National Signing Day

[SDPokeFan]

Could someone pull up the year our class had Josh Allen in it and say the national ranking?

Only 2 NFL players from that class. No big deal.

Another post said it was #113

Josh Allen - 1st Rounder
Carl Granderson - 1st team All MWC, Bohl recently called "an NFL player"
Andrew Wingard - Freshman All American, Multi time All MWC and Bohl said same thing about him
Yo Ghaifan - 1st team All MWC
Logan Wilson - Freshman All American and MWC Freshman of the Year
Kevin Prosser - Great athlete playing out of position. Will probably get NFL looks as an OLB
Zach Wallace and Kaden Jackson - Both OL starters for multiple seasons
James Price, CJ Johnson, Jaylon Watson, Antonio Hull, Josh Harshman, Kellen Overstreet - All significant contributors

This was Bohl's first full cycle class and its safe to say this is the class that all future classes will be judged against.

That's a hell of a class, outside of the receivers!

 

[laxwyo]

It was pretty mean of scout to give Sean Chambers a 2 star rating when he committed to Rutgers, than give him a 3 star rating when he committed to Wyoming.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.reddit.com/r/CFB/comments/6i2cj6/recruiting_roundup617_edition/

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.fresnobee.com/sports/high-school/prep-football/article156823709.html

I mean signs, with Wyoming and goes from a 2 star to nearly a four star in the scout ratings.

http://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/229769/sean-chambers

I backed my opinion with facts, Chambers star totals weren't changed once he gained 3 star status and committed to Wyoming. He remains nearly a 4 star recruit according to espn and scout.

The OT we lost to Nebraska last year immediately went to 3*. I’m guessing the coach called and had it changed because the head coach couldn’t tell the boosters that they stole a Nebraska 2* kid from Wyoming.

 

[calpoke25]

There isn’t much difference probably between our recruits and the other bottom 40 teams. But there is a difference between ours and Boise or SDSU in the 60s. Yes we’ve found some diamonds in the rough, we’ve also whiffed on a lot of players too. We don’t talk about them.

Let’s not pretend that if our class was ranked top in the MW we wouldn’t be beating our chests about how Bohl is bringing in more talent. Now that it’s ranked towards the bottom we hear about how these rankings don’t matter.

I also laugh at people already making excuses for arguably the worst loss or one of the worst losses in program history to SJSU. That was one of the most embarrassing things to see as a Wyoming fan and lord knows we’ve seen a lot of them.

 

[Expat_Poke]

There isn’t much difference probably between our recruits and the other bottom 40 teams. But there is a difference between ours and Boise or SDSU in the 60s. Yes we’ve found some diamonds in the rough, we’ve also whiffed on a lot of players too. We don’t talk about them.

Let’s not pretend that if our class was ranked top in the MW we wouldn’t be beating our chests about how Bohl is bringing in more talent. Now that it’s ranked towards the bottom we hear about how these rankings don’t matter.

I also laugh at people already making excuses for arguably the worst loss or one of the worst losses in program history to SJSU. That was one of the most embarrassing things to see as a Wyoming fan and lord knows we’ve seen a lot of them.

And how do you suppose Wyoming gets up to SDSU/BSU levels? It requires finding enough diamonds in the rough and developing those players into teams that compete for the division and conference. Those 100 ish ranked teams just produced a Top Offense in the MWC in 2016 and a top defense in 2017. Even if we do get to SDSU/BSU levels you are still playing the same game of trying to find the diamond in the roughs. Difference is rather than one/two star diamond in the rough you are looking for three star diamonds in the rough. Then when you get to the next level which is finding diamond in the rough 4 stars.

Also there is a flip side, you recruit highly ranked classes and then say pull a Michigan 2017, Tennessee or Texas and fan bases get very uppity.

 

[LaradiseCowboy]

There isn’t much difference probably between our recruits and the other bottom 40 teams. But there is a difference between ours and Boise or SDSU in the 60s. Yes we’ve found some diamonds in the rough, we’ve also whiffed on a lot of players too. We don’t talk about them.

Let’s not pretend that if our class was ranked top in the MW we wouldn’t be beating our chests about how Bohl is bringing in more talent. Now that it’s ranked towards the bottom we hear about how these rankings don’t matter.

I also laugh at people already making excuses for arguably the worst loss or one of the worst losses in program history to SJSU. That was one of the most embarrassing things to see as a Wyoming fan and lord knows we’ve seen a lot of them.

SJSU has had our number for a while!

