Kankolongo goes the distance with commitment

Nehemie Kankolongo had to make tough choices: Money was tight, and he knew he could only go to a couple of football camps. Minnesota, Oregon State, Idaho and Nevada were all very tempting options, but he liked what he heard when talking to Pete Kaligis, the coach who was recruiting him for Wyoming. So he did what every young kid does when he wants to go to camp; he took the bus.

"I sent my film in and had been talking to coach Kaligis, who is from Bellingham (Wash.)," the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Kankolongo, from Centennial High School in Coquitlam, British Columbia, said to Scout.com after verbally committing to Wyoming this past weekend. "That's when I decided to go to Wyoming (to camp)."

Kankolongo is used to long drives. Every morning he takes a bus from where he lives in Maple Ridge to Centennial, a two-hour round-trip commute. To go from BC to Laramie, Wyoming, he had to do the same thing.

But there was something waiting for Kankolongo that he couldn't ignore; a scholarship offer. A verbal commitment soon followed. "I really liked the people around there," he said of his visit to Wyoming. "Everyone seems interested in Cowboy football. I liked the environment and I also liked the whole coaching staff too. The offense looks fun."

It should; it's headed up by former Missouri Offensive Coordinator Dave Christensen, who turned players like Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin into household names.

After racking up 2200 yards and 30 touchdowns as a junior for Centennial, Nehemie Kankolongo just might be the next.