LARAMIE – A lot of the hay is already in the barn.
 
Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel and his staff spent countless hours during the offseason retaining core players and adding dozens of new players to make sure the 2025 roster has upgraded competition, depth and talent at all positions.
 
Eric Donoval, the Director of Sports Performance for Cowboy Football, led the team through winter and summer strength and condition programs.
 
The Pokes also went through 15 spring practices culminating with the Brown & Gold Game.
 
"The number one job of a coach is building a roster and the number two (job) is setting culture to it," Sawvel said. "I didn't necessarily think we were in a bad spot culturally, but I thought we could get infinitely better. I thought that could happen a number of different ways.
 
"It's not to minimize what happens Aug. 28 going forward, but I really think like 90 percent of the head coach's job leads up to that point in who you acquire, who you have in your program, how they're performing, how their habits are and all those types of things."
 
Before Sawvel's second season as head coach kicks off on Aug. 28 at Akron, the Cowboys will be on the proving grounds that are the practice fields for three weeks of fall camp.
 
Here are five position battles to follow with the first session set for Monday:
 
1. Left tackle
 
UW struggled to protect the quarterback's blindside in 2024 with Frank Crum graduating and playing down the road for the Denver Broncos.
 
Nate Geiger won the starting job but suffered a season-ending injury in the opener at Arizona State. Jake Davies, who was also a redshirt freshman, was thrown into the fire. Both are healthy and ready to compete for the spot again.
 
Entering camp, Wes King (left guard), Jack Walsh (center), Caden Barnett (right guard) and Rex Johnsen (right tackle) are the favorites to be starters at the other four positions.
 
However, if some of the talented young players – like redshirt freshmen Giovanni Panozzo and Braylon Jenkins or sophomores Quinn Grovesteen-Matchey, Josiah Petaia or Brandt Rice – rise join the list of "winnable" offensive linemen then Sawvel said the lineup could be shuffled to get the best five-man combination on the field.
 
2. The entire secondary
 
The two-deep at all five positions – two cornerbacks, two safeties and nickel back – is wide open.
 
At cornerback, junior Ian Bell has a clear path to the field if he can stay healthy. Transfers BJ Inmon and Dainsus Miller also bring experience to the competition. The future is bright for redshirt freshmen Markie Grant and Tyrese Boss and true freshman Tyson Deen, but all three will have an opportunity to win a job now.
 
At safety, where the Pokes struggled when Wyett Ekeler and Isaac White were injured last season, senior Andrew Johnson is the leader in the room. Sophomore Jones Thomas is ready to seize a leading role. Four transfers – Brooklyn Cheek (Cal), Justin Taylor (Wisconsin), Jaden DaCosta (Portland State) and Desman Hearns (Southern Illinois) – will challenge to start.
 
Hearns has the versatility to play nickel where UW returns Caleb Merritt and Malique Singleton.
 
3. Running back
 
Sam Scott, the Cowboys' leading rusher in 2025, is the only returning player with experience carrying the ball in the brown and gold. The senior had 435 yards rushing and four touchdowns (one receiving) last season.
 
While Scott was out during the spring, redshirt freshmen Nico Hamilton and Dontae Burch and Charlotte transfer Terron Kellman took the bulk of the reps.
 
New running backs coach Gary Harrell will now have a chance to throw potential impact transfers Damashja Harris (North Texas) and Max White (Iowa) into the mix and get talented true freshmen Patrick Broadway II, Samuel "Tote" Harris and Jaden Lawrence up to speed.
 
Sawvel is carrying 10 running backs on the roster to make sure depth is not an issue during the grind of the season.
 
4. Linebacker
 
There are as many as six linebackers currently in a position to rotate this season after UW relied too heavily on seniors Connor Shay and Shae Suiaunoa in 2024.
 
Gary Rutherford is a potential breakout star, but the touted redshirt freshman will have to perform well in camp to earn a starting spot with the return of Evan Eller and the additions of transfers Ethan Stuhlsatz and Brayden Johnson.
 
One of Rutherford's classmates, Dash Bauman, is an intriguing player that has been compared to a young Chad Muma. The wild card in the competition is North Dakota State transfer Enock Sibomana, a versatile FCS champion the staff wants to find a prominent role for.
 
5. Wide receiver
 
Jovon Bouknight is coaching the position he mastered two decades ago at UW. The hall of fame wide receiver has a list of dynamic weapons to work with, starting with returners Chris Durr Jr. and Jaylen Sargent.
 
Jaylan Bean, a 6-4 target, and Jackson Holman, an Arizona transfer, performed well during the spring and should be even better after building a rapport with Kaden Anderson and the other quarterbacks over the summer.
 
The Pokes have some speed in the room as well with Eric Richardson, Deion DeBlanc, Bricen Brantley, Pierre "PJ" Jackson and Ke'Lyn Washorn. Bouknight also plans to use 6-foot-6 converted tight end Clay Nanke in the slot, and 6-6 transfer Michael Fitzgerald was added from the portal.
 
Sawvel is eager to see all the hard work since last December start paying off.
 
"They've continued this build," Sawvel said of the progress the Pokes made during summer workouts. "We look the part right now a lot better than we did before."
 
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. 
 
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.