5 Positions I'll Be Keeping an Eye On During Wyoming's Fall Camp

LARAMIE -- Jay Sawvel has said numerous times this offseason that he planned to take a blowtorch to Wyoming's offense.

Good. He should. And he did.

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Averaging just 16 points per game -- which is actually exaggerated thanks to a pair of defensive touchdowns and a special teams score -- leads to drastic decisions like this.

The third-year head coach said goodbye to former play-caller Jay Johnson last October. Sawvel didn't -- better yet, couldn't -- wait for the season to end to make that change. Kaden Anderson saw the writing on the wall and entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. He threw for less than 2,000 yards and added 10 interceptions. He was also a non-factor in the quarterback run game, to say the least.

Leading receiver Chris Durr Jr. also left via free agency. So did running back Terron Kellman and linemen Wes King and Luke Sandy.

"We're going to blow up everything on offense and we're going to change how we operate -- and that's in terms of what we're doing, but also who we're doing it with," Sawvel said last month at Mountain West Media Days in Las Vegas. "I don't see any way in today's day and age that you shouldn't be (scoring) a touchdown a quarter, right? Well, that's 28. All of a sudden you start averaging 28 points a game and play defense the way we do, we're probably going to be in a pretty good spot."

Wyoming also lost plenty of experience to graduation. Caden Barnett and Jack Walsh anchored the line. Tight end John Michael Gyllenborg, and receivers Jaylen Sargent and Michael Fitzgerald also exhausted their eligibility. So did running back Sam Scott and QB-turned-tight end Evan Svoboda.

The extreme makeover began with the hiring of Christian Taylor, a veteran offensive coordinator at the college level who said he "received his PhD in football" the previous two seasons on the staff of the Buffalo Bills.

Then came the acquisition of one of his former recruits, Tyler Hughes.

The 6-foot, 200-pound signal caller from William and Mary has reunited with his former coach on the high plains after throwing for 2,330 yards and 20 touchdowns a season ago. The graduate transfer also added 670 yards and 11 scores on the ground.

Offensive linemen are admittedly expensive, Sawvel added, but it was a must this offseason. He snagged Chandler Donaway (East Texas A&M) and Jason Maciejczak (Nebraska) out of the portal.

Leading rusher and recent Maxwell Award Watch List candidate Samuel Harris returned for his sophomore season. The speedster they call "Tote" rolled up 558 yards and a touchdown on just 100 carries last fall. Slot receiver Deion DeBlanc and tight end Jake Frendt are also back for Year 2 in the program.

Jake Wilson, who was sidelined with an injury in 2025, is also back in the latter's room.

"Here's the one thing I can tell you: we're a lot better, talent-wise, than what we've been the last two years, period," Sawvel said. "Like, that's not close."

He also expects big years from outside threats like Jackson Holman and Eric Richardson, among others. Markell Holman, a 1,000-yard back at Western Illinois, has also impressed since arriving on campus in January.

Sawvel and Co. say that unit is already much improved. Tomorrow, I get to see for myself. I will be watching it all unfold over the next month, leading up to the season opener at Colorado State, but here are some aspects of this team I'll give some extra attention in August:

RIGHT GUARD:

If you go by what we witnessed in spring camp, the pecking order -- from left to right -- could look like this in Fort Collins: Rex Johnsen, Donaway, Maciejczak, Giovanni Panozzo and Braylon Jenkins.

The bookends are now veterans. So is Donaway, albeit at a lower level. "Magic," as his teammates and coaches call him, saw limited time in Lincoln, mainly playing special teams.

Panozzo appeared in two games on offense last fall, including eight snaps. One of those came on a passing down. Is he really read for primetime? The 6-foot-5, 314-pound sophomore from Arvada, Colo., could get a major push from linemen like Johnathan Bush, Caleb Hall and Kalvin Janssen. Don't sleep on Josiah Petaia, who has also been turning heads throughout the offseason.

What we do know is that spot will be young and inexperienced. Like Sawvel said above, maybe the scheme and dual-threat QB can alleviate some of that pressure.

CORNERBACK:

His redshirt was torched early on in 2026. There was no doubt about his talent, mentality, and arguably the most-important intangible, maturity. Tyson Shamsid-Deen has all of that -- in spades.

But, he doesn't have experience.

The sophomore from San Antonio was on the field for just 28 defensive snaps in 2025. He was targeted just six times, giving up three completions for 19 yards and a touchdown.

