Best and Busts in Wyoming Football Recruiting Since 1999

LARAMIE -- Summer isn't exactly bustling with Wyoming football news.

So, I'm shamelessly borrowing a great idea from my buddy Kevin Lytle at The Coloradoan: Break down the best and busts from Cowboy recruiting classes since 1999.

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Kevin did this with Colorado State. I'm sure you're dying to see that, so you can find it right HERE.

Like Kevin states in his story, recruiting isn't an exact science. Star ratings are often meaningless. Hasn't that always been the case in Laramie? You might recall, Frank Crum was a major "project." Former head coach Craig Bohl admitted as much. So did the current offensive lineman for the Denver Broncos, who told me back in 2023 he couldn't even bench press 135 pounds 10 times.

"I was like super embarrassed. Like, beyond belief," he said. "I was one of the weakest guys in there."

Marcus Epps, before becoming one of the best safeties in program history, parlaying that into an ongoing eight-year NFL career, was a walk-on. CSU wanted Logan Wilson to be its placekicker. Instead, he tallied 421 tackles and 10 interceptions from the linebacker spot at Wyoming before becoming a third-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals.

You all know Josh Allen's story.

Overlooked and undervalued has been the name of the game on the high plains.

Here are a few examples, courtesy of 247sports.com:

Deshawn Woods -- OL -- 4 stars -- 247rank: 1

Wyoming has landed just two 4-star recruits in its history, one being the 6-foot-4, 270-pound lineman above. Deshawn Woods has had quite the journey. The Omaha, Neb., native earned offers from the who's who of the college football world -- Texas A&M, Florida, Miami, Penn State, Tennessee and many, many others -- before eventually signing on the dotted line at Missouri.

Off-the-field issues derailed that plan, leading Woods to Laramie where he spent the 2022 season on the scout team, never seeing any playing time. He again entered the NCAA Transfer Portal but had no FBS takers. He instead went the junior-college route, playing two years at Butler Community College in Kansas.

The now redshirt senior was signed by West Virginia in December.

Who was the other 4-star prospect? Guard Jon Hawk. Who? Exactly. The Garden City Community College transfer never played a snap in a Cowboys uniform under Vic Koenning.

Dax Crum -- QB -- N/A -- 247rank: 5

An honorable mention All-American at Mesa Community College in Arizona, Dax Crum, at the time, was viewed by many as the savior under center after he signed with the program in 2008. Karsten Sween proved to not be the answer for Joe Glenn's Cowboys. Neither did Jacob Doss, Chris Stutzriem or Ian Hetrick.

Crum, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound pro-style QB never materialized, either, throwing for just 616 career yards to go along with three touchdown tosses and seven picks.

He was recruited by Colorado State, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Washington State.

Marqueston Huff -- CB -- N/A -- 247rank: 24

Out of the Top-25 recruits in Wyoming football history, to this point, Marqueston Huff is the only player to truly live up to expectations and carve out a pro football career.

The 5-foot-11, 196-pound cornerback, and Dave Christensen recruit, was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft after racking up 249 tackles and snagging six interceptions during his four-year stint in Laramie.

Huff, a Texarkana, Texas product, played five seasons in the league before eventually jumping to the XFL in 2020.

Baylor, Missouri and New Mexico were a few of the schools that wanted Huff out of high school.

(There are many current players, in order, who are above Huff in 247's ranks and are currently on the team: 3: Colin Ford, 6: Mason Drube, 7: Deion DeBlanc, 11: Jordan Styles, 12: Jonathan Percy, 14: Landon Pace, 17: Therman "Boogie" Williams and 21: Pierce Decker.)

Here are some overachievers:

Chase Roullier -- OL -- 2 stars -- 247rank: 238

The offers were few out of Burnsville High School in Minnesota.

MAC programs like Akron, Toledo and Western Michigan wanted Chase Roullier. So did Northern Iowa. He chose Wyoming where the center would go on to claim First and Second Team All-Mountain West honors as a senior and junior, respectively.

