On the first day of Legend’s football summer camp, Ryken Banks thought he knew the drill. Except for the bit where his new coach decided he was Hellbent on being an active part of it.

“He walks in the weight room, and he looks over at us, and he was like, ‘I’m next,'” Banks, the Titans’ running back, said of Jake Heaps’ first June in Legend blue. “So, he hops in.”

Before long, Banks, who averaged 6.4 yards per carry over his first three varsity seasons, was doing something he’d never done during a Titans lifting session before: Spotting his head coach on the bench press.

“Playing since I was a freshman, I’ve kind of had the same thing for three years,” the 6-foot-1 senior reflected. “Getting this new thing, seeing the type of players we have and (Heaps) really playing to the best of our abilities, it’s just kind of a new, refreshing thing that’s exciting.”

Dave Logan’s Cherry Creek dynasty rolls on like the Gunnison River. Valor Christian is tweaking again. Legend? Your reigning Class 5A football runners-up might be the most fascinating Front Range gridiron tale south of Boulder this fall.

Bolles on board

This past February, longtime coach Monte Thelen was replaced by Heaps, better known around these parts as Russell Wilson’s personal QB guru.

It’s one of those hiring Hail Marys that can get an athletic director in hot water if things go off the rails. Yet the Titans haven’t stopped swinging big since. Quarterback DJ Bordeaux, a three-star passer who’s committed to Boston College, got a hardship waiver to enroll at Legend, making the Titans his fourth program in four years. One of Heaps’ first hires was to bring in Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles on board to serve as director of player development.

“So, our wives are best friends. We’re best friends,” the affable Heaps, who quarterbacked BYU (2010-11), Kansas (2012-13) and Miami (2014), told me last week. “Our kids are playing the same flag football games together. And so we got really close. But going back to the mantra of we’re going to do it better than everybody’s ever done it before. I mean, I’ve got this unbelievable resource. How am I not going to get him involved in our program?

“When I took the job, (Bolles) was like, ‘OK, what can I do?’ He wanted to jump in and be on the coaching staff. And I’m like, ‘Oh, buddy, hey, you’ve got other things to do here, man.’ When you’re done playing, heck yeah, we’ll do this thing together. But I’ve got to keep you in a certain role. I don’t need George Payton and Sean Payton breathing down my neck, you know what I mean?”

There will be more Broncos, past and present, in and around Hilltop Road in the months to come, if Heaps can keep pulling strings.

“We’re working on it,” the coach said. “… We got some good relationships still there (at Dove Valley). And so, yeah, we’re,  I’m working all those things and not trying to put it all out there all at once, but yeah — we’re taking advantage of that connection. For sure.”

Sean Payton?

He laughed.

“That’s a Garett question,” Heaps countered. “He’s always welcome. We would love to have him, for sure. But we’re excited. I think Garett having that connection is just a fun opportunity for these kids to get exposed to that.”

Russ, too?

“I don’t know if I could get him to come back for the bye week,” Heaps replied. “But Russ will certainly have an influence and an opportunity to meet our kids, and for them to meet him, absolutely. How can I not pull all the resources that I possibly can?”

Was Russ OK with this?

“That was a really cool conversation, because I couldn’t take this job without his blessing,” Heaps continued. “That’s my first priority. And the school knew that.

“And immediately he was like, ‘You’ve got to do this. You are born to do this. This is going to be such a great opportunity for you to grow your craft.’ (Him) recognizing that as a best friend, which is what he truly is, was really cool and really special.”

‘I don’t want to try to be Dave Logan’

Legend built something special under Thelen, too, which only adds to the intrigue. Heaps, meanwhile, had never coached in this state, or at this level, before the Titans sought him out. Why this gig? Why now?

“I crave impact,” Heaps said. “And the reason why I crave it is because I know how important it was to me in my career, in my journey. And how important (my) high school coach was to me and shaping me and who I am and what I became.”

The office still needs some shaping. Actually, it’s not so much an office as a skeletal approximation of the old “Gruden’s QB Camp” set. A whiteboard hangs from one wall, opposite a wall that’s entirely a whiteboard. A small couch is tucked into a back corner.

“And eventually we’ll get like a little desk over here with a couple monitors and all that,” Heaps said. “Get it ready for the film-watching and all that good stuff.”

With Wilson with the Giants and ex-Ohio State QB Will Howard, another protégé, in Pittsburgh, Heaps figures to be racking up the airline miles soon, breaking down Grandview and Columbine tape while jet-setting to NFL stops. Which sounds not unlike a certain voice of the Broncos, now that you mention it.

“(Logan) is a legend here, and he’s done such a great job,” Heaps said. “It’s so unique to take over all the programs that he has had and then to churn out consistent, constant winners … he’s been a winner his entire life. And so you admire people like that.

“And Dave is Dave. I can’t be Dave, but I can be Jake Heaps … I don’t want to try to be Dave Logan. I don’t want to try to be anybody else. Dave’s uniquely Dave. I want to be me. And that’s how I’m going to do this thing: Full throttle.”

Among his players, though, that 13-10 loss to Logan’s Bruins in the 5A title game still burns. The Titans even have a group rolling that’s called “ABC.”

As in, Always Beat Creek.

“I’m absolutely grateful for what we had last year. Don’t get me wrong,” Legend wideout Ryan Iglesias said. “But this year the hype is up, and we’re ready to hit the hype. We have everything we need.

“I’d say we’re the bar. I don’t think anyone else is the bar. I think it’s us … we’re a better team than we were before. It’s going to be the best year we’ve ever had yet. Mark my words. We’re the bar.”

Heaps has Pete Carroll on speed dial. He could hook on with any number of NFL and college staffs from coast to coast. Instead, he’s grinding away in a room with no desk yet. Lifting with his kids at the crack of dawn.

“It’s just really funny,” Iglesias noted. “Not only is it super cool to see your coach lift like that, but I think it’s better because we get to connect with our coach personally. It’s so much fun because obviously I get to lift with my boys, and then I get to lift with another head coach that I really love.”

And like it or not, he’s next.

Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.

On Feb. 10, a group of parents, coaches and students gathered at the private school in Highlands Ranch to meet with head of school Bryan Ritz. The concerns centered around the resignation of football coach Bret McGatlin a month earlier and how his departure correlated to larger issues within the Eagles athletic department.

Criticism voiced at that meeting alleged a toxic environment within the department. That environment, critics said, had caused discontent, high coaching turnover and a perceived over-emphasis on winning championships over program stability.

