Wyoming’s Jayden Williams is Receiving a Heavy Dose of Tough Love

LARAMIE -- Jayden Williams will be the first to admit, he's leaving way too much meat on the bone.

A perfect example of that came in the season opener at Akron.

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Twice the 302-pound defensive tackle was within striking distance of quarterback Ben Finley only to watch the senior slip out of his grasp. The same scenario happened in the Cowboys' last outing, a 37-20 setback at Colorado.

Four official hurries, zero results.

That's just part of why the sophomore is getting a heavy dose of tough love at the moment.

"He's flashed. He had some moments against CU," Williams' position coach Deonte Gibson said. "The thing I'll tell him -- anybody that puts on that tape will see -- there's some QB landmark issues that he had in that game. I think he had about three pressures that should have been three sacks. So, that's the difference when we talk about a guy that's a solid player versus a player that's an elite player. With his talent, he can be an elite player."

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It sure looked like Williams was held on a couple of those pass rushes inside Folsom Field.

"He got held once. I gave him one," Gibson added. "Now, the rest of them -- get off the block."

How does Williams' head coach feel about the start to his season?

"To say he's met the expectation level that I have for him, he's not met that," Jay Sawvel said. "But, by the same token, that's a very, very high level that I expect. We know that there's a lot more in him that can come out and he can be really, really impactful. So, that's the goal here, now and going forward, is to continue to bring that out of him."

Tough crowd.

The Bryan, Texas product, though, said he wouldn't have it any other way.

On 120 defensive snaps, Williams has tallied just eight tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, a website that tracks player analytics, his current grade is a 50.1 overall. The average number for a defensive lineman is 60.

A bright smile emerged from his bushy beard. Williams, who might be better known around here as "JY," isn't dodging the obstacles, he says he's learning from them.

Does it bother him that the coaches ride him more than others?

"What they're saying is, I just need to be more productive," Williams said. "I need to do my job to the best of my ability. I'm just taking it as coaching points and not really taking it personal, like most people would.

"... That motivates me so much."

Due to injuries and downright ineffectiveness, Williams was thrown to the wolves in 2024, appearing in all 12 games and starting one. He racked up 28 tackles, including 14 of the solo variety. Seven of those came in a loss to Border War rival Colorado State.

Jordan Bertagnole graduated. Jaden Williams entered the NCAA Transfer Portal at season's end.

Williams was already going to be relied upon to be a menace in the trenches this fall. That task got even taller when Caleb Robinson and Dante Drake both went down in summer workouts with a torn Achilles tendon.

Ben Florentine and Lucas Samsula are pulling their weight. So is newcomer Aneesh Vyas, who has already blocked two field-goal attempts and tallied a sack.

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Gibson said he doesn't only want more production from Williams, he wants "elite" habits.

"I think the biggest thing for him is going to be just the level of maturity it takes to be a really good player," Gibson added. "He's learning the consistency of going in and studying the tape, going through installs and practicing the right way. I think that's something a lot of D-linemen go through early in their careers, and right now, he's just trying to find some consistency in the process.

"You have a guy that's immensely talented. The talent is there, we just got to continue to get him to be consistent."

It's been a slow, but steady process, Williams said. He's absorbing the information and trying to make that translate to success. Admittedly, taking on a leadership role is "scary" and "foreign" to him. The former two-star recruit out of Rudder High School relied on God-given talent to earn offers from Washington State and UTEP.

Sawvel and Co. saw the potential all along.

Now, that's being developed.

"The flukes from CU, that's a thing of the past," Williams said. "Now, we've watched the film, we've learned from it, and now we had the bye week. We had time to heal up, get those bruises and stuff managed, and now we're ready to go.

"... I'm just really excited for these two next home games, and I'm ready to kick some ass."