Edge Rusher Braden Siders Looking Elsewhere to Cap Career

LARAMIE -- Braden Siders jots down his goals before every season.

There's a list for the spring and offseason, too. He checks them off one by one. Health is typically right at the top.

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There was no line through that one this year as Wyoming's edge rusher dealt with a number of ailments, including a head injury late in the 2024 campaign. Though Siders led the team in sacks with 3.5, he only registered 22 tackles in just eight games.

Now, he's entering the NCAA Transfer Portal as a graduate transfer. He has one season of eligibility remaining.

Siders, a Thornton, Colo., product, is the third-known Cowboy to announce his decision to leave the program when the portal opens Monday, joining defensive tackle Jaden Williams and wide receiver TK King.

Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said Wednesday at least one other player is hitting the open market, one who also has a year remaining and is hoping to land a starting job elsewhere.

The 6-foot-3, 252-pound defensive end tallied 14.5 sacks during his Cowboy career, including seven during the '22 season. That same year he finished with 44 tackles. His best outing came against Ohio in the Arizona Bowl. That night in Tucson, Siders finished with six tackles and a pair of QB takedowns in a 30-27 overtime loss to the Bobcats.

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The following season, the injuries started to take a toll.

Dealing with hamstring strains, Siders capped the year with just 24 tackles and four sacks, 1.5 of which came in a blowout of Nevada in the regular-season finale. He appeared in 12 games, but was hobbled throughout.

"I missed the New Mexico game because of it," Siders said last July. "It was just one of those things, you'd feel good midweek, and then that Thursday, it would pop. You try to get through it and play on it."

Fellow end Sabastian Harsh, who was also injured in November, missing the final three games with a knee ailment, said he was undecided whether or not he would return for his final season in Laramie. DeVonne Harris just capped his career last Saturday in Pullman, Wash.

Ethan Day is expected to return to the lineup. So is Tyce Westland, who is coming off his best-statistical year with 41 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble and recovery. Wyoming Wednesday signed freshmen Cade Brook and Henry Rehberg. Sawvel mentioned their "motor" numerous times during his signing day press conference.

Help from the portal could be coming, too.

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players