Enock Sibomana Looking Mighty Comfortable at Middle Linebacker

LARAMIE -- What position will Enock Sibomana play this fall?

That was a question Jay Sawvel was still pondering early in July as he arrived in Las Vegas for Mountain West Media Days.

One week into training camp, though, and it appears that query now has a definite answer.

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The graduate transfer, who spent the previous four seasons in his hometown, playing at North Dakota State, darted through the right side of Wyoming's offensive line during last Monday's opening practice, zeroing in on tight end John Michael Gyllenborg.

Sibomana read the play the whole way. It was a bootleg. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound pass catcher curled toward the flat, the Cowboys' newest middle linebacker in hot pursuit.

"I didn't do that on purpose. I actually didn't," he said with a smile, referring to the violent collision that followed. "I do like hitting people that are bigger than me, for sure. It's just like, I'm the one hitting you, you're not hitting me. You just gotta hit them in the right spot, and they're always going to fall."

Gyllenborg did just that.

So did 56 other ball carriers last fall.

Sibomana, pronounced EE-knock see-boe-MAH-nuh, was the second-leading tackler for the Bison, helping lead the school to yet another national championship, its third title over the previous six seasons. He added 7.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and two sacks. The Fargo native had a 10-tackle performance in a second-round playoff meeting with Abilene Christian.

Not bad, considering he wasn't a full-time starter until Week 8.

He lined up at safety at NDSU. He played some nickel. He was a critical piece on numerous special teams units. He was also a running back at nearby South High School during his prep career.

"I was kind of just an athlete out there," Sibomana said. "(The coaches) Just put me in the best position to go out there and play fast and make plays, which obviously worked last year."

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It appears he's found his home right smack in the middle of Wyoming's revamped defense. And despite standing just 5-foot-11 and weighing in at 206 pounds, defensive coordinator Aaron Bohl said it's apparent Sibomana has the goods.

"He has a great space awareness, a really good burst and really good physicality," Bohl said. "... We saw it on tape. The thing I was shocked about with him at NDSU, he didn't start until halfway through the year. He's just a football player."

Sawvel agrees. And that's not all he brings to the mix.

"He's a good player," the second-year head coach added. "I mean, he's going to play a lot of stuff, defensively. He will play special teams. Here's the thing you love that Enock brings, Enock comes from a national champion and understands how to play, how to win and how that looks ... We have a number of players here that are really good leaders, but these guys (Sibomana and Iowa running back Max White) fit right into that, because they're grinders. Players see that.

"So, you could ask anybody on our team right now, 'What's the respect level for Enock?' They'd be like, 'This guy, he's a player, Jack.'"

Jamison Brown, Assistant Director of Player Personnel, along with safeties coach Jason Petrino, were both on the NDSU staff in 2023. They witnessed firsthand the talent and leadership Sibomana possessed. When he entered the NCAA Transfer Portal in early April, Wyoming pounced.

Gary Rutherford, a redshirt freshman linebacker who is battling for the weakside role this offseason, said it didn't take long to see the intangibles.

"He's a person that moves around and knows where the zone (blocking) is going," he said of Sibomana. "He helps out the WILL's a lot when he is at MIKE (middle linebacker). When he's on the field, he just flies around and tries to play fast."

Culture.

That's what Sibomana said led him to Laramie for his final collegiate season. He says it's similar to the one he just left. It's easy to see why. His head coach in 2024, Tim Polasek, served as the Cowboys' offensive coordinator from 2021-23. Bohl's father, Craig Bohl, helped create the winning culture in Fargo, delivering three national championships before heading to the high plains for a decade-long stint back in 2014.

Patience paid off for Sibomana last season, as he sat second on the depth chart behind a veteran player he said "was a better fit for our team at that point." He's now in a battle with almost an entirely new room.

Oklahoma Baptist transfer Brayden Johnson could slide into a starter's role. So could Ethan Stuhlsatz (Lindenwood), Evan Eller or Rutherford. Youngster Dash Bauman is making his case, too.

Seniority won't be a factor.

"I'm just going to be me," he said. "I'm just going to add on to what's already here. I'm not going to try to change nothing about me or anybody else."

He didn't just leave home to get to warmer weather.

"I came here to play against a better opponent, a better schedule," Sibomana said with a smile. "Wyoming is colder."

No, Enock, it sure isn't.

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players