FORT COLLINS >> With the most experience and an All-Mountain West selection on his resume, senior Tory Horton is the leader of Colorado State’s wide receiver room.

With Horton not participating in contact drills this spring, however, the spotlight has turned to a pair of sophomores who have provided glimpses of how good they can be this fall.

One of those in particular, Justus Ross-Simmons, has had a phenomenal spring and put his work on display Saturday during a scrimmage to conclude the third week of spring football for CSU.

The Rochester, N.Y. native first turned heads in fall camp last year with his ability to make one-handed, highlight-reel grabs. He had another one of those Saturday to go along with a couple of other noteworthy receptions.

“He’s been good all spring,” CSU head coach Jay Norvell said of Ross-Simmons. “The big thing with him, with our young receivers, is putting pressure on them to be consistent every day. We’re expecting him to be that guy for us. He should make a huge jump between year one and year two. And he’s not a freshman anymore. I think it’s been good for him that Tory hasn’t practiced because now, if we throw the ball and need a play, he’s got to make it.”

Ross-Simmons caught 26 passes for 426 yards and three touchdowns last season for the Rams, most coming in the latter half of the season. He has carried his playmaking abilities over to the spring.

On the first drive of the scrimmage, he caught a deep pass along the sideline. He had two red zone touchdown receptions in the scrimmage with one being a one-handed grab, something that he works on in practice. In a game situation, those types of catches aren’t planned, they just happen in the moment.

He knows the expectations being put on him and his desire to meet them has driven him to have a strong spring as he heads into his second season.

“Coach has big expectations for all of us, and we have to get the job done,” Ross-Simmons said. “He wants us to go out there and make plays, that’s my job and that’s what I’m going to do.”

With Horton out of spring practice, Ross-Simmons knows the eyes and pressure are on him to produce and he has done that at a high level.

As for his one-handed grabs and highlight-reel catches, there are some determining factors that go into his decision to make plays like that.

“With Tory being out, somebody has to step up,” he said. “I’m going to go out there and step up, and I’ve got the quarterback’s trust that he’s going to throw me the ball and I’m going to make the play.

“I’m not going to go say, ‘Yeah, I’m going to grab it with one hand.’ It depends on how the defender is playing me. That determines how I’m going to go up and grab the ball.”

He said his one-handed touchdown catch was his best play of the day during Saturday’s scrimmage even though he had at least three that drew big reactions from his teammates and coaches.

Ross-Simmons knows he has improved from a year ago. Along with the experience of playing college football for the first time, he has improved in a number of areas, but one in particular stands out to him.

“My biggest improvement is just learning how to get open,” he said. “I wasn’t really that good up and down. With the reps and stuff, I’m learning how to get open now so I can receive the ball. That comes from attention to detail and my technique and running routes.”

With Horton, Ross-Simmons and Louis Brown at the top of the wide receiver depth chart, reinforcements are on the way that will make an already formidable unit even more so.

Those additions will come with recruits already on their way and possibly another veteran who Norvell would like to see join to team to provide leadership and maturity.

“We still don’t have a lot of depth here right now,” Norvell said. “We’re going to bring six kids in the fall, and to be honest with you, we are trying to bring an older guy in. We’re just going to try to find a guy that’s got experience that can come in and give us a little maturity. But I think Justus has had a good spring. I think LB has had a good spring. We’re excited about that and encouraged about the progress we’ve made but we’re still not there. Our wide receiver room isn’t close to the numbers that we need.”

Even with more additions coming at wide receiver, Ross-Simmons continues to improve and make plays worthy of ensuring he sees plenty of time on the field for the Rams next fall and beyond.

CSU will conclude spring practice with its annual Green and Gold game scheduled for next Saturday at 1 p.m. at Canvas Stadium.