Wyoming Cowboys 2020-2021 Season Preview

Despite the pandemic befalling the entire planet, I'm still looking forward to some Wyoming football come September, or whenever it's safe to resume play. With this post, I want to focus on both sides of the ball, digging into the depth chart and what we might be able to expect this coming season. There a lot of freshmen on the roster, and I mean A LOT. This is a good thing and a bad thing. It's good because HC Craig Bohl has reloaded, and bad because it makes for a really young team. I'll highlight key offensive players, and key defensive players that could make an impact this season.


QB - Sean Chambers - Sophomore
Last year, Chambers excited Poke fans and blasted opposing defenses with his big runs. Before going down for the year to injury, he rushed for 129 yards against San Jose State, an impressive feat for a running back, let alone a quarterback. On the year, he had 52 completions on 121 attempts, but he had nearly 1,000 yards, a lot of those rushing. He also had 7 touchdowns to 3 INTs in his short time behind center. He's still developing as a passer, preferring bullet shots across the middle to chucking it down the field. Still, he'd rather run for paydirt than either, which is why he needs to develop a bit more this season for the Pokes. He has to be on his game from day one, as he has the uber talented Levi Williams nipping at his heels.




QB - Levi Williams - Sophomore
Some have compared Levi's big arm to a latter day Josh Allen, which surely has to be flattering for the young talent to hear. He stepped in toward the end of the season as a freshman, giving Wyoming football a glimpse of his bright future. Chambers has the top spot for now, but Williams will continue to push for reps based on his arm talent and accuracy. It seems as if he has more to offer as an all around quarterback, but Chambers' rushing ability surely makes Craig Bohl blush in his hard-nosed, smashmouth scheme.




RB - Xazavian Valladay - Junior
Following along the path of former Wyo running backs Brian Hill and Nico Evans, Valladay returns from a solid season to give Cowboy life another go around. If he can stay healthy, he has a good chance to play on Sundays in the near future. But he's probably a lot more concerned with what he can do with the Pokes at the moment, readying himself for more long runs and scraps between the tackles. He had 7 rushing touchdowns last season, as well as 2 through the air, proving himself as a dual threat. He fires from the seams like he's being propelled by a sling shot with dizzying speed for six-foot tall back, giving us a lot to look forward to on the ground this season.




RB - Trey Smith - Graduate Student
Smith is likely still recovering from an ankle injury, but by the time the season rolls around, he should be able to provide some relief for Valladay in the running game. If not, there are a few more bruisers on the depth chart willing pick up the slack. Smith had 3 touchdowns on 44 attempts last season, which, considering his limited touches, really isn't bad at all. He'll be pushed for reps by 5'11" bruiser Titus Swen, but if he can stay healthy, he'll be a nice change of pace back behind number one man Valladay.




RB - Titus Swen - Sophomore
Swen got a few carries last season, enough to get his feet wet and to give us an idea of what kind of talent he possessed. He had 67 attempts for 337 yards and a touchdown, as well as 3 receptions for 46 yards. He actually got more run and yardage than Trey Smith last season, though seniority may play a factor in Swen's 2020-2021. His opportunities came due to injury, but he definitely did the most with what he was offered.






RB - Brett Brenton - Sophomore
Brenton will provide depth at a running back position that often needs it. Trey Smith's status isn't well known at this time, so Brenton may be key in lightening the load for Valladay and Swen in the backfield.






WR - Ayden Eberhardt - Senior
Eberhardt will be lining up at the X-receiver position this season. Last year, he had 8 receptions for a 168 yards and 2 TDs. That's not bad at all considering his limited role in the offense. To his credit, he was playing behind Raghib Ismail Jr. and Austin Conway. He'll look to take a major step forward this season, as he already showed flashes.






WR/KR/PR - Dontae Crow - Senior
As well as filling the Z-receiver role, Crow is also slated for punt and kick returns as well, which means that Coach Bohl must see something special in him. Last season at receiver, he had 70 yards on 5 receptions. He even ran the ball a few times with a slew of injuries at running back, showing that he can do a little of everything if he needs to. In 2020, he will likely need to.




WR - Gunner Gentry - Junior
Gunner has mostly been a special teams guy up until this point. This season, he will show his versatility by stepping in at the receiver position, much like his older brother and former Poke, Tanner. Last season, Gentry had 6 receptions for 130 yards, but that number will trend upward in the year ahead due to more snaps played.








TE - Jackson Marcotte - Sophomore
Marcotte is a 6'7" behemoth who can really come in handy for the Pokes this season. He has the size to succeed at the next level, but does he have the blocking ability and the hands? Likely so, but this year will be telling, especially on third and long. Last season, he totaled 9 receptions for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns.







DE - Garrett Crall - Senior
Crall reminds me of a much bigger version of Andrew Wingard. Maybe it's the hair, or maybe it's the large cat predatory reflexes of both, chasing down and pouncing onto any opposing player with the ball. Crall will be the defensive guy everyone watches and talks about this season, and I don't just mean UW fans. He has next level potential with his height, his eye for the ball, and his ability to make things happen. Last season, he had 4.5 sacks, and 6.5 tackles for a loss. He had 55 tackles, 33 assisted, and 22 solo, as well a recovered fumble. He'll look to double those numbers in 2020.


