Welcome to Wyoming Football: Ryken Banks

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 | Ryken Banks

YEAR | Freshman

HT/WT | 6' 0", 185

HOMETOWN | Parker, Colo.

POSITION | Running back

JERSEY NUMBER | N/A

PREVIOUS SCHOOL | Legend High School

YEARS OF ELIGIBILITY | Four

NOTABLE | Ryken Banks had a dozen offers out of high school. That extensive list included all three FBS military academies -- Air Force, Army and Navy -- along with Ivy League programs like Dartmouth and Yale. Wyoming's Border War rivals, Colorado State, wanted the 29th-best recruit in their home state. So did Ohio, Montana and Sacramento State. Even defending national champion Indiana kicked the tires. Banks averaged better than 100 yards an outing as a senior, amassing more than 1,200 yards on the ground. He also snagged 40 yards per game worth of passes out of the backfield and found the end zone an eye-popping 25 times. He was named the 5A Southern Conference Player of the Year after rolling up more than 1,800 yards from scrimmage.

QUOTABLE | "We've had a good run of players from Legend at the University of Wyoming, from Chad Muma to Jaden Lawrence. A year ago, I went to see Jaden in high school. It was actually the first game that I went to on a Friday night as a head coach at Wyoming. I went to see Jaden Lawrence and one guy that really stood out to me was Ryken Banks. I was like, 'this guy is outstanding.' So, we've been on Ryken for a long period of time. We feel really excited about him," -- Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel discussing his initial thoughts on his new running back.

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