A couple of decisions Carver Cheeks made in the last year or so set him up for this season with the University of Northern Colorado football team.
It’s been a good season so far for the 20-year-old junior from Colorado Springs. Not only is Cheeks the leading receiver for the Bears, he’s No. 1 in the Big Sky Conference heading into a Week 8 home game against nationally ranked UNC Davis. Kickoff is 1 p.m. Saturday at Nottingham Field.
UNC is 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the Big Sky Conference. The No. 6 Aggies are coming off their bye week and are 5-1 and 3-0 in the Big Sky. The team’s only loss was to the University of Washington 70-10 on Sept. 6 in Seattle. Cheeks is averaging 103.6 yards per game, and he had his best game last weekend in a tough loss at Sacramento State. Cheeks caught nine passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns went for 75 and 62 yards. The 223 yards are the second highest single-game total in UNC’s Division I era and fourth all time. It was third time this year Cheeks had at least 100 yards receiving.Cheeks’ game against the Hornets earned him honors Tuesday at the National Football Foundation-Colorado Chapter player of the week.
He has 725 yards this year on 44 catches with five receiving touchdowns. The yards and catches are also best in the Big Sky. Cheeks also has a rushing touchdown. The 725 yards rank third in the Football Championship Subdivision level and 10th-most for a single season at UNC in the Division I.All of this from an athlete who asked to switch to wide receiver from defensive back about a year ago. The other beneficial decision for Cheeks and the Bears came in the spring when he was welcomed back to the program after exploring his options in the NCAA transfer portal.
“I’m just glad they believed in me enough to come out here and just do what I could do for the team at the end of the day,” he said Wednesday, also expressing thanks to UNC head coach Ed Lamb for the second chance.
University of Northern Colorado wide receiver Carver Cheeks catches a touchdown pass during the Bears' loss to Idaho State in a Big Sky Conference game Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025 at Nottingham Field in Greeley. (Joseph Sykes/For the Greeley Tribune)Cheeks returned to the program as a walk-on for this fall, meaning without a scholarship. Cheeks gave up the scholarship he initially earned when he entered the transfer portal. He came to UNC as a scholarship defensive back in 2023 with the first class Lamb signed after the coach took over the program.
Cheeks has since re-earned the scholarship, Lamb said Wednesday during the coach’s weekly media session.
“Earned every bit of it,” Lamb said, noting the player’s humility and leadership on the team.
Cheeks said his season — with the strong stats and big-play making ability — is because of the trust of his teammates from the offensive line to the quarterbacks.
“My teammates believing in me, just throwing the ball my way and just expecting me to come down with it and help out the team,” Cheeks said.
University of Northern Colorado head coach Ed Lamb walks the sideline during the Bears' loss to Idaho State on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025 at Nottingham Field in Greeley. (Joseph Sykes/For the Greeley Tribune)Cheeks made the switch to receiver in late September last year, and his impact was almost immediate. With the move, he joined his brother on offense. Cash Cheeks was a tight end for the Bears in 2023 and 2024 after transferring from Division II Northern State. Cash had 171 yards on 18 catches last season. He left UNC for the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) but has not played this year, according to team stats. Carver finished last season with 20 catches for 355 yards and three receiving touchdowns. The catches and yardage were second among receivers. He tied for the team lead with the receiving touchdowns.
He said the request came from feeling more comfortable on offense. Cheeks said he spent the majority of his time in football at receiver before coming to UNC. But, like so many scholastic players, Cheeks played offense and defense at Mesa Ridge High School.
UNC wide receivers coach Mike Rigell said the biggest adjustment for Cheeks going defense to offense was reading defensive coverages from pre-snap of the ball to post-snap.“Reading on the run,” Rigell said. “Once the ball is snapped, how he has to adjust his routes, whether it’s man coverage, zone coverage, those types of details.”
Rigell said this is a difficult skill for a player. Instead of moving around to disguise the defense — as Cheeks did in the secondary — as a receiver, he has to decipher those moves and change his route if necessary.
Rigell said Cheeks has added another component to his game with the position change. He’s grown into more of a professional in the film room. He takes notes, analyzes the film and looks for tendencies based on coverages.
“And then, now you got to be an in-game adjustment type manager, and he does a really, really good job at that,” Rigell said. “We break down every type series when we come off the field.”
On the field, Cheeks knows how to position his body to be in the best place to catch the ball — and then run with it for yards after catch (YAC), Rigell said.
In looking at Cheeks’ impact, offensive coordinator Justin Walterscheid asked what the receiver has not done on the field. Walterscheid said Cheeks, even with his physical talents, needed time to learn the technique of a receiver and to pick up on the playbook. Adapting to the position came more quickly for Cheeks because he put in the work.
“He prepares himself the right way,” Walterscheid said. “And I think that’s infectious, especially when you have a guy who’s having success and goes about his business that way. Has a huge impact on the entire team, and specifically the offense.”
UC Davis
UC Davis opened its season Aug. 23 against Mercer at the FCS Kickoff Classic in Montgomery, Alabama. The Aggies led 23-17 with 7 minutes, 46 seconds to play in the fourth quarter when the game was called because of lighting in the area. The game never resumed and was declared a no contest, so the stats do not count.The Aggies have the third-best offense in the Big Sky this season, averaging 34 points — behind Montana and Idaho State. The defense allows 31.8 points, which is seventh of 12 teams. UNC ranks eighth in offense (25.6 avg/game) and third in defense (24.3).
UC Davis beat UNC 59-7 at home last year as the fourth-ranked team in FCS.
“I feel like in some alternate universe they’re still scoring on us from last year,” Lamb said. “Just one of the all time embarrassing losses that I’ve ever been a part of. We just were not able to even slow them down offensively.”
The coach said the Aggies are better this year with the No. 6 ranking. UNC is still looking for its first Big Sky Conference home win under Lamb. The coach said the Bears are the closest team he’s ever been around.
“We’re rising,” Lamb said. “We’re not there yet, but we’re rising together.”
Aggies redshirt freshman quarterback Caden Pinnick is the fourth-ranked passer in the Big Sky in yards per game. He averages 235.7 while completing 69.3% of his passes (104 for 150) for 1,414 yards with a conference best 16 touchdowns and only two interceptions.Earlier this month, Pinnick tied a conference record with his third straight Big Sky offensive player of the week award.
Pinnick this week was recognized as one of top 22 freshman named to the Jerry Rice Award watch list. The award honors the top freshman in FCS and is named for Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice. Best known for his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers, Rice played college football at FCS-level Mississippi Valley State.
Hence then, the article about carver cheeks making the right moves and choices for unc football was published today ( ) and is available on GreeleyTribune ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Carver Cheeks making the right moves and choices for UNC football )
Also on site :