ODESSA, Texas (August 13, 2026) – UT Permian Basin wide receiver Traylen Suel has been named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List for the upcoming 2026 season.

The players listed in this release represent the official watch list for the D2Football.com 2026 Elite 100 Team, which will be announced at the conclusion of the season.

The team includes first and second team selections for offense, defense and special teams along with 25 "Squad" players for offense and defense. Squad players are equivalent to "honorable mention" selections in similar national recognition lists.

Suel (Squad Offense) was selected for the 2026 LSC Football Preseason Players to Watch list for offense. Suel was named Honorable Mention All-LSC in 2025 and was a team captain. Despite missing three games due to injury, Suel still led the Falcons with a new school-record 60 receptions and a team-high 719 receiving yards, and tied for the team lead with eight receiving touchdowns. He averaged 11.98 yards per catch and a team-best 65.36 receiving yards per game. In the LSC, Suel was second in receptions, third in catches per game (5.5), and fifth in receiving yards per game (65.36). He was also tied for third in the LSC and tied for 30th in all of NCAA Division II in receiving touchdowns. Suel also had five kickoff returns for 85 yards and averaged 17.0 yards per return.

Suel had at least three catches in all 11 of his games played during the season, and had a receiving touchdown in four of his first five games played and in seven of his 11 games overall. In UTPB's season-opening victory over No. 5 Central Oklahoma (Aug. 30), Suel hauled in seven receptions for 95 yards and caught a 62-yard touchdown to make it a two-score game in the third quarter. He again had seven catches while adding 72 receiving yards and a touchdown in the big win over West Texas A&M (Oct. 25) to keep the Falcons' playoff hopes alive. In the regular-season finale vs. Sul Ross State (Nov. 15), Suel caught six passes for 59 yards and a touchdown, and completed his first-career pass attempt, which went for 33 yards on a double pass back to quarterback Kanon Gibson.

He had six receptions for 111 yards and two receiving touchdowns in the first quarter as No. 10-ranked UTPB earned its first playoff win in program history with a 37-24 victory at No. 4-ranked and No. 3-seeded Colorado State Pueblo (Nov. 22). Suel had seven catches for 125 yards at the half against the ThunderWolves, and would finish the game with nine catches for 153 yards, a new career-high in both categories. Suel added five more catches for 65 yards and a touchdown as No. 10 UTPB defeated No. 15 Western Colorado 21-15 in the second round of the playoffs (Nov. 29). In all, Suel totaled 18 catches for 241 yards and three touchdowns during UTPB's three playoff games.

UTPB Head Coach Chris Softley said, "Traylen is the complete package – a relentless workers, a standout student, and a young man devoted to leading by his service of others. He sets the standard for what it means to be a Falcon, and we are excited for his senior year and all the ways he will impact this team on and off the field."