The Wyoming Cowboys football team is preparing for the upcoming season with a focus on its running backs, according to a May 5 update from head coach Jay Sawvel. The coaching staff held Samuel “Tote” Harris out of the spring game, aiming to keep him healthy and ready for the Border War against Colorado State on Sept. 5.
The running back position is seen as an area of strength for the Cowboys this year. Harris led the team in rushing last season as a true freshman despite missing some time due to injury. He finished with 568 yards and averaged 5.6 yards per carry, also contributing as a receiver with 16 catches for 184 yards. Running backs coach Gary Harrell said, “Tote is Tote. He’s getting more explosive, his footwork is where we need it to be, his vision has increased, so we expect a lot out of him.” Harris said he hopes to build on last year’s performance: “For year two I want to skyrocket – at least 1,200 yards rushing, Mountain West Conference championship and just elevate my game as a player, improve my role as a leader also. Year two will be a big difference, a really big difference.”
To add depth behind Harris, Wyoming brought in transfer Markell Holman from Western Illinois after he rushed for over one thousand yards last season. Holman described his mindset: “I feel like you can always get better… Even though I had a big year it’s like, I have to do it again… They have nuances to the game I didn’t quite see myself, so I collect the pieces and wisdom from them and try to keep building every day.” Sophomore Nico Hamilton has also made progress after recovering from an arm injury suffered during last year’s spring game.
Other players competing at running back include freshman Jaden Lawrence and sophomore Dontae Burch who participated actively in spring practices; junior Nikos Varelas also gained experience learning offensive coordinator Christian Taylor’s system. Harrell said about his group: “I’ve got a good room as far as size, speed and being smart at understanding the offense… They do a good job as far as retaining the information that comes at them in practice and showing what they can do.” The team expects additional contributions from transfer Diore Hubbard once he recovers from an ACL tear sustained last November.
Sawvel summarized his outlook by saying: “Running back is a strength in this program right now… With Tote and Markell Holman, and I think Nico Hamilton has had a great spring. That’s also forgetting the fact that we’ve got West Virginia’s leading rusher who will be available sometime in August. We’re excited about that position.”
