Wyoming Strikes it Rich with Early Signing Class for 2018
Cowboys Sign 20 High School Student-Athletes
Laramie, Wyo. (Dec.20, 2017) -- In the first year of the early signing period for NCAA Division I football programs, the Wyoming Cowboys struck it rich with a class of 20 signees. Head coach Craig Bohl's coaching staff implemented an aggressive recruiting plan leading up to the first day of the early signing period on Wednesday, Dec. 20, and they cashed in on that plan by bringing in a talented group of new Cowboys.
"We want to welcome this group of young men into our program here at the University of Wyoming," said Bohl. "Signing Day is an exciting time for all these young men and their families, and we are just as excited as coaches to know that they have chosen to be part of our program.
"This was a new process for all coaching staffs across the country. We chose to pursue an ambitious recruiting plan to identify early those young men we felt best fit into our Wyoming recruiting profile. We worked extremely hard to build relationships with those young men and their families to the point where they wanted to commit to us now rather than later in the February signing process.
"I want to give credit where credit is due. Gordie Haug (Director of Recruiting) and our entire staff have done an amazing job of putting this class together.
"A few of will join us in January when they enroll early at Wyoming. Others will join us next summer.
"We can't wait to begin working with them to achieve our goal of winning a Mountain West Conference championship."
The national letter-of-intent early signing period for football began on Wednesday, Dec. 20 and will conclude on Friday, Dec. 22.
Wyoming's signing day took place while the Cowboys were in Boise, Idaho, preparing for their Friday appearance in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. After the early signing period for football ends on Friday, Dec. 22, the next football signing period will begin on Feb. 7, 2018, and will end on April 1.
Among the individuals who signed national letters of intent with Wyoming on Wednesday, Dec. 20 were:
•The No. 1 ranked recruit in the state of Wyoming, Blayne Baker an offensive lineman from three-time state champion Sheridan, Wyo., committed to the Cowboys.
•Wyoming signed four of the Top 20 ranked recruits in the state of Colorado by 247 Sports. Chad Muma was ranked No. 9. Gunner Gentry was ranked No. 11. Cameron Murray was No. 14, and Zach Watts was ranked No. 20.
•The No. 17 ranked recruit by 247 Sports from the state of Oregon -- Reow Jackson, who is listed as an Athlete.
•The No. 5 ranked long snapper in the nation in Jesse Hooper from Draper, Utah.
•Four Wyoming signees were rated as three-star recruits by 247 Sports. Those four were: Sean Chambers (QB), Reow Jackson (Athlete), Chad Muma (LB) and Miles Williams (DB).
•Two of the Top 60 ranked recruits by 247 Sports from the state of Illinois. Jackson Marcotte (TE) was ranked the No. 55 recruit in Illinois, and Camron Donatlan (WR) was ranked No. 59.
•The other Wyoming native to sign with the Cowboys was Frank Crum of Laramie. He is the third generation of his family to play football for Wyoming. His father, Gary, and grandfather, Earl, were also Cowboys.
•In addition to Crum, three other members of the 2018 signing class have family ties to Wyoming. Gunner Gentry is the younger brother of former Wyoming Cowboy wide receiver Tanner Gentry. Chad Muma's father Ty Muma played for the Pokes in the early 90s, and Leevi Lafaele is the cousin of current Wyoming Cowboy Ryan Gatoloai-Faupula.
Position Breakdown
Wyoming signed eight student-athletes on offense, including three offensive linemen, two wide receivers, one quarterback, one running back and one tight end.
The defensive group consists of 10 players: three defensive linemen, three linebackers and four defensive backs.
The Cowboys also signed one signee described as an athlete and one long snapper.
State-by-State Breakdown
A state-by-state breakdown of the class has the state of California leading the way with nine signees. Next was the state of Colorado with four commitments. The states of Wyoming and Illinois each had two individuals sign with the Pokes. One individual from the states of Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin completed the 2018 early signing class for the Pokes.
More Information on the 2018 Wyoming Football Signing Class is Available
Additional information on the 2018 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.
On the following pages are a selection of highlights from the 2018 Wyoming Football recruiting class and bios on each signee.
2018 Wyoming Football Early Signing Class Selected Highlights
•Offensive lineman Blayne Baker is the top-ranked recruit in the state of Wyoming according to 247 Sports. He was a unanimous 4A All-State selection for the 2017 season as chosen by members of the Wyoming Coaches Association. The Coaches Association also selected him as the unanimous 4A Lineman of the Year in 2017. Baker was named to the Casper Star-Tribune Super 25 Team his senior season.
