Wyoming
Wyoming Loses First Presumed Starter to Transfer Portal
LARAMIE — An obvious strength of Wyoming’s football team, Jay Sawvel would say in mid-April after an open practice inside War Memorial Stadium, is in the middle of the defensive front.
“There’s a case to be made, he might have been our best defensive tackle last year,” the rookie head coach said, referring to senior Gavin Meyer.
Now the 6-foot-4, 284-pound Wisconsin product is “expected to enter” the NCAA Transfer Portal with one season of eligibility remaining.
Meyer’s “NIL agent” Miles Jordan broke the news to On3sports.com Wednesday, just hours after college football’s free-agent frenzy officially came to a close at midnight Mountain Time.
Meyer himself liked the post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Jordan shared the announcement.
MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:
* DJ Jones feeling right at home in Pokes’ loaded backfield
* PODCAST: Putting a bow on spring football in Laramie
* Four Cowboys earn NFL mini-camp invites
* Jay Sawvel in search of depth on the O-line, at corner
* Tuck’s Take: Chris Durr Jr. could become a Mountain West pest
* Wyoming’s DeVonne Harris is quirky, but far from complacent
* Boddie eager to make plays in Pokes’ new-look offense
* Jayden Williams is Bringing ‘Controlled Chaos’ to Pokes’ Front Four
Meyer becomes the 15th Cowboy to leave the program this offseason. While that number might look troublesome on the surface, the veteran nose guard is the only presumed starter to bolt since Sawvel took the reins in early January.
Jordan Bertagnole, who announced in the offseason he would return to Laramie for a sixth year, was slated to line up next to Meyer in the trenches, forming one of the top tackle tandems in the Mountain West if not the country. Caleb Robinson was also expected to enter the rotation this fall. He was lost for the season with an unspecified injury midway through spring camp.
Jayden Williams, Ben Florentine, Jaden Williams and Lucas Samsula will likely vault up the depth chart with Meyer’s departure.
Meyer tallied 26 tackles last season — 13 solo stops and the same number of assists — while helping lead the Cowboys’ defense to a Top-50 ranking. The year prior he finished with a career-best 39 tackles and tacked on 3.5 sacks. The former three-star recruit out of Franklin High School also forced a fumble.
His best outing came during a 27-14 road victory over New Mexico back in 2022. Earning the spot start after Cole Godbout was sidelined with an injury, Meyer capped his night with six tackles, including two quarterback sacks. He also partially blocked a 45-yard field-goal attempt as time expired in the first half.
“Well, having a head coach give me props about what I do is awesome,” Meyer said in mid-April in response to Sawvel’s comments about him arguably being the best player on the defensive front. “I think that’s really a testament to our D linemen, as a whole, and having the depth in the room where it’s point A to point B — doesn’t matter who’s in there, they do their job and they do it well and can make plays.
“You know, to be a leader in that room, I really appreciate (his words), but I think it’s the whole room. That’s a testament to how we work hard and the leaders of the defense.”
MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:
* What have the Cowboys so far lost to the transfer portal?
* Wyoming defensive tackle injured Thursday, likely to miss season
* Wyoming’s Kaden Anderson proving to be worth the wait
* Mental, physical hurdles no longer hampering Sabastian Harsh
* Wyoming QB Carson May to Enter NCAA Transfer Portal
* 5 Takeaways From Wyoming’s Open Spring Scrimmage
* Svoboda, Gyllenborg: ‘We’re blessed that they are here’
Here are the former Cowboys currently in the NCAA Transfer Portal:
^ DT – Gavin Meyer – Sr. – Franklin, Wisc.
# CB – Chauncey Carter – RFr. – Garland, Texas
^ RB – DQ James – Soph. – Lancaster, Texas
* WR – Chase Locke – Jr. – San Antonio, Texas
* S – Garrett McGriff – RFr. – Carmichael, Calif.
* OL – Forrest Scheel – Soph. – Cambridge, Minn.
* OL – Kuba Tyszka – RFr. – Norridge, Ill.
* DL – Jaxon Galica – RFr. – Oshkosh, Wisc.
# DE – Keelan Cox – Sr. – Missouri City, Texas
* RB – Tyler Jacklich – RFr. – Modesto, Calif.
* QB – Carson May – Soph. – Jones, Okla.
# LB – Cayden Hawkins – Soph. – Highlands Ranch, Colo.
* LB – Brady Hultman – RFr. – Saint Charles, Mo. (Currently at Missouri)
# CB – Josh Dixon – Soph. – McKinney, Texas
^ CB – Kolbey Taylor – Jr. – Houston, Texas (Currently at Vanderbilt)
* Never played a snap at UW
^ Was a starter at some point in UW career
# Appeared in three games or less at UW
LOOK: Pokes’ unis through the years
The 2026 Wyoming High School boys’ soccer season is close to its finish. Only three weeks remain. 4A teams will conclude the regular season, as they jockey for positions going into next week’s regional tournaments. Meanwhile, 3A schools have this week and next week left in the regular season. They are trying to reach the top four of the league standings, as those are the teams that qualify for the state tournament in two weeks.
