Who Will Replace Placekicker John Hoyland at Wyoming?

LARAMIE -- It's not as easy to follow a legend as John Hoyland often made it look.

Stepping in for Wyoming's all-time leading scorer Cooper Rothe, the Broomfield, Colo., placekicker booted through four field goals inside of a vacant Mackay Stadium in Reno during his debut.

In fact, he missed just one kick during that COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign.

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Then head coach Craig Bohl often joked he didn't even know Hoyland's name, only that he wore a red shoe on his right foot. He might not have even suited up against Nevada if not for an injury to presumed starter Luke Glassock.

Everyone knows his name now.

Hoyland was named a Lou Groza semifinalist, a Freshman All-American and split the uprights from 24 yards out to lift Wyoming to a 16-15 victory over Toledo in the 2023 Arizona Bowl, sending Bohl into retirement a winner. Hoyland was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

Hoyland capped his Cowboy career last fall as the new scoring champion in Laramie. He finished with 73 makes and 366 points during his five-year stint on the high plains, 24 more than Rothe. He also holds the single-season record for makes with 22 in 2022, surpassing Cory Wedel and JD Wallum.

"Well, they're pretty big numbers," Hoyland said last November after breaking the record with seven extra points in a road win over New Mexico. "I don't think I expected to get to this point, coming in. I was just hoping to kind of be able to get some playing time. To be able to carve out the kind of career that I have had here is pretty awesome."

Now the big question is, will it be redshirt sophomore Erik Sandvik or Cheyenne native Keelan Anderson who is tasked with replacing Hoyland?

Jay Sawvel said Sandvik is "solid." A funk in practice in late October was due to a hip injury. Wyoming's head coach added this spring will speak volumes when it comes to Anderson. The redshirt freshman has talent. Can he find consistency?

Hoyland agrees.

"Both are fantastic guys that I have been fortunate to be teammates with," he said. "I have confidence that both have the ability to be successful for the Cowboys."

Sandvik, a Steamboat Springs, Colo., product, booted through a 20-yard attempt in last April's annual spring game. He was a perfect 10-for-10 at Wyoming's camp the summer prior. The 6-foot-1, 193-pounder can also punt, which makes him a luxury these days with rosters being trimmed to 105 before the season.

Sawvel said he hopes to find a free-agent punter during the spring transfer portal window, which is open from April 16-15. He's looking for a player with multiple years of eligibility, he continued, unlike Jack Culbreath, who was only here for the 2024 campaign after transferring from the Virginia Military Institute.

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What are Sandvik's strengths?

"He has a smooth motion that he can draw great power from with less effort," Hoyland said. "He uses his taller frame to his advantage. He has a fantastic, laid-back personality in the locker room that makes it so easy to be around him."

Anderson appeared in the radar in the fall of 2023 when he connected on a Wyoming state record 61-yard field goal while kicking for South High School. The previous best was from 57. The 5-foot-10, 170-pounder nailed one of those, too, along with a 53-yarder.

He enrolled early in the spring and caught his head coach's attention immediately.

"I'm glad he's here right now. I like Keelan a lot," Sawvel said last April. "First of all, he looks like he's about 10. One of these days, he's really going to be crushing the ball. He's got a really good leg. He's got a live leg. He's a good worker."

Self-assurance -- on or off the field -- is not an issue for this kid, according to Hoyland.

"Keelan is an athlete that just so happens to kick, which he uses to his advantage," he continued. "He uses a very attacking approach to the ball with a lot of intent and power. He projects confidence in his abilities and finds ways to connect with just about anyone in the locker room."

Sawvel was blunt in what he wants to see from not only his kickers, but everyone, this spring -- Competition.

He also said the team will only carry five in the "specialist room" going forward. That already consists of long snappers Carson York and Charlie Houston, along with Sandvik, Anderson and a punter. Right now the latter is redshirt freshman Gavyn Helm, from Windsor, Colo.

So, who will be the Cowboys' starting placekicker on Aug. 28 at Akron?

"Both have been -- and will be -- working hard on their swings and improving on their vulnerabilities," Hoyland said. "It's going to be interesting to see how it all shakes out, but I have confidence in both of them."

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