PUEBLO, Colo (KOAA) — CSU Pueblo football kicks off its season Thursday night against Central Missouri, entering the game as the sixth-ranked team in Division II.
Fourth-year head coach Philip Vigil spoke about the team's expectations heading into the opener, highlighting a deep roster and a competitive offseason as reasons for optimism.
Wide receivers Marcellus Honeycutt Jr. and Dedrek Taylor-Akins headline the offensive weapons returning for the Thunderwolves. Both receivers played all 12 games in 2025, each going for more than 500 yards. Honeycutt Jr. hauled in 6 touchdowns, and Taylor-Akins added another 7, both finishing top 3 on the team. Vigil said both players have shown significant growth since arriving at the program.
"All they've done ever since they've gotten here is improve and get better and watching their work habits, it's no wonder that they're improving the way that they are," Vigil said. "They've had an unbelievable offseason. It's really exciting to see all the hard work that they've put into this thing and it come to fruition."
Both receivers were honored with single-digit jersey numbers this season — a designation Vigil said is voted on by teammates and reserved for team captains.
Getting the ball to those playmakers will fall to a young quarterback room full of underclassmen looking to fill some big shoes left by Roman Fuller who threw for 3,472 yards and 32 touchdowns last season.
"We've got 3 guys that have really battled all spring and all summer long to be the starting quarterback," Vigil said. "I'm excited for all 3 of them because I think all 3 of them are championship caliber quarterbacks."
That battle for QB1 features two sophomore transfers and returning sophomore Cam McGuire. Navi Bruzon joins the pack after a redshirt year at Arizona State in 2024 and a lone season at Highland Community College where he completed 52 percent of his passes. Evan Powell comes to the Thunderwolves after playing his freshman at Chaffey College. Powell passed for 1,359 yards and 10 touchdowns while also rushing for over 400 yards.
Vigil says the starting quarterback for Thursday night’s game has not yet been announced.
With a young quarterback stepping in under-center, CSUP is likely to rely on their run game at the start of the season as the signal caller gets comfortable within the offense.
“If we're able to run the ball efficiently, teams are gonna have to load the box, and when they load the box, that leaves our playmakers on the edges in one-on-one situations. We definitely have a very talented room, a deeper room than probably we've ever had here before."
Outside of Honeycutt Jr and Taylor-Akins, the entire Thunderwolf offense will be new. The defense is in a similar situation with just four returning starters. With so many new faces set to take the field, Vigil’s message to the team is simple.
"My goal for them on Thursday is just go let it loose, go have some fun, know what you're supposed to do, know how you're supposed to do it, play with great effort and play in freedom," Vigil said. "If we can do that on Thursday, I know we got the group here that can put up a victory and come away with the dub."
Kickoff against Central Missouri is Thursday at 6 P.M.
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