•In 2017, running back Jevon Bigelow rushed 185 times for 1,535 yards and 16 scores, averaging 118.1 yards per game in his first high school season playing strictly running back. Bigelow surpassed 100 yards rushing in nine consecutive games.
•Sean Chambers is listed as a three-star recruit by the 247 Sports composite ranking, which ranks him as the No. 44 dual-threat quarterback in the nation. Chambers posted three consecutive seasons of over 1,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards at Kerman, including 1,600 passing yards and 1,687 rushing yards his senior season. He accounted for over 5,000 passing yards, nearly 4,000 rushing yards and 95 total touchdowns during his high school career, including 34 total touchdowns his senior season.
•Camron Donatlan is an accomplished three-sport athlete at West Aurora High School in Aurora, Ill. A wide receiver, Donatlan is ranked by 247 Sports as the 59th best overall football recruit in the talent-rich state of Illinois. He also plans on competing for the Wyoming Track and Field team in the high jump. Donatlan captured Illinois individual state championships in the high jump as both a sophomore and a junior. He has cleared 7 feet in the high jump during his high school career, which is a height that would have equated to a fourth-place finish at last year's NCAA Championships.
•Gunner Gentry was named to the 2017 CHSAA 5A All-State First Team. He helped lead Grandview High to the CHSAA 5A State semifinals his senior season.
•Cole Godbout was a Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All-State selection at defensive end in 2017. He is also one of the top heavyweight wrestlers in the state of Wisconsin.
•Reow Jackson was named the 2017 Second Team All-State Class 5A quarterback as selected by the Oregon Coaches Association and compiled by the Oregonian. In 2016, he was named a Second Team All-State Class 5A defensive back by the Oregon Coaches Association.
•Chad Muma was one of only 32 players to be named to the 2017 Denver Post All-Colorado football team for all classifications.
•Cameron Murray was recognized by The Denver Post as one of only 32 players on its 2017 All-Colorado football team. He will be joining three former Overland teammates at Wyoming in his cousin Austin Conway, Alijah Halliburton and Kevin Prosser
•Zach Watts was named to the CHSAA 4A All-State First Team in 2017.
Cowboys Sign 20 High School Student-Athletes
Laramie, Wyo. (Dec.20, 2017) -- In the first year of the early signing period for NCAA Division I football programs, the Wyoming Cowboys struck it rich with a class of 20 signees. Head coach Craig Bohl's coaching staff implemented an aggressive recruiting plan leading up to the first day of the early signing period on Wednesday, Dec. 20, and they cashed in on that plan by bringing in a talented group of new Cowboys.
"We want to welcome this group of young men into our program here at the University of Wyoming," said Bohl. "Signing Day is an exciting time for all these young men and their families, and we are just as excited as coaches to know that they have chosen to be part of our program.
"This was a new process for all coaching staffs across the country. We chose to pursue an ambitious recruiting plan to identify early those young men we felt best fit into our Wyoming recruiting profile. We worked extremely hard to build relationships with those young men and their families to the point where they wanted to commit to us now rather than later in the February signing process.
"I want to give credit where credit is due. Gordie Haug (Director of Recruiting) and our entire staff have done an amazing job of putting this class together.
"A few of will join us in January when they enroll early at Wyoming. Others will join us next summer.
"We can't wait to begin working with them to achieve our goal of winning a Mountain West Conference championship."
The national letter-of-intent early signing period for football began on Wednesday, Dec. 20 and will conclude on Friday, Dec. 22.
Wyoming's signing day took place while the Cowboys were in Boise, Idaho, preparing for their Friday appearance in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. After the early signing period for football ends on Friday, Dec. 22, the next football signing period will begin on Feb. 7, 2018, and will end on April 1.
Among the individuals who signed national letters of intent with Wyoming on Wednesday, Dec. 20 were:
•The No. 1 ranked recruit in the state of Wyoming, Blayne Baker an offensive lineman from three-time state champion Sheridan, Wyo., committed to the Cowboys.
•Wyoming signed four of the Top 20 ranked recruits in the state of Colorado by 247 Sports. Chad Muma was ranked No. 9. Gunner Gentry was ranked No. 11. Cameron Murray was No. 14, and Zach Watts was ranked No. 20.
•The No. 17 ranked recruit by 247 Sports from the state of Oregon -- Reow Jackson, who is listed as an Athlete.
