Pokes Snag FCS Linebacker out of NCAA Transfer Portal

LARAMIE -- Wyoming Monday landed its first player out of the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Linebacker, safety hybrid Evan Eller announced on Twitter he will sign with the Cowboys after spending the previous three seasons at the Virginia Military Institute. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior has one season of eligibility remaining.

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Eller, who is a graduate transfer, tallied 106 tackles last fall -- 16th in the FCS -- including two forced fumbles and an interception. He was named to the First Team All-SoCon as a defensive back. Eller, who was a team captain at VMI, racked up double-digit stops in five outings for the Keydets.

He was named the league's Player of the Month after a November stretch that included 29 tackles, a forced fumble and a pick.

The Roanoke, Virginia product also earned all-conference honors in 2022 as a linebacker after registering 99 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

In a game against No. 22 Wake Forest (FBS) that season, Eller finished with nine tackles and a sack in a lopsided 44-10 loss. He had a career night against 10th-ranked Samford (FCS), wrapping up 17 tackles and 1.5 stops in the backfield.

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Eller joins a linebackers corps that includes senior Shae Suiaunoa, who last week announced he would return to Laramie for a fifth season. Connor Shay, Read Sunn and Cole DeMarzo have also contributed. Wyoming will look to replace the production of Easton Gibbs, who declared for the NFL Draft despite having one year of eligibility remaining.

Gibbs, the Mountain West's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, tallied 109 tackles in 2023 and finished with 361 overall, landing the Temecula, Calif., product on the school's Top-10 list.

Air Force, Army, Navy and a host of Ivy League schools offered Eller out of Lord Botetourt High School in Daleville, Va. Stanford and Virginia Tech also kicked the tires on the 3A State Defensive Player of the Year. Aside from Wyoming, Stony Brook, Bryant, Richmond, Hampton, Tarleton, Monmouth, Samford, Charleston Southern and Western Carolina.

Eller is a mid-year graduate transfer and can enroll at UW this spring.

Wyoming currently has five players in the transfer portal after edge rusher Keelan Cox announced last weekend he would be returning to the program. Cornerback Kolbey Taylor (Vanderbilt), wide receiver Chase Locke, linebacker Cayden Hawkins and running back DQ James are all on the open market.

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