Welcome to Wyoming Football: Brayden Wilson
LARAMIE -- Wyoming has welcomed nearly 50 new faces this offseason.
Transfer portal era, am I right?
Jay Sawvel knew a rebuild on defense was in order after losing both starting linebackers and safeties, along with leaders like Jordan Bertagnole and DeVonne Harris. The departures of Wrook Brown, Sabastian Harsh and Keany Parks only magnified things.
The second-year head coach got busy, inking a dozen transfers on that side of the ball on February's traditional signing day and adding three more since the annual spring game.
On offense, the damage was limited.
Yes, running back Harrison Waylee is now at Virginia. Young wideout Justin Stevenson is a Utah Ute now, too. But if you ask Sawvel, he kept the players he wanted on offense, beginning with quarterback Kaden Anderson.
Three of the Cowboys' top linemen -- Jack Walsh, Caden Barnett and Wes King -- are also back. So is tight end John Michael Gyllenborg, wide receivers Chris Durr Jr. and Jaylen Sargent, along with leading rusher Sam Scott.
So, without further ado, let's spent the summer meeting the new players that litter this 2025 roster:
NAME | Brayden Wilson
YEAR | Senior
HT/WT | 6',5", 255
HOMETOWN | Kaysville, Utah
POSITION | Defensive end
JERSEY NUMBER | 5
PREVIOUS SCHOOL | Weber State
YEARS OF ELIGIBILITY | One
NOTABLE | Wilson has landed All-Big Sky honors during the previous two seasons in Ogden. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound defensive end has registered 11.5 sacks in that time frame, including 7.5 in '23. He also tacked on 138 tackles, along with 30 for loss, during his four-year career.
QUOTABLE | "A couple weeks ago, when it's super cold here, his car door was frozen. He couldn't open it to come to a 6:30 a.m. run. The number of guys that would have tried to call in, make an excuse, do something like that, well, he Rocky Balboa'd it across Laramie for a little over a mile to get here on time for the run. So, he's out, you know, hitting his run at six in the morning to get here, so you appreciate that, right? Like a 6-foot-5, 255-pound guy running down the street at six in the morning when it's negative two out to get somewhere on time, right? That's what was needed. Like, we needed an infusion of that." -- Jay Sawvel on his new edge rusher
WELCOME TO WYOMING FOOTBALL SERIES:
MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:
* Why did tight end John Michael Gyllenborg stay at Wyoming?
* Wyoming's Jaylen Sargent Looking to Leave a Legacy in Laramie
* 'He's going to be special': Bricen Brantley turning heads
* Wyoming Cowboys Football: A Mother's Day Tribute
* Former North Texas running back Damashja Harris inks with Pokes
* Cowboys land edge rusher from FAU in portal
* Cowboys go back to the well to sign latest defensive end
* Wyoming receives commitment from 6'6" senior wideout
* Tuck's Take: Wyoming won today's Brown and Gold Spring Game
* Who is No. 44?: 'He's a kid that's going to show up'
* Wyoming loses starting cornerback to transfer portal
* Wyoming's Dante Drake has been a menace in the trenches
* Cowboys plan to add another QB after Batiste departure
* Wyoming's rookie corner is turning heads this spring
* Double or nothing: Pokes' makeshift front five falters late
* Wyoming looking to add to roster with spring portal looming
University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
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