DENTON, Texas – Clay Nanke crossed to the side of the Border War he was always meant for.
 
Now the Colorado State transfer is making an impact for Wyoming at tight end, which is the position he probably should have been playing all along.
 
The 6-foot-6, 235-pound junior, who was recruited by Craig Bohl's staff coming out of Regis High school in the Denver metro area, played defensive end for the Rams before making the switch to offense.
 
After Nanke entered the portal seeking more playing time, former UW assistant Marty English called newly hired head coach Jay Sawvel to see if he would be interested in adding a talented developmental tight end prospect.
 
"Honestly, coming out of high school Wyoming was the best staff I talked to. They were on top of everything and always trying to reach out to me," Nanke said. "At the time it was weird because I didn't know what I wanted to do. I didn't know if I wanted to play tight end or D-end. I chose just to be closer to home. I've got a little brother, so I wanted to be closer to the fam and I got to see them a lot on weekends and stuff, which was really nice.
 
"But if I was to go back and make that decision again it would look different."
 
Nanke was swimming upstream during spring practice trying to keep up with veteran tight ends John Michael Gyllenborg and Nick Miles.
 
Nanke said his new teammates didn't give him much grief about finally getting to see the Bronze Boot up close, but he had his work cut out for him to move up from the bottom of the depth chart.
 
"It has been really cool to watch because when we came in we heard that he was like a D-end from Colorado State, a tall skinny guy who didn't really know how to play tight end. We were like, what is this kid going to do?" Gyllenborg said. "He was really raw in the spring, and it has just been a crazy amount of improvement. He has been working his butt off every day in the weight room and otherwise and on the field, you can see his confidence growing.
 
"I know the coaches believe in him, I see it, and I know he is starting to really see it and believe in himself."
 
Gyllenborg and running back Harrison Waylee, the team's top two projected skill players, have been missed early in the season while they are recovering from injuries. Waylee remains out indefinitely while Gyllenborg was eased back onto the field for eight plays against BYU last week after watching helplessly as the Cowboys lost to Arizona State and Idaho.
 
Tyler King and Jaylen Sargent combined for five catches and 70 yards against the Cougars to lead UW.
 
Nanke's 24-yard reception was the key play on the Pokes' best drive of the season, an 11-play, 75-yard march capped with a 2-yard run by quarterback Evan Svoboda to get the Pokes within 14-7 in the second quarter of the 34-14 loss to BYU.
 
"That moment was really big for me because that was my first college catch on my first target," Nanke said. "It's hard to put into words. I was excited in that moment. It's one step to hopefully a lot more things. I've just got to keep working at it and hopefully get more opportunities like that."
 
Nanke and Gyllenborg could both be on the field at the same time in certain situations going forward, according to Sawvel.
 
Having two explosive weapons available at tight end should help Svoboda get on track against North Texas on Saturday at DATCU Stadium (5 p.m., ESPN+).
 
"I think Evan is a great quarterback," Nanke said. "We've got a few things to clean up for sure, but I think I can be a big help because of my size. I'm 6-6, 6-7 and that provides a big target, and I am pretty fast."
 
Sawvel said Nanke is the fastest tight end on the team, which is quite a statement considering some of the game-breaking plays Gyllenborg made in 2023, including his 89-yard touchdown against Hawaii.
 
"Clay has come a long, long way. Clay is very talented," Sawvel said. "He had a really good catch the other night, a big play, and when you're looking at that you go, OK, that's the way it should look – a 6-foot-5-plus guy catching the ball like that over the middle of the field with the speed that he has. He's the fastest of our tight ends. He's a very fast person. …
 
"I think he also had two missed assignments in a limited number of plays. There's a tightening up of his game. The hope is you gain confidence by making a big play that now you carry that forward into all of your preparation knowing the fact that you do need to play, and we do need you on the field."
 
Tight ends coach Shannon Moore was pleased with how Nanke handled his first moment in the spotlight against BYU with Gyllenborg on a limited play count.
 
"Everything we've asked him to do he has done. We knew his role might get expanded a little bit and he took advantage of an opportunity. That's what you've got to do," Moore said. "I think when our offense gets back to full strength, and we have all of our firepower out there it's going to be exciting to see."

Nanke said he has found the right home after making the move from Fort Collins to Laramie.
 
"I love being here. It's way different than I would have expected," Nanke said. "I was looking a little rough when I first came in. I was definitely a little bit out of my element still learning the tight end position and how to read defenses and what it's like to play offense at the college level.
 
"That transition was hard at first, but once I met a few of the guys here they kind of brought me a long and treated me as one of their own like I had been here the whole time. I played at CSU, so I assumed it was going to be a lot worse than it was."
 
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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