LARAMIE – The Wyoming Cowboy football team entered its second week of fall camp on Monday and donned full pads for the first time on Tuesday, gearing up for the season opener on Aug. 31 at Arizona State. Tuesday marked the Cowboys’ sixth practice of the season.
Head Coach Jay Sawvel commented on his team’s progress on both sides of the ball so far this year.
“We had a good day on Monday and executed on both sides of the ball. We have an expectation level at practice and finished strong today,” Sawvel continued. “We worked on a lot of different things in our first day in full pads, focusing on goal line, first, second, and third downs, as well as the running game. We will meet with the guys tonight to discuss different situations and how we will handle them in-game.”
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Two Wyoming players, wide receiver Alex Brown (No. 64) and free safety Wyett Ekeler (No. 80), made Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List” published Tuesday in The Athletic. Feldman’s ranking includes 101 college football players from all levels. The Power 4 conferences had 72 players on the list, the Group of 5 had 18, the FCS had 10, and Division II had one. The only other Mountain West player represented was Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (No. 54).
Preseason watch lists have been coming out over the last few weeks. So far, Wyoming has four players named to watch lists: Harrison Waylee for the Doak Walker Award (Top Running Back), John Hoyland for the Lou Groza Award (Top Placekicker), Jordan Bertagnole for the Outland Trophy (Best Interior Lineman), and Will Pelissier for the All-State Wuerffel Trophy (Community Service).
The Pokes return four defensive ends who saw action last season. Sabastian Harsh, DeVonne Harris, Braden Siders, and Tyce Westland combined for 129 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks. Harsh had 50 stops last season and led the team with nine tackles for loss. Harris and Siders tied for the team lead last season with four sacks each.
The Cowboys return one of the best safety tandems in the nation this season. Wyett Ekeler and Isaac White bring both experience and production to the field. The duo ranked third and fourth on the team in tackles last season. They also tied for second on the team with seven pass breakups each, adding three sacks and three interceptions. Combined, they have recorded 312 total tackles, with 162 for White and 151 for Ekeler.
Harrison Waylee is a standout rusher for the Brown and Gold. Waylee had an outstanding season for the Cowboys in 2023, earning Honorable Mention All-Mountain West by the coaches and media and Second Team All-MW by Phil Steele. He appeared in 10 games with nine starts at running back, rushing for 947 yards to rank sixth in the MW and No. 50 in the nation. He averaged 94.7 yards per game, ranking fourth in the conference and No. 24 in the nation. He ended the season with 5.8 yards per carry, ranking sixth in the MW and No. 34 in the nation. Waylee also added 12 receptions for 66 yards and five touchdowns, including a 75-yard touchdown run against Texas. He rushed for over 100 yards against Texas, App State, New Mexico, and Colorado State, with a season-high 191 yards against New Mexico. Waylee has rushed for 2,876 yards and recorded 15 rushing touchdowns in his career.
For more on Waylee and his nomination to the Doak Walker Award watch list, click here.
