Lindenwood Connection Helped Land Wingate in Laramie

LARAMIE -- Exit interviews are typically reserved for reflection in the football world.

Here's what worked. Here's what didn't. Here's what you need to work on. That's the simplistic CliffsNotes version.

Get our free mobile app

While all of that did take place between Aaron Bohl and Ethan Stuhlsatz, the conversation drifted to linebacker Brayden Johnson and what he brought to the table during his lone season in Laramie.

He led the team in tackles with 81. A Week-1 interception at Akron preserved a road shutout. Another pick five weeks later sparked a comeback win against San Jose State, too.

"We were talking about how Brayden was such an integral part of our team and how much he grew," said Bohl, Wyoming's defensive coordinator. "(Ethan's) like, 'Well, you know, I know a guy that I was best friends with at Lindenwood that has the same mentality as Brayden and he's probably going to get in (the transfer portal)."'

Enter Donnie Wingate.

The 6-foot-3, 251-pound edge rusher has taken a fortuitous route to the high plains. He walked on at Oklahoma State, spending a year in Stillwater and "building his body." With playing time at a premium, Wingate said he wasn't interested in sitting on the bench, especially considering the price tag of being a preferred walk-on. He transferred to Lindenwood where he appeared in 24 games, tallying 53 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.

Stuhlsatz left the program in Saint Charles, Mo., after the 2024 campaign. So did Wingate. The former came to Wyoming. The latter, Southern Illinois.

During his brief tenure in Carbondale, Wingate registered 27 tackles, including six coming behind the line of scrimmage. He finished tied for eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference with four sacks. He landed an honorable mention at season's end.

This wasn't a case of "hire my friend," Stuhlsatz added.

"He brings a violent nature, just in general," the senior linebacker said. "Then, he's just good. He's got that defensive mind, which is all you can ask for."

That's exactly what the staff saw on film.

"He's a heavy-handed, physical guy," head coach Jay Sawvel said. "He plays hard. Then when you get to meet him and know him, you just realize, OK, you bring a guy in to be a Wyoming Cowboy, like, this is a rough rider. So, yeah, that was an easy decision."

Wingate has a sleeve on black-and-white tattoos, an ode to his home state of Oklahoma. The senior possesses the intimidation factor, but his smile is inviting. He had never been to Wyoming before his official visit. Once he saw mountain peaks and infinite prairies, he knew this was home.

Stuhlsatz "put in a word" for him, he acknowledged, but the opportunity to be molded truly sold him.

"(Defensive ends coach Brian Hendricks) just seemed like the guy that could take my game to the next level," Wingate said. "So, that's what ultimately led me here."

Thanks to a state-of-the-art weight room, a strength staff and an expansive training table, Wingate said he has already added 15 pounds of muscle since arriving on campus. It could've been more, but he spent the spring rehabbing a torn labrum in his shoulder.

Bohl said he always feels better when he isn't sure who his starters are. Just one week into fall camp, and that is indeed the case. Wyoming spent money this offseason on its defensive edge.

It was a necessity.

Tyce Westland, Brayden Wilson and Chisolm Ifeanyi exhausted their eligibility. Peter Eyabi hit the open market in December. That leaves only Kevin Sjogren, Cade Brook and Esaia Bogar.

That unit, as a whole, was credited with just seven sacks, 13 hits and 50 hurries.

Joining Wingate this fall, the staff also inked Jack Dunkley (Duquesne) and Thaddeus Gianaris (Dartmouth). That trio capped 2025 with 12 sacks and 16 hurries.

"We're the most deep we've been since I've been here," Hendricks said. "We've got depth. We have some good young players that are building up, but yeah, we're deep. We've got depth, which is huge. That's something that, as a D-line -- and in general last season -- we were hurt."

Wingate said his marching orders are straightforward: Get off the ball.

Pass rush, and the speed it requires, is at the top of his to-do list. His focus is on getting in the backfield as quickly as possible. Having a healthy group of defensive tackles should only aid in that mission he added.

"Playing next to those guys is like a dream come true," Wingate said, referring to Dante Drake, Jayden Williams, Caleb Robinson and others. "They make your job a lot easier."

The mentality is already in place, Bohl added, now it just needs to translate to the FBS level. After six practices, he's confident that will happen.

"He has an alpha presence," Bohl said of Wingate. "He's a guy that's going to hold people accountable, a guy that's not about any BS and that's very committed to playing football the right way and making sure his teammates are playing football the right way."

LATEST UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:

* Pokes Practice Report: Red-Zone Woes Still Linger

* Dainsus Miller Set To Return To Cowboy Football Program

* Drew Brees Shouts Out Former UW Coaches in Hall of Fame Speech

* Wyoming, Like Akron, Once Had a Gimmick That Panned Out

* Is There Really a QB Battle in Laramie or Just Lip Service?

* Sawvel: 'I Just Want to Score a Bunch of Points'

* Pokes Practice Report: Fatigue Leads to Follies

* Wyoming's Smiley Samoan Slides Into Potential Starting Role

* Pokes Practice Report: Packing on Pounds ... The Good Kind

* Cowboys' Offensive Line Depth Takes Hit This Offseason

* Wyoming QB Taylor Hasselbeck Suffers Season-Ending Knee Injury

* 5 Things I'll Be Keeping an Eye On During Wyoming's Fall Camp

* Paul Nunu -- Wyoming's 'Hawaiian Punch' -- Passes Away at 71

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players