Past and present coaches, as well as parents, held Valor Christian’s leadership responsible for the turmoil, which reached a tipping point with McGatlin’s resignation in January shortly after he was put on a performance improvement plan.

Both Ritz and athletic director Keith Wahl declined an interview request for this story, but Ritz addressed concerns voiced in the community meeting held Feb. 10 — audio of which was obtained by The Denver Post.

Valor Christian is one of the top athletic departments in Colorado, with 57 state championships since the school opened in 2007 — eight of which belong to the football program. The department is built on the notion of experiencing sports as an act of worship, led by “transformational” coaches who reject the idea of winning at all costs and “choose a countercultural approach to athletics,” according to the school’s website. But the foundation of those values had been shaken, critics at the meeting said.

To understand the tumult around the school’s athletic department, The Post interviewed more than a dozen coaches and parents who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fear of retribution from the school.

At the core of their concerns was a belief that Valor Christian athletics had lost its way.

“It’s devastating that this culture in the athletic department is pulling people apart, and misleading and misrepresenting people,” assistant football coach Matt Fox, who declined an interview request from The Post, said at the meeting. “And quite frankly, the behaviors are serial, the behaviors are intentional and premeditated, and it’s not a coincidence.

“And for me, it’s disappointing, because this isn’t about Coach McGatlin entirely. That man lived up to every ethos that this school put in front of him.”

McGatlin’s resignation

When Valor Christian announced McGatlin’s resignation Jan. 16, Wahl told the community that McGatlin was leaving the Eagles after three seasons to “pursue new opportunities in his career.”

But his departure wasn’t quite that simple.

According to the concerns voiced at the community meeting — where numerous assistant football coaches, parents and football players spoke, and a statement from McGatlin was read — McGatlin’s exit was directly tied to issues with the school’s athletic department.

McGatlin declined an interview request from The Post, but in a statement Fox read at the meeting, McGatlin pointed to what he believes is a gladiator culture in high school sports. And that culture, he says, is negatively influencing Valor Christian athletics.

“The real problem lies within the system itself, and it can be traced back to a common denominator: the current leadership within the athletic department,” McGatlin’s statement read. “During my 32 months at Valor, my office became a refuge for coaches seeking support, sharing frustrations about the athletic department. … Their concerns were not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of dissatisfaction and distress.

“… The root cause: a leadership crisis. At the heart of the issue is a leadership style characterized by a culture of fear, comparison and uncertainty. Coaches have felt unsupported and undervalued, leading to an environment where fear and anxiety replace passion and purpose. I can say without hesitation that I would not have resigned if not for this leadership dynamic.”

Had McGatlin stayed at Valor Christian, he would’ve been coaching under a performance improvement plan in 2025. The improvement plan came after the Eagles went 11-2 in 2024 and lost to eventual Class 5A champion Cherry Creek in the state semifinals. Valor Christian went 6-5 the previous season and lost to Cherry Creek in the 5A title game in McGatlin’s first year in 2022.

Ritz told those gathered at the meeting that the community was divided in its support of McGatlin, and that he “got at least a dozen phone calls with specifics of what was going wrong” during the season and then again after it.

McGatlin’s PIP, presented by Wahl to the coach on Jan. 6, outlined several concerns.

According to a copy of the PIP obtained by The Post, a parent survey conducted by the athletic program garnered a 73% response rate — the highest participation in program history. Wahl wrote that the cumulative survey results over the past three years were “beyond the scope of an acceptable amount of noise.”

That included a 7% “net promoter score” for varsity in 2024 and a minus-20% score in ’23 — two of the lowest scores in program history. McGatlin’s average program-wide net promoter score over three seasons was 27%. The formula for net promoter scores is promoters (those who rated the program a nine or 10) minus detractors (ratings of one through six), divided by respondents.

Areas for improvement listed in the PIP included player experience and development, coaching and leadership, and program excellence and expectations. It called for program-wide net promoter scores in the range of 50% to 60% in 2025, restructuring the coaching staff, and the school hiring an executive coach for McGatlin.

The PIP stated that the program should win 10 varsity games each year, never lose by 20 or more points and consistently make a run at a state title. It stated that McGatlin would be subject to three performance reviews in ’25 and that his “ability to maintain employment at Valor in this role is contingent on satisfactory, consistent and sustained improvement in all areas identified” in the document.

In a written rebuttal, McGatlin’s lawyer blasted the overall nature of the PIP, calling it based on “arbitrary or capricious criteria,” and said it “raises significant concerns about its fairness, objectivity and alignment with Colorado employment laws.”

The PIP and its requirements were evidence that the school did not support the coach, those who spoke at the community meeting said. An email obtained by The Post also showed that Wahl posted an opening for an assistant coaching job without McGatlin’s knowledge on Jan. 7, two days before the coach submitted his resignation.

Amid the conversation about McGatlin, a consistent theme emerged from parents and coaches alike: McGatlin’s departure was part of a larger, corrosive culture that’s been cultivated within the athletic department and festered across a wide swath of sports.

Upheaval in other programs

As a result of the community meeting, Ritz set in motion a review of Valor Christian’s athletic department processes, he wrote in a Feb. 14 email. In another email in late April, Ritz wrote that he met with more than 40 past and present coaches, as well as parents, as part of the review.

The review was based in part on the high coaching turnover the school has seen recently, including the upheaval in specific programs that led to resignations similar to McGatlin’s.

Among other turnover, notable departures came in strength and conditioning (two coaches, Darren Krein and Adam Osborn, resigned in 2024 and ’25, respectively); girls lacrosse (coach Terry Ellis resigned in February); girls and boys soccer (founding teacher and longtime coach Brian Shultz left before the spring ’24 season); and boys basketball (Dennis Burrage left before the 2023-24 season).

Krein, who played and coached in the NFL, expressed disappointment at the community meeting about what he saw as a lack of support of coaches at Valor Christian.

“In the 20-plus years I’ve been a player and coach in the NFL — and it’s a rough situation there. … I’ve never been treated as bad in the NFL as I was treated here,” said Krein, who declined an interview request from The Post.

Ellis, who also declined an interview request, was placed on an improvement plan in 2024 despite leading the Eagles to two state championship games and two semifinals during his tenure.

According to emails obtained by The Post, Wahl presented Ellis with his improvement plan after the end of last season, which concluded with a Class 5A semifinal loss to perennial power Colorado Academy. The plan focused on three areas of improvement: culture, connection and communication.

The plan, a copy of which was obtained by The Post, said that one parent complained in the survey that “there just seemed to be tension or dissatisfaction.” The plan listed four families for Ellis to meet with, in addition to conducting player development meetings with every returning player.

