85  Jesson Salyards
	Class: Senior Hometown: Haxtun, Colo. High School: Haxtun Height / Weight: 6-5 / 235 Position: Tight End Pronounced: SAL-yurds

UW This Season: Jesson Salyards will enter his senior season as one of the leading tight ends in the Mountain West Conference. He had over 20 receptions and over 200 yards receiving as a junior, and with the tight ends in Wyoming's new spread offense playing more like big wide receivers, his numbers could go up dramatically in 2009.

2008: Salyards was one of the most valuable targets for Cowboy quarterbacks in 2008. He ranked No. 2 on the team in receptions (21) and No. 3 in receiving yards (225). He scored one touchdown on the season. Two of his best games came in the final two games of the `08 season. He caught a career high five passes for a career best 51 yards against Colorado State in the season finale, and had three catches for 43 yards at UNLV. Earlier in the season, he also caught four passes for 47 yards at New Mexico. For the third consecutive year, he was named to the Academic All-Conference team.

2007: Salyards caught 10 passes for 97 yards in his first season as a starter. He started six of 12 games at tight end as a sophomore in 2007. He had two catches for 27 yards at San Diego State for a season high. He also had two receptions against Utah State for 10 yards. Salyards caught one pass each in six other games. A big, strong target at 6-5 and 235 pounds, Salyards was slated to backup junior tight end Chris Sundberg, but Sundberg was injured in the first game of the season versus Virginia and was lost for the year. Salyards earned Academic All-Mountain West Conference honors for the second time in his Wyoming career, and was also named an MWC Scholar-Athlete, which requires a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 or higher.

2006: Salyards played in 11 games in his redshirt freshman season of 2006, and started two games versus TCU and BYU after Sundberg went down with a fractured left collarbone in the Utah game. Salyards caught two passes for 15 yards on the season, and he earned his first varsity letter. He also is an outstanding student. A mechanical engineering major, he earned Academic All-Conference honors for the first time in his college career.

2005: Redshirted.

High School: Salyards was named the Class A 8-Man Player of the Year by The Denver Post, and was selected as the Class A 8-Man Defensive Player of the Year by the Rocky Mountain News. He also was named to the Class A 8-Man All-State team at linebacker by both The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News. Salyards played running back, tight end and linebacker at Haxtun High school. He had a total of 77 tackles, 25 solos and 52 assists as a senior. He also intercepted one pass and recovered one fumble. As a senior running back, he carried 144 times for 906 rushing yards and a 6.3 average per rush. He scored 15 rushing touchdowns and one receiving TD. As a team captain his senior season, he helped lead Haxtun an 11-1 record in 2004 and the Colorado Class A 8-Man State Championship with a convincing 30-0 victory over Merino High School in the championship game. He was selected to play in the Colorado North-South All-Star Game during the summer of 2005. As a junior, he earned All-State honors while recording 133 total tackles -- 41 solos and 92 assists. He also carried the ball 114 times for 1,100 yards -- good for a 9.6 average per rush. Salyards scored 18 TDs as a junior. A multipurpose athlete, he started for three years on the football team and also played basketball and ran track. He achieved Superintendent's Honor Roll all four years of high school. He was a member of the National Honor Society both his junior and senior years, and was elected Senior Class President. He was coached in high school by Dave Shafer. Salyards was also recruited by Colorado.

Personal: Born July 15, 1986, he is one of three children of Arlene and Dennis Salyards. Salyards is majoring in mechanical engineering.