Pokes Lose Three to NCAA Transfer Portal, Overall Count Now at 12
LARAMIE -- Tom Burman tried to warn you.
Wyoming's Athletics Director said last week on the Roaring Repeater Podcast that the program was "not out of the woods" and some Wyoming Cowboy football players would enter the NCAA Transfer Portal this spring.
He was right.
Quarterback Hank Gibbs was the first to enter free agency. Signal caller-turned-defensive end Caden Becker followed. So did offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon.
If you're keeping tally at home, since the Pokes' season finale at Fresno State last November, UW has lost 12 players to the open market.
Literally minutes -- if not seconds -- after Pregnon, a 6-foot-6, 318-pound sophomore, announced his decision to enter the portal, the who's who of the college football world came calling. The Denver product received offers from Miami, Tennessee, Penn State, Auburn, Ole Miss, Colorado, UCLA and Oregon, among many, many others. Even Bart Miller, Wyoming's former offensive line coach who is now at Illinois, offered Pregnon, according to Twitter posts from the former Cowboy.
Pregnon was one of the bright young stars in the program, starting 11 games for Wyoming a season ago. This Tweet, however, has not been sitting well with the locals:
Becker also made his announcement Saturday, penning "Due to circumstances that were out of my control, I felt it was necessary for me to make a change."
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound redshirt freshman was a three-star QB recruit out of Skutt Catholic High School in Omaha. This offseason, at his request, he was moved to the edge-rusher spot.
"I just wanted to find a way on the field," Becker said on March 30. "I wanted to put myself in a spot to compete for some playing time."
When asked if the transfer portal was ever an option, Becker said, at the time, it had never entered his thought process.
"I really love my teammates and the coaching staff has been great in my time here," he said. "I wouldn't say that's necessarily been an option for me, at this point, because I want to be here. I love Laramie, too."
Becker is apparently trying his hand at the tight end position, per his Twitter account. He has received an offer from Independence CC (Kan.) and will be in attendance at the Nebraska-Kearney spring game this Saturday.
MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:
* Pokes Practice Report: Saturday scrimmage a real dress rehearsal
* Cole Godbout prepping for final ride in Laramie
* Wyoming QB Hank Gibbs entering NCAA Transfer Portal
* Potential Landed an Untapped John Michael Gyllenborg at UW
* DQ James on fallen teammate Tony Evans Jr: 'I think about him a lot'
* Wyoming's staff sticks with Texas QB despite two ACL tears
* Wyoming's Connor Shay vying for starting linebacker spot
* Sam Scott has found a permanent home in Pokes' backfield
* Pokes Practice Report: Does Wyoming finally have cornerback depth?
* War Memorial Stadium upgrades to begin this fall
* Wyoming's newest running back looking for larger role in Laramie
Gibbs, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound Fayetteville, Ark., product, announced his intentions to transfer last Friday. He was one of five quarterbacks on the roster. Most of the reps this spring, according to head coach Craig Bohl, have been reserved for incumbent Andrew Peasley, Evan Svoboda and Jayden Clemons. True freshman Kaden Anderson is still recovering from offseason ACL surgery.
"I'd like to thank everyone at the University of Wyoming for their support," Gibbs penned on Twitter. "I'm a much better man, athlete and QB. I showed up on campus as a walk-on and worked my way to earn a scholarship. I am very appreciative of coach (Craig) Bohl. He does things the right way. Upon graduation this spring , I look forward to the next opportunity to play football for three more years. Always, Go Pokes."
Gibbs served as the Cowboys' holder during the 2020 COVID-19 shortened campaign. He has received an offer from Northern Iowa, according to his Twitter account.
Players who have left the program:
* OL - Emmanuel Pregnon
^ DE - Caden Becker
^ QB - Hank Gibbs
^ OL - Mykel Janise (Louisiana Tech)
^ DE - Akili Bonner
^ WR - Tyrese Grant
^ OL - Jagger Filippone
# RB - Joey Braasch
^ CB - Zaire Jackson
* WR - Joshua Cobbs (Houston)
* CB - Cam Stone (Hawaii)
# DE - Oluwaseyi Omotosho (Oregon State)
* Full-time starters in 2022 at UW
^ Saw limited -- if any -- action in 2022 at UW
# Served in a reserve role in 2022 at UW
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