All of this led Ellis, a former professional player who also coaches in the club sphere, to resign on Feb. 3, about a month before the first game. As with McGatlin, an email from Wahl to the community said Ellis resigned “to pursue other opportunities.”

The perceived discontent within the girls lacrosse program was not isolated within Valor Christian’s spring sports. A review of the summary of parent surveys from spring sports last year said net promoter scores “continued a negative slide” with parents in many sports frustrated with coaching as well as “an environment of Christ-centered character development.” The cumulative net promoter score for 2024 spring sports was 44%.

Those who voiced concerns at the community meeting, as well as those who spoke with The Post under condition of anonymity, said the culture within Valor Christian athletics started to change when Wahl took the helm as AD in 2023.

Pressure on Wahl

McGatlin’s characterization of a “leadership crisis” within the Valor Christian athletic department was a common theme among those who spoke with The Post.

Wahl was previously the school’s head baseball and softball coach and assistant athletic director. Repeated critiques of Wahl were that the athletic director’s leadership style was deceptive; the department had issues with communication and transparency; and an overall belief that, as one football parent put it, the department needs “revival.”

There was widespread criticism at the meeting about how much Wahl listened to parents, questions about whether parents who were larger donors had more influence, and how parent surveys were being used. According to several coaches, under Wahl’s tenure, coaches did not see individual parent surveys, only a summary of their overall results and the net promoter scores that were put together by Wahl.

“I think their surveys are part of the problem because I think the surveys are honestly being manipulated,” Krein said at the meeting.

Ritz said at the meeting that he believed some of the critique of McGatlin in the parent surveys was warranted, but acknowledged that Wahl also made mistakes in his handling of parent criticism of the coach. Ritz said Wahl was too negative in his meeting with McGatlin two days after the season ended.

“I told them both, ‘You guys need to get back in the same room, and you need to have another discussion, and Keith, you need to apologize,'” Ritz said at the community meeting. “That’s what needed to happen. Two days after we lose a massive game is not the time to talk about anything other than, ‘Hey, good season, and we’ll come back (later) and talk about the good things and the bad things.'”

Winning over faith?

In the community meeting, Ritz also conceded another factor in the turbulence within Valor Christian athletics: out-of-control parents.

Ritz noted that “our reputation when we go to other stands is not good.”

“I do think we have a culture issue, but I think it’s broader than what we just talked about (between coaches and athletic leadership),” Ritz said at the meeting. “… It’s not just a culture issue with our coaches or with our leadership. It’s also with our families.

“… In terms of our vision and mission, it’s (about) partnering with parents. That also means our parents have to model Christ-like behavior. And some of the behavior I saw in the stands is not acceptable, full stop.”

The Post witnessed some of what Ritz alluded to at both of Valor Christian’s football losses in 2024.

In the Eagles’ 62-21 defeat at Mountain Vista on Oct. 4 — the Eagles’ worst loss in program history — some Valor Christian adults were visibly irate and yelling negative comments toward the field. In the 42-17 semifinal loss to Cherry Creek on Nov. 30 at Stutler Bowl, it was more of the same, with multiple parents screaming demeaning comments at the coaching staff on the Eagles’ sideline.

In response, Ritz tasked the athletic department with developing a document called “The Valor Way.” In a Feb. 14 email to the school community, Ritz said such a document “will outline our community’s commitment to exemplary behavior and excellence.”

“Every student-athlete and family will sign this pledge, affirming their dedication to upholding Christ-like character both on and off the field,” Ritz wrote.

In an email in late April, Ritz asked that the school’s community “extend both understanding and grace” as he works with Wahl to re-focus the Eagles’ Christ-centered vision for both the athletic department and its parents.

“I am committed to providing more consistent support and development for our coaches, strengthening our athletic leadership team, establishing clear written guidelines, setting expectations for parent engagement, and cultivating a culture that honors God in all things,” Ritz wrote. “While I acknowledge we have missed the mark in some areas, our calling remains clear: We must keep God at the center of everything we do.”

Can Valor get back on track?

In his first full year as the head of school, Ritz’s learning curve has been steep.

In addition to the discord within the athletic department, Ritz acknowledged in an April 11 email to the community that he’s also dealt with two other serious issues involving staffers.

One of those cases was a result of a Safe2Tell report, which “identified behavioral concerns involving a staff member and a student.” The report did not concern a criminal act, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. But that staff member was put on administrative leave while Valor Christian conducted an internal review, which Ritz wrote revealed “a misalignment between this individual and our organizational standards, which ultimately led us to separate.”

“This review includes interviews with students, parents and staff, as well as a detailed examination of communications such as texts and emails,” Ritz told The Post in an email on May 7.

The other situation involved a coach. Michael Duran, an assistant wrestling coach, was arrested on Dec. 28 by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. According to the arrest affidavit, Duran was charged with two counts of unlawful sexual contact, Class 1 misdemeanors, stemming from massages he conducted at Olive Juice Beauty Bar in Highlands Ranch. Duran also had his massage license suspended by the state.

Ritz said the school “immediately placed (Duran) on administrative leave. The following day (he) resigned.”

While Ritz had his hands full, two notable 2025 resignations in the athletic department — McGatlin and Ellis — moved on. McGaltin is the head football coach at Denver Christian, while Ellis is an assistant girls lacrosse coach at Regis Jesuit. Valor Christian filled both vacancies, naming former CU coach Mike Sanford its football coach (the fifth in nine seasons) on Feb. 28 and Samantha Geiersbach its girls lacrosse coach three days before that.

The listed salary range for the full-time head football coach position was $90,000 to $110,000. And the coaching search that culminated in Sanford’s hire wasn’t without drama.

A group of parents and assistant coaches did not approve of the parent committee, picked by Wahl, set up to help with the hire. After those parents voiced their displeasure to Ritz at the community meeting, the committee’s engagement was paused. It has since been rekindled as the Football Ambassador Committee, which serves in an advisory capacity and is designed to offer insights and suggestions on best practices to strengthen the program.

Some also took issue with how Wahl framed religion into the coaching search, specifically how the AD wrote in several emails that “God has great plans for our football program.”

The community meeting revealed angst within some circles of Valor Christian parents and coaches. But several sources also expressed hope that Ritz was making a concerted effort to address the issues brought to the forefront and that his review could help change the culture of the athletic department.

As Ritz explained in the meeting, he is determined “to understand (the issues), and then see what we need to do to change.”

“(For) the future of our football program, and the future of all our athletics and academics, we’ve got to be decidedly Christian,” Ritz said at the meeting.

