Cowboys’ Veteran DE Tyce Westland Leads by Example
- Jeff Bugher
- Aug 25
- 5 min read
Nebraska Overlooked Him, Wyoming Believed: The Story of Tyce Westland
LARAMIE, Wyo. - When you grow up in Pleasanton, Nebraska (population 380), a small town where football is played eight-man style and your dad doubles as your coach and principal, you don’t always imagine the path will end under the lights at War Memorial Stadium in Division I football. For Wyoming defensive end Tyce Westland, though, that’s exactly how it unfolded.
“I always wanted to play football in college, and I thought I’d end up doing like a Division II level,” Westland said. “I would just show up Friday night and I’d play as hard as I could and I didn’t really think much about the recruiting aspect of it until my junior year when schools started to reach out. That’s when I thought my dream was actually coming true.”
At 6-foot-5 and 241 pounds, Westland fits the bill of a Division I defensive end now. But his path to Wyoming started in an unconventional way, much like many we’ve interviewed.
“I posted my highlight tape on Twitter and then coach Aaron Bohl called me,” Westland explained. “He grew up in Lincoln [Nebraska], so he was able to connect with me a little bit, being from Nebraska. We started talking, built a relationship… then they finally offered me. It was the summer before my senior year, and then I committed the next day.”
That commitment came without an in-person visit. COVID forced everything virtual. “I had a Zoom call with somebody walking around the facility on campus and things like that,” Westland said. “So it was pretty cool.”
Growing up in Nebraska, Westland expected the Cornhuskers to show interest. They did, but only became interested after he pledged to Wyoming. “They did a little bit on Twitter, but not too much,” Westland said. “There wasn’t so much interest until I committed to [Wyoming], and then they got jealous. I mean it kind of did [bother me], and looking back, I didn’t think I’d get too upset about it. It just showed me that Wyoming cared about me, so I don’t have to worry about Nebraska not caring about me. Wyoming’s my real family.”
That family atmosphere has carried him through, and now as a senior, Westland is one of the most experienced players on a defense that has seen heavy turnover.
“Yeah, I feel like with my game experience and my experience of playing football that I need to step up as a leader and help younger guys,” he said. “Just coach them along and be like a coach on the field for ’em because the coach can’t be everywhere all at once. So I feel like I need to step up, be a leader and help out whatever I can.”
Westland admits leadership didn’t always come naturally. “I’m super quiet,” he said with a laugh. “So I’ve always just been like a lead-by-example guy. But this past season, I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone and started becoming more of a vocal leader and using my voice.”
His mentors helped pave the way. “Coming in my freshman year, just trying to get a handle on different things, I’d say Garrett Crall,” Westland said. “He was a defensive end my freshman year here and he helped me just learn the basics of everything. Then coach [Brian] Hendricks came in and he really helped elevate my game. He knew everything I needed to work on and just fix little things and just help me become who I am today - a better player and a better person.”
Westland has set ambitious goals for himself this season. “I gave myself a little personal goal. I want to get like at least one and a half sacks per game and if I can do that, that will help achieve my dream of making it to the NFL,” he said. “That would be amazing.”
If football doesn’t work out, Westland has other plans. “I’m probably going to go into plumbing,” he said. He’ll graduate in December with a degree in American Studies.
Through it all, Westland has leaned on his family. His father, Ricci, is a principal, his mother, Dawn, works with special needs students at the local school. They make the long drive from Pleasanton, five and a half to six hours, to see him play in Laramie.
“That means a lot to me,” Westland said. “They make the drive every weekend for the home games and then even away games. They do everything they can to come see me play. That means the world to me because just being able to play for them - they gave me this opportunity.”
Off the field, Westland enjoys the outdoors. “I just like to be outdoors,” he said. “I love to go whitetail deer hunting and fish. I’ve been fishing a few times up in the Snowy Range area.”
How tough is Tyce Westland? Judge for yourself:
“My sophomore year, right before state track, I was playing a pickup basketball game just for fun, and I broke my foot,” Westland said. “I was too scared to tell my track coach. So, I ran at state track on a broken foot - and I still did my best time.”
As Westland enters his final season in brown and gold, he’s fulfilling his dream of playing college football...as a Cowboy.
Photos in the gallery are by Ian Cadena, PokesNews.com Staff. All rights reserved.
Tyce Westland's career at Wyoming, courtesy of UW Athletics:
2024: Westland appeared in 11 games with six starts, with five coming to close the season. He recorded a career-best 41 tackles. He had 18 solo stops and 23 assisted tackles. He also added six tackles for loss to rank third on the team. Westland added three sacks to rank second on the Cowboys. He recorded a career-high eight tackles twice, coming against Utah State and Colorado State. He recorded a tackle for loss against Arizona State, New Mexico, Colorado State, and Washington State. He earned a strip sack against the Lobos that helped give the Cowboys the road win. He added five tackles against Air Force, along with a half sack.
2023: Westland had a strong season for the Cowboys and appeared in all 13 games for the Brown and Gold. He finished the season with 18 total tackles, with eight solo stops and 10 assisted tackles. He added 4.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. He had a tackle for loss in each of the final four games of the season. He added a fumble return against UNLV, returning it for 61 yards. He recorded a career-high five tackles against UNLV. He added three against New Mexico.
2022: He did not appear in any games for the Cowboys this season.
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