Schnepf: Bohl faces a tough fight in creating a winner at Wyoming

FARGO - Joe Glenn remembers the days of trying to persuade recruits that it would be OK to play college football in Laramie, Wyo. "We would try to fly most of them at one time into Denver," Glenn recalled. "Then they would hop on the president's plane and fly to Laramie. It worked slick."
Only one problem. The NCAA banned the use of private planes for recruiting. "Now, all of sudden, we have to get in a van and drive three hours to Denver to pick them up and go three hours back to Laramie," Glenn said, adding that direct flights into Laramie landed in the wee hours of the morning. "And it's usually in the winter months when you have these kids come visit. So you drive over a pass that's pretty wicked, usually. It can be really tough." For Glenn, that was perhaps the toughest part of his job when he was Wyoming's head football coach from 2003 to 2008. Now, it is the job of Craig Bohl-the man who led North Dakota State to three straight NCAA Division I FCS national championships before leaving for Wyoming. Bohl, who begins his second season at Wyoming when his Cowboys host the University of North Dakota on Saturday, faces a much bigger challenge than what he faced when NDSU was making the transition to Division I. The big difference? NDSU had a winning tradition. Wyoming, at least since 2000, does not. What Bohl inherited is a football program that has won only 37 percent of its games since the turn of the century. There have been only three winning seasons since 2000. Only 10 of the previous 31 head coaches have had winning records. And if you think Fargo is isolated, look at Laramie-which sits on the high plains of southeastern Wyoming. If you think Fargo is small, look at Laramie with its population of 31,000. Minot has nearly 10,000 more people. "They are a little bit off the beaten path," said Glenn, who left Wyoming with a 30-41 record before taking the head job at the University of South Dakota. "It's hard to get in and out and the weather can be tough. Those are the things that they fight in recruiting." Bohl managed a 5-7 record in his first season at Wyoming. It doesn't appear that record will improve-not with only 10 total starters returning. And not with only eight seniors-the second-fewest seniors of any major college team this season. And not with 45 freshmen and 19 redshirt freshmen dominating the roster. Those numbers certainly are a reflection of Bohl's rebuilding process. "The idea is to have those 22- to 23-year-old seniors who have matured and have been in your weight program and have been in your system for five years," Glenn said. "It can happen. I will tell you that there are a lot more pluses than there are minuses at Wyoming." The big plus is Wyoming has money-with millions of tax dollars generated by a natural gas boom years ago. "I know they have a ton of money in their rainy-day fund ... they've been putting money away for a long time," Glenn said. "They have great facilities and great support. And the fact that they are the only university in the state is another plus. They've got money." Enough to provide Bohl with the potential to earn a $1.2 million salary with incentives. Enough to add $160,000 to upgrade the salaries of his assistants-which include former NDSU assistants Steve Stanard, Brent Vigen, A.J. Cooper, Scott Fuchs, Gordie Haug and John Richardson. And enough to add $100,000 for the recruiting budget. But is it enough to create a winning program that Cowboys boosters have been longing for since the late 1980s when a coach by the name of Paul Roach went 35-15 or the late 1950s when a coach by the name of Bob Devaney went 35-10-5? Glenn thinks so. He felt he was close to getting over the hump. "I thought we had really good recruits, but we just never hit on a quarterback ... not once," Glenn said. Last season, Bohl lost a standout quarterback who opted to enter the NFL Draft early. This season, he's relying on redshirt senior Cameron Coffman, a transfer from Indiana who watched last season from the sidelines to satisfy NCAA transfer rules. "You've got to keep up with the Joneses, and that's hard," Glenn said. "You'll hit a stretch with good recruits. They'll hit it again. There's no reason they can't. It's just a little tougher than most places. "You got to kind of catch lightning in a bottle a little bit to get it kicked off. It can happen. But, the weather is a little tough I can tell you that and the location is a little rough. Those are things you fight." It remains to be seen how long it will take for Bohl to win this fight.FARGO - Joe Glenn remembers the days of trying to persuade recruits that it would be OK to play college football in Laramie, Wyo."We would try to fly most of them at one time into Denver," Glenn recalled. "Then they would hop on the president's plane and fly to Laramie. It worked slick."
