What Tyson Summers said after final game as interim CSU football coach

Tyson Summers began his final press conference as interim Colorado State football coach by thanking his family.

He thanked CSU players and coaches for their efforts in the final weeks of the season after he took over following the dismissal of Jay Norvell.

He thanked CSU administrators as well and choked up after reading a text from his son.

CSU athletic director John Weber had also singled out Summers for praise this week when announcing the hiring of Jim Mora as CSU's next coach.

It was an odd situation for everyone to be in, but the 2025 season is now over and the Rams turn the page to the Pac-12 after losing 42-21 to Air Force on Nov. 28.

Here's a look at some of the key points on what Summers said after his final game as CSU interim.

Tyson Summers on what he will remember about the team

"I think just their ability to show up and work every day. I think whatever I asked them — and I know it may sound corny or it may not sound like it's that important — but everywhere in the country, if you play college football, Tuesdays are hard. And I can just remember this two weeks ago and saying, 'Hey, I know Tuesday's hard, I need everything you got today.' We had a great Tuesday.

"And I talked to them about having some time off Wednesday afternoon through Thanksgiving, and went through the schedule that we had for Thanksgiving. And I said, 'Look, I need everybody to be here on time, and I need us to have our mind right.' They did, they've done everything we asked them to do.

"They continue to work, and they continue to persevere. And I think that says a lot about them. Had a lot of injuries, and crazy, crazy things. And in 25 years, I hadn't seen some of the things that we had this year. But I think you continue to see those guys lead. And had some outstanding individual performances through the year as well."

Tyson Summers on Owen Long and Rocky Beers

"I think their leadership. I think the biggest part, anytime you have success like that throughout a season, one just talks about the work that you put in in the offseason to remain healthy. I think a huge part of that is that. And then I think what you see is guys that were continuing to improve as the year went on.

"I don't know Rocky's exact statistics over the course of the last four weeks, but I would expect they were pretty darn good. And I think that that's an example of them continuing to work and continuing to believe and get better. And so I think that the greatest tribute to them is, again, what they were able to put in the offseason, give themselves a chance to be healthy. And I think the second part is the work that they continue to put in this year to give themselves a chance to be that successful."

Tyson Summers on how Jackson Brousseau was able to play through injury

"(Brousseau) has been heart and soul. I remember going back in the summer and I was talking with a number of different people and I just said, JB is, in my opinion, is our best leader. And I thought that then and I think he's an incredible leader today. I think he showed how much he cared about his teammates. Again, a lot of guys could have said, 'Hey, I don't know if I can do this, I'm not sure, this isn't the best thing for my career, I could hurt it worse.' I mean, and he just kept coming out there trying to figure out how he was going to get better, and I think he probably played his best game today. That's just a sign, again, of a guy when he's doing the things that you should do, despite what everything and everybody else tells him. He goes out and plays his best game. I'm really, really proud of him, and none of it surprises me. It's just who he is."

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: What Tyson Summers said after final game as interim CSU football coach