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9 true freshmen from Wyo illustrate Bohl's State commitment

Yabadabadoo

Yabadabadoo

Well-known member
Quote: “The previous coaching staff didn’t really recruit Wyoming kids”

If Josh Harshman was two years younger, he might not have landed at Wyoming.

At least he doesn’t think so.

“The previous coaching staff didn’t really recruit Wyoming kids,” said Harshman, a UW freshman tight end from Natrona County. “It’s really a great thing that the new coaching staff came in and they gave me a chance. I don’t think I would’ve gotten the same opportunity if it was the other coaching staff. I’m really blessed that those guys came in. I’m really excited for the future.”

After UW coach Craig Bohl took over following the 2013 season, he quickly made it his mission to guard Wyoming’s borders, keeping the best in-state prep players at UW.

With nine incoming freshmen from Wyoming — including Harshman and high school teammate Logan Wilson on scholarship — the Cowboys’ 2015 roster features 14 in-state players, and that number doesn't include Wyoming natives Tanner Simpson and Seth Edeen who were forced to retire midway through fall camp due to health concerns.

And now...for the rest of the story--> http://trib.com/sports/college/wyoming/football/nine-true-freshmen-from-wyoming-illustrate-craig-bohl-s-commitment/article_e414008e-a02a-5b08-8538-583bed4723ef.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
Not to piss anyone off, or ruin the moment, but this is a very misleading article. Embarrassingly so...like how many of the 9 are still active today, right now? How many were walk-ons, versus full scholarship players? How many were preferred walk ons?

I am not sure this has to do with Bohly recruiting Wyoming...well, as much as the article leads the reader to believe it does. Poor form.
 
I agree with McPeachy. The article makes it seem like Christensen refused to look at Wyoming talent. But honestly, there was no Wyoming prep talent worth recruiting. There was the guy who went to Florida and Bartlett to washington in the last few years. Other than that? There was that tight end out of gillette, but he landed here.

Christensen had a Wyoming native run out of the tunnel with the state flag every game! These guys will only be tackling dummies for the next 2-3 years and who knows how many will suit up on saturdays? Christensen may have had fewer Wyoming players on the roster, but I think it's unfair to claim wyo guys didn't matter during his tenure.
 
Haven't we had a string of Wyo players quitting? A bunch of softies that didn't wanna put in the work?

And then of course, the one who actually did put in the work and earned his scholarship ends up getting bit by the injury bug. (Talking about Tanner, Jarheads kid).

We have had too many not make it. None of those kids put in the effort that Tanner did.

I wouldn't really recruit Wyo after the recent busts.
 
BeaverPoke said:
Haven't we had a string of Wyo players quitting? A bunch of softies that didn't wanna put in the work?

And then of course, the one who actually did put in the work and earned his scholarship ends up getting bit by the injury bug. (Talking about Tanner, Jarheads kid).

We have had too many not make it. None of those kids put in the effort that Tanner did.

I wouldn't really recruit Wyo after the recent busts.
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It's all about development with Bohl. There are athletes in Wyoming that don't play football year round, play multiple sports, haven't had training that could be assets. Bohl's goal should be to find this type of player and develop them
 
I think its very important for Bohl and his staff to continue taking a long look at any player in the state who could be a contributor at some point.

Bohl has done more in the last year to network throughout the state than DC did in the 5 years he was in town.

Recruiting the state helps foster an all-in feel, it also assists greatly in building prestige and expanding the culture of the football program with a Wyoming flavor that is crucial in my opinion.
 
Tanner was an elite athlete, though. 11.4ish 100m, tall, and one hell of a jumper. There's other kids in Wyoming from time to time that are this level of athlete. We just need to get them here and into Bohl's system. This past year was a good start
 
Is it that there was no talent or that DC didn't actually take the time to look. I believe that Bohl has gone far beyond what DC ever did.
 
