Wyoming Cornerback Becomes Seventh to Hit Open Market

LARAMIE -- Leyton Smithson briefly had a crease.

Washington State's junior returner hauled in a third-quarter kickoff inside his own 4-yard line. Twenty-two yards later he was stopped in his tracks, courtesy of Naz Hill. Wyoming's redshirt freshman cornerback was credited with his first-career tackle that night inside Martin Stadium.

That was also his last in a Wyoming uniform.

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The Kankakee, Ill., product announced Thursday he is entering the NCAA Transfer portal, becoming the eighth Cowboy to leave the program this offseason. Hill has three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Seven of those departures have come on the defensive side of the ball, including linebacker Cole DeMarzo, who penned on X Wednesday that he was retiring to pursue a career outside of football.

Defensive tackle Jaden Williams also left on Dec. 9, opening day of the college version of free agency. Safeties Koa McIntyre and Nikos Varelas followed. So did edge rusher Braden Siders and linebacker Read Sunn, who both have one year of eligibility remaining.

Those seven players accounted for 55 tackles, four sacks -- 3.5 of those came from Siders -- and a forced fumble. McIntyre and Varelas didn't record any stats.

Tyler "TK" King, Wyoming's lone First Team All-Mountain West selection at kick returner, also intends to transfer. He is the only offensive player, so far, to leave the program.

Hill, a three-star recruit and the 33rd-ranked overall player in the state of Illinois, per 247sports.com, was named as a Special Mention member of the 2022 Champaign News-Gazette All-State football team as a defensive back. He was also recruited by Akron, Northern Illinois, Miami (Ohio), UConn and Kansas.

"I would like to thank Wyoming and the entire coaching staff/ program for the incredible opportunity I've had to be part of this team," Hill said on social media. "I am truly grateful for the support, guidance and development I've received here. The relationships I've built and the experiences I've gained will always hold a special place in my heart."

The 6-foot-3, 178-pounder redshirted during the 2023 season. His only appearance last fall came in the season finale in Pullman.

MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:

* Wyoming LB Cole DeMarzo retiring from football

* Wyoming Cowboys in the NFL: Week 14

* Wyoming announces 2025 football matchups

* Wyoming Football: 2025 Transfer Portal Tracker

* Edge Rusher Braden Siders Looking Elsewhere to Cap Career

* What's on deck for Sawvel, Wyoming's football staff?

* 'Evan Svoboda will be a tight end here next year'

* Wyoming wideout TK King hitting the open market

* 2025 Recruiting HQ: Wyoming Expected to Sign 20

* Wyoming DT Jaden Williams entering NCAA Transfer Portal

* Tuck's Take: Effort, Heart Finally Show Up in Win Column

Wyoming's makeshift secondary allowed 218.9 yards through the air per game. That's good enough for No. 69 in the country out of 133 qualifying FBS teams. That unit suffered a number of key injuries in 2024, including losing both senior safeties -- Wyett Ekeler (broken thumbs) and Isaac White (foot/ ankle) -- for a spell.

Senior corner Tyrecus Davis was joined by sophomore Keany Parks in the starting lineup. The latter came to Laramie as a running back and made the transition at the end of the '23 campaign. Ian Bell, who also suffered health setbacks, was also inserted into the lineup, registering six tackles and a pass breakup.

Jay Sawvel has said numerous times he and his staff will focus on rebuilding the back end of this defense. Wyoming's head coach has already begun that process, bringing in junior college cornerback BJ Inmon (Snow College) along with true freshmen Elvin Ampofo (Aurora, Colo.), Tyson Deen (San Antonio, Texas) and Kaiden Kimble-Turner (Kuna, Ida.).

The NCAA Transfer Portal will close for the winter on Dec. 28. The spring window is open from April 16-25.

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players