Recruiting Utah?

[SLCPoke]

So.....I know Utah is zoobie land and all, but why the hell isn't Wyoming trying to recruit out of Utah more? There are a good amount of D-1 Kids coming out of this state on a consistent basis....I would say 5-6 are going to BCS schools(Michigan,Stanford,Alabama,Oklahoma State, Nebraska, etc...) a year and about 5-10 are going to the BYU/Utah/Utah State's every year. There is a lot of talent in this state and I am surprised that the Wyo coaching staff hasn't tried to tap into that yet.

 

[J-Rod]

Good point. Utah State managed to put together some really good teams with just local talent.....not the best Utah kids, but Utah kids nonetheless.

 

[fromolwyoming]

Snow college. We did.

 

[SLCPoke]

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/172488/jonah-trinnaman" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here's a good example of a kid I'd love to snag from Utah.....check out some of the other offers these kids are getting:

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/databaseresults?firstname=&lastname=&collegeid=&class=2014&position=&state=51" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[SLCPoke]

Snow college. We did.

Yes, and the one Snow College kid we recruited wasn't from Utah, I"m talking HIGH SCHOOL. A JC is a JC know matter where it is and has nothing to do with the point I'm trying to make.

 

[BeaverPoke]

Pac12 is recruiting Utah pretty well.
And aside from the top level kids that are going to the BIG TIME programs, it seems like the rest of them go to BYU and USU. (Not counting Utah because I said PAC12 is recruiting Utah well.)

I definitely think Wyo should go after Utah more.
We are doing well in the Pacific NW, because of connections to the NW, but does Wyo not have any Utah connections?

 

[fromolwyoming]

Pac12 is recruiting Utah pretty well.
And aside from the top level kids that are going to the BIG TIME programs, it seems like the rest of them go to BYU and USU. (Not counting Utah because I said PAC12 is recruiting Utah well.)

I definitely think Wyo should go after Utah more.
We are doing well in the Pacific NW, because of connections to the NW, but does Wyo not have any Utah connections?

None that I know of. None of the coaches (to my knowledge) have any connections there.

 

[kansasCowboy]

So.....I know Utah is zoobie land and all, but why the hell isn't Wyoming trying to recruit out of Utah more? There are a good amount of D-1 Kids coming out of this state on a consistent basis....I would say 5-6 are going to BCS schools(Michigan,Stanford,Alabama,Oklahoma State, Nebraska, etc...) a year and about 5-10 are going to the BYU/Utah/Utah State's every year. There is a lot of talent in this state and I am surprised that the Wyo coaching staff hasn't tried to tap into that yet.

Basically you just stated why. Utah is considered a small state with good talent. The difference. They have top in state schools who recruit the majority of the talent. The ones who escape, do so for bigger better schools (BCS). That leaves Wyo the chance to pickup the best of the rest with other in state schools like SUU and Weber St and the rest have the talent to play Dlll and below. We do recruit that state. I believe it was former Coach Ray who recruited Utah. He tried for a couple of top RB's last year, but couldn't land them, they went to BYU and the other out east, I think. That's just the way it is. And with the state of Utah, sadly, thats how it always will be. Every now and then we get lucky and nab one or two. But they are usually lower H.S divisions and not as top quality.

 

[SLCPoke]

So.....I know Utah is zoobie land and all, but why the hell isn't Wyoming trying to recruit out of Utah more? There are a good amount of D-1 Kids coming out of this state on a consistent basis....I would say 5-6 are going to BCS schools(Michigan,Stanford,Alabama,Oklahoma State, Nebraska, etc...) a year and about 5-10 are going to the BYU/Utah/Utah State's every year. There is a lot of talent in this state and I am surprised that the Wyo coaching staff hasn't tried to tap into that yet.

Basically you just stated why. Utah is considered a small state with good talent. The difference. They have top in state schools who recruit the majority of the talent. The ones who escape, do so for bigger better schools (BCS). That leaves Wyo the chance to pickup the best of the rest with other in state schools like SUU and Weber St and the rest have the talent to play Dlll and below. We do recruit that state. I believe it was former Coach Ray who recruited Utah. He tried for a couple of top RB's last year, but couldn't land them, they went to BYU and the other out east, I think. That's just the way it is. And with the state of Utah, sadly, thats how it always will be. Every now and then we get lucky and nab one or two. But they are usually lower H.S divisions and not as top quality.

