Arizona has blown up as a state that constantly churns out D1 football talent. Coaches from major programs make their way out West in droves during the spring evaluation period and throughout the fall.

Colorado could be next.

The Box State has seen a rise in high level recruits over the last couple of cycles. In the 2020 and 2021 classes alone, Colorado sent prospects to big name programs like LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M, Washington and Wisconsin.

If you’re a top recruit in Colorado, especially in the trenches, chances are you train with Matt McChesney. A former NFL offensive lineman, McChesney runs Six Zero Strength and doubles as a mentor for kids looking to become the next P5 prospect from Colorado.

“There are so many kids here,” McChesney said. “Colorado is a flyover state. I’m not naïve. I know what it is. It’s not California or Texas. They don’t care like they care in those places. It’s more of a hobby here. I literally tell kids not to sign up with me. (Six Zero) is unequivocally for the serious and the committed. It works. It weeds out the kids that aren’t supposed to play DI football. But there are a lot of skill players here. And if they’re looking for big dudes, next year’s class is great.”

With Colorado set to take off, Michigan is making sure to make an imprint early on. The Wolverines landed All-American quarterback Dylan McCaffrey in 2017, highly touted offensive lineman Reece Atteberry in 2020 and just reeled in three-star offensive lineman Connor Jones in the 2022 class — the latter two both train with McChesney.

The state of Colorado is home to just one Power Five program (Colorado) and no school in particular has really owned recruiting there as of late — ala Michigan with Massachusetts. Opportunity to poach Colorado, despite a talent increase, is at an all-time high.

“I played at the University of Colorado, and I love that place,” McChesney said. “They didn’t even offer Connor. They wanted to see more tape. I said ‘you’re effing up.’ You are letting someone come in and purge the state. If they don’t see the value of home state players, others do. We’ve got multiple guys at Stanford, LSU, Notre Dame, multiple guys at Michigan and Texas A&M. How is this actually happening?”

Michigan doesn’t care how or why it’s happening. The Wolverines are simply excited to take advantage of the situation. That statement is especially U-M offensive line coach Ed Warinner, who has been leading the charge for Michigan in Colorado.

With Atteberry on the roster and Jones now in the fold, Warinner may look to Colorado to add more ‘Mile High Muscle’ along the offensive line. In fact, Warinner has offered three Colorado offensive linemen aside from Jones for next cycle — three-star recruits Braden Miller, Kaden Weatherby and George Fitzpatrick.

Both Miller and Weatherby train with McChesney, who believes the twin towers from Eaglecrest (same high school that Atteberry graduated from) would be welcomed additions in Ann Arbor.

“Braden Miller has that football lineage. He’s very similar to his brother (Stanford offensive lineman Barrett Miller) in he’s as nasty. But he’s better in the open field. He’s got better knee bend. I think he’s a prototypical left tackle. He’s huge. He’s a natural athlete that just needs to be built.

“Weatherby is a right tackle or left tackle. He’s every bit of 6-foot-7. He’s super long. He has a huge ass. He has big, broad shoulders. He’s consistent. He’s just trying to maul your ass.”

Warinner is known as a great developer of talent along the offensive line. His resume obviously speaks for itself. But he also happens to be one of the best recruiters on Michigan staff.

McChesney made it clear that guys that work with him should want to play for Warinner.

“Ed is an incredible coach. Not only does he have an eye for talent, but he can also develop the s**t out of these kids,” McChesney said. “I’m not saying that a lot of coaches can’t do that, but usually, you’re really good at spotting talent, which really isn’t that hard with offensive linemen — Are they big and long? Can they run? Are they putting people in the ground on film? Are they just big and soft? — or you’re a developmental guy and just let the scouting department find the talent. Ed is one of 10 or 15 guys that I deal with at the P5 level that is the most hands on.”

Of course, Michigan will also get a boost from Jones, who is sure to recruit both Miller and Weatherby among others.

“Kids like Connor,” McChesney said. “The more he pushes the narrative, the better it helps. He’s a natural leader. He made his decision as a grown ass man. Now, he’s in a position to go help recruit this class. I wouldn’t past Connor, Braden and Kaden to say let’s go team up with Reece and have four Six Zero guys.”

But it’s not just about the big boys upfront. Colorado is also home to Gavin Sawchuk, the nation’s top ranked 2022 running back. Sawchuk is considered an Oklahoma lean early, but Michigan has been a consistent contender in his recruitment.

Sawchuk running behind some fellow Colorado-grown talent in The Big House. Well, that would be something, wouldn’t it?

“I don’t think Coach Ed is done,” McChesney said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up bagging Weatherby or Miller as well. I really think there are a handful of kids in the state of Colorado that Michigan can just come in and pluck.”

---

• Talk about this article inside The Fort

• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine

• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @EJHolland_TW, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @Balas_Wolverine and @DrewCHallett

• Like us on Facebook