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Love Bohl, but...

Ultimately, I think what Bohl has brought to the program is some stability. Say what you want about it being a low bar, but it's still consecutive winning seasons for the first time since having five straight in the 90s. They might not be world-beaters, but it's a team that is usually going to put together a competitive season in the Mountain West. They'll be near the top of the conference as the program continues to develop, even if they don't become a perennial champion. Honestly, a coach that comes to mind as a comparison is Larry Shyatt.

I will concede that if you want to take a significant step forward to compete nationally, Bohl might not be the best coach. Usually, most coaches aren't able to go through multiple stages of a program's development. A program-stabilizing coach will probably not be the same guy who takes that program from stability to national prominence. It just doesn't happen very often.

It's that next hire that will define where the Wyoming program will go from here. Bohl won't coach the Pokes forever. Whoever replaces him will either build on the foundation that's been laid here and bring the program forward or you'll see the program take a step back because it wasn't the right person to put in charge of the program. More often than not, Wyoming has missed on that hire. Whenever that time comes, I hope Burman makes a better choice than he made with his first football hire. Heck, I hope he does better than his second hire too.
 
I want to win a conference championship and Bohl is the guy to do it. It will probably only happen once every 7 years under his system because of the offense ( it is complex and needs consistency) but the defense will make us competive here on out. I also hope he stays for a while, and why not? He’s making good generation changing money and what school will pluck him for more? Kansas?

I can see the recruiting getting better with the front range population boom ( ie Colorado and Denver in particular). Good times are coming.
 
Protecting a young QB isn’t all about running the ball. It can be throwIng more and being more unpredictable
 
It's really interesting how the talent evaluation has struggled for this staff. That was a big strength for them coming in.

Look, I know immediately I'll get pushback on that statement because big fish in little pond, whatever you want to use to say NDSU had advantages in FCS. And I'm not denying that. But beyond that, they knew how to find very good players who weren't highly rated. These weren't guys they were beating out other FCS powers for, but finding guys in remote areas who fit what they did well. Maybe it's just because the opposing talent is another step up, but they aren't finding those guys here, at least not close to the same success rate. A few have flourished, but not enough to where the team can create enough consistency. And the transfer/injury rates have been significant, as well.

Let's look at the OL recruiting since Bohl got here (guys brought in as scholarship OL):

2014
Richard Bettencourt
Ryan Cummings
Cole Turner

2015
Kaden Jackson
Zach Wallace

2016
Gavin Rush
Jace Webb (medically disqualified in 2018)
Dustin Weeks (transferred to Division II school in 2018)

2017
Eric Abojei (late add)
Patrick Arnold
Keegan Cryder
Logan Harris
Rudy Stofer
Alonzo Velazquez

2018
Blayne Baker
Frank Crum
Zach Watts

Look, I know we have had other areas of the team to fill too, but for a program that supposedly prides itself on power running, you wouldn't know it by the early recruiting. We brought in as many OL in 2014 as we did QBs. Numbers were scarce there too, but still. I know there were some holdovers, but only two scholarship OL in their first full recruiting cycle in town (2015) is simply not enough, especially when the previous staff was recruiting OL with a completely different skill set. That's a major reason why the OL depth chart is filled with so many young guys. Going forward over the next few classes, I think we need to get close to the six we signed in 2017. Do that for a couple of classes to build better depth at arguably the most important position for this brand of football.

Here's the current OL group:

Kaden Jackson (Sr.)
Zach Wallace (Sr.)
-----------------------
Gavin Rush (Jr.)
Pahl Schwab (Jr.) *walk-on
-----------------------
Logan Harris (So.)
Alonzo Velasquez (So.)
Justis Borton (So.) *walk-on
Zach Thatcher (So.) *walk-on
-----------------------
Eric Abojei (RFr.)
Patrick Arnold (RFr.)
Keegan Cryder (RFr.)
Rudy Stofer (RFr.)
Jason Davis (RFr.) *walk-on
-------------------------
Blayne Baker (Fr.)
Frank Crum (Fr.)
Zach Watts (Fr.)
 