I disagree with, "that's how it always will be". Nothing is ever "that's how it always will be", it's called making a connection, start connecting with coaches out this way. There is a lot of talent in the 3A division that gets overlooked by most of the in-state schools. Even then, I don't see why we can't challenge Utah State for some of the kids, I would take a handful of kids from Utah that are currently on the Utah State roster. If you continually mine the same areas, aren't you going to get the same results? I think there should be more effort to recruit in a state with that much talent and one that borders us. I disagree that Utah, BYU and Utah State would steal all the talent that comes out of this state. I've heard of one offer from Wyoming to any Utah kid since I've lived here, and trust me I keep a pretty good ear out.

 

[TSpoke]

I beleive we did try and recruit Utah pretty heavy when DC first got here. In the first couple classes we had several from there but they didn't really pan out. I do remember signing one kid who then went on his mission and then never palyed for us. Not usre where he went if anywhere.

 

[BackHarlowRoad]

Who's to say we aren't trying? Maybe we are busting our ass in Utah and just not getting much out of it. I agree with those who say we shouldn't be discouraged by BYU/Utah/USU. If we used that logic we should never recruit anywhere besides Montana, Wyo, and Dakotas because everyone will go to in-state schools.

I have no idea if it matters much or not, but the perception of Wyoming seems to be much different (more negative) in Utah than it is in Colorado.

 

[djm19]

Who's to say we aren't trying? Maybe we are busting our ass in Utah and just not getting much out of it. I agree with those who say we shouldn't be discouraged by BYU/Utah/USU. If we used that logic we should never recruit anywhere besides Montana, Wyo, and Dakotas because everyone will go to in-state schools.

I have no idea if it matters much or not, but the perception of Wyoming seems to be much different (more negative) in Utah than it is in Colorado.

I would agree with this completely. I live in Utah now. People here hate and mock UW so badly; from when the time you are a kid to an adult, you hear stories about Laramie and wyoming that mostly aren't true. Gets old. Utah and BYU hate each other, but when it comes down to it, a father would rather see their kid play at each school than UW. They would rather see them play at SUU or Snow before UW. Not sure why. All about perception. I am a lone ranger in my neighborhood. Loud and proud. Have a UW tie for my Sunday dress and all. Not apologetic about it. BYu fans are delusional #sswipes and Utah fans are arrogant pricks.

i dont know how much we do recruit here, but I am surprised that we cant land 1-2 kids every year from Utah. We should never lose a kid to Weber over UW. Close enough for family still. Climate is comparable. Ogden has lots of crime; UW has Luke Martinez....ohhhhhhhhh too soon. neverm ind.

 

[JimmyDimes]

Agree with Djm. Utah is a stange state IMO. Religion rules and most in state schools are geared for the missions, etc. It doesn't work well for Wyoming. Plus we all hear about the piss bombs etc. Wyoming is the devil for many of the brainwashed.

Wyoming needs to focus on Colorado, Cali, and the upper to mid midwest. Utah can suck a turd.

 

[WYCowboy]

Who's to say we aren't trying? Maybe we are busting our ass in Utah and just not getting much out of it. I agree with those who say we shouldn't be discouraged by BYU/Utah/USU. If we used that logic we should never recruit anywhere besides Montana, Wyo, and Dakotas because everyone will go to in-state schools.

I have no idea if it matters much or not, but the perception of Wyoming seems to be much different (more negative) in Utah than it is in Colorado.

I would agree with this completely. I live in Utah now. People here hate and mock UW so badly; from when the time you are a kid to an adult, you hear stories about Laramie and wyoming that mostly aren't true. Gets old. Utah and BYU hate each other, but when it comes down to it, a father would rather see their kid play at each school than UW. They would rather see them play at SUU or Snow before UW. Not sure why. All about perception. I am a lone ranger in my neighborhood. Loud and proud. Have a UW tie for my Sunday dress and all. Not apologetic about it. BYu fans are delusional #sswipes and Utah fans are arrogant pricks.

i dont know how much we do recruit here, but I am surprised that we cant land 1-2 kids every year from Utah. We should never lose a kid to Weber over UW. Close enough for family still. Climate is comparable. Ogden has lots of crime; UW has Luke Martinez....ohhhhhhhhh too soon. neverm ind.

