LAS VEGAS – College football talkin' season has arrived, which means the Pokes will be back on the field soon.
 
Head coach Jay Sawvel, tight end John Michael Gyllenborg and center Jack Walsh will represent Wyoming at the 2025 Mountain West media days event Wednesday and Thursday at Circa Resort and Casino.
 
Gyllenborg and Walsh will appear live on the MW Network at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday and Sawvel will appear at 4 p.m. Thursday.
 
The Cowboys are looking to bounce back from last year's 3-9 finish, which ended with a 17-13 loss to College Football Playoff participant Boise State and a 15-14 road victory over Washington State.
 
Here are five storylines the Pokes will likely be discussing with the media in the bright lights of Las Vegas:
 
Improvement must begin at QB1
 
Four veteran quarterbacks – Colorado State's Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, Nevada's Chubba Purdy, San Jose State's Walker Eget and Utah State's Bryson Barnes –  will represent their teams at MW media days.
 
Sawvel has not named a starter, but Kaden Anderson is the clear favorite after 6-foot-4, 230-pound redshirt sophomore completed 58.3% of his passes for 955 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions in 2024.

Anderson will be pushed by Gillette freshman Mason Drube, junior college transfer Landon Sims and 6-4, 237-pound sophomore Gage Brook during fall camp, which begins July 28.
 
There is optimism inside the program that Anderson, who replaced Evan Svoboda late in the season and passed for 342 yards and three touchdowns to lead a 49-45 comeback win at New Mexico, can orchastrate a dramatic turnaround for UW's offense.
 
UW has one of the nation's best tight ends in Gyllenborg and a gifted group of wide receivers led by Jaylen Sargent and Chris Durr Jr.
 
Boh's revamped defense
 
Second-year defensive coordinator Aaron Bohl, whose injury-plagued unit finished the 2024 campaign with 10 strong quarters against Colorado State, Boise State and at Washington State, will have more depth to work with this season.
 
The Pokes are strong on the defensive line with nose tackle Ben Florentine anchoring the group, Dante Drake and Jayden Williams poised for breakout seasons at defensive tackle, Caleb Robinson and Lucas Samsula returning from injuries that sidelined them in 2024 and Tyce Westland leading the pass rush.
 
Freshmen Gary Rutherford (linebacker), Markie Grant (cornerback), Tyrese Boss (cornerback) and sophomore Jones Thomas (safety) are among the young players ready to push for starting jobs.   
 
The list of impact transfers includes defensive end Brayden Wilson (Weber State), defensive tackle Aneesh Vyas (Bucknell), linebackers Enock Sibomana (North Dakota State), Brayden Johnson (Oklahoma Baptist) and Ethan Stuhlsatz (Lindenwood), cornerback (BJ Inmon) and safeties Brooklyn Cheek (Cal), Justin Taylor (Wisconsin), Jaden DaCosta (Portland State) and Desman Hearns (Southern Illinois).
 
O-line to pave the way
 
UW's offensive line is expected to spearhead a resurgence in the run game with Walsh, right guard Caden Barnett and left guard Wes King all returning. Rex Johnsen will enter fall camp as the favorite to win the right tackle spot with Nate Geiger and Jake Davies competing again at left tackle.
 
The unit, which struggled to fill the void of losing Frank Crum to the NFL and with injuries last season, is expected to be one of the best in the MW.
 
The Cowboys are looking to reestablish the running game under second-year offensive coordinator Jay Johnson. The battle in the backfield will be one of the most heated during camp with Sam Scott, Damashja Harris, Terron Kellman, Nico Hamilton and Dontae Burch among the contenders for carries.
 
Last Border War in the MW
 
UW's game against Colorado State on Oct. 25 at War Memorial Stadium will be the final Border War between the two programs as conference rivals.
 
The Rams are among the five MW teams leaving the conference for the Pac-12 in 2026. The Cowboys are looking to get the Bronze Boot back in Laramie after last season's bitter loss in Fort Collins.
 
If Sawvel and Co. can beat the sheep it will be UW's eighth win in the final 10 matchups with CSU as conference foes.
 
Revitalization at the War
 
The Pokes, who went 7-0 at home during Craig Bohl's final season on the sideline in 2023, will try to return to dominance inside the refurbished War Memorial Stadium.
 
UW hosts Northern Iowa and former rival Utah in non-conference play. Three teams expected to contend in the MW – UNLV, San Jose State and CSU – must also visit Laramie.
 
If the Cowboys want to exceed preseason media expectations, they will have to take care of business at home. However, the tone for the season will be set on the road against Akron on Aug. 28.
 
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Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.