While Northern Colorado football coach Scott Downing did not add a quarterback in recruiting this year, he did beef up the Bears’ lines.
Topping the list is defensive tackle Marcus Felker, a former Thornton High School star who played two seasons at Wyoming before leaving Laramie. He was an all-stater in his junior and senior seasons. Also boosting the defensive line will be Ryland Widener, a 6-foot-2, 290-pounder from Moore, Okla.
Eleven of the Bears’ 19 recruits are defensive players.
“I thought we did a great job of addressing some current needs and some future needs on both sides of the football,” Downing said in Greeley.
The Bears’ offense picked up three big linemen, including 6-3, 300-pound Aaron Belle from Mesa Ridge in Colorado Springs.
UNC’s biggest overall addition could be Windsor standout running back Conner Glenn. While he was an all-state running back for the Wizards, he could move to defense and will help the Bears’ special teams. As a senior he had four of his nine returns go for touchdowns, including a 100-yarder.
Downing’s recruiting this season was difficult, but the most troubling part was “stumbling upon a gunfight one night in a city on the West Coast,” he said.
Downing expects one more transfer to help at defensive back, but has not yet received his signed letter.
