Dave Christensen and his staff went full-out Tupac and Dr. Dre with this recruiting class in showing some California love. Six recruits from this class call the Golden State home ranging from Ventura in SoCal to Sacramento in NoCal. Additionally, the Pokes captured five commits from the state of Washington with the substantial ties that Christensen and new defensive coordinator Chris Tormey have in the northwest. I am 100% sold on the new emphasis in Washington but I do have some concerns about recruiting California so hard.
Washington is a good fit for Wyoming because the two states are somewhat similar weather wise. Prospects out of Washington are used to cold and damp winters and should not need much adjusting to the Wyoming weather. That is why Wyoming has had success in the past of recruiting and retaining quality players from the upper midwest especially in Minnesota. California is a different story though as it seems in both basketball and football we have a hard time in keeping talented players from the coastal state through four full years. For some reason or another a high number of them get homesick and decide to move closer to home leaving the Pokes shorthanded.
With six recruits from California in this year’s class it will be interesting to see how many of them stick around and make an impact in the program. I understand the fact that there was a lack of Division I prospects in Wyoming and Colorado this year. The staff in that case had to recruit where the talent is and California has plenty of it. I just think it is a risk considering Wyoming’s track record in retaining players from the state. All in all this is a good class (on paper) and I am very curious to see how the class will look in two to three years. Perhaps my assumption that Washington is a better fit than California for the Cowboys will be wrong. I wish all the new Pokes nothing but success and only time will tell how they will get on in Laramie.