In this week’s preview we look at the 20s block, the block that’s going to be responsible for a lot of the success of the Cowboys this season. In this group we have returning senior Shaun Wick who, paired alongside Brian Hill, will look to form the Mountain West’s top tandem rushing attack. Also in here is Andrew Wingard who is garnering a lot of preseason attention and will be anchoring the Cowboys defense. The 20s block also features a transfer from the basketball team, Austin Conway. Conway, who was recruited by Larry Shyatt to play inside Arena-Auditorium, will trade in the Air Jordan’s for cleats and hit the turf this fall as a wide receiver. Playing football isn’t foreign to Conway, he was a terrific high school player in Colorado.
Josh Boyd (20)
Antonio Hull (21)
Shaun Wick (21)
Nico Evans (22)
Mike Green II (23)
Tim Kamana (23)
Braden Smith (24)
Austin Conway (25)
Davion Freeman (27)
Garrett Gardner (28)
Andrew Wingard (28)
Kellen Overstreet (29)
Josh Boyd, a freshman safety from Bakersfield, California, will be entering his first season with the Cowboys. It’s unknown if Boyd will redshirt or see playing time this season.
Antonio Hull, a sophomore cornerback from Diamond Bar, California will be entering his second season with the Pokes. Hull appeared in all twelve games for the Cowboys last season as a true freshman. Hull started nine games for the Pokes last season. Antonio Hull will enter fall camp as the starter at corner. Last season Hull had 33 tackles, 18 of them unassisted. He had six pass breakups last season, good enough for second on the team.
Shaun Wick, a senior running back from Oxnard, California, will enter the season as one of the most decorated running backs in Wyoming football history. He will enter the season ninth on the career rushing list. He has been a starter since his true freshman season and hasn’t stopped running since. Wick was granted a medical redshirt this past season after suffering a concussion, allowing him to continue his Cowboy football career for one more season. Prior to the season he was on the Doak Walker Award list, only to see his season end. Entering this season he will be on the depth chart behind Brian Hill. Wick will still get his carries and figures to be a powerful 1-2 punch with Hill.
Nico Evans, a redshirt sophomore running back from Los Angeles, California will enter the season looking to find his way onto a crowded backfield that includes Shaun Wick and Brian Hill. Last season Evans played sparingly at running back, gaining 59 yards. He also contributed to the kick return game, averaging 10.5 yards per return. Evans role should increase this coming season, but may still be limited in carries barring injury.
Mike Green II is a freshman running back from Sacramento, California. This will be Green’s first season with the Cowboys.
Tim Kamana is a junior linebacker from Honolulu Hawaii. Kamana is entering this season second on the depth chart at strong side linebacker behind DJ May. Kamana has played in all 24 games he has been suited up for, since his redshirt freshman season. Of those 24 games he has started in 15 games. He finished last season with 31 tackles, 16 of them as unassisted tackles. Kamana also finished last season with a pass breakup and an interception. He was also named to the academic all-conference team.
Braden Smith is a freshman safety from Lakewood, Colorado. He will be in his first season with the Pokes.
Austin Conway is a redshirt freshman receiver from Aurora, Colorado. Conway is probably the most interesting story from this past spring. Conway was recruited to Wyoming to be a basketball player, and was under scholarship for Larry Shyatt. This past spring Conway informed Shyatt and Craig Bohl that he would like to join the Cowboy football team. After some paperwork and some time on the field in the spring, Conway was a member of the football team. Conway will have four years to play. This season he should factor in to the receiving corps as well as the kick and punt return games.
Davion Freeman is a redshirt freshman cornerback from Del City, Oklahoma. Freeman will enter the season second on the depth chart behind Robert Priester at corner. He was a redshirt last season.
Garrett Gardner is a redshirt freshman running back from St. Paul, Minnesota. Gardner redshirted last season. This season he will be in line at running back behind Shaun Wick and Brian Hill.
Andrew Wingard is a sophomore safety from Arvada, Colorado. Wingard played a very large role for the Cowboys defense last season. Wingard was a starter for 11 of 12 games last season. In those games he finished with 122 tackles, 83 of those unassisted. He also had one interception, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble. As a result of his success on the field last season he earned Freshman All-American honors. Wingard was also named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list for this coming season. Wingard finished first in the Mountain West and fourth nationally in solo tackles last season. Wingard was 12th in the country and second in the Mountain West in total tackles. Seven times last season Wingard was in double digits in tackles.
Kellen Overstreet is a sophomore running back from Hamilton, Missouri. Overstreet came in as a very decorated recruit to Wyoming, being a Parade All-American. Last season Overstreet appeared in all 12 games but only accumulated 84 yards rushing. He also scored his first touchdown last season as well against New Mexico. Overstreet will not play for the Cowboys this season as he is recovering from offseason surgery that will keep him out. He will enter 2017 as a redshirt sophomore and primed to play a big role in the Cowboy offense.
That wraps up the 20s block for Cowboy football. This group will be the future of Cowboy football, with Shaun Wick showing them how to be a Cowboy. Up next is the 10-19 block preview!