By Jeff Bugher
Today is the Cowboys’ 20th and final practice of fall camp. Team captains will also be selected today. Additionally, practices have moved from "camp grind", and converted over to preparation for the much-anticipated faceoff against Texas Tech next Saturday. Below is a detailed summary of fall camp for August 19th - 26th.
On Friday, Bohl stated that they had a really good practice. Bohl further elaborated that the team practiced out in the elements so they would be ready for wind (something Laramie has plenty of) and rain.
Embracing Elements: Coach Bohl Highlights Cowboys' Training Approach in Challenging Conditions
“We had a chance to work outside the elements and sometimes those are difficult things to replicate. And so while that may seem like a little thing to some of the other people, if you're a quarterback or wide receiver specialist, you know we have wet balls and there was some wind and rain." Bohl continued…”You know, Woody Hayes once said, “If you're going to play in the North Atlantic, you got to train in the North Atlantic.” …and so we got acclimated to that. Guys have a great attitude.”
Bohl is Excited for the Dual
Bohl was asked if he has any nerves as Texas Tech looms in the spotlight next Saturday. “I'm excited about it. You know, I sat out by my fire in the evening …(I) get pretty excited because the game time's coming up and I've always said this, you (don’t really) have a feeling of what kind of team that that we're going to have until I get (into) the middle of the first or second quarter, you start to look and go, OK…This is where we're at. So I'm anticipating that. But you know the arrow is pointing up and we're glad we're (playing) at home.”
RB DQ James Update
Bohl gave an update on running back DQ James: “He’s 100%... It's been good to see him out there. We did not know he was behind a little bit, but he worked really hard on his rehab and got caught up. I've looked at all his GPS speeds. We looked at his loads, acceleration and deceleration, and he's right on target.”
Cornerback Jakorey Hawkins Progression
Bohl was asked about how Jakorey Hawkins has progressed since last year. “I think his attention to detail, he's always had the ability to run at times. Maybe he would be a little bit inconsistent with his technique. He's honed that down. He knows this is an important year for our football team and he's going to play a big part in it. He's got a great attitude and you know we've got that corner group.” Bohl continued to speak about the corner group, “While we're not extremely deep, I think we've got some pretty good ability there.”.
Coach Bohl Commends Resilient Receiver Ryan Marquez for Elevating Team Spirit Amidst Challenges
Bohl was asked about wide receiver Ryan Marquez who has stuck with the team through adversity. Bohl had a lot to say about that, and didn’t hold back. “You know, to put a quantitative number on what that means. Those are the guys that elevate a football team. Those are the guys that have raised the bar on their level of commitment and for him, you know, he's on scholarship. He earned a scholarship, but he's gone the long, hard way and he's developed into a really, really solid player. It allows us to have a great deal of maturity, as I said earlier, this team is not an old team. This is a mature team and a guy like Ryan…those are the guys …you know (with) all the chaotic stuff that's gone on in football that has not changed. Those guys have not changed and those guys are one of the things that get me fired up about coaching this team this year.”
Team Captains Selected Saturday 8/26
Bohl continued to speak on the leadership and how it pertains to team captains. Yet again, Bohl had a lot to say about this front too, sticking with his passion for players who lead by example. I’ll let him say it in his own words: “Sometimes we have 4 (team captains). Sometimes we have more. You know, I look at the ballots and we’ll Judge on where those guys are at, but beyond the guys that are selected as captains, the other guys that are not, you know their example, you know people pay more attention to how you live your life as opposed to sometimes all the words you say and. Those guys that you just mentioned are older, they're not pretenders, they're. you know, they're the real guys in the locker room and you guys have covered sports a long time. And you all know the importance of having those types of guys in the locker room, how they manage practice, how they take care of business and that sets a high bar and it what it also does, it sets a tremendous example for some younger players for them to look as coaches a lot of times. You can talk all you want to and paint this model of how a player is going to be the best picture is when they see it.”
Preseason accolades and watchlists... does it affect the players?
Bohl said that none of the players getting preseason awards are letting it get to their heads. “I haven’t seen anything like…OK...they’ve arrived”. Bohl mentioned that the players on the lists know that what counts is what happens during this season and that they (the players) have very high expectations of themselves. Make no mistake, these talented individuals continue to strive to get better every day. “One thing we’ve talked about in here is that the next easy day was yesterday. So, they’ve stayed true (to) that mantra” Bohl elaborated.
Results from Saturday’s Scrimmage (8/19)
Saturday’s scrimmage at War Memorial Stadium was described as “hard-fought”. Head coach Craig Bohl was certainly happy that his team came away from the full-contact event without any injuries. “This will be the last full-contact work that we do before we play Texas Tech” Bohl said. Bohl continued, “We continue to add elements of our offense, defense and the kicking game. We probably have not zeroed in on who some of the starters will be on punt teams or kick teams, but we’re making progress there.”. Bohl also spoke about the burning question on most fan’s minds, the QB performance: “I thought Andrew (Peasley, quarterback) played well and Evan (Svoboda, quarterback) played well also.” On the defensive side of the ball, Bohl stated that there were some good things the team did.
Overall, Bohl wants the team to maintain the grind while also being smart about practice reps. We’re in the midst of the grind and we’re trying to be smart about our practice reps so that we make sure we go into the first game ready to play -- not only physically but also mentally. There is always a balance of how much work to give a team. I think we’re in a good place.”
