(Editor's note: UW Athletics release)
LARAMIE, Wyo. - The 2020 February National Letter of Intent signing period began on Wednesday, Feb. 5 with the Wyoming Cowboys adding four outstanding high school signees and a highly-ranked junior college tight end to the Wyoming Football program. Colin O'Brien, a JC tight end from Saddleback Community College in California, actually signed with the Cowboys during the midyear junior college transfer signing period that ran from Dec. 18 through Jan. 15. The five new Cowboys will combine with 19 early signees who committed to the Cowboys back on Dec. 18 to bring the total 2020 Wyoming Football recruiting class to 24.
Among the five new commitments are two wide receivers, one linebacker, one cornerback and one tight end.
"We are extremely pleased with the additions to this class," said UW head football coach Craig Bohl. "We were able to meet all our needs that we had targeted in this recruiting class and this is the furthest we've ever been in the recruiting process in terms of meeting all our needs and balancing out our class. We had a methodical plan about how we put this class together, and we're excited about these guys academically and athletically.
"We were able to do a lot of homework on these young men. That, combined with us having a good season, helped our profile when we were out recruiting. We did not waiver from recruiting the type of young man we know can be successful here, and so we feel very good about this class."
Highlights of the Five New Wyoming Cowboys
∙All five of the signees helped lead their teams deep into their respective state playoffs this past season.
∙Two of the individual players were named to All-Metro teams in the metropolitan areas of San Antonio, Texas and San Francisco, Calif
∙Three were rated as three-star recruits by 247Sports.
∙Cornerback Xavier Carter was named to the Class 5A-2 District 11 First Team as a cornerback his senior season.
∙Wide receiver Joshua Cobbs earned First Team All-District 13 in Class 5A-1 as a senior. He was also named to the 2019 SA Preps Sub-6A Public School Elite 33 All-Metro Team for San Antonio. Cobbs was selected to and played in the 2020 San Antonio Sports All-Star Football Game. Dave Campbell's Texas Football described Cobbs as "The most impressive specimen in the game."
∙Wide receiver Tyrese Grant was selected as both a First Team All-District 11 wide receiver and First Team All-District 11 cornerback in Class 3A-2 in 2019. He was ranked as a three-star recruit by 247Sports.
∙Junior college tight end Colin O'Brien comes to Wyoming from Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo, Calif. O'Brien was ranked by both 247Sports and ESPN as a three-star recruit. 247Sports also ranked O'Brien as the No. 6 junior college tight end recruit in the nation in the 2020 recruiting class and the No. 25 overall junior college recruit in the state of California.
∙Connor Shay was ranked as a three-star recruit by 247Sports. Shay was named by Cal-Hi Sports as its 2019 North Coast Section (NCS) Defensive Player of the Year. He was also selected to the 2019 San Francisco Chronicle First Team All-Metro Team as a linebacker.
Early Enrollees
Two members of Wyoming's 2020 recruiting class have already joined the Cowboy Football program. Junior college tight end Colin O'Brien from Mission Viejo, Calif., and freshman nickel back Wyett Ekeler, who signed with Wyoming in December from Windsor, Colo., both enrolled at UW in January 2020.
Position Breakdown
With the addition of the five new signees, the 2020 Wyoming Football recruiting class includes 12 signees on offense and 12 on defense. The positions breakdown as follows.
∙Offense: One quarterback, one running back, one fullback, two wide receivers, two tight ends and five offensive linemen
∙Defense: Five defensive backs, two linebackers and five defensive linemen
State Breakdown
California (6), Colorado (6), Texas (5), Nebraska (3), Pennsylvania (1), Washington (1), Wisconsin (1) and Wyoming (1)
2020 University of Wyoming Football
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class Hometown (Last School)
Xavier Carter CB 6-0 175 Fr. Manvel, Texas (Manvel)
Joshua Cobbs WR 6-4 205 Fr. San Antonio, Texas (Wagner)
Tyrese Grant WR 6-0 160 Fr. Daingerfield, Texas (Daingerfield)
Colin O'Brien TE 6-6 235 So. Mission Viejo, Calif. (Saddleback C.C., Calif.)
Connor Shay LB 6-2 210 Fr. Danville, Calif. (Monte Vista)
Xavier Carter CB 6-0 175 Fr. Manvel, Texas (Manvel)
Xavier Carter was named to the Class 5A-2 District 11 First Team as a cornerback his senior season. Carter was credited with 32 total tackles, including 26 solo tackles and 1.0 sack. He had five pass breakups and one fumble recovery for a touchdown. He was also an outstanding return specialist, returning eight kickoffs for 167 yards, including a long return of 51 yards, and returning one punt for 19 yards. Carter helped lead his Manvel High team to a 13-1 overall record and an 8-0 record in the Class 5A-2 District 11 conference to win the league. Manvel won three State Playoff games advancing to the 2019 Class 5A-2 State Quarterfinals before losing to eventual state runner-up Fort Bend Marshall. Carter played for head football coach Kevin Hall.
