Wyoming Linebacker Cole DeMarzo Retiring From Football

LARAMIE -- Cole DeMarzo is retiring from football.

Wyoming's junior linebacker announced his decision Wednesday on social media, calling it the "end of an era."

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The South Carolina product is the seventh player -- sixth on the defensive side of the ball -- to leave the program this offseason, joining defensive tackle Jaden Williams, edge rusher Braden Siders, safeties Koa McIntyre and Nikos Varelas, linebacker Read Sunn and wideout TK King.

"Thank you, football, for the journey, the unforgettable memories and lifelong friends," DeMarzo penned on X. "It’s more than just a sport. Football will always be a part of me, but I’m excited for what’s next.

"... I greatly appreciate my time out here."

He added he is pursuing an MBA and working toward earning a certification in financial planning.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Hilton Head native spent two seasons in Laramie after transferring from Michigan State, where he appeared in just one game over a two-year span.

DeMarzo played in all 13 games during his first season on the high plains, tallying 23 tackles. He followed that up with a 14-tackle campaign the following fall. Five of those came in a road loss at Air Force, tying a career high. He added four more against the Falcons last September and capped his final season as a Cowboy, mainly as a member of the special teams unit, with seven stops.

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The Cowboys linebacking corps was already thin with the departures of starters Shae Suiaunoa and Connor Shay, who both exhausted their eligibility. Sunn and DeMarzo served as reserves after transfer Evan Eller was lost for the year with an injury. He has announced he will return in 2025.

Head coach Jay Sawvel has said numerous times he is high on freshmen Gary Rutherford and Dash Bauman. Rutherford, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound Illinois product, appeared in four games last fall, maintaining his redshirt status. Micah Young and Nic Talich, who will both be seniors, could also be in the mix. They have been mainstays on special teams.

Adrian Onyiego and Jack Harvey were also rookies in 2024. Sawvel and Co. also last week inked Parker Moore (Lawrence (Kan.) Free State) and Steven Perez (Banning (Calif.).

All returners have accounted for just 23 career tackles.

Sources familiar with the situation said nine transfers will be on campus this weekend. Two of those are reportedly linebackers. Sawvel has said defense will mainly be the focus in free agency as he attempts to replenish the backend.

Don't expect to see any household names.

"We're going to largely live outside of the power-conference transfer market," Sawvel said. "A big part of this goes back to when I talked to (Arizona State head coach) Kenny Dillingham earlier in the fall. One of the things he said that helped flip their roster the most was, get people on the come up, get people on a rise because they love it. They can't wait to be in your program. They can't wait to be in your building.

"They're excited to be in the program, as opposed to somebody that comes in with a sense of entitlement, or that feels like this is a step down for them. I'm not interested in that guy."

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