Colorado State's Tommy Maher: From Walk-On to 108-Yard Night

Colorado State fans watching Tommy Maher haul in passes against San Diego State saw a receiver who spent his first months on campus without a scholarship. Maher, a walk-on who joined the Rams before the 2024 season, caught six balls for 108 yards and two touchdowns against the Aztecs. Both scores came by halftime, the first two-touchdown game of his career.

The numbers behind that line trace a slow climb. Maher appeared in five games for CSU in 2024, with four catches for 99 yards and a touchdown. He played all 12 games last fall, catching 32 passes for 358 yards. This season he has dealt with a hamstring he pulled running down on a punt in the opener against Wyoming, missing the Southern Utah game and playing the following week against BYU before feeling himself again by the UTSA matchup.

Maher came to Fort Collins from St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California, where former CSU coach Jay Norvell's staff offered him a walk-on spot rather than a scholarship. Maher described the high school experience that left him there: "I went to a big high school, bunch of guys, ton of recruits and I was kind of overshadowed there. I didn't really play until my senior year, so I came in and I knew how to compete, and I just brought that with me here."

His first touchdown, in the Border War game against Wyoming, led to a locker room surprise. "Coach Norvell called my name, like, full scholarship. It was such a cool moment and something I'm going to hold for the rest of my life, Maher said. After the Rams finished 2-win season and changed coaches, Maher chose to stay, pointing to new coach Jim Mora's NFL resume and his own comfort in Fort Collins.

Mora has since leaned on Maher in the passing game alongside quarterback Hauss Hejny. "Tommy is like a hidden gem," Mora said. "He's so reliable and he's so consistent. He's a hard worker and he knows what he's doing all the time." Maher pulled his hamstring in the first half of the Wyoming opener, missing the Southern Utah game, and said he was not fully back until the UTSA matchup. Hejny then went down with an injury in the third game, so the two did not share a full game together until the San Diego State weekend.

That game produced the Rams' first and third touchdowns. Colorado State put up 56 points and 549 yards of offense. Maher's next test comes Saturday at Utah State, kickoff set for 1:30 p.m. on USA Network.