If there’s such a thing as destiny, Riley Stringer may be fulfilling his.

The Powell High School senior and star football player verbally committed on Jan. 27 to the University of Wyoming football program, agreeing to join head coach Craig Bohl’s defense as a preferred walk-on.

Stringer, a 6-1, 260-pound, three-sport star and Powell product, will make his way to UW in the fall after nearly two years of recruitment by the Cowboys.

And when Stringer travels to Laramie, he will begin a lifelong dream he shared with his late father, Jim Stringer.

“I always knew as a kid growing up that [UW] was a place I liked and that it was always a place I could see myself playing,” said Riley Stringer, who is also a defending state wrestling champion and track and field standout. “I liked it because my dad played there, and I’ve been there a lot.”

Jim Stringer played two seasons as an offensive guard for the Cowboys in the late 1980s before knee injuries ended his career prematurely. Stringer eventually went on to meet his wife and Riley Stringer’s mother, Jill Stringer, on campus before graduating from UW and moving on to Powell High School to teach science and coach varsity football.

He won four state titles with the Panthers, including three straight from 2011-13 at UW’s War Memorial Stadium with his son starting on both the offensive and defensive lines. Stringer passed away in July after suffering a heart attack on the front lawn of his home.

Jill Stringer said she knows her husband would be proud of their son.

“[Riley has] a lot of his dad in him,” said Stringer. “I know that Jim would be extremely proud that he made it to the point that he gets to play for a Division I football team. And it’s really cool that Riley gets to follow in Jim’s footsteps.”

Riley Stringer was being pursued by several Division I, II and III programs, including Colorado State University, as well as some other schools in Colorado and Montana. But the idea of being a home-grown product, as well as staying close to his family was a selling point for the 17-year-old.

“I do like the idea of staying in Wyoming, I like the idea of being a Wyoming kid,” Stringer said. “I always told people I was thinking about playing elsewhere, but I think I knew deep down that UW was where I was going to go.”

Stringer said he was initially contacted by UW defensive coordinator Steve Stanard near the end of his junior football season in 2013. Conversations heated up last season before Stringer made an official recruiting visit with a handful of other recruits during the weekend of Jan. 23-24.

Stringer said he is a believer in Bohl’s football philosophy and the direction he is taking the Pokes heading into his second year with the program. Stringer added he has also developed a healthy relationship with UW defensive line coach Pete Kaligis.

“I just felt comfortable as soon as I got on campus,” Stringer said. “[The coaching staff] knew me by name, they just acted like they knew me and like we were good friends.

“And coach Kaligis is a really good guy ... I’ve known him for a while and I really like him and I can’t wait to play for him.”

Stringer was recruited as a nose tackle, but with his preferred walk-on status, may redshirt his freshman season and will have to earn a starting role with the Cowboys. As a preferred walk-on, Stringer is only guaranteed a roster spot, although he has the opportunity to earn a scholarship in the future.

But as far as Stringer is concerned, the bench isn’t where he wants to reside for the next four years.

“I might redshirt, I dont know, but I’m not the kind of person that’s going to go in and sit on the bench for four years,” he said. “I’m going to make sure I find a spot, whether that means getting bigger, faster and stronger to earn myself a scholarship, I’m going to do what it takes to earn a starting spot before I graduate.”

PHS head football coach Chanler Buck, who served as an assistant under Jim Stringer for three seasons before taking over the helm last fall, believes that Riley Stringer has the ability to establish himself as a key part of the UW program.

“It’s a challenge for him. He’s got to go in and prove himself,” Buck said. “He’s not the cookie-cutter Division I athlete but there are a lot of kids out there who have had success being in Riley’s shoes.

“I certainly think he has the personality for that, and the drive and motivation to be successful.”

The official signing day for college recruits is Wednesday, and Stringer is expected to sign his letter of intent in the next few days. Stringer joked that several people have asked him if he feels like he has ‘made it’ since committing to UW, but the youngster has managed to stay humble.

“A lot of people have asked me if I feel like I’ve made it, but I definitely don’t feel like that,” Stringer said. “I know I still have a lot of work to do — I know that everything is just going to get tougher from here.”