Pokes’ Latest Downfield Threat May Have Been on Roster All Along

LARAMIE -- The scenario was set.

Trailing 7-3 with 28 ticks on the game clock and the offense lining up at the opposing 28-yard line, Tyler Hughes clapped his hands together and reeled in the shotgun snap. With a safety blitz coming off the right side of the line, the graduate transfer quarterback quickly identified the unblocked rusher and fired a pass into the flat.

It looked destined to hit the turf. It was low and outside.

That didn't happen.

Gage Brook reached out for the off-target toss and snatched it off his shoe tops. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end then made the initial tackler miss before being dumped near the sideline 10 yards downfield.

Impressive? You bet.

But he wasn't done there.

On the very next play, with the digital clock high above the playing surface inside the indoor practice facility continuing to drain, Hughes again took a five-step drop and immediately looked in the direction of No. 15. This throw was a no-doubter, threading the pass over the head of a linebacker and safety before it landed right into the awaiting arms of Brook

Touchdown.

"That was great," Brook said Saturday just minutes after an 85-play scrimmage in Laramie came to an end. "I saw a little opening up. I was like, 'please see me.' He saw me -- and he got it done."

At this point, the most casual of fan might be asking this one question: Who on earth is Gage Brook?

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He has spent the previous three seasons on this roster, serving as a back-up quarterback. While he still takes reps as a signal caller -- for emergency purposes only -- the Fort Collins product made the decision to switch positions and try his hand at tight end.

Sound Familiar?

Evan Svoboda, who ironically will soon be Brook's brother-in-law, made that same move in the fall of 2024 after losing his starting spot to Kaden Anderson. The Arizona native responded with just five catches for 12 yards last season. He did find the end zone in the home finale, hauling in a five-yard touchdown in a forgettable loss to lowly Nevada.

Still, with a frame that measures 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Svoboda this weekend could hear his name called at the NFL Draft.

Like Svoboda before him, Brook's reasoning isn't complicated: He just wants to help the team in any capacity he can.

"Honestly, not at all," the junior responded when asked if it was hard to park his ego and move from under center, a place he has played since his youth football days. "I'm OK doing some of the dirty work. I love those O-linemen. A lot of their work gets unnoticed. I'm fine being that guy. I like blocking. I definitely need to work on it still, but I'm fine doing those kind of jobs.

"I don't always need to be in the spotlight."

Admittedly, Jay Sawvel didn't know how this transition would look. Svoboda looks like he's chiseled out of granite. Brook, on the other hand, is tall, lanky.

After 12 spring practices, though, one thing has become very clear: He looks like a natural.

"He looks pretty good at the position," Wyoming's third-year head coach said. "He's got a lot of learning to do, and he's got to improve as a blocker, but his ball skills (are great) and he runs well. His ball skills, for the position, have really been kind of surprising. He's a big target, so all of a sudden, it's like we've picked up a potential guy that could do certain things for us."

His new offensive coordinator has been impressed with how he handles the passing game, too.

"He's been excellent," Christian Taylor added. "I think he'll be able to help us in that role. He's got some improvement to do in the run game, but he has contact courage. He's not afraid. He has a lot of technic work to do, but he's done an excellent job."

Brook said he hasn't played any other position in his life, aside from some heated contests in the backyard. He did credit his early success downfield as a product of simply playing catch with fellow QBs in practice.

Whatever he's doing, it's working.

"It's feeling pretty natural right now," he said with a smile.