Wyoming’s Gary Rutherford Vying for Playing Time in 2025

LARAMIE -- Jay Sawvel replenished the vacant linebacker spot this offseason via the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Newcomers Ethan Stuhlsatz and Brayden Johnson appear to have an inside track on the two available starting jobs. Those seniors both finished with at least 70 tackles last fall at Lindenwood (Kan.) and Oklahoma Baptist, respectively.

They were also all-conference performers.

Get our free mobile app

Wyoming's second-year head coach has raved about those two above, but added there's a redshirt freshman who could be nipping at their heels.

"Gary Rutherford, I think, is going to be a really, really good player here," Sawvel said after a March 7 winter workout inside the Cowboys' indoor practice facility. "Just his demeanor, his motor, you know, he's a really good athlete with a high, high motor."

He impressed the coaches so much last fall, Sawvel added, they nearly "burned his redshirt." Rutherford did appear in the four games the NCAA allots. He even registered his first-career tackle in a Border War loss against Colorado State.

The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Peoria, Ill., product, along with fellow linebacker Micah Young, rudely greeted kick returner Kobe Johnson at the Rams' 18-yard line.

In a forgettable road setback against Wyoming's most-hated rival, Rutherford said that stop was a moment he won't soon forget.

"It felt great," he said back in late November. "I was on top of the world, I'm not even going to lie."

It served as much more than a brief high.

"It gave me a lot of confidence," Rutherford continued. "It's kind of scary at first, but after your first game, you're not really worried about the crowd, you're not really worried about nothing. You just go out there and have fun. It's like riding a bike."

Listed as a three-star recruit and the No. 55 prospect in the state of Illinois by 247sports.com, Rutherford earned First Team All-State Class 5A honors at both linebacker and receiver during his final season at Peoria High School.

He was also named to the Peoria Journal Star First Team All-Arena squad, along with a selection to the Big 12 All-Conference First Team.

Indiana and Washington State came calling. So did Toledo, Southern Illinois, Eastern Illinois and Illinois State.

Rutherford chose Wyoming.

"They believed in me since I was in high school," he said of Wyoming, adding that they felt he had the frame to tack on substantial weight. He tipped the scales at just 196 as a prep player. "They trusted me. The weight-room coaches trusted me.

"Everything is positive here. It's a good school for just going to school and sports. There's no bad energy, no nothing."

MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:

* Wyoming's Sabastian Harsh Hitting Open Market in Final Season

* Wyoming Football: News and notes from offseason workout

* Who will replace placekicker John Hoyland at Wyoming?

* COLUMN: Should Wyoming Retire Josh Allen's No. 17?

* Josh Allen Highlights UW Athletics '25 Hall of Fame Class

* Jay Sawvel on Freshman RB: 'I'm a Big Patrick Broadway Fan'

* Wyoming Football Announces Full 2025 Schedule

* Wyoming's football staff shifting focus to self-evaluation

* No concern in Wyoming's receiver room heading into spring

* Wyoming overhauling defense with 'winnable players'

* Jay Sawvel: 'We will never vote for captains again'

* Are Wyoming players being tampered with? You bet, says Sawvel

* Wyoming Football: News and Notes From Traditional Signing Day

* Wyoming football puts a bow on '25 recruiting class

This staff isn't alone in its assessment of Rutherford. Shae Suiaunoa saw it, too.

Wyoming's senior middle linebacker rarely left the field in 2024, racking up a team-high 87 tackles. He waited patiently for his turn behind standouts like Logan Wilson, Chad Muma, Cassh Maluia and Easton Gibbs.

The first two are still collecting NFL paychecks. The latter players had a cup of coffee in the league.

Suiaunoa pounced on his opportunity, becoming a full-time starter as a junior.

Rutherford, he said, is on the right trajectory

"From my experience, playing both (middle) and (outside linebacker) during my time there, I believe Gary will become a great WILL backer," Suiaunoa said, adding Dash Bauman, another redshirt freshman, is also turning heads. "Gary is athletic, fast and allusive, while also being a good blitzer.

"... All I have seen is nothing but hard work and dedication."

Sawvel has said numerous times this offseason, no one has secured a starting spot on the defensive side of the ball. Sure, odds are guys like Wrook Brown, Tyce Westland and Keany Parks are solidified, the boss wants to see competition across the board, especially with roster cuts on the horizon.

The final tally will be 105. Wyoming will enter spring practice with 103. More than 20 rookies have yet to arrive on campus.

Rutherford knows this is a very important few months ahead.

"I'm just attacking it everyday," he said. "Don't get tired of it, just attack it."

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players