Welcome to Wyoming Football: Donnie Wingate

LARAMIE -- Wyoming, once again, has welcomed nearly 50 new faces to the roster this offseason.

Transfer portal era, am I right?

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Jay Sawvel again made a list of 10 "keepers" last December, heading into free agency. Running back Samuel "Tote" Harris was, no doubt, high on that list. So were defensive tackles Dante Drake and Jayden Williams. The Cowboys' third-year head coach also wanted to hang on to players like tight end Jake Wilson, wideout Deion DeBlanc, nickel corner Desman Hearns and offensive tackles Rex Johnsen and Braylon Jenkins, among others.

Mission accomplished. All are back for another round on the high plains.

The team did lose its top-four outside targets, including leading receiver Chris Durr Jr., who is now at Maryland. Two impact cornerbacks also hit the open market. Tyrese Boss is at Arizona. Markie Grant headed west to former conference rival Utah State.

Wyoming will also have a new quarterback under center, snagging William and Mary graduate transfer Tyler Hughes, who has one season of eligibility remaining. The hope is he'll right the ship at that spot, keeping the seat warm for Gillette's Mason Drube.

The Cowboys also reloaded in the offensive backfield and at the line of scrimmage, adding 1,000-yard rusher Markell Holman and interior linemen Chandler Donaway, Jason Maciejcak and Jeremiah Katt.

You'll read all about those guys, along with 20-plus freshmen, in this summer series: Welcome to Wyoming football.

NAME | Donnie Wingate

YEAR | Senior

HT/WT | 6',3", 246

HOMETOWN | Choctaw, Okla.

POSITION | Defensive end

JERSEY NUMBER | 99

PREVIOUS SCHOOL | Southern Illinois

YEARS OF ELIGIBILITY | One

NOTABLE | Word of mouth can oftentimes be all it takes to land a recruit, especially in the transfer portal era. Coaches pour through video and burn up the phone lines, attempting to vet high school prospects. Now, they have another window to find experience. That means twice the work. Former defensive end Larry Wilson helped urge cornerback Logan Mackey to come to Laramie. Those two played at Weber State together. Another edge rusher, Chisolm Ifeanyi, preached the gospel of UW football to incoming end Jack Dunkley. That duo played at the same high school in the Philadelphia suburbs. How did Donnie Wingate make his ultimate decision to join the Cowboys? Current linebacker and former Lindenwood teammate Ethan Stuhlsatz had plenty to do with that. Wingate, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs in at 250, registered 53 tackles, 14 for loss, and 7.5 sacks in 24 games for the Lions. He also forced three fumbles. The former walk-on at Oklahoma State had a productive 2025 campaign at Southern Illinois, racking up 37 tackles, six of which came behind the line. He also added four sacks and picked off a pass. Wingate was nursing an injury throughout the spring and was limited.

QUOTABLE | "As far as the defensive end room, there's a lot of guys that have played a lot of football, so the maturity, I think, helps. You know, a guy like Donnie Wingate, who hasn't even touched the field, I think when he comes back, then we get even better. So, depth is key. Right now, some of the returners that are coming back, they're showing improvement, and there's competition in the room. I think that's the biggest key." -- Defensive end coach Brian Hendricks said back in early April.

WELCOME TO WYOMING SUMMER SERIES:

* LB - Anthony Beavers Jr.

* S - Jett Vincent

* WR - Justin Popovich

* QB - Tyler Hughes

* CB - Junus McGraw

* RB - Markell Holman

* CB - Logan Mackey

* S - Travis Franklin Jr.

* WR - Jayden Williams

* LB - Karson Butts

* S - Da'Marion Brownlee