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Will the state embrace Wyo and the Brown and Gold more now?

BeaverPoke

Well-known member
Now that Coach Bohl is going to literally every high school to recruit and evaluate talent, whether there is talent at these schools or not, do you think the state of Wyoming is going to embrace the Pokes more?
You can say the same old things you want about how the state already embraces the Pokes, and how it's the only school in the state, blah blah blah, but our attendance numbers do not reflect that.

With Bohl going to meet every high school coach and watch the high school players, I believe that the coaches will be excited about it, and that will rub off on their players.

Within a year, half the high school football players in the state could be genuine Poke fans simply by just meeting Bohl.

For attendance numbers, and the state to truly embrace, or at least embrace the Pokes more, I think Bohl needs to hit Casper, Cheyenne, Evanston, Rock Springs, Green River, Gillette, Lander, and Riverton hard. You know, the same "big" towns we always talk about when talking about attendance or "big time" high school football in Wyoming.

I believe with this legitimate focus on recruiting the state of Wyoming, Friday Night Lights in the 307 could be extra special for high school athletes. If they believe that they can be a D1 player if they put in the work, they will do it.
I personally know many kids that felt like they never had a chance at college ball in the past, so it was easier for them to talk themselves out of working hard.
Now, with that excuse being gone, it will be a "put up or shut up" scenario. If they are playing well, Bohl and Duval and the entire staff will notice.
If their friend who is a year or 2 older than them goes to Wyo, then when they become a junior or senior, they will go all out. The cycle will continue.

I might be reaching here, but I believe that the entire state of Wyoming could be a lot more Brown and Gold in the next few years, along with an increased level of play in high school football.
 
Nice post Beaver, "build it and they will come".
Maybe not overnight, but in good time, with an orchestrated effort, and the diligence of a dedicated plan Wyoming may become relevant in a not so relevant league and out of the way location. I like the thought of this proposition.
Thumbs up bud.
 
Bryan Harsin did this at Boise State....I remember reading that he said for the most part, Idaho had no talent with the exception of the Boise area schools and Coeur d'Alene....but they kept at it year after year. School after school....no FBS prospects....but there was that one year, just one....where there happened to be a kid who nobody knew about that appeared to be pretty good. That kid ended up being Shea McClellin...who eventually was drafted by the Bears in the 1st round. Sure, the skeptics will say Wyoming has no talent....but who knows whose been overlooked because of negligence? Whose to say Wyoming's Shea McClellin isn't out there? Not only does this serve as a tour to promote Cowboy football, but it establishes relationships. Bohl made NDSU what it is now by finding these type of kids. I'm not saying Wyoming will become a staple of recruiting for Bohl. Colorado figures to be more likely. But who knows? After a couple of years, maybe they'll show up to some obscure Wyoming HS and find that one player. Its worth their time IMO.
 
I think that down home coach going to all the towns around the state feeling will definitely fit in well with the older Cowboys fans in the state and draw them in as we are use to outsider coaches telling us we are doing everything wrong.
 
J-Rod said:
Bryan Harsin did this at Boise State....I remember reading that he said for the most part, Idaho had no talent with the exception of the Boise area schools and Coeur d'Alene....but they kept at it year after year. School after school....no FBS prospects....but there was that one year, just one....where there happened to be a kid who nobody knew about that appeared to be pretty good. That kid ended up being Shea McClellin...who eventually was drafted by the Bears in the 1st round. Sure, the skeptics will say Wyoming has no talent....but who knows whose been overlooked because of negligence? Whose to say Wyoming's Shea McClellin isn't out there? Not only does this serve as a tour to promote Cowboy football, but it establishes relationships. Bohl made NDSU what it is now by finding these type of kids. I'm not saying Wyoming will become a staple of recruiting for Bohl. Colorado figures to be more likely. But who knows? After a couple of years, maybe they'll show up to some obscure Wyoming HS and find that one player. Its worth their time IMO.
Per capita, Wyoming is usually near the top in producing NFL talent. Of course, that doesn't amount to much when we're talking about 600K. But, more than you'd think. Bohl will definitely give some of these kids a chance.

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I think this will have a bigger effect in recruiting than it will in fan attendance.

