The 2020 early signing period was extremely productive for the Wyoming Cowboy Football program, with a recruiting class of 18 high school signees that stretched from Pennsylvania to California Wyoming signed nine players in the region, which includes Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska. Wyoming had the third rated recruiting class in the Mountain West according to 247sports.com.
The state of Colorado led the way for the 2020 Wyoming signing class with five high school signees. The Cowboys signed four high school recruits from the state of California, followed by three from the State of Nebraska and two from Texas.
“We are very pleased with this class,” Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl said. “The whole process started about a year ago with many hours on the road. We certainly focus in our primary areas of Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska and then expanded throughout the country. We have hit most of our needs with this group and in the next period we will focus on the wide receivers position and some cornerbacks.”
“One of the things that has carried us through this season is our depth and having players many players come in and contribute. Our team depth also allows for better competition on your football team and this class will definitely fortify that. Some of these guys will play right away and others will redshirt, but they will provide great depth.”
The national letter-of-intent early signing period for football began on Wednesday, Dec. 18 and will conclude on Friday, Dec. 20.
In addition to the early signing period for football, which ends on Friday, Dec. 20, there is a Midyear Junior College Transfer signing period from Dec. 18 through Wed., Jan. 15, 2020 and the regular signing period for football from Wed., Feb. 5 through April 1.
Among the individuals who signed national letters of intent with Wyoming on Wednesday, Dec. 18 were:
∙ The No. 1 ranked recruit in the state of Wyoming, Caleb Driskill is a fullback from Gillette, who was named to the 2019 Casper Star-Tribune Super 25 team and is a 2019 State Champion.
∙ The No. 6 ranked overall recruit in the state of Nebraska and the No. 1 rated offensive lineman Kohl Herbolsheimer out of Omaha.
∙ The No. 11 rated recruit in the state of Colorado, safety Keshaun Taylor
∙ The No. 15 rated recruit in the state of Wisconsin, defensive tackle Gavin Meyer of Franklin.
∙ Two 2019 State Champions in Caleb Driskell (WY) and Mana Taimani (CA).
∙ 10 Wyoming signees were rated as three star recruits by 247 Sports, including: Gavin Beerup (QB), Joseph Braasch (RB), Kohl Herbolsheimer (OG), Gavin Meyer (DT), Cameron Stone (CB), Mana Taimani (OT), Keshaun Taylor (S), Nofoafia Tulafono (OG), Brent VanderVeen (LB), Malik Williams (OT).
∙ Offensive guard Nofoafia Tulafono was invited to play in the 2020 Polynesian Bowl in Hawaii
Position Breakdown
∙ The Cowboys signed eight players on offense, including one quarterback, a running back, a fullback, a tight end and four offensive linemen.
∙ Wyoming balanced out the early signing class with 10 defensive players, including a nickel, a cornerback, two safeties, a linebacker, two defensive tackles and three defensive ends.
State-by-State Breakdown
∙ After two years of California signees leading the way, the Cowboys added five recruits from Colorado to lead this year’s class. Next was California with four signees, Nebraska with three student-athletes inking with UW and Texas with two recruits. The Pokes signed one student-athlete each from the states of Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin.
Interesting Coaching Ties
∙ Incoming tight end Nick Miles was coached by Jeff Ketron at Chaparral High School in Parker, Colo. Ketron is a former graduate assistant coach at Wyoming in the 1990s.
Connections to the NFL
∙ Incoming nickel Wyett Ekeler is the younger brother of current Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler.
∙ Incoming defensive end Oluwaseyi Omotosho attended the same high school as Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher Emmanuel Ogbah.
Players Reuniting With High School Teammates
∙ Incoming nickel Wyett Ekeler will rejoin his high school teammate Zach Watts. Incoming tight end Nick Miles will join Tristan Dietz at Wyoming.
2020 Wyoming Football Early Signing Class Selected Highlights
∙ Gavin Beerup is a three-star, pro-style quarterback that accounted for 17 total touchdowns as a senior.
∙ Joseph Braasch is a three-star running back who averaged 7.2 yards per carry and scored 19 touchdowns for his career.
∙ Caleb Driskell is the top-rated recruit in the state of Wyoming and was a member of the 2019 State Champion team, Thunder Basin.
∙ Wyett Ekeler was named the 4A Northern Colorado Offensive Player of the Year and earned First-Team All-Northern Colorado honors in 2019.
∙ Kohl Herbolsheimer is the No. 1 rated offensive lineman recruit in the state of Nebraska and rated as a three-star recruit.
∙ Gavin Meyer is a three-star recruit who is rated as the No. 15 overall recruit in the state of Wisconsin after recording 52.0 tackles for loss.
∙ Nick Miles averaged 12.6 yards per catch for his career, having 33 receptions for 415 yards and two scores.
∙ Oluwaseyi Omotosho had 2.0 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss as a senior playing in the competitive Houston area.
∙ Caleb Robinson earned First Team All-Metro honors as a senior after compiling 34 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss.
∙ Braden Siders is an All-CHSAA selection who finished his career with 209 tackles, 19.0 sacks and 39.0 tackles for loss.
∙ Cameron Smith finished his career with 106 tackles and 10.5 sacks following a senior season with 58 tackles and 6.5 sacks.
∙ Cameron Stone is a three-star recruit who was a First Team All-District selection after having 47 tackles and four interceptions.
∙ Mana Taimani is a three-star recruit who helped his offense average 288 rushing yards per game and won a 2019 State Championship.
∙ Keshaun Taylor is a three-star recruit who is rated as the 11th-best prospect in Colorado after recording 55 tackles and two fumble recoveries as a senior.
∙ Nofoafia Tulafono is a three-star recruit who was invited to play in the 2020 Polynesian Bowl after anchoring one of the best rushing offensive lines in the area.
∙ Brent VanderVeen is a three-star prospect who was named the Skagit Valley Herald Offensive Player of the Year while also racking up 59 tackles and three interceptions
∙ Isaac White caught 31 catches for 438 yards and a score as a senior while totaling 33 tackles, an interception and a tackle for loss.
∙ Malik Williams is a three-star offensive tackle that led his team to average 235 rushing yards per game on the way to a WACC Shoreline Championship.