Drube, DeBlanc Strive to Be Future Faces of Wyoming Program

LARAMIE -- Oregon. Texas Tech. Arizona State. Arkansas. Louisville.

Those five programs, along with a handful of others, wanted to see Deion DeBlanc lined up in the slot, running routes and hauling in passes this September. Some even envisioned the former two-way star roaming the secondary.

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Michigan State. Washington State. Oregon State. Boston College. North Dakota State.

These five, and more, were hoping Mason Drube would be under center inside their complex, firing the ball around the yard. His arm strength and running ability raised antennas from coast to coast. Football IQ and leadership sealed the deal.

Wyoming.

That's where both eventually landed.

The latter, a native son, born and raised in Gillette. His late father, Kirby Drube, was a tight end here in the 90s. His sister, Gabby Drube, is also a standout on the Cowgirls' track team.

DeBlanc, a Houston product, had no ties, but what he did have was a future head coach who wouldn't take no for an answer. Jay Sawvel, he said, called him on a daily basis during the recruiting process. Unlike the others, he wanted to know about his family, his outside interests, his dreams.

Winning Routine

Arguably the two most-prized recruits of the 2024 class, just minutes after wrapping up their first collegiate practice on Tuesday, wandered into the team's spacious meeting room just steps away from the north end zone inside War Memorial Stadium.

Still sweating? Sure. Wide-eyed and anxious? Hardly.

The early enrollees say they've been preparing for this moment for months, years. It's simply the first step in the process.

Not to mention, the roommates have been quizzing one another every night before bed.

"We have a routine," DeBlanc said, neat dreadlocks bordering a wide smile covered in braces. "We got to sleep around 8:30 -- nine, at the latest -- so we're prepared. Every night we'll go over the plays. He makes sure I know them before we go to sleep. I have to know every play before I go to sleep. Before he goes to sleep, he has to know every play. That's how we do it."

"Last night we were up a little later, going through the playbook," Drube admitted. "Lights are off at 8:30. It's real."

Sawvel has raved about this duo since the ink dried. They are everything he thought they'd be off the field, he added. Tuesday, he got his first real glimpse of what they can do on it, too.

"You can obviously see that the two of them are talented. That's not hard to see," the second-year head coach said. "Deion is ahead of his curve as far as a guy who should be playing for us in the fall. Mason is very mature and handles business the right way. So we're in a good spot with all that part. They'll learn a lot."

Brotherly Love

The bond that has formed was almost immediate.

Drube, who said his home-state school has been courting him since his freshman year at Campbell County High School, had a feeling Laramie would be his eventual landing spot. Sawvel solidified that belief a week after he was hired when he made the five-plus hour drive to see him in person.

He was bought in. He then became a recruiter himself.

The sights were set on DeBlanc.

"He reached out to me and was like, 'Come to Wyoming,'" said the 5-foot-10, 186-pound former standout at North Shore High School, a powerhouse program on the east side of the city. "I was supposed to go somewhere else, but I focused on here because I knew I could play here, I like the coaches here, the trust with Sawvel is real high and Mason.

"Mason is just a bonus. That's my dude, man. We're not related or anything, but I look at him like a brother."

The feeling is mutual.

Common goals serve as the glue.

"We don't want this to be our final stop," Drube added. "We want to go to the NFL. We want to go places. We're going to do whatever it takes."

Dynamic Duo

Drube threw for 2,434 yards and 23 touchdowns last fall. The Camels' signal caller averaged 243 yards per game through the air. He connected on 60% of his throws. The 6-foot-3, 218-pounder is a dual-threat QB. Sawvel said Drube ran a 4.62 40-yard dash at a camp before his junior season. He's only gotten bigger and stronger since.

"This is a guy that runs very well and he has an excellent arm," Sawvel said on signing day last December. "It's not hard for me to close my eyes and go, you know what, that quarterback that we just played at Washington State, Mason Drube becomes that -- or more -- in college, which I think we'd all be really happy with."

That's in reference to John Mateer, who threw for 3,139 yards last season in Pullman and added 826 more on the ground. He accounted for 44 total touchdowns.

Sawvel also said this offseason he was in search of players -- both freshmen and transfers -- who live and breathe football.

He believes he found that in DeBlanc.

Playing in the highest classification in Texas, the speedster snagged 51 passes for 714 yards while leading the Mustangs on a deep run through the 6A Playoffs. DeBlanc added five receiving touchdowns and found the end zone two more times on the ground.

He was once named the District 14-6A Newcomer of the Year as a freshman. He also starred in the 200-meter dash and anchored the relay team.

"He played both ways at North Shore High School. Nobody does that," Sawvel said. "When he gets the ball on offense, he'll try to run through you. When you have the ball on defense, he tries to run through your face. So, you look at that and you're like, OK, this is a guy that obviously loves to play."

Faces of the Program

The alarm goes off at precisely 5:20 a.m. each day. Yes, even on the weekends.

DeBlanc said it's a chance to shake off the cobwebs.

Early running and weight-room sessions typically follow. These two, who could still be in high school at the moment, have also been playing plenty of catch on their "down time."

"We get reps," Drube said with a grin. "I know where Deion is going to be."

Sawvel said the maturity level is off the charts with this tandem. That's why, in DeBlanc's case, the comfort level was high when it came to revamping the wide receiver room.

Though Kaden Anderson is the presumed opening-day starter  -- and this staff is very high on the junior quarterback -- there won't be any restraints on Drube, Sawvel said last week.

If he's ready to play, he'll play.

"So, look, if Mason Drube beats everybody out, he'll be the starter," he continued. "OK, great. Now, do we expect that? He's a true freshman in his first semester here. But there's not going to be a limitation."

That goes for the other four QBs in the room, too.

DeBlanc, on the other hand, is expected to contribute immediately. Chris Durr Jr. impressed during his first camp and caught 31 passes for 348 yards and a touchdown during his rookie campaign.

Both Drube and DeBlanc say they're ready for the moment. It's something they talk openly about.

"We both have similar goals," Drube said. "We both want to feed our family and we both want to get out there on the biggest stage. It's not an easy path."

"Mason and I have big hopes for this program," DeBlanc added. "We talk about trying to take over this program and just being us. We're not trying to do too much, because if you try to do too much, then you have too much pressure on you and you can't play how you want to.

"... We know, eventually, we'll be the face of the program. That's the goal."

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