LARAMIE – Football is a religion in the Lone Star State.
Kirby O’Meara celebrated the NFL draft growing up in the glow of the Friday night lights in Georgetown, Texas.
“I was the kid who at 10 years old would sit down and watch every pick of the draft, hours of it,” O’Meara said. “Growing up in my household we always joked the holidays were Christmas, birthdays and the draft. Like a lot of us, in a good way, I just grew up obsessed with the sport and the stories and I’ve always been fascinated by the team-building process.”
O’Meara joined Craig Bohl’s staff on Jan. 30 as Wyoming’s new director of player personnel.
The job description for the post has changed dramatically over the last two years with players now having freedom of movement through the transfer portal and opportunities to seek name, image and likeness deals.
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UW has adjusted to the changes after a mass exodus of star power following the 2021 season. The team lost starting offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon to USC this spring but added a potential quarterback of the future in Iowa transfer Carson May.
O’Meara, who has SEC recruiting and NFL scouting experience, sought out the job in Laramie after spending the past two seasons in the same role at Central Florida.
The “ride for the brand” culture Bohl has established at UW – notably developing no-star prospects like Josh Allen and Logan Wilson into NFL stars – was appealing to O’Meara.
“Coach Bohl is widely known for being about as ethical, moral and respected as there is in the game,” O’Meara said. “I’m a big fan of programs where you can tell the identity and culture of the program when you don’t know anybody in the program or know anything about it from the outside looking in. There have been a few places like that that I have pursued over the last few years.”
O’Meara spent four seasons as the assistant director of player personnel at Florida and previously worked in the recruiting department at Arkansas. He also spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a training camp scouting intern.
UW running backs coach Gordie Haug, who was asked by Bohl to “double down” last year with the added title of executive director of recruiting, has welcomed O’Meara’s expertise in evaluating talent and getting some trained eyes on the sea of names in the portal.
“Kirby is doing a really good job. He has been at bigger programs, he understands, he’s got connections,” Haug said. “So, he has really taken a big role in the forefront of all this transfer portal recruiting, on top of allowing us to have access to and figuring out what we do high school recruiting-wise. He has been a tremendous asset to our program.”
Pokes fans may have felt jilted when talented players like Xazavian Valladay (Arizona State) and Isaiah Neyor (Texas) left for Power 5 programs shortly after the NCAA passed the one-time transfer rule allowing immediate eligibility.
But they will be cheering for some key transfers – quarterback Andrew Peasley (Utah State), running back Harrison Waylee (Northern Illinois), cornerbacks Tyrecus Davis (Navarro College) and Jakorey Hawkins (Ole Miss) and perhaps incoming wide receivers Devin Boddie (Vanderbilt) and Ayir Asante (Holy Cross) – when the 2023 season kicks off against Texas Tech on Sept. 2 at War Memorial Stadium.
O’Meara believes players in the portal will continue to be attracted to the Cowboys.
Michigan State transfer linebacker Cole DeMarzo, who missed the spring recovering from surgery, chose UW hoping to follow the same path Wilson and Chad Muma took to the NFL.
May, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound former four-star recruit, is the latest quarterback hoping to follow Allen’s footsteps to the NFL.
“I’ve felt for the past few years that with the changes happening across the landscape of college football, there is a significant advantage for those programs such as ours here that have a strong culture built on development of individuals and teams,” O’Meara said. “Teams win games, and the programs who build teams rather than just a collection of individuals will have an even bigger advantage than in years before.”
Bohl’s willingness to adapt to the portal era helped the Pokes win seven games last season with the third-youngest roster in the FBS.
UW, which had the fourth-most returning production in the nation before the spring portal window opened, is expected to contend in the Mountain West this fall.
O’Meara will be counted on to fill any holes in the roster that can be plugged by portal signings.
“He is constantly culling through the transfer portal, watching tape and bugging me when I’m walking down the hall, ‘Coach.’ Can I just go to lunch, Kirby?” Bohl joked when asked about hiring O’Meara. “But we told him that was his job. He has really been a great asset and we appreciate his presence here.”
High school recruiting will still be the focal point for Bohl and Co.
Nose tackle Cole Godbout, linebacker Easton Gibbs, defensive end DeVonne Harris and tight end Treyton Welch are among the all-MW caliber players that have stayed loyal after being discovered and developed by UW’s staff.
Defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole (Casper), offensive tackle Frank Crum (Laramie), fullback Caleb Driskill (Gillette) and wide receiver Will Pelissier (Big Horn) are among the homegrown players who have emerged as key starters.
With a lot of programs focusing heavily on the portal, including Colorado and Colorado State, UW will continue mining for hidden gems at the prep level.
“I have seen this be a reality at multiple programs across the country and I do believe that those of us who will continue to prioritize and focus on the high school evaluation and recruiting process will be able to continue to build an even stronger competitive advantage in that market than before simply due to supply and demand,” O’Meara said. “So not only will a program like ours have the advantages based around true team building, but we have just as good of an opportunity, if not better, than in years prior to sign as good or better prospects who fit our culture and want to be a part of a program like ours.”
O’Meara started his playing career at TCU before transferring to Central Arkansas where he was a long snapper from 2010-13. His professional career began at Arkansas in 2014 under Bret Bielema. He then worked for Dan Mullen at Florida and Gus Malzahn at UCF.
A change of scenery in the changing landscape of college football was appealing for O’Meara, who is not a fan of the star system created by recruiting services or players being steered by agents or family members to chase money.
“When we all got fired at Florida, I decided if I’m going to work in the college game, I’m going to work for somebody I respect,” O’Meara said. “I’m going to work for a program I respect and a culture I respect. When I talk to recruits, I really mean it, hey, this is one of the best places you can be.
“You can’t just flat-out choose where you’re going to go, but when I saw an opportunity that fit what I was looking for I jumped at it.”