DE - Solomon Byrd - Sophomore
Last season, Byrd quietly led the Pokes in sacks with 6.5. And he, like Crall, had 22 solo tackles, 23 assisted. He also had 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovered. Like Crall, Byrd also displayed some glimpses of pro talent, and the numbers posted suggest numerous more in his near future. Only a sophomore, Byrd hasn't even begun to reach his full potential.




DE - Davon Wells-Ross - Junior
Wells-Ross will likely be the backup for Byrd or Crall. He didn't put up their numbers last season, not even close, but on the year, he had 9 solo tackles with 2 sacks, as well as a forced fumble. He's big at 6'5" and will possibly be called back to help at the paper thin linebacker position.









NT - Mario Mora - Sophomore
Mora is 6'3", 264 pounds, which is hard to move around at the nose tackle position. Last season, he totaled 8 solo tackles, 14 assisted, 2 sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Those numbers are impressive, and they will most certainly rise in 2020.






DT - Victor Jones - Junior
Jones should add some nice depth behind Jackson. His 9 tackles last season was a nice precursor to the coming season.













LB - Chad Muma - Junior
With Logan Wilson and Cassh Maluia shipped off to the pros, the middle of the defensive formation falls to Chad Muma. It's a pretty thin position for the Pokes, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Davon Wells-Ross take a step back to help Muma. Last season, he totaled 28 solo tackles, 28 assisted, and tallied 1 sack.








CB - C.J. Coldon - Junior
C.J. "Scoop-and-Score" Coldon is back for another season, and who couldn't be excited after what he did to Missouri last year? This was his only fumble recovery, but man, was it a good one. He has two more years of eligibility, which means there's plenty of time to improve his numbers from last season (11 solo tackles, 3 assisted, 1 fumble recovered).



CB - Azizi Hearn - Junior
A former transfer from Arizona, Hearn had a solid 2019 for the Pokes, including 26 solo tackles, 11 assisted, and 4 passes defended. He and Keyon Blankenbaker will likely be paired together, with Coldon backing them up.












CB - Keyon Blankenbacker - Junior
Blankenbaker was an absolute monster last season with 38 solo tackles, 19 assisted, and 10 passes defended. Pictured here, he shows us all how to tackle, alluding to the fact that we'll see a lot more just like this one soon. I expect big things from Blankenbaker this season.









FS - Rome Weber - Sophomore
Here's an interesting stat for Weber. In 2019, to his side of the field, he allowed just two passes of 15 yards or more - on 417 snaps. He defended only 3 pass attempts, but he dissuaded opposing quarterbacks from throwing his way. Besides this treat of a stat, he racked up 30 solo tackles, 8 assisted, a sack, a forced fumble, and an interception. He'll definitely make some noise this year, and we'll still have him for two more afterward.





FS - Braden Smith - Senior
Weber definitely had better numbers than Smith, especially on the tackling end of things, but it was pretty exciting when he returned this interception against Texas State for 27 yards. He'll at least provide depth at the position this season, and will bring some good experience in his final year with the Pokes.






SS - Esaias Gandy - Senior
The picture shows 1 of 2 fumble recoveries Gandy had last season, the other coming against Air Force. On top of that, he had 14 solo tackles, 11 assisted, and 1 forced fumble. He brings experience and a certain feistyness to the strong safety position, one that the Pokes will be most certainly counting on.





K - Luke Glassock - Sophomore
Glassock is Cooper Rothe's heir apparent, and will come in mostly unproven in his sophomore year as the new Cowboy place kicker.

Offensive Outlook: Per the modus operandi of Craig Bohl, and recognizing the inexperience at the pass-catching positions, most of the offensive attack will come on the ground. Sean Chambers and Xazavian Valladay will be the lead dogs in the rushing department, but I think the Pokes will run the ball so much that other backs like Smith, Swen, and even Brenton will be incorporated to some degree. I think one of, if not THE leading pass-catcher will be tight end Jackson Marcotte, or possible Ayden Eberhardt. I see Bohl and company using Marcotte's height and the space he can create to their advantage, especially with mid-range passes across the middle and red zone targets. Look for Gentry and Crow coming across the middle and out of the slot for shorter passes, but knowing how this offense is shaping up, I think Chambers and the running backs will be achieving most of the first downs here.

Defensive Outlook: I expect to see the new faces on the defensive side of the ball keep up the Wyo culture of forcing turnovers and converting them into points. New defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel was fired five games into last season with Wake Forest, but the year before at Minnesota, his led the Golden Gophers into the national top 25 in scoring defense, rushing defense, sacks, and forced turnovers. This is likely what led to his hiring at UW, as those types of stats sound a lot like the Cowboy way of defensive play under Craig Bohl.