Five Wyoming Players We’ll Be Watching During Fall Camp

LARAMIE -- One month from today, Jay Sawvel's Wyoming Cowboys will run out of the tunnel inside Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., for the 2024 season opener.

Preparation for that moment begins this morning in Laramie.

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Wyoming's rookie head coach said he will have his team practice on the turf inside Jonah Field during the heat of the day throughout fall camp. Consider it a rehearsal of sorts. Triple-digit temperatures surely await them Aug. 31 in the desert.

"There's a lot of variables," Sawvel said, "but we're not going to make a big deal about it."

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First thing on the agenda for this group is solidifying a starting lineup. There are 16 returners from last season's nine-win squad. Still, there are position battles to be won.

Who will be the No. 5 starter on the offensive line? Will he play guard or tackle? Where's the depth up front? Who will line up at cornerback opposite of Tyrecus Davis? With Shae Suiaunoa sliding to the middle linebacker spot, who will take over his old gig on the outside? Which young wide receivers will step up in the absence of Wyatt Wieland, Ayir Asante, Ryan Marquez and others?

We will learn more about these decisions as camp goes on. Today, let's take a look at five players we'll be keeping a close eye on over the next month:

KEANY PARKS

"I have a special feeling about him."

Those words came straight from the lips of senior free safety Wyett Ekeler when the name Keany Parks was mentioned last spring.

"He is probably the most athletic kid I've seen here," he continued. "Oh my gosh. Wow. Yeah, he's amazing. Some of the stuff I see him do I'm just mind blown. I wish I could do that."

High praise for a guy who has yet to line up at the cornerback spot in a regular-season game.

Parks, a sophomore from Kenosha, Wisc., came to Laramie in 2023 as a three-star running back. He was moved to the "dark side" after just a few practices last August as that staff searched for additional depth. Though he missed spring with an undisclosed injury, Parks still managed to pack on 22 pounds since the beginning of last season.

Parks appeared in 12 games last fall, all on special teams. Now, he's battling for a starting spot with the likes of Naz Hill, Caleb Merritt, Ian Bell and others.

JAKE DAVIES/ NATE GEIGER

One of those guys above could be the fifth starter on the offensive line.

Both played at just 265 pounds last season. These two are now both tipping the scales at 295 just 12 months later.

Jake Davies, who played tight end and defensive end at Yorkville (Ill.) High School, appeared in one game on the Cowboys' offensive line in 2023. That came in a 42-6 rout of Nevada in the regular-season finale. As a team, Wyoming rushed for 244 yards and three touchdowns on a frigid night in Reno. The visitors gave up just a single sack.

Nate Geiger never saw the field last season.

The former all-state selection from Highlands Ranch, Colo., did see plenty of time in the trenches this offseason.

"One of the biggest foundational things about Wyoming football under Craig Bohl throughout was, we're a double-rep team," Sawvel said, referring to the work Davies and Geiger received in the spring. "People who have seen us practice, everyone is working, everyone is getting reps ... the amount of repetition that they're getting is so valuable."

Lining up against edge rushers like Sabastian Harsh, DeVonne Harris and Braden Siders certainly doesn't hurt, either.

Alex Conn, a transfer from Iowa Western CC via Nebraska, also could be in the mix to join Nofoafia Tulafono, Caden Barnett, Jack Walsh and Wes King. Luke Sandy can also slide into the center or guard spot.

CONNOR SHAY

Wyoming is still in search of its next outside linebacker.

Will that be Cole DeMarzo? Newcomer Evan Eller? How about Micah Young or Read Sunn? Can Dash Bauman, a true freshman Sawvel calls "Chad Muma 2.0," also be in the conversation?

While the jury is still out, Connor Shay is believed to be a leading candidate to slide in for Shae Suiaunoa, who will replace Easton Gibbs in the middle.

"I think he is. I think he definitely is," Sawvel said last spring when asked if Shay is ready to take the next step and become a starter. "... There's no limitations on Connor Shay. He should be a good player for us. He needs to be a good player for us."

Shay, a 6-foot-2, 232-pound senior, appeared in all 13 games last fall, splitting time between special teams and linebacker. He did tally a career-best five tackles against UNLV and finished the season with a total of 15 stops.

"When my opportunity comes, I'm going to be ready for it," Shay said last season.

That could be next month against Arizona State.

CHRIS DURR JR.

True freshmen aren't allowed to speak with the media until they have played in a regular-season game.

That's a new rule. It's one Sawvel borrowed from Lou Holtz, who was the head coach at Notre Dame back when he was a graduate assistant in the late 90's.

That means Chris Durr Jr. is off limits -- for now.

The speedy wideout from Chicago has already impressed the locals, snagging a game-high 12 passes for 121 yards in the annual spring game. The rookie graduated from high school early to join his new teammates in Laramie.

That experience is already paying off, according to his head coach. Sawvel also tasked the kid known as the "Slim Reaper" to put on some weight this offseason. He did just that, climbing from 148 to 171 in just a few months.

"He's going to tell me how ready he is to play when he goes home next weekend and comes back three weeks later, based on what his weight is at," Sawvel said in April. "He'll tell me whether he's ready to play or not ... We need to get another eight to 10 pounds on him in the summer."

Check.

Wyoming's starting quarterback Evan Svoboda played the role of spectator during the spring game, suiting up for the opposite team. Durr's output didn't surprise him one bit, either.

"He is a player," Svoboda said. "He's supposed to be in high school still. For such a young guy to come in and really showcase his abilities, I think it's super impressive. I mean, you saw it today: his catching ability, late hands, his versatility, the juke moves. He's a young kid, but he's going to be something truly special."

EVAN SVOBODA

All eyes are on No. 17 under center this fall.

We've all heard about the big arm. We know about his poise under pressure. We all saw him lead the Cowboys on a game-winning drive on the final possession in the Arizona Bowl.

Can Evan Svoboda put it all together and lead this program to new heights in 2024?

His teammates certainly think so. Sawvel does, too.

"I think he has a great skillset," he said of the 6-foot-5, 245-pound signal caller. "I think he's got a great attitude and he's got a great work ethic. I don't think he has a huge background of experience, right? That's our job to provide that. I've talked to him about that. I've got a solid relationship with him. He'll be really good, in time. I like what he can bring."

Svoboda attempted just 38 passes last season, completing 23 of those for 200 yards. The Arizona product carried the ball an additional 25 times, rolling up 80 yards and finding the end zone twice.

He has started just one game. That came in front of more than 100,000 fans inside Darrell K Royal Stadium in Austin. Svoboda completed 17-of-28 passes for 136 yards against the No. 3 Longhorns, who would eventually compete in the College Football Playoff. Wyoming and Texas were tied at 10-10 heading into the fourth quarter.

Before Andrew Peasley exhausted his eligibility last December, the senior QB spoke about the rise of Svoboda behind the scenes. He also made a comparison that raised eyebrows.

"There have been two quarterbacks that I've been around that I think have a crazy amount of talent: One was (starting QB of the Green Bay Packers) Jordan Love and Evan. The way the ball comes out of his hands, his size, his mobility, I'm excited for him."

Can Svoboda live up to the hype? We're all going to watch and see together.

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