(Editor's note: UW Athletics release)
LARAMIE, Wyo. - Wyoming Football announced two additional high school signees to its 2021 recruiting class on Wednesday when it signed Tony Evans Jr. and D.Q. James. The two new Cowboys were high school teammates at Lancaster High School in Lancaster, Texas.
"It's a small world," said Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl. "The name Tony Evans struck me when I saw it. When we started recruiting Tony, I realized I was on the coaching staff at Tulsa when Tony Jr.'s dad played there. It is great to have Tony Jr. join our program. He possesses great receiving skills. He is a tall receiver, who can stretch the field, and he comes from an excellent high school program.
"D.Q. James has great speed. We feel like he is going to add an element to our backfield. While he may be undersized at 5' 7"and 180 pounds, he does have legitimate track speed, so we can utilize that. It's great to have these two guys. They've been vetted and they're excited about being Cowboys."
Evans and James are both rated as three-star recruits by 247 Sports. James was ranked as the No. 263rd overall recruit in the talent-rich state of Texas this year by 247 Sports, and Evans is ranked No. 343 by 247 Sports. The two high school teammates led Lancaster High to the Class 5A Division 1 Region II finals in 2020, finishing the season with an 11-3 record.
James is one of two running backs in this year's Wyoming recruiting class, and Evans is one of two wide receivers in the Cowboys' 2021 class of football recruits.
The addition of Evans and James brings Wyoming's 2021 recruiting class to a total of 19 signees. They join 17 high school recruits who signed with Wyoming during the early signing period in December of 2020. Of the 19 players who signed with the Cowboys, eight of those signees are from the state of Texas.
One member of the 2021 recruiting class enrolled early at UW. Zaire Jackson, a cornerback from Parker, Colo. who signed with the Cowboys in December is currently enrolled at UW for the 2021 spring semester and will be able to participate in 2021 spring practice.
The 2021 regular signing period for NCAA Division I football began on Wednesday, Feb. 3 and will run through Aug. 1, 2021.
2021 University of Wyoming Football February Signees
(Alphabetical, As of Feb. 3, 2021)
High-School Signees
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class Hometown (Last School)
Tony Evans Jr. WR 6-2 185 Fr. Lancaster, Texas (Lancaster)
Tony Evans was ranked as a three-star recruit and the 343rd overall recruit in the state of Texas by 247 Sports as a high school senior. Lancaster reached the 5A Division I Region II final before losing to Frisco Lone Star to finish the 2020 season with an 11-3 record. As a junior in 2019, Evans caught 21 passes for 465 yards and had seven touchdown receptions in eight games. He averaged 22.1 yards per reception. Evans also accounted for 538 all-purpose yards, including rushing and return yardage. He helped lead Lancaster High to a 9-1 overall record and a 7-0 district record as a junior. Lancaster finished first in Class 5A-1 Region II District 6 and won its opening round game in the state playoffs over Wakeland High School in the Bi-District round before losing to Longview High in the Area Round. He played for head coach Chris Gilbert. Evans was also recruited by Northern Colorado.
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class Hometown (Last School)
D.Q. James RB 5-7 180 Fr. Lancaster, Texas (Lancaster)
D.Q. James was ranked as a three-star recruit and the 263rd overall recruit in the state of Texas by 247 Sports as a high school senior. Lancaster reached the 5A Division I Region II final before losing to Frisco Lone Star to finish the 2020 season with an 11-3 record. As a junior in 2019, James earned First Team All-District in football as he rushed for 837 yards, scored 10 touchdowns and averaged 9.5 yards per carry. He helped lead Lancaster High to a 9-1 overall record and a 7-0 district record in 2019. Lancaster finished first in Class 5A-1 Region II District 6 and won its opening round game in the state playoffs over Wakeland High School in the Bi-District round before losing to Longview High in the Area Round. Also an outstanding track and field performer, James helped Lancaster to a third-place finish in the Class 5A State Championships in the 4 x 100-meter relay as a sophomore. His junior season James' 4 x 100 team ran a 40.65 as of April 2020, which was the best high school time in the nation at that time. James has run the 100 meters in 10.83 seconds. He played for head coach Chris Gilbert. James was also recruited by Hawai'i and New Mexico.
Position Breakdown
•This year's position breakdown sees 12 recruits on the defensive side of the ball and seven on offense. Of the defensive signees: six are defensive backs, four are defensive linemen and two are linebackers. Offensively, UW signed two offensive lineman, two running backs, two wide receivers and one tight end.
State-by-State Breakdown
•A year ago, Colorado led the way for Wyoming with six signees, followed by four from California. This year, the state of Texas leads the way with eight signees, followed by four from Nebraska, two from Illinois and one each from Wyoming, California, Colorado, Kansas/Missouri and Utah.
Individual Recruiting Rankings
•Of Wyoming's 19 signees, 13 of the 19 were rated as three-star recruits by 247 Sports.
•Eleven members of Wyoming's 2021 recruiting class were rated by 247 Sports among the best players in their states, including three individuals who were ranked among the Top 30 recruits in their states. Zaire Jackson was rated as the No. 25 overall recruit in the state of Colorado. John Michael Gyllenborg was rated as the No. 27 overall recruit in the state of Missouri, and Jaylen Sargent was rated as the No. 27 overall recruit in the state of Utah.
More Information on the 2021 Wyoming Football Signing Class
•Additional information on the 2021 recruiting class, including videos are available on the Wyoming Signing Day Central page at GoWyo.com and on Twitter @wyo_football.
2021 University of Wyoming Football Signing Class
High-School Signees (19)
(Listed Alphabetically)
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class Hometown (Last School)
Caden Barnett OL 6-5 305 Fr. Justin, Texas (Northwest)
Wrook Brown S 5-11 175 Fr. Salado, Texas (Salado)
Tony Evans Jr. WR 6-2 185 Fr. Lancaster, Texas (Lancaster)
Will Evans DT 6-3 245 Fr. Houston, Texas (C.E. King)
John Michael Gyllenborg TE 6-5 225 Fr. Leawood, Kan. (Rockhurst)
Zaire Jackson CB 5-11 170 Fr. Parker, Colo. (Valor Christian)
D.Q. James RB 5-7 180 Fr. Lancaster, Texas (Lancaster)
Andrew Johnson S 6-1 185 Fr. Cheyenne, Wyo. (Central)
Jovan Marsh CB 5-11 170 Fr. Robbins, Ill. (Marist)
Tommy McEvoy LB 6-2 195 Fr. Clarkson, Neb. (Clarkson-Leigh)
Jaylen Sargent WR 6-2 170 Fr. Logan, Utah (Logan)
Sam Scott LB 6-2 215 Fr. Omaha, Neb. (Skutt Catholic)
Kolbey Taylor CB 6-2 175 Fr. Houston, Texas (Pasadena Memorial)
JJ Uphold DT 6-5 240 Fr. Bakersfield, Calif. (Garces Memorial)
Jordon Vaughn RB 6-2 220 Fr. Manvel, Texas (Manvel)
Jack Walsh OL 6-3 290 Fr. Palatine, Ill. (Fremd)
Tyce Westland DE 6-5 220 Fr. Pleasanton, Neb. (Pleasanton)
Tommy Wroblewski S 6-2 185 Fr. Saint Paul, Neb. (Saint Paul)
Micah Young DE 6-2 210 Fr. San Antonio, Texas (Southside)
