Landon Sims, Coming Off Third ACL Tear, 'Fully Cleared'

LAS VEGAS, Nev., -- Wait, is that ... Landon Sims?

The sophomore quarterback, a bulky, black brace draped around his surgically repaired left knee, was on the field inside War Memorial Stadium last spring, throwing darts down the seam, a wide smile glued to his face.

Who could blame him?

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The junior college transfer was less than six months removed from going under the knife after a third ACL tear. Head coach Jay Sawvel referred to his injury last October as a "gut punch" to the entire roster. His playcaller at the time, Jovon Bouknight, simply called it a "tremendous loss."

That's an understatement.

Without the 6-foot-3, 217-pound Alabama native, Wyoming's offense managed just one offensive touchdown over the final 15 quarters of the season as the Cowboys limped to a 4-8 record, missing out on the postseason for a second straight year under Sawvel.

It wasn't a question of when Sims would return to the field, but if that was even a possibility.

"You can't get rid of me that easy," Sims, in his southern twang, said back in April.

He followed that up by saying he was coming back to be "elite." He said he wouldn't lose a step.

Turns out, his words were prophetic.

"He's cleared. Fully cleared," Sawvel said last Thursday at Mountain West Media Days in Las Vegas. "He will have no limitation in fall camp, which is a credit to him."

Sims, who rushed for nearly 100 yards and a touchdown on just 15 attempts and completed 6-of-8 passes in mop-up duty for then starter Kaden Anderson, isn't just back on the practice field, Sawvel said he is eclipsing his speed numbers from this time a year ago.

Sims said back in April the first knee injury forced him to become a more well-rounded quarterback at East Central Community College in Mississippi, especially in the passing department. His second season-ending setback caused him to become a student of the game, breaking down film and picking up tendencies.

Along with Tyler Hughes, the Cowboys' presumed starter under center, Sawvel said those words aren't hollow.

"They're always in the building," he added. "They're always spending extra time, they're always with the receivers, they're always working on their craft. That's going to be great for Mason Drube. That's going to be great for Taylor Hasselbeck. That's going to be great for new quarterbacks that we've got coming in the future."

Wyoming last fall again featured one of the worst passing attacks in the nation, averaging just 183 yards through the air per game. Only Nevada and Air Force were worse. The latter runs the option. Both beat the Cowboys in 2025.

Sawvel said the current quarterback room is in a "really good place," adding some of that comfort level comes from the fact his staff recruited the entire unit.

"That's been a problem for us the last couple years," he said, referring to Evan Svoboda and Anderson, two holdovers from Craig Bohl's tenure in Laramie. "That's been part of the reason we are where we were at."

The Cowboys averaged just 16 points an outing last season. That's 129th in the country out of 134 programs. And even that final number is inflated thanks to a pair of defensive scores and a punt return for a touchdown.

Anderson is now the signal caller at Tarleton State. Jay Johnson, who was the team's offensive coordinator the previous two seasons, was ousted with five games to go in the 2025 campaign. He is now an assistant quarterbacks coach at Oregon. Bouknight has shifted back to his original duties as the wide receivers coach. Christian Taylor was hired in early December after a two-year stint on the staff with the NFL's Buffalo Bills.

What's Sawvel's expectation on this offense?

"Scoring points," he said, bluntly.

Sims returning to full strength can only help that cause, he added.

"There needs to be a relentlessness to it," he said of this new-look offense. "There's a constant to where every time that we play, we want it to be when the team comes off the field from playing us that they're like, 'We don't want to play these guys again.'

"... We're going to operate in a way different space, so I'm excited about that piece."

Sims always planned to be in that mix.

"Never. Not once," Sims said in April, referring to waving the white flag on what seems to be a snake-bitten career. "I love this game. I've been playing it since I was in the first grade. My father's a coach. I've been around it my whole life."

Wyoming will open fall camp Aug. 5, one month ahead of the season opener at Colorado State.

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