WYOPREPS WEEK 8 BOYS SOCCER SCHEDULE 2026
Three matches this week feature ranked opponents squaring off. Sheridan will host Thunder Basin on Friday. In 3A on Saturday, top-ranked Cody is at No. 5 Mountain View, and four-rated Torrington goes to No. 2 Buffalo. Just like the ladies, you have some rivalry matches on the schedule with Rock Springs-Green River, Jackson-Star Valley, and Thunder Basin-Campbell County. Wednesday will bring new soccer rankings. This is the boys’ schedule for Week 8. Schedules are subject to change.
TUESDAY, MAY 5:
CLASS 4A
Final Score: #2 Sheridan 2 Campbell County 1 (conference match)
Final Score: Riverton 3 Natrona County 1 (conference match)
CLASS 3A
Pinedale at Rawlins – postponed to May 11 – changed to May 9 for boys’ match only!
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6:
CLASS 4A
Laramie at Cheyenne Central – postponed to May 9
Cheyenne South at Cheyenne East – postponed to May 9
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WyoPreps Boys Soccer Standings on 4-20-26
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WyoPreps Week 4 Boys Soccer Scores 2026
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WyoPreps Week 2 Boys Soccer Scores 2026
WyoPreps Week 1 Boys Soccer Scores 2026
THURSDAY, MAY 7:
CLASS 4A
Final Score: #1 Jackson 8 Star Valley 2 (conference match)
Final Score: #4 Thunder Basin 3 Campbell County 1 (conference match)
Final Score: Rock Springs 2 #5 Green River 1 (conference match)
FRIDAY, MAY 8:
CLASS 4A
Final Score: Cheyenne Central 6 Cheyenne South 0 (conference match)
Final Score: #2 Sheridan 3 #4 Thunder Basin 1 (conference match)
Final Score: #2 Kelly Walsh 6 Riverton 0 (conference match)
Final Score: Laramie 3 Cheyenne East 1 (conference match)
Final Score: Evanston 2 Natrona County 2 – TIE (conference match) – Red Devils scored with 1 second left for the draw.
CLASS 3A
Final Score: #4 Worland 1 Rawlins 0 (conference match) – Kobe Bradshaw scored the GW goal on a PK in the 1st half.
Final Score: Douglas 2 Torrington 2 (conference match) – Shootout = Torrington wins 4-3!
Final Score: #1 Cody Lyman (conference match)
Final Score: #2 Lander 3 Pinedale 0 (conference match)
Final Score: Powell 1 #5 Mountain View 0 (conference match) – Gianrey Dallesandro with the GW-goal, assisted by Ethan Frame.
Final Score: #3 Buffalo 1 Newcastle 0 (conference match) – forfeit win for the Bison.
SATURDAY, MAY 9:
CLASS 4A
Laramie at Cheyenne Central, 11 a.m. (conference match)
Evanston at #2 Kelly Walsh, noon (conference match)
Cheyenne South at Cheyenne East, noon (conference match)
Riverton at Natrona County, noon (conference match)
Rock Springs at Star Valley, 1 p.m. (conference match)
CLASS 3A
Pinedale at Rawlins, 11 a.m.
#1 Cody at #5 Mountain View, noon (conference match)
Powell at Lyman, noon (conference match)
Torrington at #3 Buffalo, 2 p.m. (conference match)
#4 Worland at Douglas, 2 p.m. (conference match)
Final Score: Rawlins 1 Newcastle 0 (conference match) – forfeit win for the Outlaws.
Cheyenne Central vs. Cheyenne East HS Softball 2026
The Indians faced the rival Thunderbirds on April 15, 2026
Gallery Credit: David Settle, WyoPreps.com
James Forest Mothersbaugh Jr.: 1953 – 2025
James “Jim” Forest Mothersbaugh Jr. passed away on Saturday, December 6, 2025 at Central Wyoming Hospice in Casper, Wyoming, from complications of Multiple System Atrophy. He is survived by his wife, Becky Mothersbaugh; his sons, James Forest Mothersbaugh III and Blair Mothersbaugh; and Blair’s fiancée, Kelsey Baron.
Jim’s life was defined by music. He was a highly accomplished violinist, performing with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Puerto Rico, Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, and Savannah Symphony, among many others. He held degrees in violin performance, music education, and conducting from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut, with additional doctoral studies at the University of Iowa. He met his wife when they were both performing in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and passed his musical acumen to both of his sons. Jim taught orchestra and music theory to generations of students of all ages & abilities during his 28 years in the Natrona County School District. He conducted award-winning orchestras, taught students who went on to become professional musicians, and instilled a sense of purpose, character, and belief in both his students and colleagues that extended far beyond the stage. He was also an expert in the craft of re-hairing bows for string instruments, knew everything there is to know about The Beatles, and possessed a rare ability called synesthesia, which allowed him to see specific colors when hearing music. He leaves an extensive, enduring, and active legacy in the Wyoming musical community.
Jim will be immensely missed by his family, his friends, his colleagues, and his students. A celebration of life will take place at Backwards Distilling Company in Casper, Wyoming on June 28, 2026 from 2 to 5 p.m. Please RSVP at https://jimsmemorial.rsvpify.com/.
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