Word of Mouth Helps Land Trio of Transfers in Laramie

LARAMIE -- Sometimes word of mouth is the best advertising.

That has been the case of late within the Wyoming football program.

Logan Mackey, a cornerback head coach Jay Sawvel said could make an immediate impact, with two years of eligibility remaining. The Houston product raved about his head coach, and the staff as a whole, as well as the community support. He's already daydreaming about what it will be like to play in front of a capacity crowd inside War Memorial Stadium.

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He also leaned on a former teammate at Weber State to get the real story of how things operate in Laramie.

"I just talked to Brayden two days ago," Mackey said just before signing on the dotted line, referring to Brayden "Larry" Wilson, who spent his final collegiate season at Wyoming. "He gave me a lot of good."

The duo spent two seasons together in Ogden, lining up on the same defensive unit. Wilson was a two-time All-Big Sky selection at the defensive end spot. Mackey, who will be expected to step in for departed defensive backs Tyrese Boss (Arizona) and Markie Grant (Utah State), was the 20th-ranked corner in the FCS last season with an overall score of 86.1, according to Pro Football Focus. He tacked on 16 tackles, 5.5 for loss, along with eight pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a sack, which came against eventual national champion Montana State.

Sawvel and Co. needed to revamp its defensive end group this offseason with the loss of seniors Tyce Westland, Chisolm Ifeanyi and Wilson. Peter Eyabi entered the NCAA Transfer Portal and is now at Indiana State.

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Enter Jack Dunkley.

How does a senior from the suburbs of Philadelphia, who played his first three years at Duquesne in Pittsburgh, land at Wyoming of all places? A connection.

The 6-foot-4, 250-pound edge rusher was a standout at Neshaminy High School in Langhorne, Pa. That's also the hometown and alma mater of Ifeanyi, who Sawvel said "loved" his brief stint on the high plains after transferring from Florida Atlantic.

Dunkley capped his final season at DU with 34 tackles, nine of which were for loss. He added three sacks and forced a fumble. As a sophomore, he was named a First Team All-Northeast Conference selection after tallying 12.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and 9.5 sacks.

Donnie Wingate, another defensive end, also joined the team this winter after spending the previous season at Southern Illinois.

The Oklahoma product began his career at Lindenwood, an FCS program in St. Charles, Mo. There he stood in the huddle with current Wyoming linebacker Ethan Stuhlsatz.

Wingate, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs in at 250, registered 53 tackles, 14 for loss, and 7.5 sacks in 24 games for the Lions. He also forced three fumbles. The former walk-on at Oklahoma State had a productive 2025 campaign in Carbondale, racking up 37 tackles, six of which came behind the line. He also added four sacks and picked off a pass.

Wyoming brought on 20 new players during January's two-week portal window.

Spring practice in Laramie is scheduled to begin March 24. Those 15 practices culminate with the annual game April 25 inside War Memorial Stadium.

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players