LARAMIE – Tom Burman was frustrated along with the capacity crowd of 25,650 that witnessed Wyoming's 13-7 loss to Nevada in the home finale to spoil the ending to an otherwise perfect November day when Josh Allen had his No. 17 retired at War Memorial Stadium.
 
The reigning NFL most valuable player watched the Cowboys produce significantly more yards punting (334) than passing (152) or rushing (64).
 
UW's longtime athletics director addressed the offensive issues privately with head coach Jay Sawvel throughout the second half of the season and publicly with the media last month as a long offseason began.
 
"There are no simple answers to complex questions. So, somebody may say, 'How do you solve the offense?'" Burman said. "Jay and I have been talking, Jay has a plan. It involves personnel, it involves coaching, it involves scheme, it involves discipline, it involves a lot of things.
 
"It's up to him to execute it."
 
Sawvel's plan is starting to come together.
 
The first step was retaining key players from the existing roster, which UW was able to do with running back Samuel "Tote" Harris, wide receiver Deion DeBlanc, tight ends Kyle Frendt and Jake Wilson and offensive tackles Rex Johnsen and Braylon Jenkins all returning to establish a solid foundation.
 
The next item on the to-do list, hiring a new offensive coordinator, was crossed off on Dec. 19 when Sawvel hired Christian Taylor, an experienced college play-caller who spent the past two seasons as an assistant with the Buffalo Bills.
 
UW's coaching staff put the final touches on a 20-man portal class announced last Saturday. The recruiting haul is headlined by William & Mary graduate transfer quarterback Tyler Hughes, a 6-foot, 200-pound senior who passed for 2,330 yards with 20 touchdowns and three interceptions and rushed for 670 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.
 
"(Hughes) fits the vision of exactly what we need to have offensively, the vision of why Coach Taylor was hired," Sawvel said. "There are physical traits when you watch him on video, there's physical traits when you see him play and how he operates on the field. He's got a good arm, he is very mobile, not only within structured run game but if a play breaks down. …
 
"When I sat down face to face and get to learn the person and see how much he loves football, we're going to have to chase him out of the building. That's what you want in quarterbacks."
 
Hughes joins a QB room that includes two players – redshirt freshman Mason Drube and junior Landon Sims – who accrued valuable experience in 2025. Junior Gage Brook adds depth to the competition this spring. True freshman Taylor Hasselbeck, whose father Tim and uncle Matt had lengthy NFL careers at the position, joins the fray this summer.
 
Getting consistent, dynamic, efficient performances at quarterback has been an issue at UW since Allen left for the NFL.
 
Andrew Peasley, who helped the Pokes win nine games in 2023, was the last true dual-threat signal caller for the Cowboys. Evan Svoboda ran well but struggled with accuracy in the passing game in 2024 while Kaden Anderson was a gritty pocket passer who didn't threaten defenses with his legs last fall.
 
"When you look at the NFL there's a lot of NFL teams trying to find a quarterback and develop a quarterback. You could argue it's the toughest position in football," Taylor said. "So, your job is a coach is how can you make their job the easiest? That's something we're always striving to do. It's not always easy to do but it's about how can you make their job the easiest so they can go out there confidently and play at a high level."
 
Sawvel believes Hughes' ability to attack defenses passing or running will make the offensive line's job less stressful.
 
The Cowboys fortified the unit with the addition of transfers Chandler Donaway (East Texas A&M), Jeremiah Katt (Northern Arizona) and Jason Maciejczak (Nebraska). Giovanni Panozzo, Johnathan Bush, Josiah Petaia, Jake Davies and Quinn Grovesteen-Matchey are among the other returners who will compete for spots in the rotation.
 
Sawvel, who restructured his contract to put $125,000 toward the retention of coaches and the acquisition of talent from the portal, thanked Burman and the loyal fan base for putting the program in a better position with revenue sharing.
 
"A year ago, we would have never been able to sign three offensive linemen," Sawvel said. "We wouldn't have been able to do it or we would have only signed three offensive linemen and there would have been nothing else just from a financial standpoint."
 
Harris led UW with 558 rushing yards (5.6 yards per carry) as a freshman. Sophomore Nico Hamilton and redshirt freshmen Jaden Lawrence and Dontae Burch are also back. The 2026 high school recruiting class includes running back Ryken Banks.
 
Two productive transfers, Markell Holman (Western Illinois) and Diore Hubbard (West Virginia), were signed out of the portal.
 
The Pokes also welcomed a new wide receiver, 6-foot-3, 196-pound Justin Popovich (Lock Haven), to complement the speedy DeBlanc. Returners contributors from last season includes Eric Richardson, Jackson Holman, Bricen Brantley and Charlie Coenen. Redshirt freshman Ke'Lyn Washom is poised for a breakout year.

Another big versatile tight end was added from the portal in Tyler Siddons (Northwestern State). Redshirt freshmen Landon Pace, whose father Orlando Pace is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will also be in the mix for snaps after a year of development.
 
Taylor's vision for the Pokes is to have an offense that looks more like the Allen-led Bills than recent UW schemes.
 
"I was part of hours and hours of defensive conversations of how you tackle guys in space. It's hard. So, whatever we can do, however many ways we have to do it to get those athletes in space, that will help us an offense," Taylor said of his NFL experience the past two seasons in Buffalo. "There are such simple things an offense can do that can present multiple challenges for a defense. A simple shift or motion may create an hour conversation for a defense. Lining up in this formation out of (a different) personnel may be a lot more challenging for a defense than I would have previously anticipated.
 
"There are easy things that an offense can do that might be a lot more challenging for a defense to defend and talk about."
 
Sawvel's plan to improve the personnel and scheme of UW's offense has been addressed with the acquisition of high school and transfer talent and hiring of Taylor. Improving the unit's discipline, execution and productivity will begin in earnest when spring practice opens March 24.
 
The real proof of concept comes Sept. 5 when the Cowboys open the season against Border War rival Colorado State in Fort Collins.
 
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.
 
Don't just watch the game — change it. The most powerful way to support University of Wyoming student-athletes is by joining the Cowboy Joe Club. Your membership fuels scholarships, provides essential resources, and helps Cowboys and Cowgirls succeed both in the classroom and in competition. Your gift is not just support — it's access. As a member, you'll enjoy exclusive benefits that bring you closer to the action than ever before. Be a champion. Join our team. Visit CowboyJoeClub.com or call 307-766-6242.