LARAMIE – The Wyoming offensive linemen trio that created the "Fat, Fatter and Fattest" podcast last summer have all moved on.
 
Caden Barnett, who reluctantly took on the "Fattest" role while bantering with sidekicks Jack Walsh and Wes King during the series, recently signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent.
 
"I think there's going to be a lot of people stepping up," Barnett said when asked about the future of the UW offensive line ahead of his workout for NFL scouts in March in the High Altitude Performance Center. "Just coming back and hearing stories I'm excited."
 
The theme for the 2026 O-line during the winter strength and conditioning program was more like: Big, Bigger and Biggest.
 
Eric Donoval, the director of sports performance for football, noted that entering spring practice the group had gained 75 pounds of muscle while shedding 30 pounds of bad weight.
 
"I'm pumped for the offensive line battle," senior left tackle Rex Johnsen said. "There are so many guys that want to get that starting spot and dudes are coming in and working hard every day. In the weight room this year we averaged like 500 pounds for our back squat, which is awesome and we've never had that for an O-line here."
 
Johnsen brought stability to the critical left tackle position where the Cowboys struggled with injuries and inexperience after Frank Crum left for the NFL following the 2023 season.
 
"I love left tackle and that pressure that comes with it just in the back of my head always protecting the quarterback and having his blindside," Johnsen said. "It might be the wrestler in me, but I absolutely thrive off of that."
 
UW also returns starting right tackle Braylon Jenkins to anchor the unit with Johnsen.
 
"Braylon got thrown in as a redshirt freshman and then you get kind of a taste of it. The biggest thing I've noticed about Braylon this offseason is the intent," offensive line coach Joe Tripodi said of the third-year's sophomore's growth. "We all get to practice X amount of hours, everybody is doing the same thing across the country. So, you have to figure out how to set yourself apart and how you can be different when everybody is doing the same thing.
 
"His intent and attention to detail is definitely different from this time last year."
 
UW bolstered the interior by signing impact transfers Jason Maciejczak (Nebraska) and Chandler Donaway (East Texas A&M), who quickly emerged as the first-team center and left guard, respectively, during the spring.
 
Maciejczak also provides gravitas in the locker room like Walsh did in recent years.
 
"He's a guy that could be a leader," head coach Jay Sawvel said. "He's got a presence about him, a mentality about him to be a leader. We kind of want him to be a guy who takes that center job and goes with it. That's going to be an open battle for a while. We've got five guys who can snap the ball right now."
 
Donaway, who only allowed two sacks over 1,400 snaps at the FCS level, also took reps at center this spring before solidifying himself at left guard.
 
"He's really good; that's what sticks out about him. Even the first day without pads on I was like, 'This guy is not bad,'" Sawvel said. "Then once you've put pads on and see him on a day-to-day basis, we've got a good player there. I mean, he fights and competes every period, every drill. Football is really important to Chandler. This is a grown-up, too. He's a man."
 
Giovanni Panozzo, who has grown into a 6-foot-5, 308-pound sophomore, is competing for the starting job at right guard. Redshirt freshmen Kalvin Janssen, Johnathan Bush and sophomore Caleb Hall also made a push for playing time over the 15 practices.
 
Josiah Petaia, a 6-3, 311-pound junior, adds depth at tackle. Nathan Geiger, the starting tackle to begin the 2024 and 2025 seasons who suffered a torn ACL in each campaign, is expected to sit out this fall to recover. However, 6-7, 305-pound junior Jake Davies is back after getting thrown into the starting lineup for Geiger.
 
The overall depth Tripodi is working with has expanded with juniors Brandt Rice and Quinn Grovesteen-Matchey overcoming injuries early in their careers and competing throughout the spring.
 
Jeremiah Katt, a transfer from Northern Arizona who earned all-Big Sky honors last season, and redshirt freshman Tariq Miller should be back in the mix for fall camp after missing most of the spring.
 
Redshirt freshman Cooper Lawson of Afton and sophomore Spencer Rathbun, who is the son of former Cowboy standout Rob Rathbun, continue to develop. True freshman Grant Lott enrolled early to get a head start this spring and will be joined by 2026 recruiting classmates Pierce Decker, Jackson Garrett and Jonathan Pearcy on campus this summer.
 
"I feel like this year our team is a lot closer. We have a lot of guys on the team that are really close," Johnsen said. "On the practice field we're even more competitive, which is always good."
 
One aspect of new offensive coordinator Christian Taylor's scheme that will help the offensive line is having a dual-threat quarterback taking the snaps. Tyler Hughes was given the bulk of the first-string reps in the spring, but redshirt freshman Mason Drube also put a strain on the defense with his arm and legs.
 
"Fast, physical violent," Maciejczak said when asked to describe Taylor's offense. "I think what we're going to do this season is we're going to beat people to sleep but we're also going to put some pressure on them with eye candy and everything else we do. It's not going to be just an Air Raid offense, we're going to run the ball and we're going to show you what Wyoming football is about."
 
(Editor's note: This is the fourth in an eight-part series reviewing UW's position groups. Monday's review: Tight ends)
 
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.
 
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