On May 1, Ritz wrote in an email to The Post that “we’ve seen more transition than is ideal in our athletic department and we are aware of opportunities for growth … (and) we are actively working to address them.”

In an email sent to the school’s community in late April addressing Ritz’s athletic department review, the head of school backed Wahl and his leadership team for “navigating this intersection of spiritual growth and sport well.” He also wrote that the coaches he met with “highlighted a desire for more consistent and relational leadership from the athletic director, including increased open dialogue, along with more administrative support.”

Ritz presented a multi-pronged approach to address the athletic department’s issues.

That includes enhanced support and professional development, increased transparency and constructive feedback for coaches, and “more consistent and healthy engagement” between coaches and parents. Ritz also announced the expansion of Tige Watson’s role. Watson, the director of student affairs, will now be the chief of parent and student affairs, who “will be empowered to help resolve conflicts more timely and bring about restoration and reconciliation when needed.”

McGatlin proposed a solution of his own for Valor Christian’s athletic department in his statement read at the meeting.

“Genuine, unwavering support for our coaches (will solve this),” McGatlin wrote. “This means leadership accountability. The athletic director, head of school and the board must recognize their role in shaping the culture and commit to positive servant leadership. …  When coaches feel supported, valued and trusted, their joy will return and excellence will naturally follow, on and off the field.”

Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.

All In, All Covered — the initiative the Denver Broncos Foundation announced Jan. 28 that plans to donate 15,516 new Riddell Axiom helmets across each Colorado high school program over the next four seasons — has 250 schools signed up, according to the team.

Colorado has 277 high school football programs, so about 90% of the state’s teams are participating. A key change to the program’s requirements that came two weeks after its launch, in which the Broncos reversed course and said schools did not have to use the data element of the smart helmets to participate, helped jumpstart the groundswell.

When the $12 million initiative first launched, concerns over the smart helmets’ data and how it would be stored and used kept several school districts from immediately opting into the program. Those holdouts included the state’s largest districts in Denver Public Schools, Jeffco Public Schools and Douglas County School District — all of which are now participating.

“(Using the data element) is certainly something we’re still going to continue to look at, but without having to do the data privacy agreements and have it vetted through our technology team, it expedited the process,” said DPS athletic director Kevin Bendjy, who expects his district’s participation to be formally approved in a Board of Education meeting next week.

“It seems like it’s a favorable response statewide at this point and pretty optimistic altogether.”

In addition to DPS, Jeffco and DCSD, The Denver Post confirmed that 19 other districts are participating in the program.

That includes larger districts such as Cherry Creek School District, Boulder Valley School District, Aurora Public Schools, St. Vrain Valley School District and Adams 12 Five Star Schools, districts in Colorado Springs and Pueblo, districts with one football program such as Fort Morgan and Byers 32J, and tiny rural districts such as Rocky Ford.

Of the 22 districts The Post spoke with, three — Byers 32J, Rocky Ford and Platte Valley — confirmed they will be using the data aspect of the Axioms. The majority will be participating in the program without the InSite Smart Helmet Technology that tracks helmet hits and the InSite Analytics used to analyze that data.

Riddell owns the helmet data, which can be anonymized. The company uses the information for product development, support and enhancements.

For a school like Rocky Ford, athletic director and football coach Sean McNames said his district believes the ability to learn from the data outweighed potential legal concerns.

“As a coach, I feel some of the data would be nice to monitor,” McNames said. “Where are our biggest collisions happening in practice? Do we need to change some of the drills we use in practice due to contact? How physically demanding was last Friday night’s game?”

At Douglas County High School, football coach Eric Rice said there was a buzz about his program when Riddell reps came to Castle Rock to do 3D scans for the helmets with his players.

“My players were very excited when they were getting fitted,” Rice said. “I would equate it to watching kids open their Christmas presents.”

The number of helmets each school receives varies based on classification. Each 5A school gets 100 total helmets at a rate of 25 per year, while 4A teams get 84 total, 3A gets 70, 2A gets 44, 1A gets 36, 8-man gets 26 and 6-man gets 22. The Axiom has a 2025 retail value of $980, according to Riddell’s 2025 catalog.

While each district’s savings varies, participation in All In, All Covered will have a ripple effect by providing additional funding for football, as well as other sports at many schools. Bendjy estimates DPS will save more than $400,000 over four years. On a micro level, Fort Morgan athletic director Lucas Devlin estimates his school will save more than $65,000.

Bendjy says DPS’ savings will be “repurposed in other areas” of the district athletic budget. Devlin says his district’s savings will be applied toward reconditioning the Axioms, in addition to buying more football equipment. For Rice’s Huskies, he hopes to use the surplus of about $10,000 this season to buy a new gauntlet machine for his running backs and address other big-ticket equipment items.

Elsewhere, Thompson School District will also use its savings to address equipment needs within other sports, while Mesa County Valley School District 51 plans to use the money specifically for girls sports.

While the positive ramifications of the program continue to stack up, one of Riddell’s main competitors that hoped to be included believes the initiative isn’t as well-rounded as it could be. Certor Sports, the parent company of Schutt and Vicis, approached the Broncos to try to get its helmets integrated into All In, All Covered alongside Riddell.

The offer was rebuffed. Chad Hall, Certor Sports’ chief marketing officer, pointed out that the company has three of the top six helmets in the Virginia Tech varsity football helmet ratings, where the Axiom comes in at No. 7. He also says Schutt/Vicis helmets, which do not have a data component, can be custom fit without the need for 3D scans.

“We applaud the Broncos Foundation because this is an amazing thing that they’re doing,” Hall said. “But the assumption could be that (the Axiom) is the safest thing I could be wearing as an athlete. … We just want to make sure there’s an understanding that that’s not the case.

“For example, the locker room of the Denver Broncos looks very different than what is being presented to the whole state of Colorado. The locker room of the Denver Broncos is a locker room of choice. That choice is not being presented (to high schools). There are other options available that are not being presented as solutions because of the exclusivity arrangement that exists.”

Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.

Long before the Denver sports media market was populated with talented women, Neville flew alone with ambition, a microphone and innumerable iconic entrances to football games and championship pep rallies across the state.

“In terms of the television beat (for preps), there was no one else that could equal her,” said Altitude host Vic Lombardi, who worked with Neville at Channel 4. “She had no rival.”

Neville became Colorado’s first female sportscaster when she arrived at Channel 4 in 1983. That was the start of a 26-year run covering high school sports that led to her selection to the CHSAA Hall of Fame and the Colorado Coaches of Girls Sports Hall of Fame — with plenty of stories and inspiration for future generations along the way.

