LARAMIE – Wyoming's wide receiver room, one of the oldest position groups in program history last season, is adjusting to a youth movement this spring.

Wyatt Wieland, Ryan Marquez and Gunner Gentry are finally out of eligibility. Ayir Asante is preparing for the NFL Draft after using his extra year of eligibility with the Cowboys following a decorated four-year career at Holy Cross.

That leaves Alex Brown as the last (old) man standing.

"From his standpoint, it's kind of like when you outlive all your friends," wide receivers coach Mike Grant said. "It has kind of changed his whole perspective and role and attitude. It's nice to see him stepping up and being in the front of the line. I remember when he was in the back of the line."

Brown, entering his sixth and final season, went through the senior day ceremony before Wyoming's victory over Hawaii in the 2023 home finale.

After talking to Grant, new head coach Jay Sawvel, his family and high school coaches back in Texas, as well as his current teammates from the 2019 recruiting class, Brown decided to return for one last ride.

"We had a pretty deep conversation trying to decide what we really wanted to do with our lives in general," Brown said.

Jordan Bertagnole, Shae Suiaunoa and Dawaiian McNeely also chose to stick around in 2024 as sixth-year seniors.

Bertagnole has established himself as one of the best defensive tackles in the Mountain West, Suiaunoa will be the starting middle linebacker after two productive seasons playing next to Easton Gibbs and McNeely was the starting running back before suffering a torn ACL last August.

Sawvel is openly rooting for Brown, who has only 17 career catches for 208 yards and a touchdown in 38 career games, to go out with a bang.

"I'm going to be a big cheerleader for Alex Brown," Sawvel said Tuesday. "He hears me with that every day. I want him to have a big year, and he's going to need to."

So, why is the coaching staff still all-in on Brown?

"Because the talent is there," Grant said. "And you hate to see it go to the wayside. We've seen everything -- his weight room and his speed and his level of maturity -- all go up (this offseason). Now with the change in the offense, we need him to have a bigger role."

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Brown flashed his potential by hauling in a 32-yard touchdown catch that proved to be the game-winner in Wyoming's 14-13 victory at Colorado State.

Brown followed up his legendary moment in the Border War rivalry with only eight receptions for 106 yards last season. The Pokes are hoping he can put together a career year like Wieland did as a sixth-year player when he led the receivers with 44 receptions for 480 yards and five touchdowns.

There will be more opportunities for Wyoming's top skill players to catch passes in space under new offensive coordinator Jay Johnson.

"We've got to be able to use our strengths – putting speed on the field and not allowing the box to be so heavy," Grant said. "They have to feel us on the outside, otherwise they can just pack the box and stop the run and dare you to throw. That's what we want to get away from. We want them to actually feel us in the ball game and have to make adjustments to that."

Andrew Peasley, who performed well during the program's NFL Pro Day last month, said his inaccuracy on deep targets last season was due to a shoulder injury he suffered in the second game that never fully healed until the 9-4 campaign was over.

Evan Svoboda, the Cowboys' new starting quarterback, has plenty of arm strength to stretch the field vertically to receivers with elite speed like Brown.

"We've got Alex Brown, a guy who has been here a long time," Svoboda noted. "He's experienced and he's going to be a big threat this year."

Brown will also be leading the next generation of receivers – from third-year breakout candidates like Caleb Merritt and Jaylen Sargent to transfers with track speed like Devin Boddie Jr. and Tyler King to developing talents like Justin Stevenson – by example.

"I kind of know what needs to be done and what we need to do to be successful and what we've done in the past that has led to us not being successful," Brown said. "A lot of them look up to me and they'll do what I do, so I think this year I must be a lot more conscious about how I react to certain things and emotionally how I'm invested in certain things.

"It has been a little bit of an adjustment. I've learned I can't do certain things because it's like, oh, a 17-year-old kid thinks it's OK now."

Wyoming fans will be able to check out Brown and the Cowboys during an open practice at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Indoor Practice Facility.

If you are interested in learning more about NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) or would like to support our student-athletes, please visit 1wyo.org. 1WYO was created out of Wyoming's culture of neighbor helping neighbor. The mission is to promote and strengthen local charitable organizations and develop Wyoming student athletes. 

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