VMI transfer Evan Eller striving for playing time at UW

The biggest difference between the two schools so far has been on Eller’s alarm clock. VMI has a rich military tradition, one that trickles down to all of its student-athletes.

For the past four years, Eller’s days started with formation at 7 a.m.

“Then you’ve got to put your bed up by 8 a.m. and you’ve got class from anywhere from 9 to about 3:30 or 4 o’clock,” Eller told WyoSports last weekend. “We would then meet right at 4 for football, we’d be on the field for practice from 5-7, and then at 7:30 was formation again.

“You go to dinner, and you’re back in your room doing homework at like 9 o’clock. Really, Monday through Sat urday was 7 a.m. to 9 o’clock at night.”

First-year coach Jay Sawvel is strict on his players, but not that strict. Eller played a hybrid linebacker/safety position for the Keydets, so most of his time in Laramie so far has been making the transition to a more traditional inside linebacker role.

“He’s at a little transition right now because of playing the position he played a year ago at VMI to now playing in the box a lot more,” Sawvel said last weekend. “There’s some transition to it, but I see good things out of him. You can tell he’s a good player. He’s a good athlete, and he’s going to help us on special teams.”

Eller — the Class 3A defensive player of the year in Virginia in 2019 — entered the transfer portal out of necessity this offseason. It also stemmed from a lifelong passion to pursue his dreams of playing at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.

“We didn’t have a graduate school, so I was just kind of looking to continue playing,” Eller said. “I always had confidence in myself that I could play at the next level as far as FBS, and I kind of wanted to kind of get that big school atmosphere.

“Obviously, Laramie and this university love football, and I didn’t have any other FBS offers. This was a great opportunity as far as them wanting me for inside linebacker. With the inside linebackers that have come through here, it was kind of a no-brainer.”

UW’s rich tradition of developing inside linebackers was one of the key selling points for Eller during his recruitment. Seeing former Cowboys like Logan Wilson and Chad Muma flash their skills in the NFL made Eller want a taste of whatever UW’s coaching staff was providing for the linebacker room in Laramie.

“It’s definitely exciting,” Eller said. “They kind of understood that I was coming from a safety/linebacker hybrid position, and they’re helping me out a lot. I think if I want a shot to continue playing and if I want to maximize my potential at that insider linebacker position, (I’m in the right place).”

Eller appeared in 40 games in his career at VMI, recording 235 tackles. He ranked No. 16 in FCS last year with 106 total tackles to go along with two forced fumbles and an interception, earning him All-Southern Conference honors.

Eller made a handful of big plays during last weekend’s open practice inside the Indoor Practice Facility. With Shae Suiaunoa sliding over from weak-side to middle linebacker following the graduation of Easton Gibbs, Eller is targeting the weak-side position this spring. The coaching staff also expects him to learn the middle linebacker responsibilities this summer to back up Suiaunoa.

“I’m getting used to that feeling of being back in the box,” Eller said. “I have a lot of confidence in myself in there, and (the coaches) are instilling a lot of confidence in me, as well. I’m just trying to maximize every opportunity I get when I step on the field.”

Eller has leaned on Suiaunoa’s guidance since coming to Laramie. It’s not often a fifth-year college player goes from team captain back to fighting for a starting spot, but Eller is embracing the challenge of doing everything he can to earn playing time this fall.

“All of the linebacker room has welcomed me a lot, but they probably get annoyed with how many questions I ask,” Eller said with a laugh. “Same with (defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Aaron Bohl). He’s definitely helped me a lot.

“... I’ve kind of had to humble myself after being a team captain at my last school, and now, I’m going under the wings of other guys since I’ve come here. But it’s been good.”

Eller has heard all about UW shattering its home attendance at War Memorial Stadium last fall. Playing in front of the home fans is one of the most exciting prospects for Eller going into his one and only season in Laramie.

“The VMI fans were great, don’t get me wrong, but we didn’t really have the stadium to hold that many people,” Eller said. “From week to week, it’d be anywhere from like (6,000) to (12,000). When we’d play FBS games, it’d be great, because now I kind of understand how much of an impact the home crowd can make.

“Playing in a home crowd rather than a hostile environment, I’m super excited for it and to finally feel like I’m playing in a big environment.”

Eller hopes to make a push for the starting job on the weak side of UW’s defense. Beyond playing time, the linebacker’s main goal is to make the most out of his final year of college eligibility.

“I just really want to maximize my potential,” Eller said. “It’s my last year. We’ve got a lot of talented guys in the room, but I definitely want to establish myself as a leader on the team and a leader on the defense.

“It’s definitely going to be tough, and I understand that coming into a defense that has a lot of (experience) and guys returning, but I just want to do all I can to help the team. I want to be available before hopefully stepping into a starting role eventually, but I just want to do whatever I can throughout the season to maximize my last year.”