I had 2 concerns with the Bohl hire 1) Stanard 2) Establishing lines at UW.

Like I've said, the similarities to Glenn are eerie. Vigen is a nicer version of Cockhill.

When Burman hired DC, he did so with the rationale that we can't build a power team in Laramie and needed a unique offense to compensate. Then he does a 180 with Bohl.

We've had a string of coaches who had issues putting together lines, especially offensive. Perplexing.

If this season goes how I think it will, Vigen has to go. Burman has to find money and UW has to pony up for a damn good offensive coordinator. The offense can remain pro-style but it needs a lot more creativity.
 
We have NO other options so we have to go with this, cuz when it's working then it's a thing of beauty. We are Wyoming we aren't playing for National Titles like what Bohl's used to at NDSU, but we need to see improvement week to week and that's been the struggle lately. Teams like WYO don't just lose players to the NFL and expect to be ok, we have to rebuild, unfortunately. It's now conference time and we need to see improvement week to week, starting with Boise, not this Vanilla play calling, Vigen needs to improve by leaps and bounds, last year he had a stellar athlete in JA that made him look good at times, but there were also ?'s as well. PRODUCE and PRODUCE well and show me new things on occasion and open the play book up and get er done, we've got 2 weeks to show Boise we belong in this MWC race, I want the results, get it done!
 
I agree. Last year we would have had Brian Hill and this year Josh could be starting. We really can’t afford to lose nfl caliber players early.
 
JVK... I think you are onto something with your offensive lineman break down. Why not give out some more scholarship to lineman and hope something sticks.
 
I wish we could find a coach up and coming and is an alum that wants to coach here, ie...Jovon Boughknight if he's still coaching. We've truly not had alums come back to coach at UW as the HC, Hell if it were all about passion I'd try it, LOL...Yes Bohl won't be here forever, but I do like most of things he's done here so far, but eerily like Glenn we're in year 5 and the struggles and such with fellow coaches is real, we shall see what happens the rest of the season and next year???
 
I got lambasted when I stated 3 years ago to give Bohl 6+ years - and year 7 would be the true measurement whether the project worked / is working. Well, next year is year 6, and 2020 will be year 7. I am still holding onto that thought. We have seen some flashes (2016), but nothing to host a parade for.
 
All the comparissons come from his winning titles at NDSU, I agree it hasn't been stellar but we are seeing signs of Wyoming football the way it should be played, I think Bohl will be here for as long as he wants to be, but in the next 2 or 3 it's truly OUR turn to win the MW outright and make a different bowl like Vegas. 16 was truly a fun year, could you imagine if Josh and Brian Hill were together what that coulda been like to compliment each other's talents and not to mention records that'll never be broken at UW (BH-rushing and Josh if he hadn't gotten hurt).

GO POKES, BEAT BOISE, we know it can happen!!
 
McPeachy said:
I got lambasted when I stated 3 years ago to give Bohl 6+ years - and year 7 would be the true measurement whether the project worked / is working. Well, next year is year 6, and 2020 will be year 7. I am still holding onto that thought. We have seen some flashes (2016), but nothing to host a parade for.
Click to expand...

I agree with you(not sure if I said so 3 years ago). I wasn't the biggest fan of the hire especially after year 2(mainly because I wasn't sure if the smash mouth style would work here) but I decided we would have to give him time and see and more time than we recently have been. We would go 4-5 years then decide the style was all wrong and go in the opposite direction then give them 4-5 years and then decide that we needed to completely change directions again. We need to give a coach long enough to see if he actually has it or not(barring complete meltdowns).

7 years seems like a good amount. Especially with this team. The sophmores and freshmen that are playing now will be seniors and juniors. TVW and the RBs will be Juniors at the top of their game and hopefully the young OL will have stabilized and have several members with several years of Experience. I think we will know by then if Bohl has what it takes. And I believe we will see that he does.
 
the real question is after year 7 or 8, who's on our radar, I truly can't think of anyone and I know Burman's probably taking it game by game for sure. I can see Bohl being here for 10 at least(if so wouldn't that be the longest tenured HC at UW?), but stranger things can happen
 
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