“She was a huge influence on ‘seeing is believing’ for me,” recalled Smoky Hill alumna Jenny Cavnar, who last season became the first woman to serve as the primary play-by-play voice for an MLB team.

“With her being the prep queen, I got to see her at a lot of my dad’s baseball games when he was coaching. I have a vivid memory of one time (when I was around 9 years old), Marcia and her cameraman were there and got through the gate before me and got to talk to my dad before I got there. I was like, ‘That’s the job I need.'”

On Sunday, the trailblazing Neville is getting her due again.

She will be presented with the Dorothy Mauk Pioneer Award by Sportswomen of Colorado as recognition for the sportscaster’s longtime promotion of girls and women’s sports. The honor is named after the groundbreaking Denver Post scribe Dorothy Mauk, the first full-time woman sportswriter at a major U.S. metropolitan daily newspaper.

“Has anybody else swooped in on a helicopter to award and recognize local athletes?” said Jennifer Anderson-Ehrlich, the executive director of Sportswomen of Colorado. “Marcia is a tireless advocate in promoting and gaining visibility for females in sport across Colorado. She’s always been relentless in her pursuit of that, and I’m not sure that there’s been anyone else like her, since her.”

Throughout her Emmy-winning career, Neville’s helicopter entrances became her signature. Her “Skylights” show used the rotorcraft to cover multiple football games each Friday, and she also flew in to schools to participate in hundreds of pep rallies to honor a team that won a state championship.

Her coverage spanned the state, from the metro’s biggest schools to smaller programs in rural communities, across thousands of high school games, events and celebrations.

“My senior year at Holy Family, we were playing Denver Christian in basketball and the Marcia Neville crew was there, and we were like, ‘This is it. This is heaven,'” Lombardi said. “This is how you know you’re big-time.’

Neville’s tenure at Channel 4 (24 years) and FOX31 (two years) coincided with the careers of a couple of prep sportswriting giants in The Denver Post’s Neil Devlin and The Rocky Mountain News’ Scott Stocker. Her local debut came as Channel 4 (now known as CBS Colorado) was revising its newsroom strategy by hiring reporters for specific beats.

The strategy worked. By the mid-90s, Neville helped Channel 4 catch up with 9News in market share, according to former Channel 4 general manager Roger Ogden.

“I always thought a reporter who would focus on prep sports would have some real cache,” Ogden said. “We needed someone who was good as a reporter, but also had the energy and dedication to remain with that beat indefinitely. Marcia convinced us early on that that’s all she cared about, and she’d be dedicated, and she’d be in that job as long as she could.”

Along the way, she implemented the Mr. and Ms. Colorado Basketball Awards, which are still presented annually by The Denver Post. And she and her colleague, Cj Grammer, started Colorado Sportswomen, a quarterly, 30-minute TV program dedicated to stories about female athletes, teams and coaches across all levels.

The show ran from 1993 to 2006. It was born from Neville and Grammer’s observation that the CU women’s basketball teams of the time — consistent NCAA tournament qualifiers under head coach Ceal Barry — got less media attention than the mediocre CU men.

“The exposure we got was a lot due to Marcia Neville,” Barry said. “I was personally very lucky to have her in my corner starting the mid-80s.”

A product of Monroe, N.Y., Neville’s love of sports was stoked by her late mother, Barbara. Neville would hang out with her in the family room on Sundays, calling herself “a captive audience” as Barbara ironed clothes while they watched the NFL together.

When a 14-year-old Neville saw Phyllis George co-host “The NFL Today,” she made up her mind on a career path that led her to “the best job in the state of Colorado.”

“What I loved in particular was my work expanded beyond the athlete, teams and the coaches,” Neville said. “It included the complete school and the community, and I thought that was so important. And I enjoyed the opportunity to introduce our viewers to good kids. There weren’t just ‘rotten kids hanging out at the mall,’ as was said in those days. My reporting was a reminder that there were good young people out there, and that was a really important message to put out.”

Among many career highlights, Neville once made her signature helicopter entrance to the storied Bell Game football rivalry in Pueblo, landing at the 50-yard line at Dutch Clark Stadium to deliver the game ball.

She covered the instant-classic Class 4A boys basketball title game between George Washington and Cherry Creek in 1986. After GW’s dramatic victory, Patriots big man Tracy Jordan picked Neville up and spun her around in elation mid-interview on live TV. She did the first TV interview with Chauncey Billups when he was a freshman at GW, and later did a story on middle schooler Missy Franklin at the beginning of her meteoric rise to Olympic swimming stardom.

Colorado girls high school basketball great Abby Waner Bartolotta called Neville “transformative,” noting the gender that made her a barrier-breaker ultimately was not what made the sportscaster so impactful.

“She’s not who she is because she was the first female. She’s who she is because she was so good at what she does, period,” the former ThunderRidge star said.

Neville got started with Sportswomen of Colorado in 1986 and has remained heavily involved in the organization since her sportscasting career ended in 2009. That’s included serving on the Sportswomen of Colorado advisory board, the selection committee and being the co-presenter at the nonprofit’s annual awards ceremony for more than 30 years.

As Susie Wargin explained, Neville’s influence had a ripple effect on the state’s present crop of female sportscasters.

Wargin, the KOA Broncos reporter whose big career break came as 9News’ prep sports anchor in 2001, said that Marcia’s support during that period eventually sparked her to form a coalition of female sports reporters last year. The group, which features women from across the state, meets a few times a year to network and offer one another support.

“She’s inherently a cheerleader and true champion for women, and it was comforting for me to know she was always there to do that,” Wargin said. “When I got the job at 9, she said to me: ‘I’m over at 4; 4 and 9 don’t like each other very much, but I’m here if you need me.’

“And now, I’m trying to do the same thing for all the women coming up in this market, and promoting us getting together and really getting to know each other better. She laid that groundwork for me to do that.”

What resonated with viewers and peers during Neville’s career still holds true today: The 66-year-old’s salt-of-the-earth approachability that came through in her stories and the countless relationships she developed.

“The most impressive thing for me from watching her over the years is her authenticity,” said Scott Elarton, the former Lamar baseball star and ex-Rockies pitcher. “It always seemed like she genuinely cared about the people she was talking about and the stories she was doing, whether in the city or a small town. And that’s a big reason why she became the legend that she is today.”

Marcia’s Most Memorable

The sportscaster’s standouts from her 26-year career covering Colorado high school sports.

