(UW Athletics release)
LARAMIE, Wyo. – The 2019 early signing period was extremely productive for the Wyoming Cowboy Football program, with a recruiting class of 18 high school signees that stretched from California to Texas to Minnesota. The class began right at home in the state of Wyoming, as the No. 1 ranked high school recruit in Wyoming, Parker Christensen from Sheridan, signed with the Cowboys.
The state of California led the way for the 2019 Wyoming signing class with eight high school signees. The Cowboys signed four high school recruits from the state of Texas, followed by three from the state of Minnesota.
“We are well pleased with this group of young men, and we are excited that they have chosen to become members of our football program here at the University of Wyoming,” said head coach Craig Bohl. “We canvassed the country. The lion’s share of our class signed today. We’ve addressed the majority of our needs, but not all of them. We have the second signing period in February that we will take full advantage of.
“We did make a strong push in the state of Texas this year, which is new for us, and it went better than expected. I had recruited Texas for 15 years during my coaching career, but I realize that previous staffs here at Wyoming had recruited Texas with mixed results. When the NCAA added the 10th full-time coach this year, we felt that we had the resources to expand our recruiting base and so we decided to utilize some of those resources in Texas. We’ve been very well received, and I think the Mountain West moniker is viewed favorably by high school prospects. It has been better than what I thought.
“Building a recruiting class is a year-round process. Our recruiting department, Justin Mesa and Ian McGrew, along with our entire staff of coaches who were out on the road recruiting for many weeks did an outstanding job of assembling this class. It is always an exciting time of year both for the young men who have committed to join us and for our staff.”
The national letter-of-intent early signing period for football began on Wednesday, Dec. 19 and will conclude on Friday, Dec. 21.
In addition to the early signing period for football, which ends on Friday, Dec. 21, there is a Midyear Junior College Transfer signing period from Dec. 19 through Tue., Jan. 15,, 2019 and the regular signing period for football from Wed., Feb. 6 through Monday, April 1.
Among the individuals who signed national letters of intent with Wyoming on Wednesday, Dec. 19:
∙The No. 1 ranked recruit in the state of Wyoming, Parker Christensen a tight end from Sheridan, who was also the 2018 Gatorade Football Player of the Year for Wyoming.
∙The No. 5 ranked recruit in the state of Minnesota by Rivals, offensive lineman Latrell Bible from Minneapolis.
∙Three of the Top 13 ranked recruits in the state of Minnesota by 247 Sports, including: No. 10 ranked Treyton Welch (TE) from Buffalo, No. 12 ranked DeVonne Harris (DE) from Big Lake and No. 13 ranked Latrell Bible (OL) from Minneapolis.
∙The No. 37 ranked recruit in the state of Missouri by 247 Sports in cornerback Caleb Roberson.
∙Eight Wyoming signees were rated as three-star recruits by 247 Sports. Those seven were: Isaiah Abdullah (LB), Alex Brown (WR), Keonte Glinton (S), DeVonne Harris (DE), Carlos Harrison (OL), Jack Lookabaugh (OL), Caleb Roberson (CB) and Treyton Welch (TE).
∙Five incoming Cowboys have already been selected to play in postseason All-Star games. Those five are: Isaiah Abdullah, who will participate in the 13th Annual Offense-Defense All-American Bowl Week in Daytona Beach, Fla., from Dec. 26-31; Latrell Bible, DeVonne Harris and Treyton Welch, who all played in the 2018 Minnesota High School All-Star Game on Dec. 15, 2018; and Jack Lookabaugh, who played in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl in the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium on Dec. 17, 2018. A sixth Wyoming signee, Parker Christensen from Sheridan, Wyo., will likely be selected to play in the 2019 Wyoming Shrine Bowl when those rosters are announced in January 2019.
Position Breakdown
Wyoming signed eight student-athletes on offense, including three offensive linemen, three wide receivers and two tight ends.
