Wyoming’s Buck Coors, Will Pelissier Undergo Surgeries on Friday
LARAMIE -- Buck Coors can't catch a break.
Wyoming's sophomore safety suffered a broken hand Thursday and underwent surgery today, according to Craig Bohl. This is Coors' sixth operation since arriving on campus in 2020.
Wide receiver Will Pelissier also suffered a finger injury that required surgery. Bohl did not provide a timetable for his return.
"He's been snake bit," Wyoming's head coach said of Coors. "... You know, it's just been every year. It's the same thing, he's always got a positive attitude. He was in my ear, like, big time, last year as far as coming back. It's always easier to say woah than giddy up. He was making really good progress. But, nonetheless, he's going to have probably a plate in his hand for a while."
Bohl said he thinks the Loveland, Colo., product could be sidelined for a month.
Coors, who has appeared in just nine games during his three-plus years in Laramie, suffered a broken left ankle, along with three torn tendons, during fall camp a season ago. He was expected to miss the entire year but reentered the lineup in late October, suiting up for the final five games of the 2022 campaign.
The 5-foot-11, 191-pound nickelback-turned-safety has also broken his left forearm, his wrist and a thumb -- twice.
"Absolutely not. No," Coors said emphatically last week when asked if he has ever thought about quitting football because of the rash of injuries. "It's always tough. I mean, I like to play fast and hard and I'm never going to pull up. So, you know, when I'm running into guys that are a lot bigger, things like that happen.
"So, it's never fun, but it doesn't change the fact that I still love to play, and I'm still going to play 100%. That's not going to change, so you just roll with it."
Coors was slated as a backup at the free safety spot behind Wyett Ekeler.
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Andrew Johnson, a sophomore from Cheyenne Central, is "in the forefront" right now, Bohl said. A couple of other candidates to fill in for Coors are Koa McIntyre and Air Force transfer, TJ Urban, both of which have been taking snaps with the No. 1 and 2 defense.
Aside from Isaac White and Ekeler, no other safety on the current roster has appeared in a Division-I game.
"We have some emerging guys," Bohl said. "We feel really good about the upper-echelon guys, but we're just trying to work with some of the backup guys and coach (Jay) Sawvel is doing a nice job integrating them into tough situations. You know, we have to develop not only depth but competition. We do feel good about our starters, but to think that you're going to go through the whole year with those two starters is a little bit unrealistic. So, we're not where we need to be, but we're making progress."
Black Hills State transfer and Casper native Jevon Davis is the only safety with any playing experience at the college level. He appeared in 10 games for the Yellow Jackets last fall and was credited with a dozen tackles.
True freshmen Lafai Purcell, Jones Thomas, Miles Tucker and Nikos Varelas are also listed as safeties on the 2023 roster.
Pelissier, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior from Big Horn, was spotted wearing a cast on his left arm at the beginning of fall camp. He appeared in just nine games last fall, snagging eight balls for 101 yards and a touchdown.
That score came on a 48-yard heave from Andrew Peasley in a 40-37 double-overtime victory over Tulsa.
The Cowboys have remained mostly healthy throughout camp, Bohl said, aside from the loss of running back Dawaiian McNeely, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury nine days ago. Defensive end Sabastian Harsh, who has missed most of camp after a minor knee surgery, said Friday he will be ready for Wyoming's opener Sept. 2 against Texas Tech. The sophomore missed all of 2022 with a broken knee cap.
Running back Harrison Waylee is expected to miss "a couple of games" after recovering from offseason knee surgery.
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