Pokes Practice Report: Final Auditions Underway

LARAMIE -- Jay Sawvel, in a perfect world, would have his two-deep roster situated after Saturday's scrimmage inside War Memorial Stadium.

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Wyoming's third-year head coach is treating these next few days as a game week. That means "Bloody Tuesday" commenced, a driving rain storm be damned. He said the Cowboys will go hard again Wednesday before dialing it back and focusing on the fine details with meetings and walk-throughs.

Kickoff, just like it's scheduled for on opening day Sept. 5 in Fort Collins, is set for 4 p.m.

"It's a big week for everyone in our program because, No. 1, as a football team, we have to improve, a lot," he said. "Then, No. 2, we have a number of people that this is a big week for from a who's-playing, how-much-will-they-play standpoint."

Jones Thomas all but has the free safety spot locked up. Who lines up next to him? Brooklyn Cheek? Jett Vincent?

The staff is also looking at the pecking order in the defensive trenches. Dante Drake and Jayden Williams are thought to be the frontrunners at tackle, but Caleb Robinson and Ja'Quan Redfern are also making their case.

That's not all.

Freshman Tanielu Maafala-Barbasa has impressed on and off the field, gaining more than 40 pounds since he arrived on campus in January. Douglas product Tegen Seeds has also turned himself into a "bonafide player," Sawvel said last week. Henry Rehberg missed all of 2025 with a torn ACL. He's back in the mix. So is Sheridan's Alex Haswell.

"I think we could go to No. 7 this year, and where we're at, that would be a better player than what we were at at No. 4 last year," Sawvel said. "That's a really good space to be in."

Cornerback is another position loaded with mostly unproven talent.

Can Tyson Shamsid-Deen take that next step? Will Ian Bell finally squash the injury bug and stay on the field? Weber State transfer Logan Mackey was brought in to add experience after appearing in 25 college games. Rookies Kendall Griffin and Therman "Boogie" Williams have also left Sawvel and Co. openly wondering how they will keep them out of the lineup.

Dainsus Miller also took advantage of a recent court ruling, allowing players from the class of 2022 to obtain an extra year of eligibility. He is currently getting into football shape after arriving on campus last week.

"I made a point this morning that, positionally, we're not all the way there, but we're in a much better place where we're not getting held hostage by lack of depth, or if a guy is available or not available, and that's happened my last couple years here, where it almost felt like you were getting held hostage," Sawvel said. "Can this guy play? Can that guy play? Really, what you want to do is be like where we are at corner, defensive tackle and safety right now. OK, you can't play, then the next guy can. I want to make sure that we're always in that space."

EXTRA POINTS:

* Ryken Banks, a true freshman out of Legend High School in Colorado, will miss the entire 2026 season with a knee injury. You can read all about that right HERE. Banks is the fifth Cowboy in the last calendar year to suffer a torn ACL, joining an unfortunate list that consists of wide receiver Tyler Nystrom, defensive tackle Cody Crawford, Offensive lineman Nate Geiger and quarterback Tyler Hasselbeck.

* Jayden Williams, a rookie wideout from Las Vegas, is making a strong push for playing time. Sawvel said Tuesday you can pencil in Eric Richardson, Charlie Coenen, Jackson Holman and Ke'Lyn Washom, among others, who will play this fall. He also mentioned the 5-foot-8, 171-pound speedster from Arbor View High School. "Jayden's in that mix," Sawvel said, adding he likes his ball skills and toughness in the slot. "For a freshman that early enrolled, that's a good thing."

* Despite an early afternoon shower in the high plains, Sawvel said his offense "executed better" on Tuesday. That all starts under center, where he said all three quarterbacks -- Tyler Hughes, Landon Sims and Gillette's Mason Drube -- performed better than any signal caller has since Sawvel arrived in Laramie back in 2020 as the team's defensive coordinator. "I think maybe Andrew (Peasley) would be about the only one that would be kind of with that, but the three guys today, I mean, they had good days," he continued.

* Sawvel said Refern was a "disappointment" last spring after arriving via the NCAA Transfer Portal from Murray State. That's no longer the case. "I was disappointed in terms of he was injured quite a bit, even in how he worked out, and all those things," Sawvel added. "Then, to his credit, he had a great summer. He was like a whole different person." Redfern, who is pushing 290 pounds, appeared in 11 games last fall, finishing with 10 tackles for the Racers.

* "Incomplete." That is Sawvel's assessment of the tight end group so far in fall camp. Kyle Frendt has dealt with soft-tissue issues and Jake Wilson has been banged up, too, including sporting an ice bag on his leg knee after last Saturday's scrimmage. The sophomore took a big hit down the seam, courtesy of Cheek. "Look, we're going to find out over the next week where we're at with the tight ends," he said, adding Rock Springs native Isaac Schoenfeld has done some good things and Tyler Siddons is the best blocking option. There is also a role for Landon Pace, Sawvel said.

* While this new-name offense features plenty of action for tight ends, Sawvel said new offensive coordinator Christian Taylor isn't "married" to any one position group and can exploit defenses a number of different ways. "We have good running backs and we've got some receivers that can run around, so if we need to do it a different way, then we'll do it a different way," he said. "If we keep all these tight ends moving around, then we'll use them."

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