(Mobile users click here)

Sportswomen of Colorado 2024 award winners

The 51st Sportswomen of Colorado banquet is at 4:15 p.m. Sunday at Hyatt Regency DTC.

(Mobile users click here)

“I’m kind of swagger-jacking some of the Dave Logan model, which is to be visible,” the new Valor Christian football coach, former CU Buffs assistant/interim and current radio and TV personality, told me Monday. “To be visible via the broadcasting world and the sports media in the Denver space while pursuing something you love, which is coaching.”

Logan’s set a high bar here for decades, from the gridiron to the broadcast booth to the general zeitgeist. It’s one thing to join him. Can you beat him? Because that’s the gig. That’s the remit.

“I mean, that’s a beautiful thing, is that the work starts now toward (that),” Sanford said. “(Logan’s) been the gold standard in the state. And I know this from 25 years ago when my dad was coaching at USC and Notre Dame, and he recruited the state of Colorado and had Mullen High School. … It’s been a longstanding deal.

“And so, yeah, it’s easy for me to say, ‘Yes, I can, I can beat him.’ But we all know the work that’s going to have to go in.

“But no question, the goal is to win a state championship. And whoever’s in the state championship game, I mean, it seems like it’s typically Cherry Creek and Dave Logan on one side of it, and then somebody else on the other side.”

Donnie Yantis was on the other side in 2020 and ’21 and couldn’t get over the line. He left in the winter of ’22 after a second straight defeat to Creek in the 5A title game.

Bret McGatlin, an upstanding rep from one of Colorado’s first families of coaching, was on the other side of the 5A championship against Logan in 2022. He couldn’t get over the line, either, and eventually resigned this past January.

Why not take a less stressful job, like lion tamer, mob informant or air traffic controller? Valor Football eats good men for breakfast, then spits out the bones.

The only bar that matters is that Class 5A crown Ed McCaffrey won seven years ago. The Eagles are 0-3 in title games since, while Logan and Creek have snapped up five of the last six 5A championships.

“If you look at a seven-year sample size (since 2018), if I’m not mistaken, two of the coaches were just two-year stints,” the 43-year-old Sanford continued. “Ed and Donnie were both two-year stints. And I think at the high school level, that type of lack of continuity, with Bryan Ritz, (Valor’s) head of school, that was almost priority No. 1 for him in conversations with me: my commitment and investment long-term in Valor.

“And then I reverberated that conversation (by saying), ‘I want to feel like Valor is invested in me just as much as I’m invested in Valor.’ And when we found that alignment, that’s what I think pushed this thing to go through.

“I think that the No. 1 thing was, continuity hasn’t been there. And I think Bryan, who’s new in his role … he just sees that the program needs to have consistency of leadership. And obviously that’s what he wanted to make sure I was committed to before he signed off on my hire.”

That commitment is for Denver, too. From 2005 to ’22, Sanford worked in nine different college campuses, becoming an FBS head coach at the tender age of 34 at Western Kentucky, where he posted a 9-16 mark over two seasons (2017-18). He spent more than a decade cruising the express lane in football coaching circles, working for David Shaw at Stanford and Brian Kelly at Notre Dame.

He also wasn’t even sure he wanted to get back into college coaching, where NIL and the transfer portal have rewritten the rules, and where Deion Sanders and Bill Belichick have become the new normal. But after dropping his oldest kid off for the start of ninth grade a few months back, he did a quick head count and realized this was her 12th school in nine years. There were offers, but Sanford didn’t want to uproot the family again.

“The timing,” he explained, “met the calling.”

Speaking of calling, Sanford says Notre Dame offered him its OC job a decade ago, sight unseen. And that Western Kentucky required just one interview to land that job.

Valor? Valor made him go through six.

“I think the concern (with) me was, ‘Have you dealt with a parent community?'” Sanford recalled. “And the thing that was so cool for me was not only have I engaged with parent communities in the last two years (via Carbon Valley Parks and Rec softball), it’s been my favorite part of coaching youth sports. … I’ve learned that the kids are always awesome. The kids are great. Parents can be a challenge. But parents can be a great benefit if proper protocols are put in place and communication is handled correctly. … Parents that are communicative and get out in front of it, ahead of it, I think that you end up engaging a really positive relationship. And that’s what I intend to do with the parents of our (players).”

College coaches have the portal. NFL coaches have agents. Prep coaches have to navigate Mom and Dad.

“If I’m going to do this, I want to be held to a standard where you’re competing at the highest level for the highest stakes,” Sanford said. “Not just be cushy and just kind of enjoy it.”

Cushy’s not in the cards. Sanford’s going to continue hosting on Altitude Radio five days a week and do Broncos postgame analysis on TV in the fall. And less than 17 hours after being announced as McGatlin’s successor, the new Valor coach held a voluntary workout for the Eagles at 8:30 Saturday morning to break the ice and get several balls rolling.

Which, I told Sanford, sounds an awful lot like how that Logan guy runs things over in Greenwood Village.

“(Dave) has been so good to me over the last three years,” Sanford said.

“Did he congratulate you on taking the job?” I wondered.

“No, we haven’t talked,” Sanford replied. “I would say our relationship’s been more like — in person, when we’ve seen each other, we’ve had great conversations. But yeah, we haven’t been on the kind of texting, calling (each other), you know, that type of place.”

Privately, New Dave respects Old Dave. A lot. But is this town big enough for two of them? For better or worse, we’re all about to find out.

Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.

The Eagles have hired Mike Sanford as their next head coach, the school announced Friday afternoon. Sanford, CU’s interim head coach in 2022, replaces Bret McGatlin who resigned in January.

Sanford served as CU’s offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in ’22 before taking over the program as interim head coach when Karl Dorrell was fired midseason. Sanford is currently a host for Altitude Sports Radio and is also a football analyst for various other media outlets. Altitude program director Kevin Shockey said Sanford will continue to work at the radio station.

“After nearly two decades of coaching college football, this opportunity to be the head coach at Valor Christian is as fired up as I’ve been in a long time because of the alignment with Valor,” Sanford said in a statement given to The Denver Post.

“The opportunity to be engaged daily on campus ministry while competing at the highest levels of Colorado high school football is exactly what I want to be doing in this stage of my life and career. The state of Colorado has become my family’s home and we look forward to continuing to grow the Valor program. The work begins immediately.”

The son of a college coach of the same name, Sanford started his career as a graduate assistant at UNLV in 2005 under his dad after playing quarterback at Boise State. A native of Seal Beach, Calif., Sanford was also an assistant at Stanford, Yale, Western Kentucky, Boise State, Notre Dame, Utah State and Minnesota, the latter two of those stops as offensive coordinator before coming to Boulder.

