The Wyoming coaching staff’s ties to North Dakota paid off in a big way Monday night.
Dustin Weeks, a 6-foot-9, 257-pound offensive lineman from Deering, North Dakota, verbally committed to UW, the Star-Tribune first reported. Including Oklahoma prep quarterback Chandler Garrett, who committed Sunday, the Cowboys now have two commitments from the 2016 recruiting class.
Craig Bohl spent 11 years at North Dakota State — winning NCAA Football Championship Subdivision titles in his final three seasons — before taking over at Wyoming after the 2013 season. But until Monday, he hadn’t snagged a recruit from his old stomping grounds.
“We’ve had familiar ties with them,” said Layne Fluhrer, Weeks’ coach with the Westhope-Newburg-Glenburn football co-op. “We watched them turn a program into a powerhouse in the nation. Hopefully they can do the same at Wyoming and hopefully our kid can do that with them.”
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If he signs with the program, Weeks will become the first North Dakotan on Wyoming’s roster since Brandon Casavan, of Grand Forks, concluded his career as a defensive end in 2003. Only one other North Dakotan has played for the Cowboys since the turn of the century: Killdeer, North Dakota, native Ben Murphy, a center on the 2000 squad. UW’s only other semi-recent tie to the Peace Garden State is wide receiver Zach Bolger, a Natrona County High School graduate who started his collegiate career at Jamestown (North Dakota) College.
“I have really grown a great connection with (offensive coordinator Brent Vigen) and (offensive line coach Scott Fuchs),” Weeks said. “... They’re nice guys, but they can lower the hammer if they need to. That’s something you want in a coach. I feel like I relate to them more than I have with other coaches (from other schools).”
Both Vigen and Fuchs are North Dakota State alumni. Vigen grew up in Buxton, North Dakota, while Fuchs was raised in Minot, North Dakota, about 40 miles from Weeks’ Glenburn High School.
Their knowledge of the state’s football talent helped discover Weeks, who had interest from North Dakota State but no other FBS offers.
“It’s no secret, we’re up there in northern North Dakota,” Fluhrer said. “There’s not a lot of national exposure at all. … One thing Dustin has is size. Every college in the nation loves size. With his athleticism, work ethic and size, he should be a good fit.”
At 6-9, he has 3 inches on UW’s current tallest player, 6-6 sophomore tight end Brandon Preston. And he had taken an unofficial visit to NCAA Division II school Minot State University — for basketball.
“Right away, he was about 50-50, basketball and football,” Fluhrer said.
By ramping up its recruiting efforts with Weeks, Wyoming helped keep him from strongly considering the hardwood. Once the Cowboys made an offer during his unofficial visit to Laramie on June 5, he set his mind on football.
“I figured that I would probably have more of an impact in football than I would in basketball,” he said. “... I think the best I could do is Division II. And why go Division II when I can go Division I in football and try to further my career and get to the big leagues?”
Weeks expects to redshirt in 2016 in order to add size to his frame. Wyoming’s staff would like to see him around 340 pounds, he said.
Even so, he can’t wait to get down to Laramie. Wyoming’s North Dakota ties helped snag Weeks, but the opportunity for a new experience sealed the deal.
“The visit was awesome,” Weeks said. “Everybody was really nice. Very beautiful, the surrounding area. A key factor was I want to get out of North Dakota.”