Will Bohl play some true freshmen?

LARAMIE -- In June of 2018, the NCAA rules that freshman could play in four games without losing a year of eligibility.

Most refer to it as the "redshirt rule."

Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl used this new statute to his advantage last year, giving playing time to a five players who have been key cogs in the Cowboys current 6-2 record.

Sean Chambers
Solomon Byrd
Zach Watts
Rome Weber
Brett Brenton

Those guys earned playing time late in the 2018 season. Chambers may have played in five games if not for a leg injury that ultimately ended his season against Air Force.

Remember, Wyoming needed to win out to get to 6-6 and bowl eligibility, which they eventually did with a 31-3 win over New Mexico in the season finale in Albuquerque.

So, that begs the question -- will Bohl play any freshman this season with just four regular season games remaining?

He says, maybe.

"We've discussed that, as a staff," Bohl said. "What we are doing is, anyone that can help us win will play and be eligible to play. We will not insert players unless there's value to win."

In other words, if they can make plays and aide in the Pokes' Mountain West title chase, yes.

A couple of redshirts have already been burned with running back, Titus Swen, and cornerback, Jordan Murry.

So, who else might get a shot? Bohl said he wasn't naming names. Let's take a guess at what true freshmen might see the field over the last four contests.

Alphonzo Andrews Jr.
This three-star recruit from St. Louis has been a candidate to get in the Wyoming backfield since Swen went down with an MCL injury at San Diego State. Instead, Bohl and Co. decided they could make it through games against New Mexico and Nevada with Casper's Brett Brenton and Yoder's Jeff Burroughs backing up Xazavian Valladay. That might change with match-ups against Boise State, Utah State, Colorado State and Air Force on the horizon. Andrews is a 5-foot, 10-inch, 180-pound running back with a 9.7 yards per rush average in high school. He was recruited by Air Force, Arkansas, BYU, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, New Mexico, Syracuse and Ivy League members, Dartmouth and Yale.

Latrell Bible
This 6-foot, 4-inch, 262-pound offensive lineman has already played in one game this season, filling in at San Diego State when Eric Abojei and Alonzo Velazquez both left with injuries. Wyoming seems set at the line position, but that can change in one snap. The Cowboys have already lost Watts, Gavin Rush, and likely Abojei and Velazquez for the season. Logan Harris also missed two games with a concussion. Bible was the No. 5 recruit in the state of Minnesota by Rivals.com. He was recruited by Air Force and South Dakota State.

Alex Brown
This speedy wide receiver got in the game at Texas State but has not seen the field since. Brown, a three-star recruit from Spring, Texas, was recruited by Air Force, Southern Miss, Tulane and Columbia and Yale from the Ivy League. Brown could be a nice big target for Chambers down the stretch. He is 6-feet, 4-inches and 190 pounds. Mike Grant, Wyoming wide receivers coach, said earlier this year that the young guys on the squad have been impressive and he can't wait to see what they can do on the field. He also alluded to the "redshirt rule." There could be a good possibility fans see Brown sooner rather than later.

Keonte Glinton
This 6-foot, 175-pound safety from Bakersfield, Calif., saw some action in the UNLV game. With Braden Smith moving to corner to help with lack of depth at that position, Glinton played with Alijah Halliburton, Esaias Gandy and Weber. Glinton is a versatile three-star recruit, who played receiver, corner back and running back Bakersfield Christian High School, where his offensive coordinator was former Fresno State and NFL quarterback, David Carr. With the emergence of Murry at corner, Smith has been able to move back into the safety spot, but don't be surprised if the Cowboys staff wants to take another look at Glinton in a game setting. Glinton was also recruited by BYU and Oregon State.

Caleb Roberson
The former three-star recruit from St. Louis was recruited by BYU, Colorado State and Iowa State after racking up 93 tackles and two interceptions at Cardinal Ritter Prep. Bohl has said it a number of times -- Wyoming is "razor thin" at the cornerback position with CJ Coldon out with an injury and Allen Smith and Antonio Hull no longer with the program. If needed, the 5-foot, 7-inch, 175-pound true freshman could be forced into action the way Murry was. Remember, Murry was sixth on the depth chart in fall camp. He started against UNLV. The Cowboys staff might need to see what kind of players they have at that position in an actual game. We will see if Roberson is that guy.

Treyton Welch
The 6-foot, 3-inch, 207-pound tight end from Buffalo, Minn., has seen action in the past two games against New Mexico and Nevada. With sophomore Nate Weinman out with an injury, Welch has gotten a look. And why not? Wyoming loses fifth-year senior Josh Harshman after the season and Jackson Marcotte has solidified himself as blocker and a threat in the passing game. Welch was a finalists for Mr. Football in the state of Minnesota after hauling in 60 passes for 1,032 receiving yards during the regular season. He also caught 13 touchdown receptions.

Levi Williams
This is a bit of a wild card, but Williams was closer to entering the Nevada game than one would think. Chambers went down with a left knee injury in the first quarter and sat out the entire second half. Back-up quarterback, Tyler Vander Waal, was suffering from step throat all last week and was far from 100 percent against the Wolf Pack. Vander Waal sucked it up and played the final 30 minutes, but one hit would've sent this true freshman from Canyon Lake, Texas, right into action. Williams is 6-foot, 5-inches and weighs in at 208. He committed to the University of Houston out of high school and was let out of that pledge when the school hired Dana Holgersen. He was also recruited by Baylor, Oklahoma State and TCU. Williams was ranked the fifth-best pro-style quarterback in the Lone Star State after throwing for 3,239 yards and 32 touchdowns his senior season.

Filed Under: Craig Bohl, Featured Slider, University of Wyoming Football, Wyoming Cowboys

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