Josh Allen to Tyler Hughes: Wyoming Football ‘One Step Away’

LARAMIE -- Seeing is believing.

Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel watched copious amounts of Tyler Hughes' game film before eventually extending an offer. The true validation came from his newly-hired offensive coordinator Christian Taylor, who back in 2022 also believed in the Marietta, Ga., product enough to have him sign on the dotted line.

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That was at William and Mary, a program Hughes spent the previous four seasons at, waiting his turn to take the reins of the offense.

That came last fall. Impressive results followed.

The 6-foot, 210-pound senior became the first quarterback in school history to eclipse 2,300 yards through the air and roll up another 600-plus on the ground. Hughes also tossed 20 touchdowns and ran for another 11 while leading the Tribe to a seven-win season.

"Honestly, that's just the person I am," he said, referring to why he stayed in Virginia, patiently waiting his turn as Darius Wilson threw for nearly 7,000 yards and connected on 43 touchdown passes as a four-year starter at the FCS institution. "I went there and my commitment was that I was going to grind and I was going to play. I'm super big on education, too. Now, did I plan on waiting three years? Absolutely not. But I knew that I needed to learn, I needed to develop as a quarterback and I needed to develop as a man.

"If I just put my best forward every day, I'll get what I want. That's how I'm here, talking to you. All I needed was an opportunity, and I made the most of it."

Sawvel said he sought experience in the transfer portal. He also coveted a dual-threat skillset, something the Cowboys haven't had under center since Andrew Peasley led the offense. Hughes immediately impressed with his tireless work ethic. On numerous winter nights, Sawvel added, the graduate transfer would be the last man in the building, pouring over film and learning about the offensive weapons at his disposal.

Even that wasn't good enough.

Weather permitting, Hughes would find a way to turn on the lights at War Memorial Stadium and have those very same players from the screen, running routes and beginning to establish a rapport, whether that's wideouts like Ke'Lyn Washom and Eric Richardson or tight ends Jake Wilson and Kyle Frendt.

Hughes looked around the team's meeting room, smiled and said: There's no reason to go home.

"I've been using all the resources that we have here, bringing the guys along as much as I can, and just doing what I can do every day just to be one-percent better," he added.

Washom, a 6-foot-1, 204-pound redshirt sophomore, said he doesn't just like Hughes, he loves him. In fact, he even calls him "best friend."

"He's a great leader," the Houston product added. "He gets the receivers in the building and he has meetings with the other quarterbacks. He's a guy that stays up here 25/8. That's what I love about him. He has love for the game. He, real life, plays football. That's his job. That's his life."

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Has anything else surprised Sawvel?

"The thing that has opened eyes to everybody on the staff is -- he does have a very good arm and can throw whatever ball that he wants to -- I did not realize he would be as fast as he is," Sawvel said. "Without getting into specifics, I'll just tell you he's in a rarefied territory of guys that we've had here in the six years I've been here. In all the time that we've tracked people, there's not been very many guys that run as fast as he runs."

In Wyoming's first official practice of the spring in late March, Hughes tucked the ball under his right arm after avoiding the oncoming pass rush and took off right down the center of Jonah Field. While it's true quarterbacks, sporting blue non-contact jerseys, aren't supposed to be touched, it wasn't likely any defender was getting a hand on him anyway.

Sawvel joked that he turned immediately to defensive coordinator Aaron Bohl and warned that losing a containment lane against man coverage would lead to major headaches.

Bohl will be on the receiving end of that punishment now, but the hope is that will soon be relegated to opposing defensive staffs.

"That dude can move," left tackle Rex Johnsen said following that initial workout, adding that Hughes' mobility could also lead to way less damage behind the line of scrimmage in the form of sacks and tackles for loss. "I'm excited to watch him take off down the sideline."

Hughes, no doubt, sees the opportunity to showcase himself at the FBS level, proving his traits will translate. He also wanted to cap his final collegiate season, reuniting with his former playcaller.

Taylor, who spent the previous two seasons on the staff of the Buffalo Bills, tasked with breaking down opposing offenses -- or what Sawvel calls earning a "PhD in football" -- said he spoke to the school's most-famous alumnus before agreeing to head west. Josh Allen, he added, gave his stamp of approval, preaching the gospel of how things are done on the high plains.

Hughes heard that very same message from the former NFL Most Valuable Player.

"He just gave me a rundown about how Laramie is and how close Wyoming, as a whole, is very close to being a super-competitive team," he said. "We have all the things that we need here, especially to be really good football players. It's just always been like one step away, one play away."

Some might even say one quarterback away.

"Basically, (he said) just come here and put your best foot forward."

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players