I feel the same way about them that they do about us (people in Wyoming). There is a reason I call them "utards".

 

[SLCPoke]

I beleive we did try and recruit Utah pretty heavy when DC first got here. In the first couple classes we had several from there but they didn't really pan out. I do remember signing one kid who then went on his mission and then never palyed for us. Not usre where he went if anywhere.

This is a completely inaccurate statement. There has only been 2 kids ever on a DC roster that were actually from Utah. One was Deejay Lester from Layton, UT that came via Snow College. The other is Dan Cook (from Brigham City, UT), who is currently on the roster, and transferred to Wyoming from ASU for wrestling, not football. If you really want to count Mazi Ogbanna(who actually only came from Snow College, but was from NY) then that is 3, and Mazi was pretty decent. I don't really think Wyoming has put much effort in to the state of Utah, and let me tell you why. I coach high school football here in Utah (and the quality of talent in Utah has exploded in the last 5 years) and speak with quite a few coaches about some of their kids- nobody ever hears from Wyoming. The only time I've heard of a Wyoming offer here in the state was Wyoming recruited a linebacker out of Cottonwood High School(in SLC), and he decided to go to the Naval Academy. I know for a fact there was a kid who I personally knew, that was being recruited out of Davis High School (Near the Ogden Metro Area) and had received interest from BYU, Navy, Utah State. I talked with him several times about what he would think if Wyoming talked to him (he is a BIG, BIG BYU fan) and said that he would welcome it and very seriously consider it. He ended up tearing his ACL this last season, and is going to Snow College- so we'll see what happens.

Secondly, Utah and BYU fans do trash Wyoming all of the time....but something I've learned as I've coached is that when it's about playing college football, rivalries go out of the window and kids want to play. So if Wyoming would make an effort to develop relationships with some 5A/4A schools rather than just the kids themselves it would be very beneficial to the program. I'm sick of hearing that "Utah people hate Wyoming". I "hear" it everyday, but a lot of it is in jest and as a joke, in fact there are a lot of people in this state that have a good or at least neutral perception of Wyoming.

 

[TSpoke]

I beleive we did try and recruit Utah pretty heavy when DC first got here. In the first couple classes we had several from there but they didn't really pan out. I do remember signing one kid who then went on his mission and then never palyed for us. Not usre where he went if anywhere.

This is a completely inaccurate statement. There has only been 2 kids ever on a DC roster that were actually from Utah. One was Deejay Lester from Layton, UT that came via Snow College. The other is Dan Cook (from Brigham City, UT), who is currently on the roster, and transferred to Wyoming from ASU for wrestling, not football. If you really want to count Mazi Ogbanna(who actually only came from Snow College, but was from NY) then that is 3, and Mazi was pretty decent. I don't really think Wyoming has put much effort in to the state of Utah, and let me tell you why. I coach high school football here in Utah (and the quality of talent in Utah has exploded in the last 5 years) and speak with quite a few coaches about some of their kids- nobody ever hears from Wyoming. The only time I've heard of a Wyoming offer here in the state was Wyoming recruited a linebacker out of Cottonwood High School(in SLC), and he decided to go to the Naval Academy. I know for a fact there was a kid who I personally knew, that was being recruited out of Davis High School (Near the Ogden Metro Area) and had received interest from BYU, Navy, Utah State. I talked with him several times about what he would think if Wyoming talked to him (he is a BIG, BIG BYU fan) and said that he would welcome it and very seriously consider it. He ended up tearing his ACL this last season, and is going to Snow College- so we'll see what happens.

Secondly, Utah and BYU fans do trash Wyoming all of the time....but something I've learned as I've coached is that when it's about playing college football, rivalries go out of the window and kids want to play. So if Wyoming would make an effort to develop relationships with some 5A/4A schools rather than just the kids themselves it would be very beneficial to the program. I'm sick of hearing that "Utah people hate Wyoming". I "hear" it everyday, but a lot of it is in jest and as a joke, in fact there are a lot of people in this state that have a good or at least neutral perception of Wyoming.