He was selected by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. That's the only franchise Roullier would suit up for during his six-year stint in the league. He appeared in 69 games, starting 63 of those.

Carl Granderson -- DE -- 3 stars -- 247rank: 230

How on earth did Carl Granderson drop that far?

When he arrived on campus in 2014, he barely weighed 200 pounds. That changed in the matter of one redshirt season. Granderson, who is now entering his eighth season with the New Orleans Saints, tips the scales at 261.

During his time in Laramie, the Sacramento product tallied 17.5 sacks and 35.5 tackles for loss. He also wrapped up 172 tackles and picked off three passes.

Though he went undrafted in 2019 -- off-the-field trouble played a major role in that -- he has been a menace off the edge in the Big Easy, racking up 34.5 sacks and 299 tackles.

Corey Mace -- DT -- N/A -- 247rank: 206

A three-year stint with the Buffalo Bills followed a productive couple of seasons in Laramie from 287-pound Corey Mace.

The British Columbia native finished his career at Wyoming with 65 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Though he was selected by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the second round of the Canadian Football League Draft in 2007, Mace instead signed a free-agent deal with the Bills where he appeared in just five total games.

He went back to the great white north in 2010 and hasn't looked back since, winning four Grey Cups -- one as a player in Calgary -- two as an assistant and one in 2025 as the head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Josh Doctson -- WR -- N/A -- 247rank: 201

It was announced late in the spring Josh Doctson will soon be inducted into the school's Hall of Fame.

Unfortunately for Wyoming fans, that school is TCU where the speedy All-American wideout snagged 180 balls for 2,785 yards and 29 touchdowns. He parlayed that production into becoming the 22nd overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

The signs were there that the Mansfield, Texas native would be special. During his lone season at Wyoming, Doctson caught 35 passes and rolled up 393 receiving yards. He also found the end zone five times during his freshman campaign.

Josh Allen -- QB -- 3 stars -- 247rank: 190

"Hello coach, my name is Josh Allen and I am a quarterback at Reedley JC out of California. I stand at 6'5" 210 lbs and am a full qualifier, and feel like I would be a great fit in your offense scheme."

That now-infamous email was sent out to nearly every college coach in the country. Bohl was the only one to take the bait. Boy, did that payoff. During his three seasons at Wyoming, Allen threw for 5,066 yards and 44 touchdowns. He added another dozen scores on the ground to go along with nearly 800 rushing yards.

Those stats, of course, don't tell the tale.

Allen, who went on to become the highest draft pick in program lore, going No. 7 overall to the Bills in 2018, was a freak of nature between the white lines, making highlight reel plays all over the field. Nothing has changed in the NFL. Allen eclipsed the 30,000-yard passing mark last fall. He has 220 touchdown tosses. Seventy-nine more with his legs.

In 2024, the Firebaugh, Calif., native was named the league's Most Valuable Player. Last November, he became the first Cowboy to have his number officially retired by the school.

Chad Muma -- LB -- 3 stars -- 247rank: 171

This Colorado native and legacy player patiently waited his turn as a pair of future NFL players -- Logan Wilson and Cassh Maluia -- manned the two linebacker spots from 2018-19.

When Chad Muma finally got his turn, he didn't disappoint.

A soon-to-be third-round selection himself, Muma racked up 266 total tackles in a Cowboys uniform, 213 of which came over his final two seasons. Muma was named a third-team All-American after registering 142 combined tackles as a senior. All three of his career interceptions came during that memorable 2021 campaign, too. He returned two for touchdowns.

The Jaguars took Muma with the 70th overall pick in the 2022 draft. He wore three different jerseys last fall, the final one being that of the AFC Champion New England Patriots.

(Some other notable names who land between 170 and 247, in order, are: 177: Wyett Ekeler, 179: Connor Shay, 196: Jack Walsh, 198: Wrook Brown, 220: Alonzo Velazquez, 226: DeVonne Harris and 240: Caleb Driskill)