Gordie Haug Promoted to Director of Recruiting for Wyoming Football

LARAMIE -- Gordie Haug added a new job title this week.

Wyoming head football coach Craig Bohl has announced the promotion of Haug to the position of Executive Director of Recruiting for Cowboy Football. Haug will also continue to coach the Wyoming running backs. Haug is entering his ninth year as a member of the Wyoming Football staff in 2022 and his 16^th in college coaching.

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“Gordie had headed our recruiting office earlier in his career here at Wyoming and many of the players who have gone on to have great careers in the NFL were players he helped find,” said Bohl. “I believe Gordie’s presence in our recruiting efforts is really going to be important for us moving forward. With the landscape of college football and college football recruiting constantly changing, I felt it was important to give him more responsibility in helping guide our recruiting. He is also going to continue to coach our running backs, where he has done an outstanding job.”

“I want to thank coach Bohl for allowing me to continue to help this program in any way I can,” Haug said. “I am excited to have an even larger role in the recruitment of our student-athletes to this great land-grant institution. Being able to continue as running backs coach is very important to me. I love coaching our players, and I am grateful that Coach Bohl has entrusted me to fill both roles.”

Haug began his time at Wyoming as Director of Recruiting in 2014, and was very innovative in directing recruiting efforts for Cowboy Football. In 2015, he was given the added responsibility of coaching the Cowboy wide receivers.

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Since 2018, Haug has coached the Wyoming running backs while continuing to maintain a role in recruiting and player personnel. His expanded role as Executive Director of Recruiting beginning in July 2022 will increase his influence and impact on Wyoming recruiting.

During Haug’s time at Wyoming, the program has seen more student-athletes go on to NFL careers that any other time in the history of Cowboy Football.

At the conclusion on the 2021 NFL season, Wyoming had more players on NFL rosters than any other team in the Mountain West Conference. A total of 16 former Wyoming Cowboys were on NFL rosters as of Friday, Jan. 1, 2022 -- some on active rosters and others on developmental squads.

Those Cowboys and their current teams are listed here, along with Wyoming’s most recent NFL signees: Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills; Marcus Epps, S, Philadelphia Eagles; Austin Fort, TE, Tennessee Titans; Rico Gafford, WR, Green Bay Packers; Tanner Gentry, WR, Buffalo Bills; Tashaun Gipson, S, Chicago Bears; Carl Granderson, DE, New Orleans Saints; Tyler Hall, CB, Los Angeles Rams; Brian Hill, RB, San Francisco 49ers; Jacob Hollister, TE, Las Vegas Raiders; Chad Muma, LB, Jacksonville Jaguars; Mark Nzeocha, LB, San Francisco 49ers; Mike Purcell, NT, Denver Broncos; Chase Roullier, C, Washington Commanders; Logan Wilson, LB, Cincinnati Bengals; Andrew Wingard, S, Jacksonville Jaguars; and Eddie Yarbrough, DE, Minnesota Vikings.  Wyoming also had four other players sign as free agents with NFL teams following the 2022 NFL Draft.  Those four were: Garrett Crall, DE/OLB, Miami Dolphins; Keegan Cryder, OL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Logan Harris, OL, Detroit Lions; and Trey Smith, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

In terms of NFL Draft picks, UW’s most recent was Muma, who was selected as the sixth pick in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Muma became the eighth Wyoming Cowboy to be selected in the NFL Draft during the first eight seasons Bohl has been the head coach at Wyoming.

The previous NFL Draft picks during the Bohl era include: 2015 Mark Nzeocha (Dallas Cowboys, 7th Round, 19th Pick); 2017 Brian Hill (Atlanta Falcons, 5th Round 12th Pick); 2017 Chase Roullier (Washington Commanders, 6th Round 15th Pick); 2018 Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills, 1st Round, 7th Pick); 2019 Marcus Epps (Minnesota Vikings, 6th Round, 18th Pick); 2020 Logan Wilson (Cincinnati Bengals, 3rd Round, 1st Pick); and 2020 Cassh Maluia (New England Patriots, 6th Round, 25th Pick).

One of the hallmarks of Wyoming Football during the past eight seasons has been how successful the Cowboy program has been at taking those recruits and developing them to their maximum potential.

