Pokes Practice Report: Is Wyoming’s Starting Lineup All Set?

LARAMIE -- Jay Sawvel said if the season began today he is confident he knows who all 22 starters will be.

Wyoming opened camp with few question marks when it comes to position battles. Focus has been at the left-tackle spot, along with finding a second cornerback and deciding who will take over at weakside linebacker.

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Those queries appear to now have answers.

"I think we're pretty set," Wyoming's rookie head coach said Monday afternoon in Laramie. "Now, maybe there's an order of receivers who you're putting out here and there, but I think if we started a game today, we would know who runs out there first."

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Nate Geiger, a 6-foot-5, 295-pound redshirt freshman from Highlands Ranch, Colo., will start on the line alongside Wes King, Nofoafia Tulafono, Jack Walsh and Caden Barnett. Geiger has been in a battle with Jake Davies throughout the offseason despite never appearing in a game during his first year on campus.

"It doesn't mean that Jake Davies won't play or anything like that," Sawvel added. "I mean, you need bodies on the O-line and all that. Nate's just been really consistent. But now, you know, look, he's going to have to do it in games against good people and all that stuff."

Keany Parks would get the opening-day nod at the second cornerback position and Connor Shay will take over for Shae Suiaunoa, who slid over to the middle linebacker spot this offseason.

Parks, a sophomore from Kenosha, Wisc., came to Laramie prior to last season as one of the prized recruits of the 2023 class. He was ranked the No. 2 player in the state of Wisconsin by Rivals.com. He was listed as a three-star running back and received interest from schools like Iowa State, SMU, Washington State, Wisconsin and the Pokes' opening-day opponent, Arizona State.

The staff moved him to defensive back last fall and he appeared in 12 games as a rookie. All of those snaps came on special teams.

Shay is also a former three-star recruit. He turned down scholarship offers from Mountain West foes Fresno State, Nevada and UNLV, as well as former league rival Utah. The Danville, Calif., native appeared in all 13 games last season, recording 15 tackles, including a season-high five in a road loss in Las Vegas.

He's paid his dues, sitting behind Chad Muma, Easton Gibbs and Suiaunoa. Cole Demarzo, Evan Eller, Read Sunn and Micah Young were also in the mix on the outside.

"We're going to play a number of people offensively and we'll play a number of people defensively," Sawvel said. "Part of it is, we have to grow the pool, you know? I think that defensively, I like the fact that the pool is a little bit bigger than what it's been, you know? We're going to need that. Hopefully we get that pool, offensively, to kind of be that size, too. Whether it is or not, I don't know. I think maybe we might have a couple more game-ready guys defensively, but that's kind of where we're at."

Here are some other notes from Sawvel's weekly press conference:

* While Harrison Waylee makes his way back from right knee surgery, Wyoming's other running backs are getting plenty of reps. They are making the most of them, too. Sawvel said in last Saturday's scrimmage, DJ Jones broke off a 50-yard run. So did Sam Scott.

* The Cowboys offense ran 115 plays last Saturday inside War Memorial Stadium. That's not even counting the special teams reps, which Sawvel said were plentiful. What was his main takeaway? "We got a lot done," he said. "... It was good to come out of it healthy, other than a bump or bruise here and there, which is a good thing, too. But, overall, you know, I think that there was a lot of improvement in a lot of areas from scrimmage No. 1 to scrimmage No. 2. I thought, offensively, we were sharper Saturday than what we were the scrimmage before."

* Sawvel said Evan Svoboda hit Jaylan Bean on a couple of deep throws in the scrimmage. Fellow wideout TK King, a Texas Tech transfer, also impressed the head coach. "I think we have the makings of a good football team," he added.

* Sabastian Harsh is fully healthy and turning plenty of heads this offseason. Sawvel went as far to say Monday that if the Nebraska product doesn't land on an all-conference list as season's end, he would be stunned. "'I've seen enough of it through 15 spring practices and 16 fall-camp practices that it's like, your eyes don't lie, after a while, at the pace that he's playing, how fast he's moving and how big he is."

* Caleb Merritt would be the team's third cornerback if the season started today. Sawvel said he has had his best week of practice and has shown plenty of growth at his new position. Merritt, a former three-star recruit at wide receiver, was moved to the secondary last fall. "He still has a lot of growth and development to do, but I like how he's playing right now," he said. "I mean, I think there's been really good positives in that."

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* How is Dawaiian McNeely's knee holding up? While Sawvel said he didn't let him take live reps in last Saturday's scrimmage, he did say he is ahead of schedule as he makes his way back from a torn ACL he sustained last fall camp. He said if this was the Olympics -- one shot to win a medal -- he would play on opening day. This is a 12-game season ahead, Sawvel added. "I want to make sure he's fully ready to go and not having any residual soreness, and things like that," he said of the senior running back.

* Tuesday this team will wrap up the "traditional portion" of camp and, after an off day Wednesday, the focus shifts directly to Arizona State.

* ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham Monday announced redshirt freshman Sam Leavitt will start the season opener against Wyoming. The Michigan State transfer was believed to be in a three-way battle with Jeff Sims and Trenton Bourguet.

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