Updated Depth Chart Released on Monday, August 21st - provided by UW Media Relations
The depth chart includes 17 returning starters (10 on defense, five on offense and both the starting place-kicker and punter).
7 New Projected Starters
The seven new projected starters (six on offense and one on defense) include veteran wide receivers Ryan Marquez and Wyatt Wieland; junior-college transfer running back Jamari Ferrell; and three talented young offensive linemen in offensive tackle Caden Barnett and offensive guards Wes King and Jack Walsh on offense; as well as impressive sophomore cornerback Kolbey Taylor on defense.
“Unlike last year, where there were some unknowns, we have a more mature football team, so I felt like it was appropriate to go ahead and release it,” said head coach Craig Bohl.
Among those veteran players listed No. 1 on the depth chart are graduate wide receivers Wieland and Marquez. Bohl is pleased with the increased depth and ability at wide receiver entering the 2023 season.
“We have more playmakers within that group,” said Bohl. “A guy like Ryan Marquez who has emerged and is in his sixth year, earned a scholarship. Wyatt (Wieland) another guy who has been here I think six years, came back from an injury and has worked hard. Alex Brown and I’m probably forgetting a couple guys along with the addition of our two transfer receivers (Ayir Asante and Devin Boddie Jr.) has been a real shot in the arm. We’re well pleased and you’ll see both of those guys playing in our first game -- how much I don’t know -- but a lot of times they’re doing some things that are really impressive.”
Jamari Ferrell's Development
A member of the media asked Bohl about Jamari Ferrell’s development in fall camp after transferring to Wyoming in the summer of 2023 from Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo, Calif. Bohl responded, “He’s our starter. We felt like he scrimmaged really well. Can a guy separate, can he break a tackle, all those types of things is what we’re looking for and when the lights came on (in the scrimmage) he really played well.” This is certainly good news, as the season-ending fall camp injury that McNeely had in addition to RB Harrison Waylee puts Jamari at the forefront for a much-needed position.
Running Back Keany Parks Switches to Defensive Back
Coach Bohl also confirmed that true freshman running back Keany Parks has been moved to defensive back. “He is now a D-back. He was an excellent athlete in high school. He is one of the few running backs I know that when you ask him to move someplace else he’ll do anything for the team. He was excited about that move and so we’re trying to feed him with a firehose right now. He still has a lot to learn, but he certainly has some excellent ability. He was a 24-foot long jumper and a great basketball player in high school.”
Depth Chart Breakdown
Returning Starters - Wyoming has 17 returning starters for the 2023 season.
Starting defense (where the magic happens)
Linebackers Easton Gibbs and Shae Suiaunoa both return after ranking No. 1 and No. 2 on the team in tackles last season. Gibbs comes into 2023 with so many preseason accolades that he needs a new trophy shelf. Gibbs was named the 2023 Mountain West Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in voting by conference media members this summer. Gibbs also has been named to preseason watch lists for the Butkus Award, Chuck Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
The defensive front is perhaps the deepest position group on this year’s Cowboy team. Junior defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole and graduate nose tackle Cole Godbout will anchor the middle of Wyoming’s D-line. At defensive end, junior DeVonne Harris returns to patrol one end spot, while last year’s starter Braden Siders and fellow sophomore Sabastian Harsh will make up the defensive end rotation with Harris.
The Cowboy secondary also returns four starters in senior cornerback Jakorey Hawkins, junior free safety Wyett Ekeler, junior strong safety Isaac White and sophomore nickel back Wrook Brown. They will be joined in the starting lineup by sophomore cornerback Kolbey Taylor, who may be one of the most talented players on the Cowboy defense.
Offense
On offense, graduate quarterback Andrew Peasley returns with a year of experience running the Wyoming offense under his belt. He is joined by two other graduates in offensive tackle Frank Crum and tight end Treyton Welch. Junior Alex Brown is back to start at wide receiver for the second consecutive season and junior Nofoafia Tulafono will once again coordinate the offensive line calls from his center position.
Special teams rest on the capable feet of junior place-kicker John Hoyland and graduate punter Clayton Stewart. Hoyland has been named to multiple preseason All-America teams this season.
Hoyland was named to the Associated Press Preseason Second Team All-America Team on Monday. Bohl said this about Hoyland as he enters his junior season, “Certainly, John (Hoyland) is recognized nationally. His numbers were really good last year. He is a weapon, and we’re happy to have him.”
Impactful Transfers
First-year transfers who have earned spots on the preseason depth chart include: the projected starter at running back, junior Jamari Ferrell; junior wide receivers Ayir Asante (Holy Cross transfer) and Devin Boddie Jr. (Vanderbilt transfer); and junior cornerback Tyrecus Davis (Navarro Community College in Texas).
Young Pokes
Only one freshman or redshirt freshman is slotted in the starting lineup in Wyoming’s depth chart. That individual is redshirt freshman Wes King at left offensive guard. But there are nine additional freshmen and redshirt freshmen listed in back-up roles. Among those are: true freshman Ian Bell at cornerback; true freshman Jake Davies at offensive tackle; redshirt freshman Rex Johnsen at offensive guard; redshirt freshman Caleb Merritt at wide receiver; true freshman Eric Sandvik at place-kicker; redshirt freshman Luke Sandy at center; redshirt freshman Forrest Scheel at offensive tackle; redshirt freshman Malique Singleton at nickel back; and redshirt freshman TJ Urban at free safety.
Download the Depth Chart Here:
*Depth chart information and statements provided by UW Media Relations
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