Wyoming Defensive Tackle Intends to Enter NCAA Transfer Portal
LARAMIE -- Wyoming is losing a major contributor in its front four.
Lucas Samsula intends to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, a source familiar with the situation confirmed on Thursday. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
The 306-pound defensive tackle is the fifth Cowboy to depart the program this offseason, joining wideout Chris Durr Jr., running backs Terron Kellman and Patrick Broadway II and offensive guard Luke Sandy.
Samsula, a Plano, Texas product, spent three years in Laramie. After a redshirt year he missed the entire 2024 season with a torn Achilles tendon he suffered late in fall camp.
The sophomore was on the field for 344 snaps and appeared in all 12 games last fall. Samsula tallied 15 tackles, eight of which were solo stops. He also registered 1.5 sacks, coming in the season opener at Akron. He was credited with 10 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.
"He brings an element that we haven't had, size wise, at that position," Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said last August. "His movement, his ability to to run and his ability to move at that weight, he can be fairly impactful ... The spring was good for him to blow the rust off, so that was good. He's doing good things, daily."
Baylor, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech all recruited Samsula out of Plano High School where he was an all-district tight end in the largest classification in the state. He hauled in just 11 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown, but the athleticism jumped off the page.
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Former UW head coach Craig Bohl envisioned Samsula packing on pounds and putting his hand in the dirt.
"I knew I wanted to be here," he said back in August.
Former recruiting director Gordie Haug said Samsula impressed at a team camp back in 2022, adding "he fits in the brown and gold."
"You know, coach Bohl kind of always has these little sayings and he says 'strong as mustard gas,'" Haug said. "You know, that's the way he plays."
Wyoming lost a pair of tackles in late August, Caleb Robinson and Dante Drake, who both suffered Achilles' tears. Those two are expected to return next fall. So is Jayden Williams. He finished last season with 24 tackles and a pass breakup. Local products Tegen Seeds and Cody Crawford should also contribute.
Sawvel and Co. also added three freshmen to the mix on early signing day, inking MacGregor Byers, Xavier Jackson and Tanielu Maafala-Barbasa.
Ben Florentine and Aneesh Vyas exhausted their eligibility.
Free agency is set to begin Jan. 2. The portal window is open for two weeks.
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