However, even if fan attendance may not change, fan support probably will. It might not help you get fans from Cheyenne or Casper to show up at War Memorial, but it will probably make them more likely to turn on their TV on Saturdays.

(BTW I opened the thread thinking it had something to do with the color scheme)
 
It can't hurt and it is always a good thing to build relations in State.

I doubt it helps attendance or really even fan following that much. As the saying goes, winning isn't everything, it is the only thing. Truer words were never spoken. You want to increase attendance, budgets, fans, recruiting, etc. etc.? Win. Simple as that.
 
Great post, Beav! I hadn't thought about the impact that the staff could have on high school football, but I think you're dead on. We've had success here with local kids that made the pros and the team (Wendling, Prosinski), but they literally fell into our laps. If our new staff starts looking under every rock and digging up talent where we thought there wasn't any it could help high school football in this state in a big way.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if during his goodwill tour, Coach Bohl is actually trying to set up a farm system for the Wyoming football team. Let high school coaches and players know what it takes to be a Wyoming Cowboy, what offense and defensive schemes we'll run, and set up a path for a player to become a Poke. What percentage of high schools in Nebraska were running the option when Osborne was coaching there? They've traditionally had one of the more impressive walk-on programs in the country. Outside of Lincoln & Omaha, we're talking about the same type of kid in the same type of town as what Bohl is recruiting in Wyoming.
 
wyopig said:
I wouldn't be surprised if during his goodwill tour, Coach Bohl is actually trying to set up a farm system for the Wyoming football team. Let high school coaches and players know what it takes to be a Wyoming Cowboy, what offense and defensive schemes we'll run, and set up a path for a player to become a Poke. What percentage of high schools in Nebraska were running the option when Osborne was coaching there? They've traditionally had one of the more impressive walk-on programs in the country. Outside of Lincoln & Omaha, we're talking about the same type of kid in the same type of town as what Bohl is recruiting in Wyoming.

I like the idea of the the farm system thing.

And like J-Rod said with the Boise thing and McClellan.

Think about it this way...
In this hypothetical situation let's say there are 0 D1 talents in any of the Wyo highschools right now.
There are 0 in the next year.
Then there is 1. He comes here. Well all of a sudden the pride of (Insert small Wyoming town here) is a Poke.
Then his little brother wants to be a poke. Or the best player on his rival school wants to prove he is better and becomes a Poke the next year.
Then let's say there is some kid who is now only 13 years old right now, and his family meets Bohl now. This 13 year old might end up being a freak and being like Taven Bryan getting some serious big offers. Well..when that kid is 18, and his family has known Bohl for half a decade, and has established that relationship, we can get the occasional big time talent.

I think it just opens up so many opportunities for recruiting.
 
This was something Jerry Kill did once he got to Minnesota. So far, its worked.

During an offseason loaded with national recruiting trips and team meetings, Kill has set aside time for 23 community events to date. Most of them are speaking engagements across Minnesota at which Kill promotes the future of the team.

“We have to sell our vision to the community and to our state,” Kill said. “It’s their team. We just have to reflect our team and let them know that.”

Kill said he has focused on two things since the Gophers’ recruiting period ended with National Signing Day on Feb. 1: his players and making public appearances.

It’s an often-overlooked aspect of a head football coach’s duties. Kill has spoken with coaches and alumni in Bloomington, Minn.; the community foundation in Preston, Minn., and a women’s group in Edina, Minn., among others.

Speaking to a crowd of more than 100 at a luncheon sponsored by CORES (Coaches, Officials, Reports, Educators, Sports Fans), Kill addressed the importance of high school coaches — who made up the bulk of his audience — in developing players. He also stressed the need for public support when the team is struggling like his.

“I’m only here for coach Kill,” Bob Elliott, 75, said at the March 8 event in Bloomington.

Elliott, a self-proclaimed life-long Gophers fan, said he and his wife had to sell their season tickets when the Gophers moved to TCF Bank Stadium in 2009.

“We can’t handle those winter Saturdays outdoors,” he said. “So it’s wonderful [Kill] can come to us. Otherwise, we all wouldn’t get this chance.”


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