Wyoming Cowboys 2026 Preview: New Quarterback, Familiar Grind as Sawvel Chases a Bowl
Wyoming stumbled to 4-8 (2-6 Mountain West) in 2025, a season defined by an offense that ranked near the bottom of the country in scoring, averaging fewer than 15 points per game and finishing 129th nationally in that category. The defining move of the offseason was a change at offensive coordinator, as third-year head coach Jay Sawvel, still searching for his first winning campaign at 7-17 in Laramie, hired former Buffalo Bills assistant Christian Taylor to modernize the attack.
Taylor did not arrive empty-handed. He brought his William and Mary quarterback with him, and the reunion of coach and passer forms the spine of Wyoming's hopes for a turnaround.
Offense
Tyler Hughes is the projected starter and the single biggest reason for optimism. At FCS William and Mary he threw for 2,330 yards and 20 touchdowns against just three interceptions, then added 670 yards and 11 scores on the ground. That dual-threat profile is exactly the missing piece Wyoming has lacked for two years, and Hughes already knows Taylor's system from their time together in Virginia. He waited his turn early in his career before seizing the full-time job last fall, and his blend of arm and legs should breathe life into a stagnant unit. The arrow was pointing up in spring practice.
Wide receiver is the clearest question mark on the roster. The Cowboys have lacked a true go-to target for years, and no obvious favorite emerged from spring ball. Deion DeBlanc, a shifty slot man who doubles as a dangerous return specialist, is the likely leader of a young group. Eric Richardson is penciled in as a starter after spot duty, Justin Popovich adds size on the outside, and Jackson Holman returns after battling injuries. The tight end spot is more settled and figures to feature heavily, as Taylor has shown a willingness to deploy multiple tight end packages. Jake Wilson is the projected starter after missing all of last season with a knee injury, with Kyle Frendt giving the Cowboys a second capable option.
Samuel "Tote" Harris headlines the backfield after a standout true freshman season, leading the team with 558 yards at 5.6 yards per carry while chipping in 16 catches for 184 yards and twice earning conference freshman of the week honors. He will be spelled by Western Illinois transfer Markell Holman, a productive back who led the Ohio Valley Conference in rushing with better than 1,000 yards and piled up roughly 1,377 all-purpose yards with nine touchdowns. Together they give Taylor a ball-control foundation to build around.
The line projects as a team strength. Both starting tackles return in Rex Johnsen and Braylon Jenkins, and the interior was reinforced through the portal with center Jason Maciejczak arriving from Nebraska and guard Chandler Donaway coming over from East Texas A&M. This remains a big, physical group in the program's traditional mold, the kind of front that leaves opponents sore the morning after and helps Wyoming impose the slow, grinding pace it prefers.
Defense
Despite returning only two starters overall, the defense that allowed 20.5 points per game and posted two shutouts in the same year for the first time since 1966 should again keep games close. The interior is the strength. Dante Drake is expected to be the top man up front after missing 2025 with an injury, flanked by Jayden Williams and Caleb Robinson to form a stout trio of tackles who each fought through ailments a year ago. Jack Dunkley and Esaia Bogar anchor the edges.
Ethan Stuhlsatz slides into the middle to anchor the unit, and he impressed this spring both physically and as a vocal leader responsible for aligning the defense. The group turns over around him, with Gary Rutherford returning and USC transfer Anthony Beavers Jr. among the newcomers to watch, along with holdovers such as Dash Bauman and Parker Moore. As ever, these are big-bodied linebackers built to hit.
Safety Jones Thomas is the leading returning tackler and one of just two returning starters on the back line, coming off a season with two interceptions and four pass breakups that should put him in the all-conference conversation. Nickel Desman Hearns is the other holdover. Cornerback is the biggest concern, an inexperienced spot thinned by the departures of Tyrese Boss to Arizona and Markie Grant to Utah State plus a graduation, leaving Tyson Shamsid-Deen and Logan Mackey to grow up quickly.
The kicking game was uneven a year ago. Placekicker Erik Sandvik returns after a rocky debut in which he finished 6 of 11, and he will get the job back. Punter Bart Edmiston is a bright spot and a possible all-league pick after averaging 46.1 yards per boot. DeBlanc adds juice as a returner, averaging 16.7 yards per punt return with a touchdown.
Overview and Prediction
The schedule opens on the road at Colorado State and mixes in winnable dates with Northern Colorado, Hawaii, Northern Illinois, New Mexico and UConn at home. With Boise State no longer in the league, the Mountain West looks more open, and Wyoming retained most of its roster for a second straight year after nearly tripling its revenue-sharing budget.
The preseason consensus slots the Cowboys in the middle-to-back half of the conference, projected somewhere from sixth to eighth. Everything hinges on whether Hughes and Taylor can drag the offense from moribund to merely functional. If they do, a defense that is strong up the middle at all three levels should keep Wyoming in enough games to reach a bowl for the first time since 2023, which would be Sawvel's first in three tries. If the passing game stalls again, another losing year is the more likely outcome.