Denver Adds Five to 2016 Roster

February 5, 2016

DENVER – The University of Denver men’s soccer team has signed Tobi Jnohope (Largo, Fla.), Dylan Keeney (Littleton, Colo.), Nick Marcin (Austin, Texas), Blake Moncur (Fort Collins, Colo.) and Will Palmquist (Denver, Colo.) to National Letters of Intent ahead of the 2016 season, head coach Jamie Franks announced on Friday. In January, Franks also announced the signing of Oregon State transfer Graham Smith (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) for the 2016 campaign.

“We are very excited to add these five young men into our culture here at the University of Denver,” Franks said. “Throughout the recruiting process, we really paid attention to these individuals’ character and their ambition. We take great pride in making sure that we truly understand the prospective student-athletes as people first. Our staff feels very confident about the transition of all these players into our system of play and we believe that their values align with our program’s mission and goals.”

A Real Colorado Academy product, Keeney was a First Team All-Colorado selection and the Continental League Player of the Year as a senior in high school, leading his team to an 18-2-1 record in his two seasons with Heritage. READ KEENEY’S FULL BIO HERE.

Moncur was an all-conference and Academic All-Colorado selection in 2015 at Fort Collins High School, in addition to most recently playing three seasons of his club soccer for the Colorado Rapids Development Academy (U-16 and U-18). READ MONCUR’S FULL BIO HERE.

A First Team All-Colorado goalkeeper in 2014, Palmquist played two seasons for the Colorado Rush U-17 and U-18 Development Academy. READ PALMQUIST’S FULL BIO HERE.

“Three of the five players are from Colorado and we have enjoyed watching them develop over the past couple of years,” Franks said. “We have been fortunate to get to know their families, training habits and personalities during that time. These individuals also get the benefit of watching all of our home games while being exposed to our culture, style of play and current players. All of this leads to a much easier transition to the college game. We will look to continue to recruit heavily in Colorado in years to come, as we trust the environments these boys are developing in. We feel that we have great relationships with the local clubs and really value their development during their time spent in Real Colorado, Colorado Rush and with the Colorado Rapids Development Academy.”

Replacing one (Jordan Schweitzer) for one, Jnohope is a Seattle Sounders Academy product that also played two years for the Florida ODP team, serving as captain. READ JNOHOPE’S FULL BIO HERE.

Marcin is an eight-year winger at the Lonestar Soccer Club, where he currently holds the captain’s armband. READ MARCIN’S FULL BIO HERE.

“Tobi and Nick are both special players from out of state who we have been watching since they were 15 years old,” Franks said. “They both caught our eyes at an early age and we continued to watch them blossom into the players they are now. They both have a special skill set that make them unique and I look forward to helping them reach their full potential.”

Denver graduates just two in goalkeeper Dan Jackson (Chapel Hill, N.C.) and defensive midfielder Jordan Schweitzer (Everett, Wash.) in 2016. Under first year head coach Jamie Franks, the Pioneers finished the regular season as the only unbeaten team in Division I, heading into the NCAA Tournament with a 15-0-3 record. The Pioneers dropped a 1-0 extra time result to SMU in the second round of the postseason tournament, the farthest Denver has advanced in its Division I history.

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