I agree dal. There are kids that aren't D-1 material to start with. It's no different than not being drafted into the NFL. They don't pass the eye test but bust their balls and just get it done. I think bohl is interested in fostering a more healthy walk on program. How many walkons have turned out more talented than we though? Edeen? And now Harshman?
 
Hey Guys thanks for all of the positive energy for Tanner. This is a hard time for him as he would rather be on the field with the Pokes. I had a high school coach tell me yesterday that Tanner is a huge inspiration for his son. Tanner signed an autograph for him 4 years ago and it is still hanging on the young man's wall. If Tanner has left one legacy with Wyoming kids it is that they can be successful with hard work and dedication to a cause. #GoPokes
 
If there is one thing with recruiting that Bohl has done well, it is to get Wyoming kids to walk-on to the team and sell them on it. I agree the article is a bit misleading. BOhl isn't handing out more scholarships to instate kids than in the past. Which in my mind is a good thing. I want good players on scholarship not just local ones. BUt I do really like the idea of getting local kids to come and walk-on and see if they can develope into a contributer/star and earn a scholarship. Its also really good branding to talk about all these in state kids. It gives people that care about that sort of thing a reason to care more about the team. Regardless of whether or not the kids end up contributing or not.
 
TSpoke said:
If there is one thing with recruiting that Bohl has done well, it is to get Wyoming kids to walk-on to the team and sell them on it. I agree the article is a bit misleading. BOhl isn't handing out more scholarships to instate kids than in the past. Which in my mind is a good thing. I want good players on scholarship not just local ones. BUt I do really like the idea of getting local kids to come and walk-on and see if they can develope into a contributer/star and earn a scholarship. Its also really good branding to talk about all these in state kids. It gives people that care about that sort of thing a reason to care more about the team. Regardless of whether or not the kids end up contributing or not.
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Spot on!
 
Not sure what's misleading. He never said all the Wyoming kids are on scholarship. In fact, he specifically stated the two who are on scholarship.

Bohl understand the importance of a quality walk-on program from his time at Nebraska. Good to see it beginning to pay dividends.
 
They are saying that the article is skewed to make Bohl look better than reality. While none of us are a fan of the previous regime, it is not a night-and-day situation where the previous staff completely ignored in-state kids and the new staff is all about them. There isn't much difference between the two staffs when it comes to number of Wyo kids on the roster.
 
The number has almost doubled under Bohl from 9 to 16. Not just about talent level either, because most of these are walk-ons.
 
Again...the article is very black and white whilst the reality is more shades of gray. Both recruited Wyoming, both gave a few in-state schollies. The only real difference is that Bohl is more invested in a healthy walk-on program whereas the previous staff didn't emphasize it as much.
 
We have always had a good stable of Wyoming walk-ons. What will be a true testimony is how many are left at the end of the year. We have two scholarshipped kids on the roster from Wyoming (freshman)....one is the son of the chairman of the Appropriations Committee in Congress (Harshman) and the other is the son of the associate commissioner of the Wyoming High School Activities association. You can make you own judgement calls on that. It bodes well for Bohl to have a good relationship with Harshman and Wilson. Connections and good PR go a long way in the sport of college football.
 
Slow Hand said:
We have always had a good stable of Wyoming walk-ons. What will be a true testimony is how many are left at the end of the year. We have two scholarshipped kids on the roster from Wyoming (freshman)....one is the son of the chairman of the Appropriations Committee in Congress (Harshman) and the other is the son of the associate commissioner of the Wyoming High School Activities association. You can make you own judgement calls on that. It bodes well for Bohl to have a good relationship with Harshman and Wilson. Connections and good PR go a long way in the sport of college football.
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Well, it sounds like Harshman is a player and will be a contributor for years :thumb: Wilson - have not heard much about him, yet.
 
Don't get me wrong here....I hope they all do great. I love seeing a Wyoming kid on the team and contributing.
 
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