Sawvel expected some growing pains, but he also had a fallback plan: starters Tyrese Boss and Dainsus Miller. Those two are now gone. So is Markie Grant. Shamsid-Deen needs to be a playmaker for a secondary that features numerous new faces and limited time at this level.

Right now, it's a mashup out on the island, according to a source familiar with the situation. Ian Bell is in the mix. So is Logan Mackey and David Leonard. Sawvel said last month in Las Vegas he is already having a heard time talking himself out of throwing out a pair of freshmen -- Kendall Griffin and Therman "Boogie" Williams -- who have been impressive as early enrollees.

QUARTERBACK:

I'm crowning Hughes as the starter -- and I don't think that's a stretch or a hot take.

Wyoming spent the money to bring him here, and he was a hot commodity on the open market, and the staff didn't do that to watch him sit on the bench. That's not why he's here, either. He also represented the program at Mountain West Media Days.

His stats speak for themselves. It's his leadership that has already shown through since he arrived from Virginia in the winter. Expect No. 6 under center Sept. 5 at Canvas Stadium.

Who will back him up?

Landon Sims was impressive during his limited opportunities in 2025. He showed an ability to survey the field, he was on target and, unlike the starter, could tuck the ball and run.

If not for an ACL tear -- the third of his career -- during a road tilt with San Diego State, this was Sims' team for the month of November. He officially had the reins, entering for Anderson, who tossed three first-half interceptions.

One awkward hit changed all of that.

Sims rushed for nearly 100 yards and completed 6-of-8 passing attempts for 38 yards. He threw a touchdown. He rushed for another. The Alabama native looked the part. He's also 100% healthy and "faster than ever," according to Sawvel.

What about Mason Drube?

The native son from Gillette was the benefactor of Sims' injury and Anderson's ineffectiveness, appearing in the final three games of the year. He connected on 20-of-38 throws for 187 yards. He showed some scrambling ability, too.

This will be a big camp for that duo. Injuries happen. Just ask Sims.

WIDE RECEIVER:

Wyoming's top-four receiving leaders from a year ago are gone. That equates to 105 catches, 1,154 yards and eight touchdowns. Three of those players -- Durr, Sargent and Fitzgerald -- are receivers. Gyllenborg, a tight end, came in fourth with 24 grabs for 217 yards and a score.

What's left?

Wideout-wise: 55 completions, 473 yards, two touchdowns.

Someone -- better yet, someone's -- must step up on the outside.

Sawvel said he expects that to come from Richardson and Holman. He also thinks DeBlanc just scratched the surface during his rookie campaign, where he hauled in 17 passes for 90 yards and showed off his explosiveness in the return game. Bricen Brantley consistently looks like a breakout threat in camp. Then, crickets. Charlie Coenen finished with 99 receiving yards last fall. He showed speed and shiftiness, too.

Wyoming was awfully quiet on the receiving market this winter, bringing in only Justin Popovich. The 6-foot-3, 203-pound senior rolled up nearly 700 receiving yards last season at Lock Haven, along with six touchdown grabs.

Jarell Gary and Jordan Styles are a couple of rookies who fit the "prototype" Sawvel is looking for: tough, physical and fast.

I'll certainly be keeping an eye on Ke'Lyn Washom, who even as a redshirt freshman already looks like an NFL player, tipping the scales at 205. He's listed at just 6-foot-1, but plays above the rim.

Washom, as well as PJ Jackson, could provide a major lift to this unit.

PLACEKICKER:

Erik Sandvik was on the struggle bus for the majority of his first season as the starting kicker in Laramie.

Yes, he connected on all 24 of his point-after attempts, but field-goal percentage was a whole new ballgame: 54.5% (6-of-11).

"It wasn't as good as what we needed to be," Sawvel said. "You know, Erik continues to work ... He has done a lot of work through the summer. Look, his field-goal accuracy, I feel comfortable with."

What about the rest?

Sandvik booted a long of just 41 last fall. That came on a soggy night in Fresno, and the kick actually hit the crossbar before tumbling over the yellow pipe. He was 0-for-2 from 50-plus yards. He only attempted to from 40 or more.

"I think when we get to fall camp and get to the early part of the season, it's the distance that I want to make sure that I have honed down," Sawvel added.

Wyoming didn't find a kicker in the portal. Sandvik needs to be that guy.

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