Only one problem. The NCAA banned the use of private planes for recruiting."Now, all of sudden, we have to get in a van and drive three hours to Denver to pick them up and go three hours back to Laramie," Glenn said, adding that direct flights into Laramie landed in the wee hours of the morning. "And it's usually in the winter months when you have these kids come visit. So you drive over a pass that's pretty wicked, usually. It can be really tough."For Glenn, that was perhaps the toughest part of his job when he was Wyoming's head football coach from 2003 to 2008. Now, it is the job of Craig Bohl-the man who led North Dakota State to three straight NCAA Division I FCS national championships before leaving for Wyoming.Bohl, who begins his second season at Wyoming when his Cowboys host the University of North Dakota on Saturday, faces a much bigger challenge than what he faced when NDSU was making the transition to Division I. The big difference? NDSU had a winning tradition. Wyoming, at least since 2000, does not.What Bohl inherited is a football program that has won only 37 percent of its games since the turn of the century. There have been only three winning seasons since 2000. Only 10 of the previous 31 head coaches have had winning records.And if you think Fargo is isolated, look at Laramie-which sits on the high plains of southeastern Wyoming. If you think Fargo is small, look at Laramie with its population of 31,000. Minot has nearly 10,000 more people."They are a little bit off the beaten path," said Glenn, who left Wyoming with a 30-41 record before taking the head job at the University of South Dakota. "It's hard to get in and out and the weather can be tough. Those are the things that they fight in recruiting."Bohl managed a 5-7 record in his first season at Wyoming. It doesn't appear that record will improve-not with only 10 total starters returning. And not with only eight seniors-the second-fewest seniors of any major college team this season. And not with 45 freshmen and 19 redshirt freshmen dominating the roster.Those numbers certainly are a reflection of Bohl's rebuilding process."The idea is to have those 22- to 23-year-old seniors who have matured and have been in your weight program and have been in your system for five years," Glenn said. "It can happen. I will tell you that there are a lot more pluses than there are minuses at Wyoming."The big plus is Wyoming has money-with millions of tax dollars generated by a natural gas boom years ago."I know they have a ton of money in their rainy-day fund ... they've been putting money away for a long time," Glenn said. "They have great facilities and great support. And the fact that they are the only university in the state is another plus. They've got money."Enough to provide Bohl with the potential to earn a $1.2 million salary with incentives. Enough to add $160,000 to upgrade the salaries of his assistants-which include former NDSU assistants Steve Stanard, Brent Vigen, A.J. Cooper, Scott Fuchs, Gordie Haug and John Richardson. And enough to add $100,000 for the recruiting budget.But is it enough to create a winning program that Cowboys boosters have been longing for since the late 1980s when a coach by the name of Paul Roach went 35-15 or the late 1950s when a coach by the name of Bob Devaney went 35-10-5?Glenn thinks so. He felt he was close to getting over the hump."I thought we had really good recruits, but we just never hit on a quarterback ... not once," Glenn said.Last season, Bohl lost a standout quarterback who opted to enter the NFL Draft early. This season, he's relying on redshirt senior Cameron Coffman, a transfer from Indiana who watched last season from the sidelines to satisfy NCAA transfer rules."You've got to keep up with the Joneses, and that's hard," Glenn said. "You'll hit a stretch with good recruits. They'll hit it again. There's no reason they can't. It's just a little tougher than most places."You got to kind of catch lightning in a bottle a little bit to get it kicked off. It can happen. But, the weather is a little tough I can tell you that and the location is a little rough. Those are things you fight."It remains to be seen how long it will take for Bohl to win this fight.