The Cowboys balanced out the 2019 early signing class with 10 players on defense: three defensive linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs.
State-by-State Breakdown
The state of California leads the way for the Wyoming early signing class for the second straight year. The Wyoming football program signed seven high school players from California. Next was the state of Texas with four commitments. Three student-athletes from the state of Minnesota signed with the Cowboys. Wyoming, Illinois and Missouri each had one individual sign with the Pokes during the 2019 early signing period.
Interesting Coaching Ties
∙Cowboy signee Keonte Glinton played cornerback, wide receiver and running back at Bakersfield Christian High School in Bakersfield, Calif. He played for head coach Darren Carr, whose offensive coordinator was his older brother and former 2002 No. 1 NFL draft pick David Carr. The older Carr played quarterback for 10 years in the NFL.
∙Devin Jennings comes to Wyoming from Channelview High School in the Houston metropolitan area, which is where University of Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts played his high school football. Jennings played for head football coach Averion Hurts at Channelview, who is the father of Jalen Hurts.
2019 Wyoming Football Early Signing Class Selected Highlights
∙Isaiah Abdullah was named the 2018 Defensive MVP of the Northern League in Los Angeles, Calif. He also earned All-Northern League First Team honors as a linebacker both his junior and senior seasons. Abdullah is rated as three-star recruit by 247 Sports. He will participate in the 13th Annual Offense-Defense All-American Bowl Week in Daytona Beach, Fla., from Dec. 26-31. Among some of the alumni of the All-American Bowl are Eli Manning, Cam Newton, Lamar Jackson and Dez Bryant.
∙Latrell Bible was named to the 2018 Minnesota High School Football All-State Team as selected by the Minnesota High School Football Coaches, sportswriters and broadcasters and members of the Minnesota Vikings staff. He was selected to and played for the South All-Stars as an offensive tackle in the 2018 Minnesota High School All-Star Game on Dec. 15, 2018.
∙Parker Christensen was named the 2018 Gatorade Football Player of the Year for the state of Wyoming. He was named to the 2018 Wyoming Coaches Association All-State Class 4A First Team as a running back, linebacker and kick return specialist, and he was a unanimous choice as the Offensive Player of the Year. He was named to the Casper Star-Tribune Super 25 team for all classifications. Christensen is expected to play tight end for the Cowboys.
∙Jerome Cooper helped lead Locke High School in Los Angeles to the 2018 CIF L.A. City Section Division II Championship. It was the first football championship for Locke High School.
∙DeVonne Harris played defensive end for Big Lake High School in Big Lake, Minn. Harris earned Associated Press Third Team All-State honors his senior year. He was selected to and played for the North All-Stars as a defensive end in the 2018 Minnesota High School All-Star Game on Dec. 15, 2018.
∙Jack Lookabaugh earned First Team All-District 6 Class 6A honors as an offensive tackle at Coppell High School in the Dallas metroplex. Class 6A is the largest classification in Texas high school football. He was also invited to and played in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl played in the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium on Dec. 17, 2018.
∙Jaylen Pate was named to the 2018 Chicago Sun-Times All-Public League football team as a senior.
∙Caleb Roberson was a starting cornerback for Cardinal Ritter Prep in St. Louis, Mo. He helped lead Cardinal Ritter to a 15-1 record and the school’s second ever appearance in a state football championship game. The Lions finished as the state runner-up.
∙Treyton Welch was a two-time Associated Press First Team All-State selection in Minnesota, earning the honor as a wide receiver/tight end both his junior and senior seasons. Welch was named a finalist for the Minnesota Mr. Football Award as a senior. His senior season, he led the state of Minnesota with 1,032 receiving yards during the regular season. His 13 touchdown receptions ranked second in the state, and his 60 receptions ranked third.
Additional information on the 2019 recruiting class, including videos of this year’s class are available on the Wyoming Signing Day Central page at GoWyo.com and on Twitter @wyo_football.
