Spring football is here and one of the first things I always do when the roster is released is look at players weights. I pay special attention to the defensive line knowing that Wyoming is rarely able to land impact defensive lineman who have Division I college football ready bodies. The Cowboys and other schools not in the national spotlight must recruit defensive line prospects who have big enough frames to add good weight. Once these players are in the football program they can add good weight to get to defensive lineman size with the help of nutritionists and strength trainers.
For the past ten years or more, Wyoming has been generally undersized on the defensive line. This lack of size on the defensive line has been a prime factor why Wyoming’s defense has done so poorly in stopping the run ranking 115th,106th and 90th in the country in rushing yards allowed the last three years. It looks like this problem may have been rectified though for 2012 season, with players currently in the program gaining weight and improved recruiting brining in freshman and JUCO transfers of Division I size. Take a look at the current weights of Wyoming’s defensive lineman as per the spring football roster:
The Cowboys now have a stable of defensive lineman of Division I size and this can only help stopping the opponents running game moving forward. I concede the point that size is not everything for a defensive lineman as they must also have some skill and talent to make an impact but Wyoming’s newfound beef can do nothing but help us improve in stopping the run. I would expect this year’s rush defense to be much improved over the past few seasons and we will have the hard work of the coaches, players and training staff to thank.