• Easton Gibbs and Frank Crum Named First Team, Jordan Bertagnole Earns Second Team and Five Cowboys Named Honorable Mention

Tim Harkins
Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations,
Public Relations and Broadcasting
University of Wyoming Athletics

Laramie, Wyo. (Nov. 28, 2023) — The Mountain West Conference announced its 2023 All-Mountain West football teams on Tuesday and eight Wyoming Cowboys were honored.  The team was selected in voting by the 12 Mountain West head coaches and media members covering the league.

For the fifth consecutive season, Wyoming has a linebacker on the All-Mountain West First Team.  For the second straight season Wyoming middle linebacker Easton Gibbs was named to the First Team.  Gibbs was joined on the First Team by Cowboy offensive tackle Frank Crum, who earned First Team honors for the first time in his career.  Wyoming defensive tackleJordan Bertagnole was voted to the Second Team.  It was also Bertagnole’s first All-Conference honor.

Five Cowboys achieved Honorable Mention honors.  Those five are: safety Wyett Ekeler, quarterback Andrew Peasley, running back Harrison Waylee, tight end Treyton Welch and wide receiver Wyatt Wieland.  It marked the second consecutive season that Peasley and Welch earned Honorable Mention honors.  Ekeler, Waylee and Wieland all received Honorable Mention recognition for the first time.

First Team Selections

Easton Gibbs finished the 2023 regular season averaging 8.8 tackles per game to rank No. 4 in the Mountain West and No. 29 in the nation.  Gibbs will enter Wyoming’s bowl game with 359 career tackles as a Cowboy to rank eighth in school history and 13th among all active FBS players.  He also recorded his second consecutive 100-tackle season, with 106 entering UW’s bowl game.  Gibbs second consecutive First Team honor extended the streak of First Team Cowboy linebackers to five seasons.  Former Cowboy linebacker Logan Wilson was named First Team All-MW in 2019, and Chad Muma was named First Team All-Conference in 2020 and ’21.  Gibbs continued that streak with First Team honors in 2022 and ’23.

Frank Crum earned First Team honors this season for the first time.  He started all 12 games for Wyoming at left tackle this season, moving to left tackle after starting the previous three seasons at right tackle.  He was a 2023 Preseason First Team All-Mountain West selection by MW Media.  Crum was also a 2023 Preseason First Team All-Mountain West as selected by both Athlon Sports and Phil Steele.  He was leader of a Wyoming offensive line unit that enabled Cowboy running backs to record 4, 100-yard rushing games this season, including: a 191-yard rushing game vs. New Mexico, a 156-yard rushing performance vs. Appalachian State, a 128-yard game vs. Colorado State and a 110-yard rushing game vs. then No. 4 ranked Texas.

Second Team Selections

Jordan Bertagnole ranked No. 3 among all Mountain West defensive linemen in tackles this season, averaging 4.8 tackles per game.  He was a 2023 Preseason First Team All-Mountain West selection as named by MW Media.  Bertagnole was also a 2023 Preseason First Team All-Mountain West selection by both Athlon Sports and Phil Steele.  He has 57 total tackles this season, with 2.0 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries, two pass break-ups and one forced fumble.  Bertagnole has had four or more tackles in nine games this season.  His best games were: 9 tackles at UNLV, 8 vs. Appalachian State, 7 vs. Portland State, 6 vs. Texas Tech, 6 at Boise State, 5 vs. Hawai’i, 4 vs. Colorado State, 4 vs. Fresno State and 4 at Texas.

Honorable Mention Selections

Wyett Ekeler ranked third on the Cowboy team in tackles this season with 75 and ranked No. 9 among MW defensive backs in tackles, averaging 6.25 per game.  Ekeler was twice named MW Defensive Player of the Week in 2023 — once against Nevada in a 42-6 Cowboy road win and the first time vs. New Mexico in a 35-26 Wyoming victory.  Against Nevada, Ekeler intercepted a pass and returned it 38 yards for a Pick Six.  In the win over New Mexcio, Ekeler recorded 2.0 sacks in the win, including one for a strip sack, where he both forced and recovered the fumble.  Ekeler tied for No. 3 in the Mountain West in forced fumbles, with two, and tied for No. 12 in the Mountain West in passes defended, with eight.  He tied for the team lead in tackles for loss (5.5) and was second on the team in interceptions, with two.

