Pokes Practice Report: Tote Not Receiving Star Treatment Just Yet

LARAMIE -- Samuel Harris isn't receiving the star treatment quite yet.

Jay Sawvel, once upon a time, said his starting running backs would not take any unnecessary hits, especially when it came to "friendly fire." That was in response to a costly knee injury Harrison Waylee suffered just ahead of the 2024 season, Sawvel's first on the sideline in Laramie.

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Waylee, you might recall, was limited to just four games that November, maintaining his redshirt status. Those outings came with the Cowboys already all but ousted from postseason contention.

Wyoming's third-year head coach is taking a different -- yet still cautious -- approach with the speedy sophomore they call "Tote." The Texas product, who most recently landed on the Doak Walker Watch List, has been hampered of late by a "soft-tissue issue." He was held out of last Saturday's scrimmage, purely as a precautionary measure, Sawvel added.

It was a better-safe-than-sorry scenario. Not to mention, the staff knows what Harris is capable of doing between the white lines.

During his true freshman season, he led the team in rushing with 558 yards on 100 attempts. That's an average of 5.6 yards a carry. Harris also found the end zone once. That was a shifty little 18-yard jaunt to the end zone in a Week-2 rout of visiting Northern Iowa.

Harris also proved to be a real threat in the passing game, snagging 16 passes out of the backfield for 184 yards. That included a long of 52 on a simple screen against San Jose State.

Wyoming is hosting an all-important second scrimmage this Saturday inside War Memorial Stadium. That kicks off at 4 p.m., the same time the season opener is scheduled for Sept. 5 in Fort Collins. Jobs are on the line.

Not at the top of the running back depth chart, though.

"It's just one of those things that, sometimes it's like, do you really want to put a guy out there and he's not quite ready?" Sawvel said on Thursday. "They're going to have to play it at 85% during the season, but I don't know that I have to have him play at 85% on Aug. 22."

Is this just a case of PTSD from the Waylee injury?

Sawvel says, no.

"Sam Harris was going to go live last week," he added. "There wasn't going to be any hesitation to it."

Spencer Danielson, who is entering his fourth year as the head coach at Boise State, is a trusted confidant to Sawvel. The two have always been friendly and open about issues each team have faced.

When it comes to this specific position, Danielson's opinion, Sawvel insinuated, is worth its weight in gold.

"I talked to Spencer Danielson about how they handled Ashton Jeanty, and, basically, it wasn't until he became a Heisman candidate and was on posters that they decided not to tackle him," Sawvel said, referring to the 2024 runner-up for college football's highest individual honor and the future sixth overall selection in that spring's NFL Draft. "Up to that point, they always tackled him in scrimmages, and you have to for ball security and for all those things that way."

Harris, who missed the final game of the 2025 season with a meniscus injury in his right knee, one that required offseason surgery, has added more than 40 pounds to his frame since arriving on campus last fall. He is faster than ever, Sawvel added, refusing to publicly share his miles per hour.

Sawvel said he isn't in the slightest worried about his premiere back.

"You don't want to make a situation where there's a setback, No. 1, or because you're not quite 100% that you then injure something else," he continued. "It's just, you're smart with it."

EXTRA POINTS:

* Sounds like the drama of naming two starting linebackers has lost its luster. Sawvel said Thursday Ethan Stuhlsatz will man the middle while Gary Rutherford takes over the weak side. The real battle is at the back-up spots. Right now, Dash Bauman would back-up Stuhlsatz, per Sawvel. The other spot is up for grabs between second-year players Parker Moore and Steven Perez.

* Wyoming's staff has structured these last six days as they would during an actual game week. That means a practice Sunday, and off day Monday, two grueling days that followed and a "light" workout on Thursday. Friday is reserved for meetings and a walk-through. "Also, all the little things, too, that go into it, like we'll show how pregame meal works and what people need to eat in pregame meal," Sawvel added. "Just you go through all these different phases to it." The only thing the team is not doing is staying at a hotel the night prior.

* Antoine Winfield Jr., back in his college days at the University of Minnesota, played as a freshman under Sawvel, who was the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach in Minneapolis from 2011-16. The future second-round draft pick and future NFL Pro-Bowler didn't play a single snap at cornerback during the Gophers' opener against Oregon State. He was on the field sparingly in Game 2, a romp of visiting Indiana State. He eventually started at nickelback in a Week-3 meeting with Colorado State. He started every game of his career after that point. What does this have to do with Wyoming? Sawvel said though someone might not be in the starting lineup at CSU, that doesn't mean they won't be sooner rather than later. "He was ready," Sawvel said of Winfield. "You know, sometimes that happens. So, you know, as things evolve, sometimes that's based on injury and sometimes that's based on player evolution." He brought up Moore in this scenario. He also mentioned wide receiver Deion DeBlanc, who has been dealing with a nagging ankle issue.

* Dainsus Miller, as of Friday, is now technically ineligible to participate this fall thanks to a rare NCAA victory in the court room. The senior cornerback, because of an injunction inside a Colorado courtroom, was deemed eligible just two weeks ago. Sawvel said Thursday he was going to make some calls, seeking an ultimate answer. Right now, that's a "no."

* While Harris' availability Saturday is still up in the air, Sawvel said he expects tight end Jake Wilson and DeBlanc to participate in the scrimmage. Fellow tight end Kyle Frendt is "doing more" and wideout Ke'Lyn Washom is dealing with tendonitis in his right knee. Sawvel said he wasn't concerned about any of these injuries, saying none are "long term."

* Sawvel may have let the cat out of the bag when it comes to starting receivers, too. Eric Richardson has been the standout in fall camp and will be in the mix. Same can be said for Charlie Coenen, Jackson Holman and Justin Popovich. So is Washom. What about DeBlanc? Sawvel said because of his injuries new offensive coordinator Christian Taylor has yet to "see what he can do." This could be a Winfield situation. "He's going to play this Saturday, and I expect he can play well," Sawvel added.

* Safety Jett Vincent is playing a concert Friday night at The Cowboy Saloon in downtown Laramie. He got his start in music in true country-and-western fashion: a broken heart. Read all about the CSU transfer right HERE.

* Jovon Bouknight calls Popovich a "throwback" player and said he represents Wyoming's brand "perfectly." That's high praise from the current wide receivers coach and UW Hall of Famer. You can read that story HERE.

* It's no secret, Sawvel and Co. are trying to mimic Utah's offense, from the play of QB Devon Dampier to the position-less approach to the points per game, which exceeded 40. How are they planning to do that? Read all about it right HERE.

* Can two (formerly) undersized freshmen from Las Vegas really crack the lineup this fall? It wouldn't surprise Sawvel -- or their teammates. Read all about Tanielu Maafala-Barbasa and Jayden Williams HERE.

* Make sure to download our FREE mobile app right HERE. Once you do, make sure to turn on all alerts and don't miss any of the latest in University of Wyoming news. You can also sign up for our daily newsletter right HERE.

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