2021 Recruiting Breakdown: Wyoming

Welcome to the tenth post in our twelve-part recruiting breakdown series. Today looks at the #10 team in our rankings, Wyoming.

Wyoming turned in one of their best classes in the Bohl era last year and found themselves third in the site rankings. Their 2021 recruiting class did not achieve those same heights, and they have fallen towards the back of the pack once again. That is not to say the class is devoid of talent, quite the opposite. However, it does lack top-end talent or talent at the same level as the Cowboy’s conference peers. To learn more about this, read below.

The Skinny:

• 19 players signed
• 19 high school players
• 7 offensive, 12 defensive
• 17 3-stars per 247 Composite rankings.
• Players with a composite rating over 85: 0
• Players with a composite rating between 82-84: 3
• Breakdown by state (not a comprehensive list): 8 Texas, 3 Nebraska, 2 Illinois, 1 California, 1 Colorado, 1 Missouri, 1 Utah, 1 Wyoming
• 111th in the 247 Composite Rankings

The Players:

RB Jordon Vaughn

Jordon is a terrific running back heading to a school that knows how to utilize them. He is an elusive back who has a low center of gravity, which helps his balance and change of direction. Vaughn can run outside or between the tackles and when he hits a hole or turns a corner, he takes his speed up a notch. He is a physical player who also spent time at defensive end and special teams. Jordon will be another great one in a long line of running backs.

RB DQ James

DQ is small in stature but big in ability. He has tremendous speed and turns the corner quickly when running to the outside. James has an immediate burst and reaches top speed at the line of scrimmage, making him an instant threat. He can run between the tackles as well but is at his best with the ball in space, whether that is rushing or receiving. DQ is a bit of a different player than Wyoming is used to but can be a real weapon.

WR Tony Evans

Tony is a home run threat of a wide receiver. He works best on the outside, although he is well-rounded enough to be used in a few different ways. Evans is excellent at tracking the ball and making difficult catches look easy with his wide catch radius. He uses his speed and route running to gain a step on receivers and immediately looks for the ball when he gets open. Tony can stretch the field for the Cowboys when he sees the field.

WR Jaylen Sargent

Jaylen represents a change at wide-out for Wyoming, coming in smaller and more athletic than many of their past recruits. He is dynamic in the offense, making plays down the sideline and over the middle of the field. Sargent sticks out for his knack to get a step on DBs as well as his leaping ability. He is physical and doesn’t get tackled easily. Jaylen should add a new layer to the Cowboy’s schemes when he gets on the field.

TE John Michael Gyllenborg

John brings huge size to the tight end position that Wyoming craves. He can be the focal point of an offense and has a diverse route tree. Gyllenborg runs hard and covers a lot of ground while being a legit deep threat down the middle of the field. With his vision of tracking the ball, his size and hands, it’s difficult to defend him. John could play right away and should develop into a big playmaker in the years to come.

OL Caden Barnett

Caden is a two-way lineman who will make his home on the offensive side of the ball. He stays low out of the snap, is mobile and executes his assignment immediately. Barnett is menacing his run-blocking, resetting the line of scrimmage and creating big lanes to run the ball. He pulls well and consistently pancakes his blocks. Caden can play all over the line but seems best suited to be a guard who leads the charge in the run game.

OL Jack Walsh

Jack appears to be another prototypical Cowboy offensive lineman. He is a run-blocking machine who moves well laterally. Walsh is athletic enough to pull, be used as a fullback, or even come out wide for screens. He does a nice job getting his upper body behind his blocks and pushes back defenders with ease. Jack will fit in nicely alone the o-line in a year or two when he cracks the two-deep.

DT JJ Uphold

JJ played offensive and defense in high school but will be a full-time defensive tackle in college. He is a multi-sport athlete who plays fast and physical on the gridiron. Uphold displays great strength at the line or scrimmage and has a high motor, playing through the whistle. He doesn’t give up on plays and hunts down ball-carriers with determination. JJ will need time to gain weight and fully learn the interior of the defensive line but his athleticism and high football IQ should aid him.

DT Will Evans

Will is a lean, athletic defensive lineman. He is tenacious off the snap, blowing past defenders and getting into a position to make a play. In addition to his speed, Evans keeps his hands active, which allows him to tip passes and slow down or tackle ball-carriers as they try to get by. He appears to understand his assignment and has a plan on each play. Will may need to add weight since he is moving to an interior position, but it won’t be too long before he sees the field.

DE Micah Young

Micah is a linebacker who is being converted to a defensive end. He is an active defender who flies around the field making plays. Young is at his best around the line of scrimmage to fill the gaps in the run game or blitz to put pressure on the quarterback. He combines great speed with sound tackling ability as he wraps up well. Micah may need some time to adjust to his new position but should become comfortable before too long.

