Wyoming Linebacker Anthony Beavers No Longer on Roster

LARAMIE -- Anthony Beavers is no longer on the Wyoming football roster.

The senior transfer from USC was deemed ineligible after his extension waiver -- and subsequent appeal -- were denied earlier this month by the NCAA. Beavers, who was supposed to suit up at linebacker this fall for the Cowboys, took part in spring practices and summer workouts in Laramie.

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Peter Prigge, the athletic department's Senior Associated Athletics Director for Compliance, said Monday that Beavers met the criteria for a waiver when Jay Sawvel and Co. landed the Los Angeles product in the transfer portal.

"We knew from the start this was a possibility," Prigge added.

He said confidence was high Beavers would be granted an additional year of eligibility because of a hamstring injury he sustained during his third season at USC, which limited him to just three games and 81 total defensive snaps.

"Anthony hurt his hamstring in August in fall camp," Prigge said. "It was still bothering him, and essentially he was never in a space where (he could consistently play) and he kind of tweaked it again in one of the games where he didn't play the rest of the year because of the hamstring. So we look at that as a redshirt."

Why didn't the NCAA?

Prigge said the decision ultimately came down to a lack of documentation. USC never filed paperwork for a medical redshirt season, he added. The school was supposed to provide proof of injury, coupled with specific dates and rehabilitation evidence.

"We filed this in February, originally, and it sat, sat, sat, and then we kind of go back and forth with this case that they need more documentation," Prigge continued. "OK, so we go back to USC and say, 'Hey, do we have any additional documentation?' And they're like, 'Well, not from our rehab-training note standpoint.'"

USC officials did confirm Beavers was rehabbing and putting in work during his injury. Wyoming asked if their strength coaches could send an email to the NCAA.

"That guy's no longer employed at the institution," Prigge said, adding Wyoming urged the governing body not to "punish the student-athlete" for circumstances not in Beavers' control.

"You can see from the participation report, like, this is a dude who played a lot for USC," he continued. "He gets a hamstring injury, he's limited, and then doesn't play the rest of the year. I mean, we even had a letter from a doctor at USC that says, "Yep, the hamstring injury was aggravated.'"

Beavers tallied 49 tackles -- 31 solo stops -- in 45 games during his five seasons with the hometown Trojans. He added a forced fumble and a recovery out of the secondary, lining up at both safety and nickelback.

The four-star prospect, who was rated the 19th-best player in the state of California in 2021, according to 247sports.com, was courted by the who's who of college football. Florida, LSU and Oregon were among his 22 FBS offers. So were Tennessee, South Carolina and Nebraska.

His role was limited been limited between the white lines USC, but off the field, Beavers was a star in the classroom, already receiving his bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in occupational science. He also earned his graduate certificate in Gerontology. He was working on his second master's degree at UW in the same field.

That's not all.

He was named to the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award and Wuerffel Trophy Watch Lists, along with the AFCA Good Works Team. Those honors go to the college football player who shows the most integrity, leadership and community service -- areas Beavers has excelled in since arriving at USC.

Last summer, Beavers spearheaded a football camp for 75 local kids through LA's Best, an after-school program, equivalent to the Boys & Girls Club. He also worked a relief event after the devastating wildfires in Southern California and helped prepare and serve lunches to the homeless in Echo Park, among many other philanthropic ventures.

"He's part of the heartbeat of this team," USC head coach Lincoln Riley said back in June. "You think of a guy who loves USC, loves Los Angeles. He's one of the most respected players on our team for how unselfish he is, how team-first he is and how much he cares about his community."

Sawvel said in March that Beavers is all that was advertised before his arrival on campus.

"He's just a really good human and a really good person," Wyoming's third-year head coach said. "We felt he would be a good fit for what we needed in that room. He's been very good."

Wyoming is set to begin fall camp on Aug. 5, exactly one month from the season opener at Colorado State.

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