LARAMIE – Evan Eller planned to be one and done at Wyoming.
 
After transferring from the Virginia Military Institute, where he piled up 106 tackles playing the hybrid "rover" position in 2023, Eller transferred to UW to compete at the middle linebacker spot that produced Logan Wilson, Chad Muma and Easton Gibbs.
 
Shae Suiaunoa played almost all the reps at the "Mike" in 2024, finishing with a team-high 88 tackles.
 
Four games into his senior season, Eller had a change of plan. He approached head coach Jay Sawvel and defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Aaron Bohl about redshirting with the idea of having a bigger impact on the defense in 2025.
 
"I knew I could compete at this level, I just wanted to contribute as much as I could," Eller said. "Seeing how the first four games went, personally, we could have been 4-0 or 0-4, I just felt like I could contribute more, and I wanted to do so for the program. Once I talked to (Sawvel) and Coach Bohl as well they were on board with what I was thinking."
 
Since arriving at UW, Eller has gained about 20 pounds of muscle to get up to 230 pounds. He is also much more comfortable playing linebacker at the FBS level than he was at the start of last season.
 
"It was going to be his one year to play here and he wasn't going to be as good as what we thought he could be," Sawvel said of delaying Eller's impact on the defense a year. "He runs very well; he's a smart football player. I see good things from him right now and we've got to keep going. There's good competition there and that could be day-to-day change."
 
Eller is competing with another graduate transfer from the FCS level, 6-foot-4, 241-pound Ethan Stuhlsatz, who previously played at Lindenwood.
 
Bohl has also developed redshirt freshmen Dash Bauman and Gary Rutherford into potential impact players capable of either starting or being part of the linebacker rotation.
 
"Really, all the LBs in general are just trying to keep pushing each other, push the whole defense and the team in general," Rutherford said after spending a chunk of last Saturday's scrimmage making plays behind the line of scrimmage.
 
Oklahoma Baptist transfer Brayden Johnson, who is listed at 6-3, 245 pounds, is being pushed by Rutherford for the starting spot on the weak side.
 
"Bradyen and Ethan have been great transferring in. Their work ethic is great, and they fit right in with how we do things," Eller said. "Then Dash and Gary, you couldn't ask for better freshmen across the board in our room. We have the same mindset of get to the ball, work hard regardless of if it's a spring lift or an offseason lift and basically have an attitude about us in practice that sets the tone for the whole defense."
 
The competition for the linebackers will continue through fall camp. Sawvel and Bohl were not satisfied with the level of play in the heart of the defense and are looking to get back to the modern standard set by Wilson.
 
Eller is determined to make his extended ride with the Cowboys a memorable one.
 
"Last year I was playing to not mess up, this year I'm playing to make plays," Eller said. "I'm just playing faster and not stressing about knowing my job. It has been great, and I feel super comfortable playing linebacker and knowing everything on the defense."
 
UW will return to the field on Tuesday afternoon for the 10^th spring practice.
 
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