In Sanford, Valor Christian landed a coach with college experience that the school desired. A total of 59 people applied for the job, according to an email sent by athletic director Keith Wahl to the school community. An online posting for the opening listed the salary for the full-time position between $90,000 and $110,000.

The Eagles believe the position is one of the best football jobs in the country, and look to Sanford to bring them back to the top of Colorado big-school football. Sanford said he’s ready to meet those high expectations.

“Eighteen years of being a head coach, offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at the highest levels of college football have prepared me for the incredible expectations at Valor Christian,” he said. “No one will have higher expectations for this program than I will. The program is in great shape with a tremendous returning group of players and I cannot wait to get to work maximizing their abilities.”

In three seasons under McGatlin, Valor Christian made the Class 5A title game in 2022 and the semifinals in ’24. Sanford will be Valor Christian’s fifth head coach in nine seasons. The school that produced NFL star Christian McCaffrey has won eight state titles in football, including five at the Class 5A level, but none since 2018.

Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.

All In, All Covered plans to donate 15,516 new helmets across every Colorado high school football program over the next four years. But after the announcement of the program on Jan. 28, Colorado’s largest school districts expressed reservations over the smart helmets’ data collection and how that data will be used.

The program initially required participating schools to use the InSite smart helmet technology that comes with the donated Riddell Axiom helmets. That technology sends de-identified data directly to Riddell to use for product development, support and enhancements.

Districts such as Denver Public Schools, Jeffco Public Schools, Douglas County School District, Cherry Creek School District and others across the state worried that the data could be used against coaches and schools in the event of an injury. Some districts also cited concerns about student privacy.

So on Monday, the Broncos reversed course and announced that using InSite Analytics is not required to participate in the program. Schools can get the helmets and turn off the smart feature so no impact data is collected or transmitted during practices or games.

School districts that choose not to participate in the Broncos’ $12 million philanthropic campaign this year can opt in during future seasons of the four-year rollout.

The other noteworthy change to All In, All Covered is that the Axiom helmets must be reconditioned every two years. In the initial rollout, the Denver Broncos Foundation said it expected schools to recondition the helmets annually. The schools are responsible for the reconditioning cost.

According to the Broncos, about 60 of the state’s 277 football programs have confirmed their participation in the campaign so far.

Last week, the Broncos said they still expect All In, All Covered to launch on time for the 2025 season, despite many school districts postponing their initial 3-D head scans with Riddell reps that were supposed to begin last week.

Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.

Heaps, well-known to Colorado football fans as Russell Wilson’s personal quarterback coach, played college football at BYU, Kansas and Miami. He also had brief stints in the NFL with the Jets and Seahawks organizations, and spent time in the Canadian Football League.

“For myself and our (search) committee, he came across as a transformational leader,” Legend athletic director Dan Simington said. “… From the football side, his work (as a trainer) and his experience as an athlete at the highest levels, his depth of offensive knowledge and his ability to develop kids and athletes at the highest levels separated him.

“He talked about how he could pare that down to get the most out of our kids.”

Heaps replaces Monte Thelen, who stepped down after leading the Titans to their first appearance in the Class 5A championship last season. Legend played juggernaut Cherry Creek close in that game, ultimately losing 13-10 at Canvas Stadium.

Legend will be Heaps’ first high school head coaching job. It’s still to be determined if Heaps — who trains other quarterbacks in addition to Wilson and is also the head coach for the Elite 11 quarterback camp series and competition — will also serve as the Titans’ offensive coordinator.

“You deserve it!” Russell Wilson tweeted about the hire. “For the 10 years I’ve known you & worked with you, you’ve always been one of the best! Keep being you!”

Another significant new face for the Legend program in 2025 will be DJ Bordeaux, a top quarterback recruit who has more than two dozen Division I offers, according to 247Sports.com. Bordeaux played his freshman year at ThunderRidge before transferring to Georgia, where he played at two different schools. Bordeaux was at Alpharetta (Alpharetta, Ga.) as a sophomore before playing at Douglas County (Douglasville, Ga.) this past fall.

The Titans had a run-heavy offense in recent years, especially in 2024 when Legend was highlighted by star running back and Wyoming pledge Jaden Lawrence. With Heaps at the helm and Bordeaux as QB, the Titans might be airing it out much more in 2025.

“If we have the talent, you could possibly see a little more passing and utilization of weapons across the field,” Simington said.

Bordeaux was recently approved by a vote at a league meeting to play at Legend this fall via a hardship waiver. He tweeted out an Elite 11 invitation last winter to the regional camp, but Simington said Bordeaux didn’t go, and Heaps has yet to meet the quarterback.

“Jake was not aware of DJ when we started this process,” Simington said.

With Heaps hired, Simington believes the Titans can again be a state title contender in 2025.

“If Jake can model some of the same things Monte did, then yeah, I think they have a chance to compete (for a championship),” Simington said.

Heaps could not be reached for comment by The Post on Wednesday, but issued a statement through the school.

“We will compete everyday to meet the Legend standard and push our program to new heights,” Heaps wrote.

Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.

Like so many other things in the sport, that has changed dramatically in the years since the adoption of the early signing period near the end of last decade.

Yet while CU and CSU had the bulk of their recruiting classes locked up by the end of the early signing period in December, there were still some fireworks locally as Northern Colorado reeled in more than a dozen Box State recruits and two other in-state three-star recruits officially signed on the dotted line.

All told, Northern Colorado added 18 players with Colorado ties, including three via the transfer portal in former Cherry Creek offensive lineman A.J. Burton (Iowa State), former Ralston Valley defensive lineman Tyrese Johnson (Washington) and former Rocky Mountain kicker Jacob Willig (CSU Pueblo). Perhaps the biggest get was Fairview wide receiver Jordan Rechel, who was rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports after compiling 6,535 all-purpose yards for the Knights over four varsity seasons.

UNC’s push to recruit Colorado talent continues a recent trend under third-year head coach Ed Lamb, who also brought in two dozen Centennial State recruits last year as he attempts to turn things around in Greeley.

Aside from UNC, the other big headlines came from previously committed players either reaffirming that commitment or signing elsewhere.

Northfield offensive lineman Aidan Martin, who signed with Washington State in December, announced last month that he would follow former Cougars head coach Jake Dickert to Wake Forest. The three-star recruit made that commitment official on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, three-star receiver Jeremiah Hoffman ended his roller-coaster recruitment by signing with the team he originally committed to months ago: Charlotte. The 49ers fired head coach Biff Poggi weeks before the first national signing day in December, initially putting Hoffman’s commitment in doubt. But the Cherry Creek product eventually re-committed to new head coach Tim Albin and signed on Wednesday afternoon.

