Tuck’s Take: 5 Things I’ll Be Keeping an Eye On at UW Spring Game

LARAMIE -- This was supposed to be five things I will be keeping an eye on Saturday during the Cowboys' annual Brown and Gold Spring Game inside War Memorial Stadium.

Another entry into the transfer portal just made it six.

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Keany Parks, who appeared in all but one game in 2024, is now a free agent. He isn't on the open market, though, giving himself a "no contact" tag on his way out the door.

What does that mean? His mind is likely already made up.

Reports are the junior cornerback is set to sign with the University of Houston, reuniting with former Wyoming defensive tackles coach Oscar Giles. This is the second straight spring agent Miles Jordan has helped facilitate a last-minute move.

He also represented Gavin Meyer, who bolted for USC last April.

The fact remains, the Cowboys are now without a single starter in the secondary from the season ago. That might not be a bad thing. Wyoming was carved up to the tune of nearly 219 yards per game. Opposing quarterbacks tossed 16 touchdowns in just 12 outings.

A plethora of injuries on the backend played a major factor in those numbers.

Head coach Jay Sawvel, before his first year on the sidelines was even completed, said his first task during the offseason was to revamp this room. He thinks he did just that, adding four transfers at the safety spot and a junior college corner, BJ Inmon.

Tyson Deen, a true freshman, enrolled early and has already been making noise. In last Saturday's scrimmage the rookie showed textbook coverage, jumping a route for an easy interception. He stayed stride for stride with the wideout on the very next snap, too, drawing a crowd and a celebration at the near sideline.

Ian Bell has double-digit appearances under his belt. Markie Grant and Tyrese Boss, both redshirt freshmen, could also be viable options on the island.

Worried about who will step up with Tyrecus Davis, Wrook Brown and Parks out of the picture?

Sawvel doesn't seem to be.

"I think we got some capabilities to be good," the 54-year-old said, referring to the cornerback room. "We have a lot of work to do and we have some development to do, but there's no weeping or gnashing of teeth, as they would say in the Bible.

"So, we're OK. We're going to move on."

I will definitely be keeping tabs on this unit on what's supposed to be a sun-spanked afternoon on the high plains. Kickoff is slated for noon.

In no particular order, here are some other groups I will be interested in watching Saturday:

1. How's that pass rush coming along?

While it's probably too early to tell -- and injuries and departures have already taken a toll -- I will be keeping my eyes peeled on the edge rushers during Saturday's exhibition.

By all accounts, Tyce Westland is leading the way in the defensive end room. The senior, who now features a six-pack and has gained an additional five pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-5 frame, capped the 2024 campaign with three sacks, just .5 behind Braden Siders, who is now at West Virginia.

"I'm really happy with what he's doing," Sawvel said, referring to Westland. "I think he's having a really good spring. I think you see certain improvement. The thing is, of the three defensive ends that played the most for us a year ago, Tyce was the best pass rusher. So, we're fortunate that he's continuing to improve and develop."

Sabastian Harsh is gone, too. So is Ethan Day. Those two are now playing at North Carolina State and North Texas, respectively. DeVonne Harris finally snatched up his diploma (maybe two of them?) after a six-year stint on the roster.

Wyoming will get an internal boost from within with the return of Kevin Sjogren, who missed all of last year with a knee injury. Adrian Onyeigo (Entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on Thursday) has also moved to the end after being recruited as a linebacker. Eltoum Murgus and Tell Wade are still raw, but could also work his way into the rotation at some point.

Sawvel also utilized the portal, bringing in six new faces at that spot. One, Dawan Martin (Youngstown State), is no longer with the program for undisclosed reasons. Esaia Bogar, a transfer from Riverside City College (Calif.) suffered a dislocated left wrist.

Brayden Wilson has impressed early. The former two-time All-Big Sky performer at Weber State, has all the goods, according to position coach Brian Hendricks.

Freshmen Jason Handy (Cedar Park, Texas) and Cade Brook (Aurora, Colo.) will be here in the summer. Axel Ramazani (Des Moines, Iowa) is an early enrollee, but has been inactive with a hip injury.

Redshirt freshman Jordan Turnbull is also sidelined with an Achilles.

