Booth began his high school career at Cheery Creek and is now back in the Centennial State to study.
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – After three years away, Carey Booth finally returned home.
“He’s pretty much like everyone who leaves Colorado,” Colorado State head coach Ali Farokhmanesh said. “You always want to come back at some point.”
Booth, the Rams’ starting punter, began his high school career at Cherry Creek before transferring to high school powerhouse Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.
“It was obviously pretty difficult,” Booth, a junior, said about leaving home for his senior year of high school. “I just thought about going to college a year early and I think it was a beneficial decision for me.”
He signed with Notre Dame out of high school and made 19 starts as a true freshman before transferring to Illinois. During his second season with the Illini, his playing time and numbers declined, causing him to enter the transfer portal for the second time.
“The biggest thing for me was the opportunity,” Booth said. “Of course I played at prestigious schools, but for me the experience is the most important thing and being able to play here and of course having that opportunity was a big factor.”
That brought him back to Colorado to sign with the Rams.
“I’ll be honest, the first two times it was very difficult to recruit him,” Farokhmanesh said. “And then the third time… I called him and said, ‘Do you want to come?’ He said yes and that was it. So it was the easiest recruiting ever.”
It helped that Farokhmanesh had known Booth since high school.
“I took an unofficial (visit) here when I was a sophomore, so obviously they’ve always been involved,” Booth said. “I’ve had a relationship with Ali for some time now. Ali was my primary recruiter. He was the assistant who would always call me or come up and follow up with me.”
In addition to having a relationship with Carey, Farokhmanesh also had a relationship with his father, Calvin, who was the Nuggets’ general manager for five seasons and helped lead Denver to its only championship in 2023. This pedigree, combined with Carey’s skills, made him a highly sought-after recruit.
“We want to get to the point where we always get the best kid in Colorado to stay home,” Farokhmanesh said. “I think that’s not only important for our fan base, but it also means something different when you’re playing with your chest every night for Colorado State.”
It’s been a perfect match so far. Booth averages nearly 12 points per game and has a team-high seven assists, both career highs.
“I’m not really surprised,” Booth said of his statistics. “When I had the opportunity I knew I wouldn’t look back. I knew I could do it and I’m glad I was able to show it.”
“Being in my third year helps me a lot, learning from different experiences and different schools, that’s a factor. And of course, the system and the offense that we run here and Ali’s trust in me and working with me personally as a one-on-one player also helped a lot. I always knew… I could play and I had skill, but when I got here I feel like they really helped me take advantage of that.”
What better place to find people who believe in you than at home?
“Sometimes you need someone to believe in you and I think Carey was waiting for that,” Farokhmanesh said. “I think he knows he has employees here who believe in him, who trust him and who are willing to grow with him.”