Here is the guy I was talking about. In DC's first year they recruited and signed Alo Moli. I beleive he went on a mission and I don't know what happened to him but to me it shows that they did recruit Utah at least that first year. Who why they have stopeed but I would guess they weren't having much luck or lost someone with connections there but they at least put in effort that first year. I seem to remember some talk from the coaches about getting into Utah but it never panned out.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/wyoming/football/recruiting/commitments/2009/Wyoming-96

 

[BackHarlowRoad]

Secondly, Utah and BYU fans do trash Wyoming all of the time....but something I've learned as I've coached is that when it's about playing college football, rivalries go out of the window and kids want to play. So if Wyoming would make an effort to develop relationships with some 5A/4A schools rather than just the kids themselves it would be very beneficial to the program. I'm sick of hearing that "Utah people hate Wyoming". I "hear" it everyday, but a lot of it is in jest and as a joke, in fact there are a lot of people in this state that have a good or at least neutral perception of Wyoming.

I agree. It'd be silly to just give up and not even try to establish some sort of relationship. Still, Wyoming will never be top of the list on a stud player from 5A/4A Utah. Not because 'people hate Wyoming', but because they grow up adoring BYU/Utah and couldn't give two shits about Wyoming. Those 2nd tier kids who get rejected from Utah and BYU, we should be able to pick some up. If you think we are going to jump in and immediately get top tier Utah talent just because we try, you're delusional.

Colorado/CSU rivalry doesn't even compare to the Holy War. People don't seem to be nearly as passionate as they are to the West. It's way more likely for us to snag a stud player or two in CO.

 

[djm19]

I beleive we did try and recruit Utah pretty heavy when DC first got here. In the first couple classes we had several from there but they didn't really pan out. I do remember signing one kid who then went on his mission and then never palyed for us. Not usre where he went if anywhere.

This is a completely inaccurate statement. There has only been 2 kids ever on a DC roster that were actually from Utah. One was Deejay Lester from Layton, UT that came via Snow College. The other is Dan Cook (from Brigham City, UT), who is currently on the roster, and transferred to Wyoming from ASU for wrestling, not football. If you really want to count Mazi Ogbanna(who actually only came from Snow College, but was from NY) then that is 3, and Mazi was pretty decent. I don't really think Wyoming has put much effort in to the state of Utah, and let me tell you why. I coach high school football here in Utah (and the quality of talent in Utah has exploded in the last 5 years) and speak with quite a few coaches about some of their kids- nobody ever hears from Wyoming. The only time I've heard of a Wyoming offer here in the state was Wyoming recruited a linebacker out of Cottonwood High School(in SLC), and he decided to go to the Naval Academy. I know for a fact there was a kid who I personally knew, that was being recruited out of Davis High School (Near the Ogden Metro Area) and had received interest from BYU, Navy, Utah State. I talked with him several times about what he would think if Wyoming talked to him (he is a BIG, BIG BYU fan) and said that he would welcome it and very seriously consider it. He ended up tearing his ACL this last season, and is going to Snow College- so we'll see what happens.

Secondly, Utah and BYU fans do trash Wyoming all of the time....but something I've learned as I've coached is that when it's about playing college football, rivalries go out of the window and kids want to play. So if Wyoming would make an effort to develop relationships with some 5A/4A schools rather than just the kids themselves it would be very beneficial to the program. I'm sick of hearing that "Utah people hate Wyoming". I "hear" it everyday, but a lot of it is in jest and as a joke, in fact there are a lot of people in this state that have a good or at least neutral perception of Wyoming.

True, "Hate" Wyoming may be strong, but "mock the crap out of and don't respect WY" and such.... I would have to disagree. Most of it to me isn't said in jest or joking. I have heard some pretty vile and viscious hings from Provo fans. I am tired of it. Do I hate BYU as a college? No. Do I hate the football team? No. Do I dislike the fans? Resounding YES. They are the problem.

Example- my little girl has a brown dress she wears around. The BYu fans don't know when to stop. Mock me, but about the time I hear them make a comment like, "Your little girl used to be cute until she got that pee and poop colored outfit on..." Joking or not, enough already. Kids in Utah no longer are raised "loving" BYU or "loving Utah." They ARE taught to Hate Byu or Hate Utah depending on their team. I listen to small children at the park approach other kids and say, 'Utah Sucks! Go BYU!" It is sad. It is pathetic. The whole Holy War thing here is a joke. Wish every year it would end 0-0.

