Welcome to Wyoming Football: Steven Perez
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 | Steven Perez
YEAR | Freshman
HT/WT | 6' 1", 205
HOMETOWN | Wilmington, Calif.
POSITION | Linebacker
JERSEY NUMBER | 34
PREVIOUS SCHOOL | Banning High School
YEARS OF ELIGIBILITY | Four
NOTABLE | Need a stop? Steven "Frenchie" Perez is your man. During his stint at Banning High School, the 205-pound Mr. Do Everything tallied an eye-popping 356 total tackles, including 198 of the solo variety. Nearly 130 of those came during his senior campaign, giving Perez an average of more than 11 tackles per game. Six of those were for loss. The three-star prospect also picked off nine passes during his highly decorated prep career. That's not all. Perez also rushed for 769 yards and 12 touchdowns during that final season. The CIF Los Angeles All-City Section Open Division Player of the Year was a deep threat, too, hauling in 96 career passes for 1,626 yards. He finished with 1,426 yards and 18 touchdowns last fall. Not only was Perez a standout on the field, he also excelled in the classroom, being named a scholar athlete. On the wrestling mat, he also took home a 215-pound Los Angeles City Title.
QUOTABLE | "Steven Perez, this is a kid we watched throughout his senior season. He is a guy that we knew about back in the spring, Coach (Gordie) Haug had done a great job as the area coach and getting to know the kid. This is a guy that, the more you watch, he barely comes off the field. He plays quarterback, he has played safety and plays linebacker for them. He just does everything. And there were plays that, again, I remember us watching -- just from an instincts, awareness standpoint -- this is just, you hear the phrase, he's a football player, and to be honest, personally, I hate that, because I think it's often people say that when they don't know how to describe the player, but he is. He is the epitome of a football player, on and off the field. He's a guy that just, you know, actually does eat, sleep and breathe football," former UW Director of Player Personnel Kirby O'Meara said last December on early signing day
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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