Cowboys head coach Dave Christensen is hoping the new signings will result in a better outcome for the upcoming season.
It is that time of year again when the University’s sports teams begin recruiting new athletes as many seniors end their collegiate careers.
The Cowboy’s football team received exciting news as head coach Dave Christensen announced he would be signing on five new mid-year scholarship athletes for next season.
“I think it’s good the team is recruiting more players,” said student and football fan Todd Downs. “It’ll be exciting to see how these new players will improve the team in their upcoming season.”
The five new Cowboys include two student-athletes who graduated early from high school to enroll at UW for the 2013 spring semester and three junior-college transfers, according to Wyoming Athletics. The Cowboys now have welcomed a total of nine mid-year athletes, four of whom signed in early December.
The first new player is a 6’2″, 310-pound defensive tackle who comes to Wyoming from Palo Alto, Calif. Troy Boyland played for two years at the College of San Mateo in San Mateo, Calif. Boyland is currently ranked as the No. 16 best junior-college defensive tackle recruit in the country by 247Sports.com.
J.D. Krill, a 6’6″, 245-pound tight end from Mission Viejo, Calif., comes to UW after playing two seasons of junior-college at Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo and is ranked No. 12 best junior-college tight end recruit in the country by 247Sports.com.
According to stats from Saddleback Community College, Krill caught 10 passes for 98 yards and one touchdown as a sophomore in 2012. As a freshman in 2011, Krill had five receptions for 42 yards and one touchdown.
The next junior college transfer is 6’2″, 220-pound Jeff Lark, a linebacker from Arizona Western Community College in Yuma, Ariz. Lark is ranked by 247Sports.com recruiting website as the 17th best JC outside linebacker in the nation. In 2012, Lark was credited with 62 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 5.0 tackles for loss, forced two fumbles and intercepted one pass, which he returned for a touchdown. Lark is expected to play for Wyoming for the next three seasons.
James Diamanti, a 6’4″, 285-pound defensive tackle from Grand Junction, Colo., will join the Cowboys team after he leaves Grand Junction High.
Diamanti was selected by The Denver Post for the 2012 First Team All-Colorado squad for all classifications his senior season. He also was named to the Post’s Class 5A First Team All-State squad, the largest classification in Colorado. Diamanti was named his conference’s Player of the Year his senior season and was credited with 88 tackles, 5.0 sacks, four forced fumbles and three recovered fumbles, according to reports from Grand Junction High.
Omar Stover comes to play for the brown and gold from Boling Brook High School in Boling Brook, Ill. The 5’11”, 197-pound running back was named to the 2012 Illinois Football Coaches Association All-State Team for Class 8A, the largest classification in Illinois. Stover also earned All-Area honors his senior season. He rushed for 1,012 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior, while leading Boling Brook to a 7-4 record and the second round of the state playoffs.
“All the newly signed players seem to each bring something new to the team,” said sports medicine freshman Kane Strom. “Even though the team lost some skilled seniors, I think it’ll be good to get some younger guys on the team so they can build them up through the years they’ll spend at UW.”
Losing so many seniors, the Cowboys will have to train and practice more than ever. But having the five student athletes pass up opportunities to play at schools like Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Washington State the outlook is bright for the upcoming season.
