Pokes ink two more speedsters from Lone Star State

LARAMIE -- Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl had plenty to say about the Cowboys two latest recruits Wednesday afternoon, but one word kept coming up over and over again -- speed.

Running back Da'Qualen James, or "DQ" as Bohl called him, and wide receiver Tony Evans Jr., both from Lancaster, Texas, inked on the dotted line to play football in Laramie next fall, rounding out a 2021 recruiting class that netted 19 players, eight of which hail from the Lone Star State.

The UW staff had their eye on Evans early, but quickly realized there might be another gem on the same roster.

"We knew that we wanted another receiver that would have deep-threat ability," Bohl said of Evans. "Certainly, Tony provided that. DQ was a guy who, I think in the initial response, was actually maybe looking at a couple other different schools."

Bohl said his staff took a hard look at the current roster, especially at the running back spot, and decided they needed to add a different element to compliment Xazavian Valladay and Trey Smith, who are both returning in 2021.

Bohl said they found that with James.

The 5-foot-6, 165-pound back received eight offers, including two from Wyoming's Mountain West foes, Hawaii and New Mexico.

James' size didn't deter Bohl and Co. from extending an offer. Not after what they saw on tape. The 10.6 100-meter dash time certainly didn't hurt, either.

"He can really fly," Bohl said. "Speed is something that is hard to coach. You can see him hit the crease here and run away, and many of these players that he's playing against, I've got a pretty good pulse on how much speed is on that field. So, DQ is a guy who is going to add an element to our running back room that is unique."

As far as wide receivers go, the roster was already littered with them. There's plenty of Texas flair, too. Evans joins fellow Texans Alex Brown, Joshua Cobbs, Tyrese Grant, Devin Jennings and Isaiah Neyor in Laramie.

Ayden Eberhardt and Gunner Gentry are also returning to the program.

Bohl has said in the past that he wants to add more length in the receiver room. Evans certainly fits that profile at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds.

"Tony's a wide receiver that has big-play potential," he said. "You can see him being able to go up and make contested catches, which we think is something that we need to continue to improve with our offensive arsenal.

"He does have good speed and he does have good size. You can see he's able to run down the field vertically and adjust to the ball well. We certainly need that type of big-play potential that's going to be refined here by coach (Mike) Grant."

Here are the other 17 players who signed with Wyoming in December:

Tommy McEvoy (LB, Nebraska)

John Michael Gyllenborg (TE, Missouri)

Wrook Brown (S, Texas)

Will Evans (DT, Texas)

Micah Young (LB, Texas)

Caden Barnett (OL, Texas)

Jaylen Sargent (WR, Utah)

Kolbey Taylor (ATH, Texas)

Jordon Vaughn (RB, Texas)

Tommy Wroblewski (DB, Nebraska)

Sam Scott (LB, Nebraska)