Who is No. 44?: ‘He’s A Kid That’s Going to Show Up’

LARAMIE -- Wyoming's tight-ends coach Shannon Moore always seems to have a grin on his face.

It only widens when you talk about the room he leads.

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John Michael Gyllenborg has proven, when healthy, to be one of the most well-rounded athletes at the position in the Mountain West Conference. By all accounts, Evan Svoboda's transition from the quarterback spot has been seamless. A surgically placed pin in his hand has been his only real hang up, according to this staff.

Rock Springs' Isaac Schoenfeld has been making plays all over the field this spring. Last Saturday he made cornerback Keany Parks pay for letting up on the play, cruising 60 yards down the sideline for a score.

Jake Wilson certainly looks the part, standing 6-foot-5 and weighing in at 245. There are big expectations for the redshirt freshman.

The program is also still awaiting the arrival of freshmen Landon Pace, son of NFL Hall of Famer Orlando Pace, and three-star prospect Kyle Frendt.

That's not all.

Who is No. 44?

"You know what, he has done a great job," Moore said, referring to 6-foot-3, 250-pound senior Tyler Hampton. "I think one thing that has been great about him is, he's found one thing to get better at every day. We've worked hard on just doing that and growing his football knowledge.

"He's a kid that's going to show up, wants to do things right and it matters to him."

Hampton has run crisp routes, made all the catches and has boxed out the Cowboys' new linebackers and safeties with that big body. He's a constant in the middle of the field and has shown off his wheels a time or two, including in last Saturday's scrimmage.

The walk-on snagged a perfectly placed over-the-shoulder throw after running by the defender.

Who is this guy and how did he get here?

Persistence. That's one way to put it.

"I just kept bugging them and they finally got back to me," Hampton said with a grin. "A few weeks later, I was here."

The former three-star receiver out of Edison High School received little attention from college recruiters despite catching 42 passes for nearly 600 yards as a senior. That's an average of 14.2 yards per grab. He also added seven touchdowns.

Some Division-II programs kicked the tires. So did some NAIA schools and junior colleges.

"It was pretty frustrating," Hampton added.

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He almost gave up on his dream of playing football all together. Basketball and track were other options. Instead, he enrolled at Santa Ana College before moving on to Golden West College the following season.

Like he did following his prep days, he went to the computer. There, the research began.

It wasn't about the location, the school or the status, it was to find lists of coaches. He didn't just email the head man, all of them received a message, littered with highlight film, a bio and a plea.

Hampton said that became routine for him, dating all the way back to his sophomore year of high school.

A guy who used to climb under center around here, Josh Allen, once did the same.

"It was my last resort," Hampton said. "I don't even know how many I sent. It was unreal."

At the FBS level, he received just one reply. It was from Gordie Haug, Wyoming's former running backs coach and director of recruiting.

"I love it here. I love all the guys behind me," he added. "The culture here, there's nothing I've never experienced like it. It's just amazing, like the game days and everything. There's nothing like it."

Hampton redshirted during the 2024 campaign. While his official page on the team website lists him as a senior, he played two seasons of JUCO ball and sat out last fall. That, coupled with the NCAA ruling this offseason, the Huntington Beach native could have up to three years of eligibility remaining.

He'll worry about that later.

His focus at the moment is getting on the field -- at any capacity -- more than welcoming special teams work.

"I think he's had a nice spring and he's done some good things, but that's a loaded room right now," Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said, referring to his depth at tight end. "...  Tyler's stayed in there, fought in there. He's getting a lot of plays right now, so it's a good thing. Hopefully he continues to push, develop and get better."

That's the plan.

"I still have a ways to go, but with coach Moore and all the older guys ahead of me, they're coaching me up and really pushing me to be better," Hampton said. "I'm still learning the position because, less than a year ago, I didn't know anything about tight end. I feel like from then till now, it's just been a huge jump."

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players