Wyoming Fans Better Get to Know the Name Luke Sandy

LARAMIE -- Ever hear the name Luke Sandy?

If not, you're about to.

Craig Bohl opened his Wednesday press conference in Laramie Wednesday praising the 6-foot-2, 289-pound left guard. Wyoming's head coach said the Elizabeth, Colo., product is emerging. Sandy is also on the cusp of possibly cracking the starting lineup.

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"He has not played a lot, but he is pressing himself into, 'OK, is he six? Could he be five?' So, we're going through and finding out which," Bohl said.

The redshirt freshman earned Second Team Colorado All-State Class 5A honors as an offensive and defensive lineman his senior season of 2021. He suited up at Legend High School, the same program that produced a guy named Chad Muma. Sandy backed up center Nofoafia Tulafono last season and has since moved to his left side.

Bohl said ideally he wants eight "trustworthy" offensive linemen to be in the fold. Sandy is making a strong case to join Frank Crum (from left tackle to right), Tulafono, Jack Walsh and Caden Barnett on the front five.

"Luke is making progress there," Bohl added. "There's a real battle with him and Wes King, so I'm encouraged about that."

Bohl has raved about the defensive front throughout the first seven practices. That didn't change Wednesday. He once again talked about the dominance of the interior guys like Cole Godbout, Jordan Bertagnole, Gavin Meyer and even Ben Florentine.

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Guess who Sandy is tasked with blocking every day?

That, offensive line coach Joe Tripodi, is making this unit grow up in a hurry.

"A guy like Luke Sandy, a young guy, hey, man, you get a couple good plays on Cole, your confidence level is going to go up," he added.

Tulafono has witnessed that firsthand.

"He's been fighting since he got here," he said of Sandy. "That's what I respect about him. Me and him are very, very close because, you know, he's my backup. So, seeing him compete for that left guard spot is crazy to me."

Wyoming is set to open the 2023 season Sept. 2 against Texas Tech inside War Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time and the game will be broadcast on CBS.