LARAMIE – No one inside the High Altitude Performance Center was surprised by John Michael Gyllenborg's performance at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Longtime Wyoming tight ends coach Shannon Moore told reporters last spring that he was the best player in the country at the position.
Due to injuries and inconsistent quarterback play, Gyllenborg's production with the Cowboys never reached its All-American ceiling.
However, the 6-foot-5, 249-pound Gyllenborg is on the fast track to becoming the program's next next level developmental story after being named to the All-Scouting Combine team by NFL.com.
Gyllenborg headlines the list of draft-eligible Cowboys who will work out for scouts during UW's Pro Day on Wednesday.
"It's a blessing for sure," said Gyllenborg, who returned from his training in Los Angeles to Laramie last week to get acclimated to the altitude during workouts with his former teammates. "The class that I came in with, we have a lot of dudes that are going to show out at Pro Day and have a chance. Last season didn't go how we wanted and that's what we're really here to do is win football games, but we have a lot of great individual men, football players, athletes and it will be a lot of fun to watch them show out on Pro Day and see what happens come draft day.
"To be able to represent the University, it's why we came, it's why we stuck around. To have (Wyoming) next to our name when people look us up potentially in the future is definitely something I'll be proud of and I know the rest of the dudes you'll see on Pro Day will be as well."
At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Gyllenborg ran the 40-yard dash in 4.60 seconds, broad jumped 10 feet, 8 inches and vertical jumped 35.5 inches. On Wednesday he will do the bench press, run routes and "support the boys."
During his time in Indianapolis, the list of teams that interviewed Gyllenborg included the Buffalo Bills and his hometown Kansas City Chiefs. Playing with 2024 NFL most valuable player Josh Allen or being mentored by future Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce would be ideal landing spots.
"The media stuff is fun. I enjoyed that part and to be able to talk with Buffalo and Kansas City where I'm from, among other cities and teams was really cool," Gyllenborg said. "I know Buffalo fans and media love Wyoming and rightfully so because their head man, Josh Allen, is from there. To be able to play with him one day would be an absolute pleasure."
Allen, who returned to UW to have his No. 17 retired at halftime of the Nov. 22 home finale, is the program's ultimate developmental story, but a new generation of Cowboys have recently made their presence felt in the NFL.
Offensive tackle Frank Crum of Laramie caught a touchdown pass in the Denver Broncos' playoff win over Allen's Bills, and linebacker Chad Muma played in the Super Bowl for the New England Patriots.
Both Crum and Muma recently gave back to UW by donating to the Step Forward Campaign.
"It is so cool to see," said offensive lineman Caden Barnett, who played with Crum and will be participating in Pro Day alongside center Jack Walsh. "The talks we had in the locker room and (Crum) telling me what his plan is, what his dream is, and him showing me the steps to take to accomplish that ... he is living every one of our dreams right now and he's what I look at like this is what I want to do.
"When he scored that touchdown, I was jumping off my couch."
Barnett produced a strong highlight reel from the East-West Shrine Bowl. Pro Day will be another important step in the process, whether that means being drafted or getting an opportunity to play in the NFL as an undrafted free agent like Crum.
"It was kind of like speed dating. We met with all 32 teams, multiple times," Barnett said of the Shrine Bowl. "It was a great experience. I wanted to show I could play at a high level and I think I did that. I definitely put some things on film I wanted to, but I've obviously still got a lot to improve on. …
"I think I'm obviously known as a powerful dude. I can move people, but I want to show them I can move laterally and I'm fast."
Eric Donoval, UW's Director of Sports Performance for Football, has been putting the 2026 Cowboys through the winter strength and conditioning program for the last two months.
Pro day is a chance for some of his talented former pupils to demonstrate the fruits of that labor and translate it to the NFL.
"It feels like it was yesterday, to be honest. It's crazy to think about the time when we got here five years ago until now," Gyllenborg said of the journey. "I would say I was probably 215 (pounds), a heck of a lot slower, a heck of a lot weaker, a heck of a lot less quick. I couldn't give you the exact numbers, but what Wyoming and Coach Donoval have done for me and for everybody that comes into this program is unrivaled in my opinion, especially for a non-Power 4 program.
"I can't thank Coach Donoval and the staff enough for the time they put in with us throughout the five years and I'm thankful I was able to show a lot of that at the combine."
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.
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