And that was probably the saddest thing I have said on this forum. It is true though!

 

[joshvanklomp]

There isn’t much difference probably between our recruits and the other bottom 40 teams. But there is a difference between ours and Boise or SDSU in the 60s. Yes we’ve found some diamonds in the rough, we’ve also whiffed on a lot of players too. We don’t talk about them.

Let’s not pretend that if our class was ranked top in the MW we wouldn’t be beating our chests about how Bohl is bringing in more talent. Now that it’s ranked towards the bottom we hear about how these rankings don’t matter.

I also laugh at people already making excuses for arguably the worst loss or one of the worst losses in program history to SJSU. That was one of the most embarrassing things to see as a Wyoming fan and lord knows we’ve seen a lot of them.

And how do you suppose Wyoming gets up to SDSU/BSU levels? It requires finding enough diamonds in the rough and developing those players into teams that compete for the division and conference. Those 100 ish ranked teams just produced a Top Offense in the MWC in 2016 and a top defense in 2017. Even if we do get to SDSU/BSU levels you are still playing the same game of trying to find the diamond in the roughs. Difference is rather than one/two star diamond in the rough you are looking for three star diamonds in the rough. Then when you get to the next level which is finding diamond in the rough 4 stars.

Also there is a flip side, you recruit highly ranked classes and then say pull a Michigan 2017, Tennessee or Texas and fan bases get very uppity.

Are they really diamonds in the rough, or do the scouting services simply do a poorer job of scouting players in certain areas? For example, Colorado and Nebraska high schools aren't likely as well-scouted as other parts of the country by these sites. On the 247 rankings, there's a feature that indicates how many of the three scouting services have scouted/ranked each player. In the Boise State class, only two of the signees were scouted by just one service. Wyoming had six such players.

Another thing that factors in is how signing a full class increases the ranking of that class. There can be two schools with the exact same average player rating, but one class is ranked higher as a whole because the school signed more players. Wyoming only brought in 19 signings, which was among the lowest in the Mountain West. That's why Air Force's class of 28 signings is ranked higher on 247 composite despite having a lower average player rating.

 

[Expat_Poke]

There isn’t much difference probably between our recruits and the other bottom 40 teams. But there is a difference between ours and Boise or SDSU in the 60s. Yes we’ve found some diamonds in the rough, we’ve also whiffed on a lot of players too. We don’t talk about them.

Let’s not pretend that if our class was ranked top in the MW we wouldn’t be beating our chests about how Bohl is bringing in more talent. Now that it’s ranked towards the bottom we hear about how these rankings don’t matter.

I also laugh at people already making excuses for arguably the worst loss or one of the worst losses in program history to SJSU. That was one of the most embarrassing things to see as a Wyoming fan and lord knows we’ve seen a lot of them.

And how do you suppose Wyoming gets up to SDSU/BSU levels? It requires finding enough diamonds in the rough and developing those players into teams that compete for the division and conference. Those 100 ish ranked teams just produced a Top Offense in the MWC in 2016 and a top defense in 2017. Even if we do get to SDSU/BSU levels you are still playing the same game of trying to find the diamond in the roughs. Difference is rather than one/two star diamond in the rough you are looking for three star diamonds in the rough. Then when you get to the next level which is finding diamond in the rough 4 stars.

Also there is a flip side, you recruit highly ranked classes and then say pull a Michigan 2017, Tennessee or Texas and fan bases get very uppity.

Are they really diamonds in the rough, or do the scouting services simply do a poorer job of scouting players in certain areas? For example, Colorado and Nebraska high schools aren't likely as well-scouted as other parts of the country by these sites. On the 247 rankings, there's a feature that indicates how many of the three scouting services have scouted/ranked each player. In the Boise State class, only two of the signees were scouted by just one service. Wyoming had six such players.

Another thing that factors in is how signing a full class increases the ranking of that class. There can be two schools with the exact same average player rating, but one class is ranked higher as a whole because the school signed more players. Wyoming only brought in 19 signings, which was among the lowest in the Mountain West. That's why Air Force's class of 28 signings is ranked higher on 247 composite despite having a lower average player rating.

Yeah, I am overextending the proper application of the term "diamond in the rough" in my last post. I just didn't want to type out underscouted/overlooked/not looked at/players that with the right development will become good even great players, etc. Of those the needs development is the only one that fits the Webster definition of the term "diamond in the rough" of : one having exceptional qualities or potential but lacking refinement or polish.

