Two Wyoming Defensive Tackles Out For Season With Injury

LARAMIE -- Two potential starters at the defensive tackle spot suffered season-ending injuries during summer workouts.

Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel announced Monday, the opening day of fall camp, Caleb Robinson and Dante Drake both sustained a torn Achilles tendon while running shuttle drills.

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"It hurts," Sawvel said. "What happens is, you try to build it up, right? We felt like, OK, we're in a really good spot. We've got, you know, six guys that could play. Now, we've got four. We feel like we've got a fifth one that can come along."

In a pinch, the second-year coach added, a pair of defensive ends could also fill the void.

This unit was supposed to be a strength for Wyoming heading into the 2025 campaign.

Lucas Samsula, a 305-pound redshirt sophomore, is back in the fold after missing all of last season with a torn Achilles. Robinson, who was also sidelined with an ACL tear, was also supposed to be a major factor in the middle.

Bucknell transfer Aneesh Vyas, along with Jayden Williams and Ben Florentine, are the only interior players left on the roster with any experience.

Alex Haswell, a Sheridan native, redshirted last season and missed the entire spring with a knee ailment. He is expected to return in mid-September.

Freshmen Henry Rehberg and Gabriel Ikechukwu are also on the roster.

Drake tallied just eight tackles -- five of which came against San Diego State -- last fall while playing a limited role behind Jordan Bertagnole, Jaden Williams and Florentine. The 292-pound Robinson, Texas product stood out this spring and was set for a breakout season, according to new defensive tackles coach Deonte Gibson.

"He's showing up in every facet of what we want to do," he said last April. "A guy like that, that young and playing at this level, I just want to continue for him to grow and play, confidentially."

Robinson last appeared in 11 games back in 2023. The Omaha, Neb., native tallied nine tackles, including one for loss. He also broke up a pass. A car accident in the offseason, one that left the senior with an injury to his left thumb and right big toe, limited his repetitions in fall camp.

A serious knee injury, one that also claimed his MCL, happened the following spring during a scrimmage.

"It's heartbreaking, of course," Robinson said last April. "It's unfortunate. But, you know, one of the things that really helped me was just my faith in God and everything like that. I just leaned on that and, you know, just understanding that there are things to come.

"This is just a part of my story."

Sawvel said there were no lingering lower-leg issues for Robinson or Drake, and that these were "one-off" instances. The staff immediately changed all cleats for certain weights, he added, despite still not knowing the cause.

"This is my sixth summer here, we've never had a guy get an ankle (injury), a hip flexor, a groin, anything," Sawvel said. "... We've never had that type of thing."

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