National Signing Day is a pivotal moment for college football programs, and the University of Wyoming Cowboys are no exception. The endless hours of hosting recruits, traveling, scouting and planning events all paid off this past Wednesday as the team welcomed new athletes.
New head coach Jay Sawvel and his coaching staff signed 38 players during this recruiting cycle. During the early signing period, the Cowboys made some noise by signing 27 guys in the two day window between December 20th and the 22nd. More recently, on Wednesday, Feb. 7, Wyoming added 11 more commits. Notably, three of them will be transfers from Texas Tech, the University of North Carolina (UNC) and the Virginia Military Institute.
The Cowboys will be welcoming Evan Eller, one of the best tacklers in the FCS last season. Eller finished the season with 106 total tackles, two forced fumbles, and one interception. He has seen action in 40 games and has recorded a total of 235 tackles during that span.
Sawvel and company were able to gain depth for the Cowboys and snag DJ Jones from UNC. Jones played four seasons for the Tar Heels, three of those he played as a running back before being moved to defensive back this past season. He saw action in all 13 contests as a defensive back and recorded 15 tackles.
The Wyoming offense is gaining elite speed with Texas Tech transfer TY King. King did not see action in 2023 but was rated as the No. 61 player in the state of Texas and the No. 59 wide receiver in the 2022 class.
Sawvel has hit the road running and has put together a strong couple of months since taking over as the head man. With the addition of the 38 players signed in the 2024 class, Sawvel has also managed to retain most of the squad that took the field this past fall. UW only had six players hit the NCAA transfer portal. Of those six that entered their name, only two of them saw any significant action for the brown and gold.
In the new era of college football, it’s extremely difficult to retain your starting roster. Three veteran Cowboys decided they have unfinished business. Defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole, linebacker Shae Suiaunoa and wide receiver Alex Brown will return to Laramie for their final season.
As spring ball approaches, Coach Sawvel and his staff are off to a hot start as they look to have another successful season this fall.