•The No. 5 ranked long snapper in the nation in Jesse Hooper from Draper, Utah.
•Four Wyoming signees were rated as three-star recruits by 247 Sports. Those four were: Sean Chambers (QB), Reow Jackson (Athlete), Chad Muma (LB) and Miles Williams (DB).
•Two of the Top 60 ranked recruits by 247 Sports from the state of Illinois. Jackson Marcotte (TE) was ranked the No. 55 recruit in Illinois, and Camron Donatlan (WR) was ranked No. 59.
•The other Wyoming native to sign with the Cowboys was Frank Crum of Laramie. He is the third generation of his family to play football for Wyoming. His father, Gary, and grandfather, Earl, were also Cowboys.
•In addition to Crum, three other members of the 2018 signing class have family ties to Wyoming. Gunner Gentry is the younger brother of former Wyoming Cowboy wide receiver Tanner Gentry. Chad Muma's father Ty Muma played for the Pokes in the early 90s, and Leevi Lafaele is the cousin of current Wyoming Cowboy Ryan Gatoloai-Faupula.
Position Breakdown
Wyoming signed eight student-athletes on offense, including three offensive linemen, two wide receivers, one quarterback, one running back and one tight end.
The defensive group consists of 10 players: three defensive linemen, three linebackers and four defensive backs.
The Cowboys also signed one signee described as an athlete and one long snapper.
State-by-State Breakdown
A state-by-state breakdown of the class has the state of California leading the way with nine signees. Next was the state of Colorado with four commitments. The states of Wyoming and Illinois each had two individuals sign with the Pokes. One individual from the states of Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin completed the 2018 early signing class for the Pokes.
More Information on the 2018 Wyoming Football Signing Class is Available
Additional information on the 2018 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.
On the following pages are a selection of highlights from the 2018 Wyoming Football recruiting class and bios on each signee.
2018 Wyoming Football Early Signing Class Selected Highlights
•Offensive lineman Blayne Baker is the top-ranked recruit in the state of Wyoming according to 247 Sports. He was a unanimous 4A All-State selection for the 2017 season as chosen by members of the Wyoming Coaches Association. The Coaches Association also selected him as the unanimous 4A Lineman of the Year in 2017. Baker was named to the Casper Star-Tribune Super 25 Team his senior season.
•In 2017, running back Jevon Bigelow rushed 185 times for 1,535 yards and 16 scores, averaging 118.1 yards per game in his first high school season playing strictly running back. Bigelow surpassed 100 yards rushing in nine consecutive games.
•Sean Chambers is listed as a three-star recruit by the 247 Sports composite ranking, which ranks him as the No. 44 dual-threat quarterback in the nation. Chambers posted three consecutive seasons of over 1,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards at Kerman, including 1,600 passing yards and 1,687 rushing yards his senior season. He accounted for over 5,000 passing yards, nearly 4,000 rushing yards and 95 total touchdowns during his high school career, including 34 total touchdowns his senior season.
•Camron Donatlan is an accomplished three-sport athlete at West Aurora High School in Aurora, Ill. A wide receiver, Donatlan is ranked by 247 Sports as the 59th best overall football recruit in the talent-rich state of Illinois. He also plans on competing for the Wyoming Track and Field team in the high jump. Donatlan captured Illinois individual state championships in the high jump as both a sophomore and a junior. He has cleared 7 feet in the high jump during his high school career, which is a height that would have equated to a fourth-place finish at last year's NCAA Championships.
•Gunner Gentry was named to the 2017 CHSAA 5A All-State First Team. He helped lead Grandview High to the CHSAA 5A State semifinals his senior season.
•Cole Godbout was a Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All-State selection at defensive end in 2017. He is also one of the top heavyweight wrestlers in the state of Wisconsin.
•Reow Jackson was named the 2017 Second Team All-State Class 5A quarterback as selected by the Oregon Coaches Association and compiled by the Oregonian. In 2016, he was named a Second Team All-State Class 5A defensive back by the Oregon Coaches Association.
•Chad Muma was one of only 32 players to be named to the 2017 Denver Post All-Colorado football team for all classifications.
•Cameron Murray was recognized by The Denver Post as one of only 32 players on its 2017 All-Colorado football team. He will be joining three former Overland teammates at Wyoming in his cousin Austin Conway, Alijah Halliburton and Kevin Prosser
•Zach Watts was named to the CHSAA 4A All-State First Team in 2017.
