Sawvel Thinks This Fall Gary Rutherford Will Live Up To Hype

LARAMIE -- Gary Rutherford grabbed plenty of headlines in 2025.

The issue?

Those all came in the preseason.

Jay Sawvel didn't hesitate when asked last spring if the then redshirt freshman could snag the starting weakside linebacker spot. In fact, Wyoming's head coach said there was "no doubt." Rutherford took a more humble approach, saying the job was wide open and needed to improve across the board.

Just days ahead of the opener at Akron, the Peoria, Ill., product went down at practice. He was inadvertently rolled up on by an offensive lineman.

"Wrong spot, wrong time," Rutherford said with a shoulder shrug. "Football stuff. It happens."

The verdict? A sprained MCL.

That setback opened the door for senior Brayden Johnson, who not only slid seamlessly into the role, he excelled, tallying a team-high 81 tackles. The middle was solidified, too. Senior Evan Eller capped his career in Laramie with 81 stops. His back-up, Ethan Stuhlsatz, who is likely the leading candidate to win the job this fall, was also on the field for 268 plays.

Rutherford was the odd man out.

"At first, a little bit, because I kind of looked at it the wrong way," he said when asked if he was initially bothered by his lack of playing time after returning from injury. "Looking at it from the other side, it basically gave me more time to take care of my body, get extra hours in the film room, and, you know, study the opponent. It really just worked out for me during the season when I did get back, because I basically was more confident than before."

Rutherford was on the field for just 69 defensive snaps compared to 649 for Johnson. He appeared in 11 of the Cowboys' 12 games last fall, finishing with 14 total tackles, three of those came on 114 special teams plays.

Sawvel said fall camp last year wasn't going to plan for the former three-star recruit, who also fielded offers from Indiana, Toledo and Washington State out of high school. The knee injury only added to his misfortune. Though he didn't go into detail, Sawvel said many personal talks followed. The basic message: Put one foot in front of the other.

"Let's get ourselves back to where we need to be a little bit," he added.

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Rutherford said his own overthinking led to those talks.

"Football is football, at the end of the day," he said. "I just have to play fast. That's really it. He's a great head coach, and he basically just said, keep checking in week by week. Just keep grinding. Don't worry if you do make a mistake, everybody makes mistakes. Keep going."

Former recruiting coordinator Hordie Haug is on record, saying Rutherford is a "Big Ten" linebacker and the program is lucky they snagged him out of the Midwest. Now, it's time for the "big-time get" to prove it. Sawvel last week pointed to a spot in the Cowboys' team room that used to feature a white board. On it, nothing. He said, at the moment, that's where his depth chart stands this spring.

In other words, both linebacker jobs are there for the taking.

"I love Gary Rutherford," Sawvel said. "Gary has had a big-time offseason. His weight is better than it's ever been, his numbers are better than they've ever been, his speed is better than it's ever been and his mentality, right now, is better than it's ever been.

"So, no, I think that the expectation that we had going into last year is warranted. I think that it will be met here this spring and going forward."

How does the sophomore feel about his coach's confidence in him?

"It's time," Rutherford said with a smile. "I just got to prove to myself."

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