LAS VEGAS, Nev., -- Undersell and over deliver.

So far, that's not a model Jay Sawvel has been following.

7220 Sports logo
Get our free mobile app

Wyoming's rookie head coach isn't shy when it comes to promoting his players. Just last week in Las Vegas, Sawvel preached the gospel of Evan Svoboda. He believes in his junior quarterback despite the fact he has just one start under his belt. He likes incoming transfer linebacker Evan Eller, too. Same can be said for guys like TK King, DJ Jones and a whole host of unknowns.

Even true freshmen aren't off limits.

He likes this incoming class. He especially loves what he's been seeing from linebacker Dash Bauman.

"Chad Muma 2.0," Sawvel boasted at Mountain West Media Days, referring to the Nebraska product.

Um, what?

"Just the way he moves, the way he acts, the way he looks, his size," he continued. "Like, I think it's reasonable for us to have a high expectation for him -- in time."

Bauman is listed at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds. He graduated from Lincoln East, the same high school that produced Sawvel's predecessor, Craig Bohl, and Bauman's new defensive coordinator, Aaron Bohl. On3 ranked him the No. 10 overall recruit in the state. Bauman was one of just 24 players named to the 2023 Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska Football Team for all classifications

Northern Iowa wanted the three-star recruit. So did back-to-back FCS Champion South Dakota State and Front Range rival Air Force.

He chose Wyoming.

That brings a smile to Gordie Haug's face.

"We saw him multiple times on campus and at camp at Nebraska," Wyoming's Executive Director of Recruiting said back in December. "He did a lot of good things and just continued to progress from his junior year to his senior year. He's an intelligent guy and he's got a high football IQ. He makes plays and does a lot of good things.

"We're really excited about Dash coming in and competing, you know, early on in his career. I think he's got that mindset."

Bauman registered 81 total tackles, including 44 of the solo variety during his senior season. He was also one of East's top producers on offense, rushing for 1,007 yards and snagging 21 passes for 278 yards. He found the end zone 17 times while leading the Spartans to the quarterfinals of the Class A State Playoffs.

He wasn't too shabby on the track, either.

Bauman landed a third-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles at the Nebraska State Championships with a time of 14.35. He sat in fifth overall in the 300-meter hurdles. That took him just 39.00.

Back to that Muma comparison.

Is it as crazy as it sounds? Not on the surface.

He was 6-foot-3, 213 pounds when he arrived on campus back in 2018. Rated the No. 9 player in the state of Colorado, Muma appeared in all 12 games for the Cowboys as a true freshman, becoming a mainstay on special teams.

Also a three-star recruit, the Legend High School product was one of only 32 players to be named to the 2017 Denver Post All-Colorado football team for all classifications.

Sound familiar?

When the dust settled on Muma's four-year career in Laramie, he was 30 pounds heavier and played both inside and outside linebacker in Wyoming's 4-2-5 defensive scheme. He tallied 266 tackles, 213 of which came during his final two seasons. He was No. 6 in the nation in tackles during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign. He appeared in just five-and-a-half games, averaging nearly a dozen tackles an outing.

Muma earned All-American status. He was also a finalist, one of six nationwide, for the Butkus Award. Same can be said for the Chuck Bednarik Award. Those honors go to the best linebacker and defensive player in the country, respectively.

Muma parlayed that success into becoming a third-round selection of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 NFL Draft.

That's where he remains today.

Is Bauman really in that discussion? A slight grin immediately creased Sawvel's face.

"He's a freshman right now, but you can see guys when they first get to college, the level of work that they do and the maturity of the way that they do their stuff," he said. "Yeah, he's going to be alright."

Bauman and the Cowboys are set to open fall camp July 31 inside War Memorial Stadium.

University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players

During the summer of 2021, 7220Sports.com counted down the Top 50 football players in University of Wyoming history, presented by Premier Bone & Joint Centers, Worthy of Wyoming.

The rules are simple: What was the player's impact while in Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status or any other accolade earned outside of UW is irrelevant when it comes to this list.

This isn't a one-man job. This task called for a panel of experts. Joining 7220's Cody Tucker are Robert GagliardiJared NewlandRyan Thorburn, and Kevin McKinney.

We all compiled our own list of 50 and let computer averages do the work. Think BCS -- only we hope this catalog is fairer.

Don't agree with a selection? Feel free to sound off on our Twitter: @7220sports - #Top50UWFB

Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players

More From 7220 Sports