Sawvel: It’s a ‘Wide Open’ Battle for Back-Up QB Spot

LARAMIE -- If the season started today, Kaden Anderson would likely be the starter under center.

That's not necessarily breaking news.

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The 6-foot-4, 230-pound junior is the only quarterback on this current Wyoming roster with experience at the FBS level. He started three games in 2024 and appeared in six others, throwing for 955 yards and six touchdowns in the process.

"Kaden is ahead of everybody, obviously," Jay Sawvel said on Tuesday, adding there are 33 more practices until the Cowboys' season opener Aug. 28 at Akron.

What may come as a surprise is the pecking order behind Anderson.

"Potentially, there's a lot of options there," Wyoming's second-year head coach continued. "Look, that's pretty wide open."

Landon Sims, Gage Brook and the state's top prospect, rookie Mason Drube, according to Sawvel, are all in the mix for the back-up gig. Deyon Batiste, a 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman, who was originally committed to Iowa State, is bringing up the rear in this five-man race.

"Deyon's got to keep working and getting better," Sawvel added.

Initially, a junior college quarterback was signed this offseason to serve as a "buffer" in case of an injury to Anderson. Sawvel said, though he is putting no limitations on Drube, he wanted an emergency plan in place to protect the Gillette product's redshirt status and not to force him into action before he's ready.

Enter Sims.

The 6-foot-3 signal caller spent the previous three seasons at East Central Community College in Mississippi where he appeared in 17 games, including 11 last fall. He earned First Team All-MACCC honors after throwing for 1,760 yards and 13 touchdowns while leading the Warriors to a No. 7 national ranking.

Sims also completed nearly 60% of his passes in his 11 starts.

Despite suffering two ACL tears -- just like Anderson did during his days at Southlake Carroll High School -- Sims is admittedly a "far better athlete" than Sawvel even imagined. He has also impressed his head coach with his work ethic.

"I'd walk by and there's Landon Sims, sitting in a staff room, watching video at 8:45 or 9 p.m. on a Friday night," he said, adding the sophomore is the son of a football coach.

Brook was hoisted to the back-up spot last November just ahead of the Cowboys' season finale at Washington State.

Anderson suffered a concussion in a home loss to No. 12 Boise State, forcing embattled quarterback Evan Svoboda back into the starting role after he had lost his job a month prior. The junior had been working out at the tight end spot.

Brook, the son of former Wyoming linebacker Mark Brook, racked up 2,817 passing yards during his injury-plagued career at Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins. He completed 178-of-332 of his throws and tossed 21 touchdown passes. He also added 237 yards on the ground in just 17 games.

Svoboda led the Cowboys to a 15-14 upset in Pullman, finding tight end John Michael Gyllenborg down the seam from 18 yards out with under 30 seconds remaining in regulation.

Though Brook never left the sideline that night, he has been receiving plenty of reps this spring.

The 6-foot-4, nearly 240-pound sophomore is doing a lot of good things on the field, Sawvel said, but he has even more to prove this Saturday in the team's first official scrimmage.

"Gage has come a long way from where he was," the head coach added. "One of the things is, like, command, OK? You gotta run the show. You gotta get it all going. A year ago, I would have said that was a weakness of his. (He needs to) just go command the thing."

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Drube said he ultimately came to Laramie because of Sawvel's faith in him.

He turned down scholarship offers from the likes of Michigan State, Washington State and Boston College to attend his in-state school, a place his late father, Kirby Drube, once played and was teammates with Brook.

He knows his head coach is leaving the door cracked on potentially getting on the field this fall, but Drube also isn't interested in disrespecting the process.

"Obviously, I'm going to have to go out there and earn it, but I'm just taking it day by day," Drube said. "I'm just trying to learn the offense, learn more about football, and, you know, to give them all I got. That's my plan."

The three-star recruit, who was named the 52nd-best QB in the nation, according to 247sports.com, threw for 2,434 yards and 23 touchdowns during his final season at Campbell County High School. He averaged 243 yards a night and completed 60% of his passes.

Jackson Holman certainly likes what he sees from this group.

The 6-foot-3 sophomore wideout spent last season at the University of Arizona, where he appeared in seven games, mainly on special teams. He has been snagging passes downfield this spring, including finding the soft spot in the secondary last Tuesday and turning a modest gain into a foot race down the far sideline.

"I think they are all really good, really special," Hollman said. "There's a lot of talent in the room, and a lot of leadership, too, even from the older guys, taking Mason under their wing.

"You can just see it, Kaden is real confident, calling the plays and commanding the pocket."

Saturday's scrimmage is scheduled to kickoff at 11 a.m. inside War Memorial Stadium. The practice is free and open to the public.