Here’s a list of Colorado preps who signed letters of intent or are verbally committed to play on scholarship for FBS or FCS programs as of Wednesday, as well as those who have announced commitments to the service academies:

(Click here to view chart in mobile.)

Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.

All In, All Covered, an initiative the Broncos announced last week, plans to donate 15,516 new Riddell Axiom helmets across each high school program in Colorado over four years.

But the single largest philanthropic investment in team history is encountering pushback from school districts across the state, with at least 10 districts halting involvement in the program due to concerns over the smart helmets’ data.

“We are in a holding pattern and pausing at this point,” Cherry Creek School District athletic director Larry Bull told The Denver Post. “We are waiting for some more information regarding the data collection and use of. Once we have the information, we will meet with our legal department, risk management, data group and our health services to determine next steps.”

Denver Public Schools, Jeffco Public Schools, Douglas County School District, Pueblo County School District 70, Adams 14 School District, St. Vrain Valley School District, School District 49, Colorado Springs School District 11 and Rocky Ford School District are among the districts that have also paused their involvement.

Potential liability and student privacy are driving the districts’ concerns. Administrators fear that if a player suffers a concussion, the helmet data could open up the coach, school and district to legal action.

“I do have some concerns that this data can be used against coaches and programs,” Rocky Ford athletic director Sean McNames said. “I think there is always concerns when someone else is going to be collecting and analyzing data. … Right now I feel stuck in limbo without enough information to move forward.”

According to the program playbook sent by the Broncos to high school coaches, “Riddell owns the data (from the helmets) and uses the deidentified information for product development, support and enhancements.”

The playbook says that the majority of head scans, which are done by Riddell reps in person, should be completed by March 1 in order for schools to receive the custom-fit helmets in time for the 2025 season.

The Post has contacted more than two dozen school districts across the state, none of which have confirmed participation in the program. As of Wednesday, several of the state’s largest districts have instructed ADs and coaches to not opt in.

“… Until we have gained all the adequate approvals NO school should have Riddell on campus conducting 3D imaging/sizing of your students,” Jeffco administration wrote in an email sent to schools this week. “Additionally, no AD or Coach should sign an agreement with Riddell or the Broncos until we have an opportunity to vet as a district.”

District 11 athletic director Chris Noll was among several administrators contacted by The Post who said they remained excited about the program despite initial concerns. But he also cited issues for high school teams with transient rosters.

“We’re going to be measuring a whole bunch of heads (via 3-D scans), but are all those kids going to be around on the team on Aug. 1?” Knoll said.

The Denver Broncos Foundation anticipated questions would arise during the rollout and gave itself a buffer to address concerns and still have helmets to teams by the start of the 2025 season.

The Broncos have 11 events planned this month, including Zoom calls and six in-person educational training sessions and demonstrations across the state.

Districts that initially opt out of the program retain the option to participate in future years. For those that opt out entirely, the Broncos will reallocate their portion of donated helmets to other schools.

The first explanatory Zoom call for coaches and athletic directors was Tuesday afternoon.

“A primary goal of the program is to provide resources to schools so they can make informed decisions on behalf of their student-athletes, including whether to anonymize their roster information,” Denver Broncos Foundation executive director Allie Engelken said in a statement to The Post. “The Denver Broncos Foundation, CHSAA and Riddell look forward to continuing to engage in conversations, update resources and transparently share information about the program for those schools interested in enrolling.”

According to Riddell, teams can anonymize rosters through InSite Analytics by assigning each player a serial number. Riddell, which has used InSite Analytics in Axiom helmets since 2022, had 1,415 teams subscribe to the service in 2024. Over 1,100 of them are high school teams.

A four-year subscription to InSite Analytics comes as part of the Broncos’ donation, but teams are not required to use the data in order to receive helmets. That technology transmits data directly to Riddell.

The data can be anonymous, as Engelken pointed out, but the school would still need to know what helmet corresponds to what player. That concerns districts wary of how the data could be utilized in the case of a lawsuit, and the possibility of a plaintiff subpoenaing that data as part of their case.

Riddell emphasized that “each high school will determine who on their football staff will receive the InSite Analytics reports — (and) Riddell does not share any information beyond each team’s requested receiver.”

Mullen head coach Jeremy Bennett, whose team used 15 Axioms at the varsity level last year along with the InSite Analytics reporting, said he understands the red tape that comes with getting a program like All In, All Covered approved in a public school district versus a single private school like his.

But he also believes that “we have to embrace this technology,” and says Mullen has been fine with how the data is used and stored by Riddell. Bennett said he sees “the benefit of this technology outweighing any of those (negative) scenarios.”

“This technology is going to make kids safer,” Bennett said. “Can it be weaponized (in the case of an injury)? I don’t know, I think that’s a stretch. But it can be used as evidence if you’re repeatedly letting a kid get away with (poor technique or taking lots of head blows) and you’re not correcting it, because the data is not going to lie.

“The flip side of it is this: Let’s say I’m offered this helmet, and as a district you deny them. Then a kid gets hurt in a (Riddell) SpeedFlex, that doesn’t have (the analytics). Well, that opens the door for a parent to say, ‘My son could’ve been safer, but so-and-so made the decision for us that my kid wasn’t going to wear the Axiom.’ Parents could weaponize not having it.”

In the 2025 Virginia Tech varsity football helmet ratings, the Axiom had a five-star safety rating and was ranked the seventh safest helmet of 34 tested.

For his part, Bennett said the Axioms and its corresponding technology positively impacted player safety. The helmets helped him shape practice plans and drills based on the impact data. He also noted that he used feedback from InSite Analytics during games to be proactive about having his medical staff check on players following high-impact collisions.

“During games, I’m holding the (Riddell Sideline Device) and it will alarm me about a big impact with Player A, and that tells me we need to get him off the field to get checked out,” Bennett said. “What inevitably happens is, and what we have to get away from, is the avoidance of the fact that head trauma is head trauma. Those kids have to be removed immediately if there’s a question about it following (a big hit).

“Kids don’t want to come off the field, so they try to hide it, and what this does is help protect kids from themselves.”

The Axiom helmet is valued at $980 each, according to Riddell’s 2025 catalog, and the Broncos’ overall investment over the four-year program is around $12 million. Each participating program will receive 25% of the donated helmets each year, starting in 2025, with the total number of helmets determined by the average roster size of its classification.

Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.