Andrew Peasley ranked No. 1 in the Mountain West and No. 22 in the nation in Points Responsible For, averaging 14.9 points per game.  He also ranked No. 3 in the Mountain West and No. 39 in the nation in passing efficiency, with a 147.4 efficiency rating.  Peasley has thrown 20 touchdown passes and rushed for seven TDs for a total of 27 Touchdowns Responsible For.  Adding in a two-point conversion, he is responsible for 164 total points in the 11 games he has played this season.  He has completed 146 of 241 passes (60.6 percent) for 1,823 yards, 20 TDs and only five interceptions.  Peasley is second on the team in rushing (403 yards), leads the team in rushing TDs (7) and leads Wyoming with 2,226 yards of total offense.  He was named Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in a 24-19 win over then No. 24 ranked Fresno State, as he completed 19 of 27 pass attempts (.703) for 183 yards and 3 touchdowns and rushed for 25 yards to account for 208 yards of total offense.  Peasley was named one of eight Manning Award Stars of the Week for his performance in a win over Hawai’i, where he completed 82.3 percent of his passes (14 of 17) for 319 yards and three TD passes of 89, 44 and 40 yards.  Peasley accounted for four TDs against Air Force, throwing three TD passes and rushing for one TD.  He had seven games in which he threw multiple passing TDs, including four games in which he threw three TD passes.

Harrison Waylee made an immediate impact for the Wyoming Cowboys in his first semester after transferring to Wyoming from Northern Illinois.  Waylee led the Cowboys in rushing, with 856 yards in the nine games he played.  Waylee ranked No. 4 in the Mountain West and No. 23 in the nation in rushing yards per game, averaging 95.1 yards per game.  His 102.1 all-purpose yards per game ranked No. 8 in the Mountain West.  He averaged 5.86 yards per carry, which ranked No. 6 in the Mountain West and No. 36 nationally.  Waylee was a 2023 Preseason First Team All-Mountain West selection by Athlon Sports.  He had four, 100-yard rushing games this season, including: 191 yards vs. New Mexico, 156 vs. Appalachian State, 128 vs. Colorado State and 110 at then No. 4 ranked Texas.  He added 83 rushing yards vs. Fresno State, 71 at Nevada and 70 yards vs. Hawai’i.  His explosive runs in 2023 included: a 62-yard TD run at Texas, a 75-yard TD run vs. Appalachian State, a 66-yard run vs. New Mexico and a 46-yard TD run vs. New Mexico.

Treyton Welch was Wyoming’s second leading receiver this season in terms of receptions, with 27.  He had 286 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns during the regular season.  Welch was one of the most consistent tight ends in the Mountain West this season, having multiple receptions in eight games.  His best receiving games in 2023 were 6 catches for 74 yards vs. Fresno State, 3 receptions for 50 yards at UNLV, 3 for 38 at Air Force, 3 for 31 vs. Texas Tech, 3 for 28 at Boise State, 3 for 22 vs. New Mexico and 3 for 22 at Texas.  Welch’s two TD receptions came against Fresno State and Air Force.  He was a 2023 Preseason Second Team All-Mountain West selection by both Athlon Sports and Phil Steele.  He played a critical role in Wyoming’s win over Fresno State, leading the Cowboys in receiving that game with 6 catches for 74 yards and 1 TD.  He averaged 10.6 yards per reception, with a long reception of 32 yards.

Wyatt Wieland led the Cowboys in receptions (39) and receiving yards (425) and was second in receiving touchdowns (5) this season.  Wieland also ranked second on the Cowboy team in All-Purpose yards with 505, including 62 kick return yards.  He ranked 11th in the Mountain West in receiving TDs, with five and ranked second on the Wyoming team in total TDs scored, with six, including five receiving touchdowns and one rushing TD.  Wieland had 10 games with multiple receptions in 2023.  His best game was on the road at then No. 4 ranked Texas, catching eight passes for 62 yards.  His other top receiving games included: five receptions for 72 yards at UNLV, five for 50 yards vs. Fresno State, four for 43 yards at Nevada and three for 50 yards vs. Portland State.

2022 Wyoming All-Mountain West Conference Honorees

First Team

Easton Gibbs, Linebacker, 6-2, 235, Temecula, Calif.

Frank Crum, Offensive Tackle, 6-7, 315, Laramie, Wyo.

Second Team

Jordan Bertagnole, Defensive Tackle, 6-4, 287, Casper, Wyo.

Honorable Mention

Wyett Ekeler, Free Safety, 5-11, 197, Windsor, Colo.

Andrew Peasley, Quarterback, 6-2, 213, La Grande, Ore.

Harrison Waylee, Running Back, 5-10, 198, Johnston, Iowa

Treyton Welch, Tight End, 6-3, 241, Buffalo, Minn.

Wyatt Wieland, Wide Receiver, 6-1, 207, Colorado Springs, Colo.