Gentry, Cummings, Wacha XFL bound

CHEYENNE -- Former Wyoming football players Tanner Gentry, Ryan Cummings and Lucas Wacha never heard their names called at the NFL Draft.

Tuesday afternoon, they got another chance. This time with the reincarnation of the new XFL.

Gentry was selected third overall in third round by the New York Guardians, and Cummings was taken in the seventh round by the Los Angeles Wildcats. Lucas Wacha was selected in the seventh round by the Tampa Bay Vipers.

Gentry, a 6-foot, 2-inch, 209-pound wide receiver from Colorado, played in four NFL games for the Chicago Bears, snagging three receptions for 35 yards in 2017. He spent most of his NFL career on the Bears practice squad after signing with the club as a rookie free agent.

Gentry caught 180 passes during his time in Laramie, amassing 2,815 yards and hauling in 20 touchdowns.

He was named second-team All-Mountain West after the 2016 season, in which he caught 72 passes for 1326 yards and 14 touchdowns from Josh Allen. Gentry is fifth all-time in career yards at Wyoming.

Tanner's younger brother, Gunner Gentry, is a sophomore wide receiver at Wyoming.

Cummings also went undrafted out of UW, signing with the Salt Lake City Stallions of the now defunct Alliance of American Football. The 6-foot, 6-inch, 309-pound offensive lineman was a force in the AAF, playing under former UW head coach Dennis Erickson. When the league closed its doors last spring, Cummings received a tryout with the New Orleans Saints.

Also a Colorado native, Cummings has blocked for some pretty impressive names. In high school he led the way for current NFL rushing leader, Christian McCaffrey, and for four years in Laramie he guided Brian Hill to becoming the program's all-time leading rusher with 4,287 yards. Cummings also blocked for Allen, who was selected seventh overall in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Lucas Wacha, the 6-foot, 1-inch, 230-pound linebacker from Texarkana, Texas, is currently a high school football coach in his hometown. After college, Wacha received a tryout with the Dallas Cowboys and eventually played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.

At Wyoming, Wacha became the eighth all-time leader in tackles with 344. Logan Wilson passed him this season.

The XFL made its debut in 2001 and lasted just one season. Owner Vince McMahon, who runs the WWE, will use the same structure this time around. The league will consist of eight teams, which are all operated by the XFL. Each team will play 10 games in the winter and spring months, after the Super Bowl.

• We will keep you updated on any other former Pokes who get the call to the XFL today.