Welcome to Wyoming Football: Tyler Siddons

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 | Tyler Siddons

YEAR | Senior

HT/WT | 6',5", 256

HOMETOWN | Salem, Ark.

POSITION | Tight end

JERSEY NUMBER | 80

PREVIOUS SCHOOL | Northwestern State

YEARS OF ELIGIBILITY | One

NOTABLE | Five catches, 55 yards. Those were Tyler Siddons' receiving statistics last fall at Northwestern State, an FCS program based in Natchitoches, Louisiana (The same school where former UW quarterback Tyler Vander Waal capped his college career). Two of those grabs -- and 25 of those yards -- came in a single outing against Houston Christian. Impressed? As you'll read below, the 6-foot-5, near 260-pound tight end wasn't brought here to necessarily be a downfield threat. The Salem, Ark., product is physical at the point of attack and helped the Demons' run game roll up more than 1,500 yards and six touchdowns in 2025. That was impressive, considering that team managed to score just 10.5 points per game en route to a 1-11 campaign. Siddons, who began his career at Central Arkansas, joins a young, talented tight end room led by Shannon Moore.

QUOTABLE | "We have to help our (offensive) linemen in a number of ways: through different schemes, through different formations. That was part of why Tyler Siddons got signed, as well. You look at it and go, well, the guy had however many catches -- I don't care. I got Jake Frendt and Jake Wilson to throw the ball to. I wanted somebody that could line up and hit somebody in the face. That's the reason he got signed," -- Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel on bringing in a physical, veteran tight end like Tyler Siddons this offseason.

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