Sawvel Believes This Could be His Best Defense at Wyoming

LARAMIE -- Wyoming's top two leading tacklers, linebackers Brayden Johnson and Evan Eller, exhausted their eligibility.

So did a starting cornerback, safety, nose tackle and both defensive ends.

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Tyrese Boss, the team's top pass defender, and Markie Grant are also no longer with the program, both entered the NCAA Transfer Portal last December. The latter is now at Utah State. The other, Arizona.

Defensive tackle Lucas Samsula also hit the open market and is now at Utah.

With just two starters remaining -- nickelback Desman Hearns and free safety Jones Thomas -- why would Jay Sawvel be so optimistic this fall? Not only that, he is confident that this could be the best defensive unit he's had since arriving in Laramie as the coordinator back in 2020.

"I think we can believe that," Wyoming's third-year head coach said. "Now, what we have to do, we've got a lot of work to do to get to that, but the pieces are there in order to do that.

"... I'm excited about this group, defensively."

While they weren't technically listed as starters, Sawvel has plenty of experience returning to the fold this season.

Ethan Stuhlsatz, a 6-foot-4, 241-pound senior linebacker, was on the field for 268 snaps in 2025, tallying 41 tackles and a pass breakup. Nose guard Jayden Williams is now tipping the scale at nearly 300 pounds. He registered 24 tackles and batted down a throw last fall. He was in the trenches for 366 plays.

Though Sawvel and Co. reloaded on that side of the ball through the portal themselves, arguably two of the biggest acquisitions were already on the roster. Defensive tackles Caleb Robinson and Dante Drake are now healthy after both suffering season-ending Achilles' tendon injuries last summer.

Most of the finances were spread around to safeties, cornerbacks and edge rushers.

Defense was rarely the culprit in last year's mostly-forgettable four-win campaign. Wyoming ranked 45th out of 134 FBS programs in total defense, allowing just 344.2 yards per game.

That's not all:

* No. 31 - Third-down defense - 59-of-168

* No. 14 - Passing yards allowed - 175.5 ypg

* No. 2 - Red-zone defense - 22-of-32 (17 TD, 5 FG)

* No. 30 - Scoring defense - 20.5 ppg

Hearns, who finished his first season in the Cowboys' secondary with 35 tackles and tied for a team-high two interceptions, said this until already has a different feel to it just a week into the spring slate.

"Everyone is tighter," he said. "Everyone knows everyone, and I feel like the chemistry is better. We're just clicking."

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Jack Dunkley (Duquesne), Thaddeus Gianaris (Dartmouth) and Donnie Wingate (Southern Illinois) have been brought in to bolster an inexperienced defensive end's room. Safeties Brooklyn Cheek and Jaden DaCosta are back for Year 2, and they will be joined by newcomers Jett Vincent (Colorado State), Travis Franklin (Jacksonville State) and Da'Marion Brownlee (Missouri Southern).

Sawvel is also high on redshirt freshmen Elvin Ampofo and Kaiden Kimble-Turner.

The cornerback room took the biggest hit this winter. The top-three returners are all gone, including Dainsus Miller, who was a senior. Long-time position coach Benny Boyd also left for the same position at TCU.

Can transfers Junus McGraw (West Liberty) and Logan Mackey (Weber State) make an immediate impact? How about sophomore Tyson Shamsid-Deen, who was productive enough to burn his redshirt in 2025? Is it finally Ian Bell's time? How about BJ Inmon?

"We're inexperienced at corner," Sawvel said. "We've got talent, but we've got a lot of work to do there. I think when you look out on the field at the bodies, defensively, you're like, OK, we've got a chance. That's a big thing."

Aaron Bohl, Wyoming's third-year defensive coordinator, says he is anxious to see the progression of returners like Gary Rutherford, Esaia Bogar and Kevin Sjogren, among many others, too.

Bohl said the goal every offseason is to hoard the talent that brings competition. Admittedly, he said the staff failed in that department before the 2024 season. Last year served as a drastic step in the right direction.

This fall?

"There's a lot of prospects out there," he continued. "You know, we'll see if they grow into suspects and players for us. But, I think there's a lot to be excited about."

The depth is in place, Bohl added. That means his ultimate threat can be a trusted one: Play better or have a seat next to me.

His father, Craig Bohl, championed that way of thinking during his decade-long tenure on the sideline in Laramie. He also wasn't one to provide preseason hype, instead taking the proceed-with-caution route.

While Aaron Bohl shares Sawvel's optimism, he's guarded.

"I've learned this: I really don't know," he said. "I'll know more after about halfway through the first quarter at CSU. I've told our guys that, you know, honestly, you don't know how hard you play, if you're tough enough and all that stuff until about halfway through the first game.

"So, there's talent there, but, you know, there's talent every year. We'll see. The mindset has been right so far."

Sounds like a chip off the ol' block, huh?

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players