DE Tyce Westland

Tyce has a lot of potential as he enters college. He is a rangy defender with enough speed on the edge to handle duties as well as his pass-rushing. Westland is a textbook tackler who puts himself in the right position to make the play. He doesn’t give up on plays and can go from sideline to sideline to make a stop. Tyce has a chance to make an impact at the next level if he keeps developing.

LB Tommy McEvoy

Tommy is being converted to linebacker after mainly playing running back and safety in high school. He possesses great vision and changes direction on cuts with ease. McEvoy is a playmaker on the field and can impact the game via the blitz or making key interceptions. He hits hard and wraps up well on his tackles. Tommy will face an uptick in competition at the college level but will keep finding ways to make plays.

LB Sam Scott

Sam is a linebacker with an old school style of play. He routinely lines up in the box or at the line of scrimmage in order to stuff up the run. Scott is built well but still has enough speed to keep up with running backs and receivers in short coverage. He is a hard hitter who keys in on his assignments and executes consistently. Sam looks like a very good player who won’t make mistakes at the WLB position.

DB Jovan Marsh

Jovan comes to Wyoming from Illinois, a state they have recruited well in for years. He has a quick and fluid backpedal as a defensive back and consistently jumps to the ball to make a play. Marsh displays plus quickness, which allows him to cover slot receivers in addition to WRs on the outside. He covers ground easily and is smooth in his strides, making him look like he glides on the field. Jovan’s natural abilities could allow him to play sooner than other members of this class.

DB Wrook Brown

Wrook is a ball-hawking defense back the Cowboys are bringing in. He looks natural playing high in the middle of the field where he can cover a ton of ground in run or pass defense. Brown diagnoses playing quickly with his eyes and then commits to the play with max effort. He tackles soundly flying to the ball in run support and has great timing making a play on the ball when it’s in the air. Wrook should slot in well at free safety while at Wyoming.

DB Andrew Johnson

Andrew is a two-way player coming over to the defensive side of the ball. Regardless of which side of the ball he is on, he tracks the ball well in the air and has good hands. Johnson is a physical defender who plays tight coverage against receivers, bumping receivers off their routes and fighting for position to get to the ball in the air. He also isn’t afraid to mix things up in the run game. Andrew seems like the type of Wyoming recruit who will develop and exceed his recruiting rating while there.

DB Zaire Jackson

Zaire played both sides of the ball in high school, but will be a cornerback in college. He is an extremely hard-hitter and isn’t afraid of doing the little things to help his team succeed. Jakcson fights off blocks to be a presence in the run-game and physical at the line of scrimmage to disrupt receivers. Even with all of this, he remains aware in the passing game uses his speed to cover ground and close in to make a play. Zaire is an intriguing recruit who could become quite a playmaker in this defense.

DB Tommy Wroblewski

Tommy is another example of the Cowboy’s recruiting efforts in the secondary this year. He has great game speed and plays above the completion. Wroblewski plays hard and is physical when defending passes. He can track the ball well in the air to get in position to make a play. Tommy should develop into a contributor for Wyoming before too long.

DB Kolbey Taylor

Kolbey is a defensive back with great size. He is a hard hitter with great closing speed when stepping up in run support. Taylor can also cover a lot of ground as a deep safety in coverage and uses his quickness to close the gap and make a play on the ball. He reads plays well and reacts immediately in order to make a play. Kolbey has the potential to be dynamic player down the line for the Cowboys.

Writer’s Thoughts:

Zach: This class is like most Wyoming classes, not a lot of recruits that are going to stand out to those that follow recruiting closely. But there is plenty of under-the-radar talent that Bohl and company can develop into upper echelon Mountain West talent. They were able to pick up some intriguing talents at the wide receiver position in Jaylen Sargent and Tony Evans. The lack of a quarterback was really interesting considering their play at the position last year.

Quick Hits:

Headliner(s):

Mike: Vaughn, Young

Zach: Vaughn, James

Talented enough to play right away:

Mike: Vaughn, Young, James, Gyllenbord

Zach: Vaugh, James, Johnson

Sleeper Recruit:

Mike: Jackson, Sargent

Zach: Johnson, Jackson

Best unit:

Mike: Defensive backs, running backs

Zach: Wide receiver, defensive backs

Summary:

As stated and shown above, Wyoming’s class will not be confused with that of a top conference recruiting class. With that being said, if the goal for the Cowboy’s class was to find the next wave of players to become the core of the team, it seems like they accomplished that on paper. The coaching staff has shown they can develop players with the best of them, but it is imperative they do so in order to make this class a successful one.

Previous posts: San Diego State, Boise State, UNLV, Fresno State, Nevada, Colorado State, Air Force, New Mexico, San Jose

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