ThunderRidge lineman Heston Paige committed in early June shortly after receiving an offer from Colorado and has enjoyed seeing the recruiting momentum continue in this class for the Buffs.
"It is a great class. I know we have a good quarterback coming in and a lot of good wide receivers. There is a tight end and defensive lineman that committed recently originally from Australia. We have a good bond so I think we can do something special up there."
Paige had a lot that stood out to him before making the final decision.
"I like the fact that it is close to home. I have grown up in Colorado my whole life. It is close enough where I can go home when I want to but far enough away where I have independence. I like the coaching staff. You can tell the program is really improving. It felt like home when I visited."
The scholarship once extended was something that Paige knew he was going to jump on
"Yeah it was. It is hard when you want someone to offer you and you see offers going to other players. I kept faith in Colorado and I had faith that it would work out. I just kept confident in that."
Paige is unsure his exact positions in the trenches at the college level.
"I think they will have me play either offensive tackle or guard. I don't really have a preference. I just want to go play."
What opened up the opportunity for Paige to land the offer is the strides he made since previously seeing the Colorado staff.
"During the camp, we did a lot of drills and footwork. That is one of my strengths. I did really well with those things. They wanted me to improve on those a couple of months ago (during the spring evaluation period) and I was satisfied. I think I did good at the camp."
Paige gives a lot of credit for the work he did with Matt McChesney of Six Zero Strength.
"Matt is the best trainer in Colorado. Without him, I wouldn’t be where I'm at today. He pushed me to a point where I was confident in myself and able to go that route to perform. I was able to show that in order to prove I can play at the next level."
The connection between McChesney and Paige is now there with college but he was hoping to open the scholarship door for Paige.
"Since he graduated from CU, he was very excited that I decided to commit to CU but he just wanted to get me a chance to play football in college. He knew I was willing to put the work in so when I went there he knew it'd be a good fit for me."
There is also a lot of credit given to his father for his success as well.
"Ever since I was about five years old, he'd go and work on football with me. He is also someone I needed to get where I am today. He was always willing to go out at 8PM to work on football. I don't think he ever missed one of my games. He has really been there and has helped keep me in the right direction to fulfill my dreams."
Paige turned down multiple other schools during the recruiting process who had scholarships extended.
"I had four offers before CU. I had Air Force, Northern Colorado, North Dakota, and Northern Arizona. Then I had other schools like Virginia looking at me but once I got that offer from CU I knew that is where I wanted to play. I talked it over with family but CU was definitely at the top of my list."
A few schools continued to recruit Paige after he committed but it didn't take him long to shut down the process.
"I still get the occasional letters from North Dakota or schools like that. Once they saw the offer and decision, they understood that they should try to get someone else."
Paige plans on having no second doubts about his decision when asked about what percent he is committed.
"100%. CU is where I want to be."
"It is a great class. I know we have a good quarterback coming in and a lot of good wide receivers. There is a tight end and defensive lineman that committed recently originally from Australia. We have a good bond so I think we can do something special up there."
Paige had a lot that stood out to him before making the final decision.
"I like the fact that it is close to home. I have grown up in Colorado my whole life. It is close enough where I can go home when I want to but far enough away where I have independence. I like the coaching staff. You can tell the program is really improving. It felt like home when I visited."
The scholarship once extended was something that Paige knew he was going to jump on
"Yeah it was. It is hard when you want someone to offer you and you see offers going to other players. I kept faith in Colorado and I had faith that it would work out. I just kept confident in that."
Paige is unsure his exact positions in the trenches at the college level.
"I think they will have me play either offensive tackle or guard. I don't really have a preference. I just want to go play."
What opened up the opportunity for Paige to land the offer is the strides he made since previously seeing the Colorado staff.
"During the camp, we did a lot of drills and footwork. That is one of my strengths. I did really well with those things. They wanted me to improve on those a couple of months ago (during the spring evaluation period) and I was satisfied. I think I did good at the camp."
Paige gives a lot of credit for the work he did with Matt McChesney of Six Zero Strength.
"Matt is the best trainer in Colorado. Without him, I wouldn’t be where I'm at today. He pushed me to a point where I was confident in myself and able to go that route to perform. I was able to show that in order to prove I can play at the next level."
The connection between McChesney and Paige is now there with college but he was hoping to open the scholarship door for Paige.
"Since he graduated from CU, he was very excited that I decided to commit to CU but he just wanted to get me a chance to play football in college. He knew I was willing to put the work in so when I went there he knew it'd be a good fit for me."
There is also a lot of credit given to his father for his success as well.
"Ever since I was about five years old, he'd go and work on football with me. He is also someone I needed to get where I am today. He was always willing to go out at 8PM to work on football. I don't think he ever missed one of my games. He has really been there and has helped keep me in the right direction to fulfill my dreams."
Paige turned down multiple other schools during the recruiting process who had scholarships extended.
"I had four offers before CU. I had Air Force, Northern Colorado, North Dakota, and Northern Arizona. Then I had other schools like Virginia looking at me but once I got that offer from CU I knew that is where I wanted to play. I talked it over with family but CU was definitely at the top of my list."
A few schools continued to recruit Paige after he committed but it didn't take him long to shut down the process.
"I still get the occasional letters from North Dakota or schools like that. Once they saw the offer and decision, they understood that they should try to get someone else."
Paige plans on having no second doubts about his decision when asked about what percent he is committed.
"100%. CU is where I want to be."