Joshua Cobbs WR 6-4 205 Fr. San Antonio, Texas (Wagner)
Joshua Cobbs earned First Team All-District 13 in Class 5A-1 as a senior. He was also named to the 2019 SA Preps Sub-6A Public School Elite 33 All-Metro Team for San Antonio. Cobbs was selected to and played in the 2020 San Antonio Sports All-Star Football Game on Jan. 4, 2020. He was part of the winning Black Team, that defeated the Gold Team 35-34. Dave Campbell's Texas Football described Cobbs as "the most impressive specimen in the game." Cobbs caught 27 passes for 661 yards and 17 receiving touchdowns his senior season at Wagner High School in San Antonio. He averaged 24.5 yards per reception, with a long reception of 66 yards. Cobbs accounted for 692 all-purpose yards, including 31 yards in interception returns. On defense, he was credited with 19 tackles, including 11 solo tackles and he intercepted two passes as a senior. Over his high school career, Cobbs caught 62 passes for 1,253 yards and 25 TDs, while averaging 20.2 yards per reception with 1,342 all-purpose yards and 27 combined touchdowns receiving and rushing. He helped lead Wagner High to a 13-2 overall record and a perfect 8-0 record in District 13 of Class 5A-1 to win the conference in 2019. Wagner advanced all the way to the Texas Class 5A-1 State Semifinals before losing to eventual state champion Shadow Creek. Cobbs played for head football coach Charles Bruce. He was also recruited by Army, Navy and UNLV.
Tyrese Grant WR 6-0 160 Fr. Daingerfield, Texas (Daingerfield)
Tyrese Grant was selected both a First Team All-District 11 wide receiver and First Team All-District 11 cornerback in Class 3A-2 in 2019. He was ranked as a three-star recruit by 247Sports. Grant caught 51 passes for 1,031 yards and scored 11 receiving touchdowns as a senior. On defense, Grant was credited with 31 tackles and intercepted five passes as a senior. He helped lead Daingerfield High to an 11-3 record and 6-1 conference record to tie for first place in Class 3A-2 District 11. Daingerfield High went on to win three state playoff games, advancing all the way to the Class 3A-2 State Quarterfinals before losing to eventual state runner-up Pewitt. He played for head football coach Davin Nelson. Grant was also recruited by Appalachian State, Colorado State, Hawai'i, Louisiana-Monroe, Southern Miss, Texas State, Toledo, Tulsa, UTSA and Utah.
Colin O'Brien TE 6-6 235 So. Mission Viejo, Calif. (Saddleback C.C., Calif.)
Colin O'Brien was ranked as a three-star recruit by both 247Sports and ESPN. 247Sports ranked O'Brien as the No. 6 junior college tight end recruit in the nation in the 2020 recruiting class and the No. 25 overall junior college recruit in the state of California. O'Brien helped Saddleback Community College post a 9-2 record and advance to the Southern California Football Association Regional Semifinals. The Gauchos posted a 4-1 conference record to place second in the National Division Southern League behind eventual California Community College Athletic Association State Champion Riverside City College. The Saddleback Gauchos finished the 2019 season ranked No. 5 in the final California Junior College Athletic Association Coaches Poll. He played for head coach Mark McElroy at Saddleback Community College. O'Brien played football and volleyball at Mission Viejo High School before playing his freshman season of football at Saddleback Community College in 2019. He enrolled at UW in January of 2020. O'Brien was also recruited by Boise State and Massachusetts.
Connor Shay LB 6-2 210 Fr. Danville, Calif. (Monte Vista)
Connor Shay was ranked as a three-star recruit by 247Sports. Shay was named by Cal-Hi Sports as its 2019 North Coast Section (NCS) Defensive Player of the Year. He was also selected to the 2019 San Francisco Chronicle First Team All-Metro Team as a linebacker. He earned Second Team All-NorCal Preps honors as selected by Rivals.com. Shay was named First Team All-East Bay Athletic League (EBAL) Mountain Division and was named his team's Defensive Most Valuable Player as a senior. He played middle linebacker and tight end for Monte Vista High School. His senior season, he made 134 tackles, including 51 solo tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack and had one forced fumble. Shay averaged 11.7 tackles per game. For his career, he was credited with 201 total tackles, including 73 solo stops, 13.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. On offense, he caught 32 passes for 419 yards and four touchdowns from his tight end position as a senior. For his career, he caught 34 passes for 511 yards and five TDs. He also served as his team's punter as a senior, averaging 36.1 yards per punt and placing 18 of his 42 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Shay helped lead Monte Vista High to an 8-4 overall record and a second-place finish in the EBAL Mountain Division. Monte Vista advanced to the Semifinals of the CIF North Coast Section Playoffs before losing to eventual champion De La Salle. He played for head football coach Matt Russi. Shay also received scholarship offers from Fresno State, Nevada, UNLV and Utah.