Wyoming's Chad Muma to play in Senior Bowl Saturday

* University of Wyoming Athletics media relations release

LARAMIE -- Wyoming Cowboy linebacker Chad Muma will be one of the select college football players who will play in the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl this coming Saturday, Feb. 5.

The game, which showcases the top NFL Draft prospects in the nation, will be played at the University of South Alabama Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala., and will be televised live on the NFL Network.

Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m., Mountain Time.

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Muma will represent the National Team, which will be coached by the New York Jets’ coaching staff. Muma will be joined by a trio of Nevada Wolf Pack players in quarterback Carson Strong, tight end Cole Turner and wide receiver Romeo Doubs, along with Boise State wide receiver Khalil Shakir and Colorado State tight end Trey McBride.

The American Team will be coached by the Detroit Lions’ staff and will include a pair of San Diego State Aztecs in Cameron Thomas, a defensive lineman, and Daniel Bellinger, a tight end. Those are the eight Mountain West players on this year’s Reese’s Senior Bowl rosters.

At the conclusion of the 2021 season, Muma earned Second Team All-America honors from both the Walter Camp Football Foundation and Pro Football Focus (PFF). He also was named a Third Team All-American by the Associated Press.

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A native of Lone Tree, Colo., Muma was one of only six national finalists for this year’s Butkus Award, honoring the nation’s best linebacker, and he was one of 18 national semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award, recognizing the nation’s outstanding defensive player.

For the second consecutive season, Muma was selected First Team All-Mountain West Conference by conference head coaches and media.

Muma ranked No. 3 in the nation in solo tackles (6.5 per game) and ranked No. 4 in the nation in total tackles (10.9 per game) for the 2021 season. He also tied for No. 2 in the nation in interceptions returned for touchdowns, with two “Pick Sixes” on the year.

Muma recorded double figures in tackles in 11 of 13 games during the 2021 season. He was credited with 142 tackles for the 2021 season, which ranks as the fourth best single-season total in school history behind only linebacker Galand Thaxton, who had 158 tackles in 1986 and 143 in 1987, and free safety John Salley, who had 143 tackles in 1982.

For his career, Muma totalled 267 career tackles.

He first made his mark as one of the nation’s top linebackers in 2020. He ranked No. 1 in the Mountain West and No. 3 in the nation in tackles, averaging 11.8 tackles per game. He also ranked No. 16 in the nation in solo tackles, averaging 5.5 per game.

He was selected First Team All-Mountain West by MW head coaches and media in 2020.

Muma will become the 29th former Wyoming great to play in the Senior Bowl at the conclusion of his college career. Among the former Cowboys to play in the Senior Bowl were: running back Jim Crawford in 1957, running back Jerry Hill in 1961, running back Jim Kiick in 1968, linebacker Jim House in 1969, running back Lawrence Gaines and defensive back Aaron Kyle in 1976, tight end Jay Novacek in 1985, defensive end Mitch Donahue in 1991 and wide receiver Ryan Yarborough in 1994.

The first Wyoming Cowboy to play in the Senior Bowl was Eddie “Boom Boom” Talboom back in 1951. The most recent Cowboys to play in the Senior Bowl include: quarterback Josh Allen, who played in the Senior Bowl in 2018; defensive end Carl Granderson in 2019; and linebacker Logan Wilson in 2020.

University of Wyoming All-Time Senior Bowl Participants

1951 Eddie Talboom RB/K

1957 Jim Crawford RB

1961 Jerry Hill RB

1962 Bob Bisacre RB

1968 Paul Toscano QB

1968 Jim Kiick RB

1969 Dennis Devlin DB

1969 Jim House LB

1976 Aaron Kyle DB

1976 Lawrence Gaines RB

1980 Mike Smith P