Wyoming Lands Former Mr. Ohio Finalist in Portal

LARAMIE -- "That guy is still in the portal?"

Not anymore.

Jay Sawvel thinks he capped his offseason with a bang, inking former West Virginia running back Diore Hubbard, who led the team in rushing last fall with 335 yards and four touchdowns on just 96 attempts. The 5-foot-10, 189-pound redshirt sophomore also snagged 16 passes for 156 yards.

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The Gahanna, Ohio product has three years of eligibility remaining.

Hubbard, who suffered a torn ACL in a Week 11 loss at Arizona State, was named the Big XII Freshman of the Week after gashing Colorado to the tune of 64 yards on 16 carries. He also added six catches for 94 yards, including a long of 69.

The week prior, he eclipsed the century mark on the ground for the first time in his young career with a 108-yard performance against Houston. His fourth-quarter touchdown sealed the 45-35 victory over the No. 22 Cougars.

“Diore Hubbard ran his tail off. I challenged him. I said, ‘we gotta run hard and make them tackle you,’ West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez told WVSportsNow. "He ran possessed today,”

Hubbard is expected to be medically cleared before fall camp begins in late July, according to a source familiar with the situation.

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He joins a running back room that returns its leading producer Samuel Harris, who capped his freshman season with 558 yards on 100 attempts. The rookie they call "Tote" announced on X early this month he would be returning to the roster in 2026. Sawvel and Co. also picked up Markell Holman, who rolled up 1,063 rushing yards and seven touchdowns last fall at Western Illinois.

Wyoming also returns Jaden Lawrence, Nico Hamilton and Dontae Burch. Ryken Banks, a true freshman from Legend High School in Parker, Colo., also signed with the team in December.

Sam Scott and Max White exhausted their eligibility. Terron Kellman (Liberty), Patrick Broadway II and Damashja Harris entered the transfer portal.

Hubbard, a two-time All-State First-Team selection out of Gahanna Lincoln High School, was a 2022 finalist for the Mr. Ohio Award and was named the Columbus Metro Player of the Year. He rushed for 5,221 career yards and found the end zone 65 times. He also hauled in 46 passes for 601 yards and six touchdowns.

In '22, Hubbard rushed for an eye-popping 2,365 yards and 25 touchdowns.

The three-star prospect was ranked the No. 69 running back in the country by all the major recruiting websites. He fielded offers from Power-4 programs like Kentucky, Boston College and West Virginia. Hubbard, Wyoming's 20th transfer pick up, was also courted by a number of other teams like James Madison, Marshall, Appalachian State and a number of others.

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14694675/6552ef0ff56a2a0378f49e23

Spring practice in Laramie is scheduled to begin March 24. Those 15 practices culminate with the annual game April 25 inside War Memorial Stadium.

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players