Wyoming Has Finally Found Its True Dual-Threat Quarterback

LARAMIE -- How is Tyler Hughes adapting to his new home?

"He won't leave the building," Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said with a smile, referring to his new quarterback. "Fans are going to like him."

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The graduate transfer from William & Mary is the front-runner to claim the starting job this season, though Sawvel has said many times the best signal caller will play. Spring practice is the initial opportunity for Hughes to show he's the guy for the job. In fact, he has already started throwing with his wideouts and tight ends this winter.

Plus, he has a leg up on the rest of the field -- he knows the system.

That means the plays, the vernacular, the vision.

All of the above is the brainchild of Christian Taylor, Wyoming's new offensive coordinator, who back in 2021 recruited the 6-foot, 200-pound Marietta, Ga., native to Williamsburg where he became the full-time starter for the Tribe during his senior season.

He had big shoes to fill, too, stepping in for Darius Wilson, who capped his career at William & Mary with 6,980 passing yards and 43 touchdowns. He also added more than 1,900 yards and 19 more scores with his legs.

How did Hughes respond?

By becoming the first quarterback in school history to throw for more than 2,500 yards and rush for another 600 in a single season. He also accounted for 31 touchdowns, 20 of which came through the air.

Taylor eventually left his alma mater and joined the staff of the Buffalo Bills in 2024. If you told him he'd reconnect with his former QB in Laramie, Wyoming, of all places, he added, he'd say you're crazy.

He also knew just who to call after landing the playcalling gig back in December.

"He works his tail off," Taylor said of Hughes. "He's a great teammate and he loves ball. Like, we're going to talk ball for hours, along with other guys on the team, too. Hopefully the whole quarterback room."

There was one caveat to this signing.

"I would have kicked his butt if he left William & Mary before getting his degree -- and his mom would have, too," Taylor joked. "So, that was the first conversation with him, making sure you're getting that degree."

Mission accomplished.

Now, it's time to take the reins of an offense that has struggled mightily over the previous two seasons, especially in the scoring department. Wyoming averaged just 16 points per game last fall. Only five FBS teams were worse.

Even that number is skewed.

Linebacker Bryaden Johnson returned an interception for a score and Deion DeBlanc added a punt return for a touchdown in a 35-28 win over San Jose State.

To add a pinch of salt to the open wound, the Cowboys dropped a three-point decision at Air Force and lost to visiting Nevada by six. Win those and this program was likely headed to the postseason for the first time since 2023, the final year of Craig Bohl's decade-long tenure on the high plains.

Instead, Wyoming capped a 4-8 campaign on the heels of a forgettable three-win season in '24.

If there was a glaring issue, it started under center where Evan Svoboda and Kaden Anderson were statistically two of the least-efficient passers in the nation.

The latter completed just 56.3% of his throws and was picked off 10 times last fall. Anderson also lost three fumbles in the process. The big Texan, who is now at Tarleton State, posed zero threat in the running game, falling victim to the sack 14 times. His longest rush of the year came in the opener at Akron. That was for nine yards.

The opposite problem persisted in 2024.

Svoboda amassed 237 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, including a 51-yard jaunt for a score against San Diego State. When it came to his powerful right arm, though, the Arizona product connected on less than 50% of his attempts. He tossed eight interceptions and was stopped behind the line of scrimmage an eye-popping 26 times.

"I take responsibility for the fact that an offensive vision that we tried to achieve in my first two years here didn't work," Sawvel said.

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He relieved Jay Johnson of his offensive coordinator duties after that disheartening 24-21 setback in Colorado Spring and handed the play sheet to beloved alum and wide receivers coach Jovon Bouknight. The results were immediate -- Wyoming knocked off Border War rival Colorado State 24-0 -- but they weren't sustainable.

That unit managed just three touchdowns and scored 24 total points during a four-game skid to end the season.

Have the Cowboys finally found stability at the position for the first time since a guy named Peasley led the charge?

Sawvel certainly thinks so.

"He fits the vision of exactly what we need to have offensively, and the vision of why coach Taylor was hired," he said. "There are physical traits when you watch him on video, There are physical traits when you see him play and how he operates on the field. He's got a good arm and he is very mobile, not only within a structured run game, but just, OK, play breaks down and there's 15 yards.

"... That's something we didn't have a year ago."

What else sticks out to the boss? Hughes doesn't turn the ball over, capping his final season for the Tribe with just three interceptions.

The Cowboy defense did its job, forcing 15 turnovers and ending the season ranked in the Top-25 overall. The other side of the ball gave it away 18 times and managed just eight drives all year long that took at least five minutes off the clock.

Hughes, you're up.

"We've got to be a two-dimensional offense. We've got to be elite in the run, in the pass game," Taylor said, adding opponents will "feel" the Cowboys' physicality and grit. "It's a cliche, but you target your best players and get them on the field to do what they do. Football is a simple game. Sometimes, as coaches, we make it a lot more complicated than it needs to be, but it'll be a variety of personalities.

"You can classify it as a position-less offense. You're not going to know how we're going to line up based on who's on the field."

Wyoming's 15 spring practices are set to begin in Laramie on March 24, culminating in the annual game inside War Memorial Stadium on April 25.

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