I would say Allen and Granderson fit the diamond in the rough definition while Logan Wilson more of the underscouted.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

For overlooked vs recruiting sites vs diamond in rough or whatever, I always look at other offers.

Granderson is a name that always pops up to disprove validity of stars. Perhaps, but I think he was also offered by BSU and WSU.

A 2 star with other good offers is quite a bit different than a 2 star with no other offers. Always exceptions, Josh for example, but those are usually exceptions.

 

[onePokeovertheline]

For overlooked vs recruiting sites vs diamond in rough or whatever, I always look at other offers.

Granderson is a name that always pops up to disprove validity of stars. Perhaps, but I think he was also offered by BSU and WSU.

A 2 star with other good offers is quite a bit different than a 2 star with no other offers. Always exceptions, Josh for example, but those are usually exceptions.

Dewey was a 2 star by some, not rated by others. His offers: Wyo and North Dakota.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

Always exceptions. I don't have time but the only fair way to do it is go back the past 5 years and sort all 2 stars into other good offers and few other offers. Then, look at productivity.

I think Bohl and company are good talent evaluators and good at identifying kids that can develop in the program. I'm not knocking at all. Just saying, overall, kids with more stars and more offers generally have more obvious or immediate talent.

 

[LaradiseCowboy]

I thought more players would be interested in playing for this coaching staff to be honest. Coach Bohl’s credentials would have been a game-changer for me personally.

Sometimes I really don’t understand the youth these days. Guess they’re more interested in losing in a place like Fart Collins than winning in a place like Laramie.

 

[Asmodeanreborn]

Guess they’re more interested in losing in a place like Fart Collins than winning in a place like Laramie.

It's the first time we've had back-to-back winning seasons since when? Bohl still has a losing record in the FBS, so it's not like winning is a guarantee. Hell, maybe they watched the San Jose game, realized Josh would be gone after this season, and didn't want to gamble.

All that said, I think it often takes a special kind of kid to come to Laramie. One who isn't worried about getting a bit cold from time to time. One who wants to focus whole-heartedly on school and football. One who realizes that maybe working hard at 7220 might actually be a better path to the pros than being one of many talented kids in a more "fun" place with more distractions. If Wyoming keeps putting 1-3 kids per year into the NFL, I think we'll start attracting a few more recruits who are getting offers from bigger schools, or places like SDSU. If Allen goes early in the draft, and is followed next year by Wingard and Granderson in the first three rounds, I can almost guarantee it'll show in recruiting.

 

[JimmyDimes]

There isn’t much difference probably between our recruits and the other bottom 40 teams. But there is a difference between ours and Boise or SDSU in the 60s. Yes we’ve found some diamonds in the rough, we’ve also whiffed on a lot of players too. We don’t talk about them.

Let’s not pretend that if our class was ranked top in the MW we wouldn’t be beating our chests about how Bohl is bringing in more talent. Now that it’s ranked towards the bottom we hear about how these rankings don’t matter.

I also laugh at people already making excuses for arguably the worst loss or one of the worst losses in program history to SJSU. That was one of the most embarrassing things to see as a Wyoming fan and lord knows we’ve seen a lot of them.

And how do you suppose Wyoming gets up to SDSU/BSU levels? It requires finding enough diamonds in the rough and developing those players into teams that compete for the division and conference. Those 100 ish ranked teams just produced a Top Offense in the MWC in 2016 and a top defense in 2017. Even if we do get to SDSU/BSU levels you are still playing the same game of trying to find the diamond in the roughs. Difference is rather than one/two star diamond in the rough you are looking for three star diamonds in the rough. Then when you get to the next level which is finding diamond in the rough 4 stars.

Also there is a flip side, you recruit highly ranked classes and then say pull a Michigan 2017, Tennessee or Texas and fan bases get very uppity.

Just based on the past two years.....we are at their level. We are getting players drafted and have split with Boise and SDSU over the past two years....and they were conference champs. The SJSU game was a fluke.....bad loss, but teams do have bad losses once in a while. The Pokes followed that up with a beating of one of the MAC's top teams. A person can either look at the body of work or one game to draw conclusions.

Wyoming had 3 or 4 first team all MWC defensive players last year...and they alll return. Is this not an indication that our coaches might know what they are doing despite recruiting ranking?

This team is trending upward.....getting hung up on recruiting rankings is silly.

Go Pokes!!

 

[JimmyDimes]

I thought more players would be interested in playing for this coaching staff to be honest. Coach Bohl’s credentials would have been a game-changer for me personally.

