The Cowboys have extended an offer to Marcus De La Pena, a 6-foot-1 and 205 pound running back from San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, California.
GoWyoGo.com Talked with Wolves head coach Mark Kessler about the ability of De La Pena at the next level in college.
"Marcus is a D1 caliber running back. He has great vision and runs physical after contact and falls foward when he is hit," said Kessler. "He doesn't have the great speed at 4.4 though when he gets a yard on the defense, he doesn't get caught. Marcus has six touchdown runs of 90 yards or better in his career. In his two years on varsity, he has emassed over 2,000 yards rushing and has a chance to get between 2,000 to 3,000 yards this season."
De La Pena has some familiarity with the program since current Cowboy wide receiver Justin Berger played high school ball at San Ramon. Kessler sees this as an advantage for the Cowboys and preparing the back for college football.
"We have a close knit community here and the players come back during the summer and know one another, and there is a comfortable feeling knowing somebody playing at a school they are interested," said Kessler. "We have produced nine quarterbacks playing division one football including Joe Southwick at Boise State and being around those players in the summer is a good part for other players looking to play college football."
De La Pena's offer from Wyoming is his first and only offer to-date and should give the Pokes an upper hand in his recruitment.
"I'm not sure of his plans to visit. Since they are the first offer, usually means the player is going to visit," said Kessler. "Not sure if he'll go to the camp or go on the official visit. He is excited about Wyoming's offer and from a school in a quality league with good teams. It's a good time for mid-major programs because the feel they have knocked the door down and have opportunites they didn't have in the past."
The 2014 prospect appears to be a good fit for the type of running back the Cowboys like in their spread offense.
De La Pena sees the field well and bursts through the holes effectively, similiar to some of the recent running backs to sign with UW. He has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and break tackles in the open field.
"He has received 30 or more letters from various schools and Wyoming was the first to offer," said Kessler. "We've had a number of division players come from here and he certainly a player that fits the definition of D1 caliber player."
De La Pena was named San Ramon Valley's offensive MVP during his junior year, while rushing for 1209 yards and 32 receptions. He had the 97 yard touchdown run against Buhach Colony High School last season.
Marcus De La Pena
GoWyoGo.com Talked with Wolves head coach Mark Kessler about the ability of De La Pena at the next level in college.
"Marcus is a D1 caliber running back. He has great vision and runs physical after contact and falls foward when he is hit," said Kessler. "He doesn't have the great speed at 4.4 though when he gets a yard on the defense, he doesn't get caught. Marcus has six touchdown runs of 90 yards or better in his career. In his two years on varsity, he has emassed over 2,000 yards rushing and has a chance to get between 2,000 to 3,000 yards this season."
De La Pena has some familiarity with the program since current Cowboy wide receiver Justin Berger played high school ball at San Ramon. Kessler sees this as an advantage for the Cowboys and preparing the back for college football.
"We have a close knit community here and the players come back during the summer and know one another, and there is a comfortable feeling knowing somebody playing at a school they are interested," said Kessler. "We have produced nine quarterbacks playing division one football including Joe Southwick at Boise State and being around those players in the summer is a good part for other players looking to play college football."
De La Pena's offer from Wyoming is his first and only offer to-date and should give the Pokes an upper hand in his recruitment.
"I'm not sure of his plans to visit. Since they are the first offer, usually means the player is going to visit," said Kessler. "Not sure if he'll go to the camp or go on the official visit. He is excited about Wyoming's offer and from a school in a quality league with good teams. It's a good time for mid-major programs because the feel they have knocked the door down and have opportunites they didn't have in the past."
The 2014 prospect appears to be a good fit for the type of running back the Cowboys like in their spread offense.
De La Pena sees the field well and bursts through the holes effectively, similiar to some of the recent running backs to sign with UW. He has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and break tackles in the open field.
"He has received 30 or more letters from various schools and Wyoming was the first to offer," said Kessler. "We've had a number of division players come from here and he certainly a player that fits the definition of D1 caliber player."
De La Pena was named San Ramon Valley's offensive MVP during his junior year, while rushing for 1209 yards and 32 receptions. He had the 97 yard touchdown run against Buhach Colony High School last season.
Marcus De La Pena