Year     Player and All-America Honors Earned

2021     Chad Muma -- Linebacker -- Second Team Pro Football Focus and Walter Cam, Third Team AP

2019     Logan Wilson -- Linebacker -- First Team Pro Football Focus, Second Team USA Today, Third Team AP

2016     Chase Roullier -- Center -- Second Team USA Today All-American; Brian Hill -- Running Back -- Third Team College Sports Madness All-American

Haug will coach Wyoming’s running backs for the fifth consecutive season in 2022.  Each of Haug’s first three seasons coaching the Wyoming running backs, UW had the league’s No. 1 rusher and a First Team All-Mountain West selection -- Xazavian Valladay in 2019 and ‘20 and Nico Evans in 2018.

The 2021 season saw Valladay and Titus Swen share carries to form an extremely effective tandem. Valladay recorded the second 1,000-yard rushing season of his career (1,070 yards) and Swen rushed for 785 yards. Both earned All-Conference recognition in ‘21. Valladay received Second Team All-MW honors from head coaches and media. Swen was a Second Team selection by Pro Football Focus.

Valladay ranked No. 3 in the Mountain West in rushing yards (82.3 yards per game) and recorded four 100-yard rushing games during the season (172 at San Jose State, 145 at Utah State, 101 at Northern Illinois and 101 at UConn). Swen ranked No. 2 in the MW and No. 26 in the nation in yards per carry (5.95) and had two 100-yard rushing games in 2021 (169 at Utah State and 166 vs. Colorado State).

UW’s 2021 rushing attack ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West and No. 20 in the NCAA, averaging 211.7 yards per game. The Cowboys posted a 7-6 record and won their third consecutive bowl game, with a convincing 52-38 win over Kent State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

The 52 points scored in the bowl victory was a school record for a bowl game. Wyoming scored 40 or more points four times during the season in victories at Northern Illinois (50 points), vs. Ball State (45), at eventual MW champion Utah State (44) and vs. Kent State.

Prior to arriving at Wyoming, Haug coached running backs at North Dakota State in 2012 and ‘13 on the coaching staff of Bohl. The Bison won the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) National Championship in both 2012 and ‘13. In Haug’s two years on the NDSU staff, the Bison posted a combined overall record of 29-1 and a Missouri Valley Football Conference record of 15-1.

Over his six previous seasons coaching running backs (2012, ‘13, ‘18, ‘19, ‘20 and ‘21), Haug has had seven running backs rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. The 2012 and ‘13 NDSU teams had two running backs rush for 1,000 yards in each of those seasons.

In 2013, Sam Ojuri rushed for 1,398 yards and John Crockett rushed for 1,277 yards.  The 2012 season saw Ojuri rush for 1,047 yards and Crockett rush for 1,038.

The 2013 NDSU squad became the first undefeated (15-0) FCS National Champion since Marshall went 15-0 to win the 1996 title. That 15-0 record by the Bison also set a North Dakota State school record.

NDSU extended its winning streak to 24 consecutive games with the 2013 FCS Championship.

That tied both the FCS and NDSU records for consecutive victories. The University of Pennsylvania set the FCS record of 24 consecutive wins from 1992-95. Montana later tied the record from 2001-02. The NDSU record was originally set from 1964-66.

Before joining the North Dakota State staff, Haug spent five years (2007-11) coaching at his alma mater, Bemidji State University in Minnesota. He began as a student assistant for two years (2007-08), working with the linebackers. Haug then moved into a graduate assistant role for two seasons (2009-10), working with the running backs. He became a full-time assistant coach on the staff his final season (2011), coaching the defensive line.

At Bemidji State, Haug was also involved in recruiting and assisted with the strength and conditioning program.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in community health in 2009 and master’s degree in sports science in 2011, both from Bemidji State.

Gordie Haug

Year-by-Year Coaching/Administrative History

Year                 School              Position

2018-Present    Wyoming          Running Backs/Director of Player Personnel

2016-17            Wyoming          Director of Recruiting

2015                 Wyoming          Wide Receivers /Director of Recruiting

2014                 Wyoming          Director of Recruiting

2012-13            NDSU               Running Backs

2011                 Bemidji State     Assistant Coach (Defensive Line)

2009-10            Bemidji State     Graduate Assistant (RBs/Strength)

2007-08            Bemidji State     Student Assistant (Linebackers)

* University of Wyoming press release