Sawvel and Co. are on the hunt for another pass rusher during this spring portal window. In fact, a prospective end will be on campus for this Saturday's game.

"When it comes to production, production pays the bills," defensive ends coach Brian Hendricks said in early April. "Clearly we are wanting everything to be really sexy on a stat sheet -- tackles for loss and sacks -- but the No. 1 key we've got to understand is, before you can even do that right now, we've got to start from scratch.

"We've got to get the basics down."

The Cowboys managed just 15 sacks (125th out of 133 FBS programs) all of last season, 10.5 of which came off the edge.

2. Can you trust the new field goal kicker?

Two.

That's the number of field goal attempts off the right foot of potential starting placekicker Erik Sandvik during his high school days in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

Worried?

Sawvel doesn't seem to be.

“Sandvik, I’m in a good spot with him,” he said confidentially.

Oh, by the way, the sophomore is also tasked with replacing the school's all-time leading scorer, John Hoyland. That Colorado product drilled 73-of-92 attempts, including eight from 50-plus yards. He missed just one extra point on 148 tries.

No pressure, kid.

"I’ve been here for almost two years now, so I’ve been sitting behind John, and I’ve been very thankful to be behind John," Sandvik told UW's Ryan Thorburn. "He’s been a great mentor to me, and I’ve learned so much from him over the last two years, but I’m excited to finally step into his place and take the starting spot."

While it certainly sounds like Sandvik is in the driver's seat, Cheyenne product Keelan Anderson is still in the mix. You remember him, right. He booted through a state record 61-yard field goal during his senior season at South. He added a 57-yarder that year for good measure.

Still, it sounds like this is Sandvik's job to lose.

"What I’ve got to do with Sandvik is fully learn his wheelhouse,” Sawvel said. “I think I have an idea where he’s best at right now and where he kind of has a little weak spot, but I need to know that for sure. 'OK, the game is on the line, this is where we want the ball for him to drill it.'"

3. What strides has this new-look wide receiver room made?

Sawvel hasn't exactly hidden his feelings about the wide receivers Wyoming featured last fall. He said after the Idaho debacle in the home opener, he felt like a "T-Ball coach that didn't take them to get ice cream."

"... I've never seen more people that were kind of selfish about their opportunity than what I saw during that game that day," he added.

Ouch.

Devin Boddie Jr. exited stage left before the Cowboys took on San Diego State in October. Sawvel handed Tyler "TK" King, the team's only First Team All-Mountain West selection (as a returner), his walking papers as soon as the plane landed from Washington State.

Alex Brown and Will Pelissier exhausted their eligibility and Justin Stevenson is now at Utah, Wyoming's Week 3 opponent.

Wide receivers coach Mike Grant was also shown the door after nine seasons on the sidelines in Laramie. Under his watch, the Cowboys were consistently one of the least-efficient passing teams in the nation, last year finishing 107th overall.

They've landed 10th or lower on the Mountain West stat sheet in six of the last seven seasons. There are 12 teams in this conference.

"The people we've got are the people we need, and the people we still need to add, you know, we're going to do that," Sawvel said in March. "There's no regrets about that. That room needed a revamp and that's it."

That started with a new position coach.

Jovon Bouknight, after serving one season as an offensive analyst, is now in charge. The UW Hall of Famer has plenty of options this fall, too, starting with Jaylen Sargent, who led all wideouts with 480 receiving yards on just 23 grabs. The then Junior also hauled in a pair of touchdown passes.

Chris Durr Jr. is also back in the fold after racking up 348 yards on 31 catches. The sophomore was a constant threat on third down and showed off his athleticism in the process. Remember that leaping one-handed grab at New Mexico? Kaden Anderson admitted last week he was simply trying to throw that ball away.

Clay Nanke, all 6-foot-6 of him, has also made the transition from tight end to receiver. He hauled in four passes for 64 yards last season. That's an average of 16 yards per catch.

Arguably the top playmaker in the 2024 recruiting class, Deion DeBlanc, has turned plenty of heads this spring. He is tailor made for the slot, standing just 5-foot-10 and weighing in at 186 pounds. Arizona transfer Jackson Holman has also stood out.