Sometimes I really don’t understand the youth these days. Guess they’re more interested in losing in a place like Fart Collins than winning in a place like Laramie.

Except Wyoming beat CSU in head to head recruiting. More guys with CSU offers chose Wyoming than guys with Wyoming offers picking CSU. But hey, the rankings.

 

[Expat_Poke]

Guess they’re more interested in losing in a place like Fart Collins than winning in a place like Laramie.

It's the first time we've had back-to-back winning seasons since when? Bohl still has a losing record in the FBS, so it's not like winning is a guarantee. Hell, maybe they watched the San Jose game, realized Josh would be gone after this season, and didn't want to gamble.

All that said, I think it often takes a special kind of kid to come to Laramie. One who isn't worried about getting a bit cold from time to time. One who wants to focus whole-heartedly on school and football. One who realizes that maybe working hard at 7220 might actually be a better path to the pros than being one of many talented kids in a more "fun" place with more distractions. If Wyoming keeps putting 1-3 kids per year into the NFL, I think we'll start attracting a few more recruits who are getting offers from bigger schools, or places like SDSU. If Allen goes early in the draft, and is followed next year by Wingard and Granderson in the first three rounds, I can almost guarantee it'll show in recruiting.

Good points.

For the general discussion, I don't want to come off as recruiting and recruiting rankings don't matter at all. It just isn't the be all end all. I think we all would like to see Wyoming climb in the recruiting rankings ladder. I tend to think what you outlined above combined with hopefully a lot more consecutive winning seasons is the way to do it.

Also while this class may be seen as a step backwards, when you compare ratio of three stars to total scholly recruits it is the second highest of Bohl's tenure (1st was the 2017 class).

For the math nerds out there (again per 247).
2018 5-19 0.26
2017 7-23 0.30
2016 6-25 0.24
2015 5-23 0.21
2014 1-22 0.05

Edit, I got curious and went into DC's tenure. Last year Wyoming had double digit three star was 2010. A lot of misses or more likely poor development. Number of three stars from 2011-2013 went 2-3-3. Of note, Eddie was a two star in 2012.

 

[DVDA]

There isn’t much difference probably between our recruits and the other bottom 40 teams. But there is a difference between ours and Boise or SDSU in the 60s. Yes we’ve found some diamonds in the rough, we’ve also whiffed on a lot of players too. We don’t talk about them.

Let’s not pretend that if our class was ranked top in the MW we wouldn’t be beating our chests about how Bohl is bringing in more talent. Now that it’s ranked towards the bottom we hear about how these rankings don’t matter.

I also laugh at people already making excuses for arguably the worst loss or one of the worst losses in program history to SJSU. That was one of the most embarrassing things to see as a Wyoming fan and lord knows we’ve seen a lot of them.

And how do you suppose Wyoming gets up to SDSU/BSU levels? It requires finding enough diamonds in the rough and developing those players into teams that compete for the division and conference. Those 100 ish ranked teams just produced a Top Offense in the MWC in 2016 and a top defense in 2017. Even if we do get to SDSU/BSU levels you are still playing the same game of trying to find the diamond in the roughs. Difference is rather than one/two star diamond in the rough you are looking for three star diamonds in the rough. Then when you get to the next level which is finding diamond in the rough 4 stars.

Also there is a flip side, you recruit highly ranked classes and then say pull a Michigan 2017, Tennessee or Texas and fan bases get very uppity.

Just based on the past two years.....we are at their level. We are getting players drafted and have split with Boise and SDSU over the past two years....and they were conference champs. The SJSU game was a fluke.....bad loss, but teams do have bad losses once in a while. The Pokes followed that up with a beating of one of the MAC's top teams. A person can either look at the body of work or one game to draw conclusions.

Wyoming had 3 or 4 first team all MWC defensive players last year...and they alll return. Is this not an indication that our coaches might know what they are doing despite recruiting ranking?

This team is trending upward.....getting hung up on recruiting rankings is silly.

Go Pokes!!

SDSU's and BSU's success isn't based on the past two years. It's based on the success they've had for an extended period of time. UW is working towards that right now, but we're not close to being on their level yet.

The SJSU game was not a fluke. The offense was bad this year with Allen and bottom of FCS without him. The defense is in great hands and is ready to compete at the highest level, but the offense is a major concern for next year. There is no quarterback, the running backs were below average excluding Overstreet, the offensive line was terrible, and the receivers did very little to help Allen or Smith. As of right now, UW doesn't have a single special talent on offense.