Welcome to Wyoming Football: Jack Dunkley

LARAMIE -- Wyoming, once again, has welcomed nearly 50 new faces to the roster this offseason.

Transfer portal era, am I right?

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Jay Sawvel again made a list of 10 "keepers" last December, heading into free agency. Running back Samuel "Tote" Harris was, no doubt, high on that list. So were defensive tackles Dante Drake and Jayden Williams. The Cowboys' third-year head coach also wanted to hang on to players like tight end Jake Wilson, wideout Deion DeBlanc, nickel corner Desman Hearns and offensive tackles Rex Johnsen and Braylon Jenkins, among others.

Mission accomplished. All are back for another round on the high plains.

The team did lose its top-four outside targets, including leading receiver Chris Durr Jr., who is now at Maryland. Two impact cornerbacks also hit the open market. Tyrese Boss is at Arizona. Markie Grant headed west to former conference rival Utah State.

Wyoming will also have a new quarterback under center, snagging William and Mary graduate transfer Tyler Hughes, who has one season of eligibility remaining. The hope is he'll right the ship at that spot, keeping the seat warm for Gillette's Mason Drube.

The Cowboys also reloaded in the offensive backfield and at the line of scrimmage, adding 1,000-yard rusher Markell Holman and interior linemen Chandler Donaway, Jason Maciejcak and Jeremiah Katt.

You'll read all about those guys, along with 20-plus freshmen, in this summer series: Welcome to Wyoming football.

NAME | Jack Dunkley

YEAR | Senior

HT/WT | 6',4", 250

HOMETOWN | Penndel, Pa.

POSITION | Defensive end

JERSEY NUMBER | 21

PREVIOUS SCHOOL | Duquesne

YEARS OF ELIGIBILITY | Two

NOTABLE | It pays to have connections. How did Wyoming's staff find out about its newest edge rusher? From a former one. Chisolm Ifeanyi gave the green light this offseason on fellow Philadelphia native, Jack Dunkley. The Duquesne transfer tallied 14.5 sacks and 24 tackles for loss in 28 career games in Pittsburgh. Though Sawvel early on questioned if Dunkley was athletic enough to transition to this level, those questions were answered not only in the weight room this winter, but on film in a game last fall against Pitt. Dunkley's Dukes were blown out 61-9 at Pitt in late August. Still, he managed to rack up four tackles and the lone sack. The year prior, in a pair of road meetings with FBS opponents Toledo and Boston College, he got to the quarterback again in both. Want more good news? The NCAA granted Dunkley an additional year of eligibility. This is no longer looked at as a "bridge" situation.

QUOTABLE | "This is a guy who likes to tear s--- up ... He's mentally wired the way that you want. I'm really excited about Jack ... The evaluation was, this was a really good football player. Now that we've had him here, and you train him for a period of time, you realize he's a far better athlete than what we even thought, which bodes very well for what you think he'll become as a player, right? This guy is training like he's never trained before." -- Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel on the Philly-area native

WELCOME TO WYOMING SUMMER SERIES:

* LB - Anthony Beavers Jr.

* S - Jett Vincent

* WR - Justin Popovich

* QB - Tyler Hughes

* CB - Junus McGraw

* RB - Markell Holman

* CB - Logan Mackey

* S - Travis Franklin Jr.

* WR - Jayden Williams

* LB - Karson Butts

* S - Da'Marion Brownlee

* CB - Kendall Griffin

* RB - Diore Hubbard

MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:

* Brooklyn Cheek Eyeing Starting Gig in UW Secondary

* Drake's Love Affair With Football Rekindled Through Adversity

* Richardson Has Coming-Out Party in Pokes' Spring Game

* Cowboy Offense Finds End Zone Five Times in Spring Game Victory

* Pokes' Latest Downfield Threat May Have Been on Roster All Along

* Wyoming Teammates on Johnathan Bush: 'He's Our Psycho'

* Josh Allen to Tyler Hughes: Wyoming Football 'One Step Away'

* New UW President on Athletics: 'We Will Compete'

* Landon Sims: 'You Can't Get Rid of Me That Easy'

* Sawvel Believes This Could Be His Best Defense at Wyoming

* Lofty Expectations Ahead for Desman Hearns

* Wyoming's Staff Expecting Inside Dominance From Jayden Williams

* PJ Jackson Looks an Awful Lot Like a Former UW Receiver

* Are the Cowboys Really Flirting With Adding an Option Attack?

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