Wyoming Names Tyler Hughes Starting Quarterback

LARAMIE -- It's not surprising, but it's now official.

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Tyler Hughes on Monday was named Wyoming's starting quarterback, heading into the 2026 season, Jay Sawvel announced from behind the podium during his weekly press conference.

"Just the overall command of everything from, really, it's been from the minute he got here," the third-year head coach added. "The command of the whole offense, the commanding presence that he's got to everything, the dynamic to him, everything to it. He has put himself in a really good spot.

"I feel good with with where he's at, and you know, I think the whole team does."

Hughes, who last season at William and Mary, threw for 2,330 yards and 20 touchdowns, arrived in Laramie in January via the NCAA Transfer Portal. Awaiting his arrival was offensive coordinator Christian Taylor, who back in 2022 recruited him to the FCS program in Williamsburg, Va.

The 6-foot, 214-pound graduate transfer also added 670 rushing yards and found the end zone 11 times with his legs. That's an element the Cowboys sorely missed in 2025. Signal callers Kaden Anderson, Landon Sims and Mason Drube combined for just 79 yards on the ground on 74 attempts.

When you tally up the sack yards, Anderson, the starter, finished at minus-39 for the season. There was only one rushing score from that group. Sims crossed the white stripe from a yard out during a 28-0 blanking of Border War rival Colorado State in October.

Anderson is now at Tarleton State.

Sawvel also broke the news to Sims and Drube on Monday.

"The conversation that I had with the quarterbacks, nobody was like, 'What do you mean?' They know that (Hughes) is in a good space and everything that way," Sawvel said. "We've got to support Tyler and we've got to help him with everything that we're doing, offensively, with all the players. He could be really good. Really, really good. I've got confidence in all of our quarterbacks right now, which is a good place to be."

Sawvel said he spoke to both Sims and Drube after a 4-8 campaign, telling them the staff was seeking a transfer QB. The latter said on Monday he was on board with the decision.

"I want to win the spot with any opportunity I can, but if they want to go get someone, I'm not going to leave and shy away from that," Drube said, referring to his thought process. "I mean, if they have to get someone, that's just competition for me, and then when he gets here, I mean, we're going to become friends, but it's really just me and his job to go out there and play against the defense."

Hughes is now here. He's also the starter. Has that opinion changed?

"I'm expecting to play sometime this year. Hopefully nothing happens, obviously, but I'm just hoping to get on the field at some point," Drube said, adding he was not surprised by Sawvel's decision. "I'll be ready when I get in."

The second-year player from Gillette knows all too well that can happen sooner rather than later.

After Sims replaced a struggling Anderson last November in a road tilt at San Diego State, he was lost for the season with a torn ACL, his third such knee injury in his career. Drube was inserted in the lineup the following Saturday at Fresno State and appeared in the final three outings of the year, completing 20-of-38 passes for 187 yards and an interception.

Wyoming featured one of the least-efficient offenses in the nation last fall, averaging just 314.7 yards per game. The real benchmark was in the scoring department, where Jay Johnson's offense netted just 16 points per game. Only five teams were worse, including winless UMass.

Johnson was demoted after an October road loss at Air Force and left the team before the season ended. He is now an analyst at Oregon.

Even that number is inflated thanks to a pair of defensive touchdowns and a Deion DeBlanc kick return for a score.

Sawvel said Hughes has proven to be a workaholic, often spending hours in film study, well after the rest of the team has gone home. Sims features that same work ethic. So does Drube.

"They're always in the building," he added. "They're always spending extra time, they're always with the receivers, they're always working on their craft. That's going to be great for Mason Drube. That's going to be great for Taylor Hasselbeck. That's going to be great for new quarterbacks that we've got coming in the future."

The Cowboys will open the season Sept. 5 against CSU inside Canvas Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. and the game will be televised on USA Network.

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