Wyoming’s offensive line is looking a whole lot sturdier than it did a year ago, thanks to three returning starters who are stepping into leadership roles.
At the heart of it all is Jack Walsh, a senior with 25 career starts who’s shifted over to center. Flanking him are Caden Barnett at right guard and Wes King at left guard, giving the Cowboys some badly needed stability in the middle. Both Walsh and Barnett were named preseason All-Mountain West, and both know this group has something to prove.
“Last year was completely unacceptable, and it started with me,” Walsh admitted at Mountain West media days. “We’ve made it a focus to bond more — whether it’s film sessions or just talking through plays together — because we’ve got to go 5-for-5 every snap.”
Last season, Wyoming allowed 27 sacks in 12 games and averaged just 3.6 yards per carry — near the bottom of the Mountain West. Depth issues and injuries made life rough for the offense, and Walsh said the line simply didn’t play with enough pride.
Barnett didn’t sugarcoat it either:
“We lacked the backbone to say, ‘I don’t care who I’m up against — he’s not touching my quarterback.’ That’s changed now. We’ve got a tight group and we’re not letting [stuff] slide anymore.”
Both tackle spots are still up for grabs in fall camp, with Nathan Geiger, Jake Davies, Rex Johnsen, Giovanni Panozzo, Quinn Grovesteen-Matchey and Braylon Jenkins all battling for a starting role. Geiger won the left tackle job last year before a season-ending knee injury, while Davies picked up 11 starts in his place. Johnsen started five games on the right side.
Head coach Jay Sawvel said the competition is wide open but promising.
“Jake wasn’t ready last year to play 70 snaps a game, but now he’s stronger, more mature. Rex is in the mix too. We’ve just got to figure out the best combination.”
Walsh, now one of the team’s vocal leaders, is eyeing both personal and team legacies. An NFL hopeful, he says he wants to be remembered less for stats and more for how he led.
“I want people to say Jack Walsh was a team guy who left no stone unturned,” he said. “That I left Wyoming better than I found it, and taught others how to lead once we seniors are gone.”
With veteran leadership in the middle and young talent fighting for the edges, Wyoming’s O-line has raised its floor — now the question is whether it can raise its ceiling enough to push the Cowboys over the hump in close games.
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