much smarter than I ever was and he’s a winner. I didn’t win as many games as he has done at south. He’s one of the best kids I’ve ever been around, he’s a winner,” says John Wristen.

Jacob Wilkinson of Pueblo West is going on a church mission before joining the Pack but he’ll be welcomed back with open arms, “I didn’t care, he’s a winner. He’s gonna be a very mature guy as a true freshman coming back. What more could I ask for,” says Wristen.

Wristen’s all about connections when recruiting, what better place to connect than Fountain Fort Carson high school, where former Pack coach Jake Novotny is now the head man,”I was always comfortable there, I could talk to the people there, so I was just comfortable and I think it’s the right place for me,” says Jarren Sly, who signed to play at CSU-Pueblo. Sly and Eric Donnell also have family connections to CSU-Pueblo which made their decision to join the Pack pretty easy, “It’s really good just being close to home because you know you’re going to miss mom’s cooking so you just drive right down the street to get that too,” says Donnell.