Welcome to Wyoming Football: Brayden Johnson
LARAMIE -- Wyoming has welcomed nearly 50 new faces this offseason.
Transfer portal era, am I right?
Jay Sawvel knew a rebuild on defense was in order after losing both starting linebackers and safeties, along with leaders like Jordan Bertagnole and DeVonne Harris. The departures of Wrook Brown, Sabastian Harsh and Keany Parks only magnified things.
The second-year head coach got busy, inking a dozen transfers on that side of the ball on February's traditional signing day and adding three more since the annual spring game.
On offense, the damage was limited.
Yes, running back Harrison Waylee is now at Virginia. Young wideout Justin Stevenson is a Utah Ute now, too. But if you ask Sawvel, he kept the players he wanted on offense, beginning with quarterback Kaden Anderson.
Three of the Cowboys' top linemen -- Jack Walsh, Caden Barnett and Wes King -- are also back. So is tight end John Michael Gyllenborg, wide receivers Chris Durr Jr. and Jaylen Sargent, along with leading rusher Sam Scott.
So, without further ado, let's spent the summer meeting the new players that litter this 2025 roster:
NAME | Brayden Johnson
YEAR | Senior
HT/WT | 6' 3", 245
HOMETOWN | Ringling, Okla.
POSITION | Linebacker
JERSEY NUMBER | 9
PREVIOUS SCHOOL | Oklahoma Baptist
YEARS OF ELIGIBILITY | One
NOTABLE | Need a tackle? Brayden Johnson is your man. In three seasons at Oklahoma Baptist, a Division-II institution, this downhill linebacker tallied 145 tackles, including 14 for loss. He also tacked on two sacks. Johnson earned All-Great American Conference honors last fall and ranked seventh in the GAC with 71 stops. He also ranked 15th in the conference with 7.5 tackles for loss. He also picked off a pass, scooped up a fumble and blocked a kick in 2024.
QUOTABLE | "I think Brayden Johnson, you know, first of all, he's a mature guy. He's going to show up to work every day. He's very physical. I mean, look, Brayden Johnson's a guy that benches like 420 pounds. I mean, when he lowers a pad on you, he's going to make a dent. You know, he's a really good blitzer. There's a lot of things that I think we'll be able to leverage that he does well. He keeps improving, and that's the biggest thing. And so, yeah, I'm glad that he's here right now," UW head coach Jay Sawvel said last April during spring practices.
WELCOME TO WYOMING FOOTBALL SERIES:
* BJ Inmon
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University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
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