 

[SLCPoke]

I beleive we did try and recruit Utah pretty heavy when DC first got here. In the first couple classes we had several from there but they didn't really pan out. I do remember signing one kid who then went on his mission and then never palyed for us. Not usre where he went if anywhere.

This is a completely inaccurate statement. There has only been 2 kids ever on a DC roster that were actually from Utah. One was Deejay Lester from Layton, UT that came via Snow College. The other is Dan Cook (from Brigham City, UT), who is currently on the roster, and transferred to Wyoming from ASU for wrestling, not football. If you really want to count Mazi Ogbanna(who actually only came from Snow College, but was from NY) then that is 3, and Mazi was pretty decent. I don't really think Wyoming has put much effort in to the state of Utah, and let me tell you why. I coach high school football here in Utah (and the quality of talent in Utah has exploded in the last 5 years) and speak with quite a few coaches about some of their kids- nobody ever hears from Wyoming. The only time I've heard of a Wyoming offer here in the state was Wyoming recruited a linebacker out of Cottonwood High School(in SLC), and he decided to go to the Naval Academy. I know for a fact there was a kid who I personally knew, that was being recruited out of Davis High School (Near the Ogden Metro Area) and had received interest from BYU, Navy, Utah State. I talked with him several times about what he would think if Wyoming talked to him (he is a BIG, BIG BYU fan) and said that he would welcome it and very seriously consider it. He ended up tearing his ACL this last season, and is going to Snow College- so we'll see what happens.

Secondly, Utah and BYU fans do trash Wyoming all of the time....but something I've learned as I've coached is that when it's about playing college football, rivalries go out of the window and kids want to play. So if Wyoming would make an effort to develop relationships with some 5A/4A schools rather than just the kids themselves it would be very beneficial to the program. I'm sick of hearing that "Utah people hate Wyoming". I "hear" it everyday, but a lot of it is in jest and as a joke, in fact there are a lot of people in this state that have a good or at least neutral perception of Wyoming.

True, "Hate" Wyoming may be strong, but "mock the crap out of and don't respect WY" and such.... I would have to disagree. Most of it to me isn't said in jest or joking. I have heard some pretty vile and viscious hings from Provo fans. I am tired of it. Do I hate BYU as a college? No. Do I hate the football team? No. Do I dislike the fans? Resounding YES. They are the problem.

Example- my little girl has a brown dress she wears around. The BYu fans don't know when to stop. Mock me, but about the time I hear them make a comment like, "Your little girl used to be cute until she got that pee and poop colored outfit on..." Joking or not, enough already. Kids in Utah no longer are raised "loving" BYU or "loving Utah." They ARE taught to Hate Byu or Hate Utah depending on their team. I listen to small children at the park approach other kids and say, 'Utah Sucks! Go BYU!" It is sad. It is pathetic. The whole Holy War thing here is a joke. Wish every year it would end 0-0.

Agreed with most of this, and mostly that it's BYU fans that are those talking shit. Ute fans don't seem nearly as bad, and Utah State fans I feel pretty neutral. I sent and received an email from the coaching staff about this topic, I'll post it in another message in a few minutes.

 

[SLCPoke]

We typically do not have Utah as a primary recruiting area, but rather a secondary area for us. There are a few reasons for this strategy:

1. The state of Utah on average (last 5 years) has only 34 Division I (FBS) recruits. This does not include 1AA(FCS) level recruits.
2. There are 3 Division I (FBS) schools in the state who do a very good job recruiting in state talent – Utah State ( Average 10+) BYU (Average 10+) Utah (Average 5) per year. That leaves about 10 recruits each year not to mention there is an average of 5 National level recruits each year. It is very difficult to beat any in state school on a prospect unless he has a deep connection to your university.

We are definitely open to recruiting Utah kids if and when they fit our needs. Hope this gives you the answer you had questions about. Please feel free to recommend any kids you feel could be a fit to our program. We appreciate your support and are looking forward to a successful fall.

Matt Rahl
Recruiting Coordinator
Wyoming Football