Wyoming has its guy under center. Pete Thamel reported the Cowboys have named veteran transfer Tyler Hughes the starting quarterback, and he'll get his first snaps in the black and gold on Sept. 5 on the road at Colorado State.
Hughes isn't walking into Laramie as a mystery. He spent 4 seasons at William & Mary, capping it off last year with 2,330 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions on 66% completion, plus 670 rushing yards and 11 more scores on the ground. He was the first quarterback in William & Mary history to clear 2,000 passing yards and 600 rushing yards in the same career, and he's got one final season of eligibility to spend it.
The bigger story here is who's calling the plays. Hughes is reuniting with Christian Taylor, Wyoming's new offensive coordinator, who originally recruited him to William & Mary and then coached him there for 2 seasons before Taylor left for a 2-year run in the NFL. That's not a coincidence — a phone call from Taylor reportedly played a big part in getting Hughes to pick Wyoming out of the transfer portal in the first place.
Hughes reunites with new Wyoming OC Christian Taylor, who recruited Hughes to William & Mary and coached him as OC there for two years before spending two years in the NFL. Taylor has authored strong offenses at William & Mary and University of San Diego.
Taylor's résumé backs up the hype. He was the 2023 FCS Assistant Coach of the Year running William & Mary's offense and has also had stints as OC at San Diego, so this isn't a first-time playcaller hoping it works out — it's a guy who's already built a QB he trusts running his system again.
The debut comes with stakes attached. Sept. 5 is the 118th edition of the Border War against Colorado State, on the road in Fort Collins, which means Hughes's first start in a Wyoming jersey doubles as a rivalry game. No pressure for a transfer quarterback trying to prove the portal move was worth it.