Could Tyrese Boss Really Be an Opening-Day Starter? ‘Absolutely’

LARAMIE -- A devious grin creased his unshaven face.

Caden Barnett, a seasoned veteran on Wyoming's offensive line, is making the transition from right tackle to guard. He loves his new position, referring to it as a "fist fight in a phone booth."

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One of his favorite aspects of the switch is "pulling," meaning he abruptly leaves his stance and, instead of going after the guy in front of him, he slides behind his fellow lineman and paves the way for the running back.

That means a head full of steam and a much smaller player in his path.

Barnett said he is now the "hammer."

Tyrese Boss, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound cornerback, played the role of the "nail" to perfection during the Cowboys' second practice of fall camp.

"Seeing him come around the corner like that, you have to make a play. So I had to really kind of just put my mindset to the test," said the redshirt freshman, referring to the imposing 6-foot-5, 320-pound Texan with a notorious mean streak.

What goes through the mind of a soon-to-be-victim?

"You just go," Boss added. "I mean, if you don't go, then it's a potential touchdown. I have to always put my full effort into the play. He's playing and doing his job. I have to do mine. The best man came out on top.

"That's most definitely a welcome-to-college-football moment."

Jay Sawvel said Boss plays with a ton of energy. He likes his physicality and tackling ability. Those traits, along with evolving coverage skills, could land the Chino Hills, Calif., product in the starting lineup as early as Week 1.

Wyoming's head coach added, "He could've played for us last year."

A tendon injury in his hand prevented that. Boss didn't step on the field for the first time until the season finale at Washington State.

"I've been really pleased with how he's played day in and day out right now," Sawvel continued. "So, he needs to keep that going ... I've been really happy with him. When you look at guys who he could be (like), I thought in '21 with Azizi Hearn and CJ Coldon, I thought we were pretty good at corner. I think Tyrese is in that mode, where he could become a more versatile type of a Azizi Hearn, you know, which would be a good player for us."

High praise.

Hearn, you might recall, tallied 79 tackles during three seasons in Laramie before moving on to UCLA. He added 13 pass breakups. He is currently a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Would Benny Boyd really be comfortable with No. 8 trotting onto the field at Akron?

"Absolutely," the Cowboys' cornerbacks coach said. "He's doing well. He still has a way to go. The thing you have with him is, he's a young guy, so he doesn't have the battery of knowledge that you get from playing football. His improvement, though, you see it every day. You see his confidence growing.

"I'm really, really excited about the progress he's made at this point."

Boss racked up 119 total tackles during his prep career at Chino Hills High School, 76 of which came during his senior campaign. He added 5.5 tackles for loss. He broke up 15 throws. He picked off five others.

That damage came at the safety spot.

Admittedly still a tad bitter, Boss only earned two stars behind his name from the recruiting websites.

He wasn't only a standout on defense.

Boss hauled in 71 passes for 837 yards. He landed in the end zone eight times. He also returned three kickoffs, averaging nearly 43 yards an attempt.

Eastern Washington took notice. So did Montana State. Wyoming was the only true offer from an FBS program.

"He had a game plan for me," Boss said of Sawvel, adding that was one of the determining factors in his ultimate decision. "He made it a personal deal, you know what I mean? I think all the stuff he said to me kind of just really made me feel like this is a program for me -- and it really is."

Rookie wideout Deion DeBlanc and Boss go head to head on a daily basis in practice. They are also roommates. He praised the young corner for always being around the ball. His mindset, DeBlanc added, is fearless.

Remember that blast from Barnett?

"He's not scared of anything," he said. "He wasn't scared to take on that hit, and that shows he's big time. He's a great corner and he has a great mentality."

The main focus with a dozen practices remaining in camp is consistency, Boss said. He wants to make the big play, but added, patience is the key when you hang on the island. He knows the scheme. Now, he's putting his head down and going to work.

His number could be called very soon.

"That means a lot," Boss said. "That proves to me that they actually believe in me. Them thinking I can play out there and actually do my job, it's a real good confidence booster, too. So, I think that's a big deal."

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