Taylor column: 10 Cowboys named preseason All-MW by Phil Steele

Jun 17, 2023 LARAMIE — Phil Steele’s website refers to his annual college football preview magazine as “the college football bible.” Since the magazine’s inception in 1995, fans all across the country have looked forward to Steele’s magazine to help pass the time between the end of spring ball and the start of fall camp. This year’s edition features 352 pages, made up of two pages for every FBS team, according to Steele’s website. The University of Wyoming’s section will feature 10 Cowboys who were named preseason All-Mountain West by Steele this summer. While Steele’s list is hardly a set-in-stone prediction, having double-digits representing on his all-conference list certainly bodes well for UW going into the new season. Though few players in the nation produced better sack and tackle for loss numbers over the past two years, Jonah Tavai didn't hear his name called in the 2023 NFL Draft and will hope to prove 31 other teams wrong by making a splash with the Seattle Seahawks. Steele’s all-conference nods include five first team selections (kicker John Hoyland, defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole, defensive end DeVonne Harris, offensive tackle Frank Crum and linebacker Easton Gibbs), two on the second team (tight end Treyton Welch and running back Dawaiian McNeely), two on the third team (defensive end Sabastian Harsh and linebacker Shae Suiaunoa) and one on the fourth team (defensive tackle Cole Godbout). The group is headed by Hoyland, who led UW’s offense with 94 points scored last fall, or an average of 7.2 points per game. Along with his first-team All-MW nod, Steele named Hoyland a third-team preseason All-American in this year’s poll. Hoyland made 22-of-25 field goals (88%) last season, which set a new UW single-season record. His average of 1.69 field goals per game led the MW and was No. 7 in the country. Hoyland was dependable from all over the field, most notably from long range. He nailed four field goals over 50 yards, including a 55-yarder that tied for the fifth-longest in the country last season and the longest in the MW, according to UW. Hoyland was a semifinalist for last year’s Lou Groza Award, which honors the nation’s top kicker. He earned the MW special teams player of the week award three times last fall. Other first team selections Three of Steele’s first team All-MW selections came on the Cowboys defense. As a sophomore, Gibbs ranked No. 3 in the conference and No. 22 in the country in tackles with an average of 9.3 per game. He finished the year with a team-high 121 tackles and had double-digit tackles in six of UW’s 13 games, according to UW. Gibbs’ first career 100-tackle season landed him on the first team All-MW team last fall. Bertagnole and Harris join Gibbs on Steele’s first team list after having plenty of success on UW’s defensive line last season. Bertagnole was a second team All-MW selection last fall while Harris was an all-conference honorable mention. Bertagnole is coming off a year where he recorded 51 total tackles, 5½ sacks and 7½ tackles for loss in 11 games. He was also credited with four quarterback hurries and forced two fumbles. Harris led UW in sacks with eight and was second on the team with 13 tackles for loss. He recorded a season-high three sacks in a 28-14 win over Utah State. Crum, UW’s lone offensive selection on Steele’s preseason All-MW first team, is going into his sixth and final year in Laramie. After starting 36 of his 43 career games for the Cowboys, Crum will move to left tackle this fall after starting at right tackle for the past four seasons, according to UW. Second team selections Welch and McNeely are both primed for big years in UW’s offense this season. Welch, an All-MW honorable mention last fall, hauled in 22 catches for 308 yards and a team-high five touchdowns. Welch was one of quarterback Andrew Peasley’s favorite targets throughout the year, and that showed in the Arizona Bowl. Welch led the team with five catches for 91 yards and a touchdown in UW’s 30-27 loss to Ohio to end the season. McNeely battled injuries and was behind starting running back Titus Swen last season, but still rushed for 356 yards on 63 carries. With Swen now out of the picture, McNeely will have ample opportunities to carve out a big role in UW’s backfield this fall. Third team selections Harsh and Suiaunoa both represent UW’s defense on Steele’s third team list. Harsh missed all of last year with an injury, but is expected to be a big force on the Cowboys’ defensive line with a clean bill of health this fall. Suiaunoa was a big complement to Gibbs as UW’s weak-side linebacker last season. He finished second on the team with 73 tackles to go along with 2½ sacks, 4½ tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries. Suiaunoa started all 13 of UW’s games last season as a sophomore and was named the MW defensive player of the week in a 33-10 win over Northern Colorado. He finished the game with eight tackles (five solo), a sack and an interception. Fourth team selection Godbout, a team captain going into last year, missed half of the season with a foot injury. In UW’s first six games, Godbout collected 32 tackles, 11 quarterback hurries and 4½ tackles for a loss. Like Harsh, Godbout is expected to play a key role for UW’s defense going into this season. The Cowboys are coming off a 7-6 season that included a 5-3 record in the MW. The conference is going away with the two-division format starting this season, meaning the top 2 teams in the MW will face off in the conference title game in December.