Jaylan Bean and Bricen Brantley, who both stand roughly 6-foot-4, have been big, downfield targets, too. Charlie Coenen and Tyler Nystrom have also caught Sawvel's attention.

Wyoming added 5-foot-11, 193-pound transfer Eric Richardson this winter. The junior from Northwest Missouri State has been out this spring with a torn pectoral muscle. Sawvel said he is the fastest of the bunch.

This is Year 2 in Jay Johnson's offense. Anderson should bring consistency to the QB position. This offensive line should be stronger, especially up the middle. That should only benefit this group in 2025.

"This is the best, I think, it's looked in a while, especially in that room, for sure," Anderson said. "Guys are making plays. It's a young room, but, man, the way these guys carry themselves, it's a really mature room. I'm excited."

4. Who will man the edges of the offensive line?

Wyoming had just two options at left tackle a season ago. Go with a redshirt freshman who had never played a snap in college or ... go with a redshirt freshman who had never played a snap in college.

The chosen one was Nate Geiger. He lasted all of 11 plays before tearing his knee up in the season opener at Arizona State.

Enter Jake Davies.

The youngster had some good moments. There were some not-so-good ones, too, like whiffing on a block against Boise State that led to an Anderson concussion.

Who gets the nod this year?

Geiger has missed the spring, still recovering from that injury. Davies has shown improvement. The Cowboys have other options, too, like Quinn Grovesteen-Matchey and Braylon Jenkins.

Who will man the right edge with Caden Barnett now at guard? Jack Walsh moved to center. Wes King is at the left guard spot.

Rex Johnsen is on the fast track to snagging the blindside assignment. Giovanni Panozzo, a 6-foot-5, 301-pound redshirt freshman, has been talked about this spring. Josiah Petaia, a transfer from Long Beach City College who has played just one year of organized football, is also getting a look. He was a life-long volleyball standout. Caleb Hall also played 70 snaps in the team's first scrimmage of the spring.

Sawvel has held Barnett, Walsh and King out of different scenarios during camp, including goal-line situations. He knows what those guys bring to the table. He wants to see what Luke Sandy, Hall, Panozzo and Jenkins, among others, have to offer.

So far, it's been mixed results.

"They needed what they got today," Sawvel said, following a practice on April 15. "They got their ass whipped on the goal line. They needed that."

5. Is Kaden Anderson taking the reins?

Anderson showed flashes last fall when he officially replaced Evan Svoboda under center.

In a wild back-and-forth affair against New Mexico, the then redshirt freshman -- making his first-career start -- connected on 20-of-29 throws for 342 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-45 victory. He also added another score on the ground. He completed nearly 70% of his attempts that afternoon in Albuquerque.

The Southlake, Texas product was on target all afternoon, hitting Sargent and Stevenson on deep balls and fitting passes into tight windows, like on the 15-yard touchdown strike to tight end John Michael Gyllenborg.

Anderson was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Week for his efforts.

The following game, he was grounded by the Cowboys' most-hated rivals.

In a lopsided 24-10 loss to Colorado State, Anderson completed just 13-of-30 passes for 120 yards. He did find the end zone with his legs midway through the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late.

Sawvel hasn't publicly said who his starter will be when the Cowboys open the season Aug. 28 at Akron, but he has mentioned Anderson is ahead of the pack at the moment.

That's no surprise.

No other signal caller on this current roster has played in an FBS game.

"It's definitely a big change," Anderson said, referring to how he felt in camp this time a year ago. "If you told me I would be in this position last year, I wouldn't even believe you, because I was playing football for the first time in like three years. So I was stepping on the field, just happy to be back out there and thankful Wyoming gave me the opportunity and stuck with me.

"It's been fun stepping into this role. It's been awesome."

What about the lack of an early commitment to one QB?

"I'm ready to compete," Anderson added. "Leave it open, you know? I don't want to be the starter and walk around and get complacent. So, I think it's good to compete like that. I'm really happy (Sawvel) did that. I didn't want to be named the starter, so I'm glad."

Landon Sims, a former starter at the junior college level, along with the top prospect in the state, Mason Drube, are both in line for the back-up job. So is Gage Brook, a legacy player from Fort Collins.

Click right HERE to get caught up on all the news from Wyoming spring camp and a busy offseason.

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