When he worked for Nick Saban at Alabama, Billy Napier didn't get to coach the players on the field, and now that he has that opportunity at Colorado State, he's excited about it:

"At some point, you realize how much you miss coaching football, so for me it's been great," Napier said Monday after the third of the Rams' 15 spring practices. "It's been a chance to get back on the grass."

Related: Jim McElwain Not Pleased With Second Spring Practice

Napier spent the 2011 season as a quality control assistant for the Crimson Tide, which means he spent his time breaking down film and consulting with the coaches.

In other Colorado State spring football news, the new Rams coaching staff has been impressed with incumbent center Weston Richburg.

"We've got a tremendous center," [offensive coordinator] Baldwin said during a news conference the day before spring practices began. "I really believe he's a talented player off film that I evaluated."

Richburg, a junior, started every CSU game over the previous two seasons.

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