Big Horn's Will Pelissier making strides at UW

Mar. 28—LARAMIE — Will Pelissier had the opportunity to flash his hands in front of representatives from 26 NFL teams during the University of Wyoming's pro day last week.

The 6-foot-3 wide receiver out of Big Horn caught passes from quarterback Andrew Peasley in front of a decent crowd at the Indoor Practice Facility, including diving in the end zone for a touchdown reception. While Peasley was at pro day trying to earn a spot on an NFL roster, Pelissier was merely there to do his former quarterback a solid.

That's because Pelissier is returning to the Cowboys for a fifth and final season this fall.

"I did (pick him) just for those deep balls, because he's fast. He's got that Big Horn speed," Peasley said at pro day. "I think that (performance at pro day) can help him a lot. Scouts are like, 'He just made that diving catch in the end zone.' I think (Ayden Eberhardt) did that a few years ago with Josh (Allen), too, in his pro day.

"Hopefully that gets him some attention, and he can go ball out this season."

Having the opportunity to showcase his skills in front of NFL scouts was an opportunity Pelissier appreciated heading into UW's first spring practice Tuesday afternoon.

"I'm really thankful that he gave me that opportunity," Pelissier said. "It was super special. Not a whole lot of people get that chance, and just for him to give me that opportunity was absolutely massive, and I'm really thankful for that."

After Pelissier's diving touchdown grab on pro day, first-year head coach Jay Sawvel told the receiver, 'You better save some of that for (Tuesday's practice).' The senior did just that, even reminding his coach one week later.

"Will made a really nice catch (Tuesday), and he got up and came over to me and told me, 'I told you I wasn't just blowing it all last Tuesday at that pro day,'" Sawvel said with a smile. "It was good to see him out running around.

"... I'm big fans of both (Pelissier and wide receiver Alex Brown). They both have a lot of talent, and we've got to get big production from them. I think that's the biggest thing about it: Get the production from talent."

Pelissier has had an up-and-down career at UW because of injuries. The wideout dislocated his shoulder in a road loss to Brigham Young in 2022, and broke a rib in a Border War win over Colorado State a month and a half later.

After having offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder last summer, Pelissier suffered another setback by tearing a ligament in his thumb. He later broke a finger in fall camp, forcing him to miss the first four weeks of last season.

"Being able to come back from all of those (injuries) and — knock on wood — hopefully having a healthy spring ball will be really huge for me, just in building my confidence," Pelissier said.

Pelissier has just 15 catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns in his career, but he's looking to take a big step up in production this fall. UW's wide receiver room will need Pelissier and Brown to play bigger roles after the graduation of Ayir Asante, Wyatt Wieland, Ryan Marquez and Gunner Gentry.

"I don't know if I have any personal goals. I feel like it's more team goals," Pelissier said. "I would love to just see us, as a receivers room, just be a complete unit and come together to fulfill our full potential.

"I know that we have a lot of potential in that room, and I really hope we can kind of unlock that."

Tuesday was also Jay Johnson's first practice as UW's new offensive coordinator. The former Michigan State coach took over for Tim Polasek, who was hired as North Dakota State's head coach in December.

"It's been really awesome working under coach Johnson," Pelissier said. "He's obviously a really intelligent guy, and he's had success everywhere he's gone before. I'm really excited to work under him.

"He's proven, and we're kind of implementing some new stuff, so it'll really be an experience getting to work under his wing in my last year."

Pelissier was a standout at Big Horn, helping the Rams win back-to-back Class 1A state titles in 2018 and 2019. He earned all-state honors as a senior, opening up the opportunity to come to the only four-year university in his home state.

"Growing up, I always wanted to play here. I guess I just didn't really expect to," Pelissier said. "Coach (Shannon) Moore gave me the preferred walk-on opportunity back in 2020, and I was able to earn my way on scholarship and just worked up from there.

"It's put into perspective for me how unique it is for kids in this state to get the opportunity to work here and play here and represent the state."

Pelissier has done everything he's been asked to do up to this point in his college career. He's worked his way on the field through special teams and as a reserve wide receiver, and he's ready to claim an uptick in playing time through his role as a pass catcher this fall.

"I feel like the word to describe us right now is 'raw,'" Pelissier said. "There's a lot of upside to kind of that raw talent that we have. In comparison to last year, we had a lot of seniority with Ryan Marquez, Wyatt Wieland and Gunner Gentry, who were just amazing leaders that had five or six years of experience.

"This year, Alex and I are the oldest; but the thing is, we have some younger guys that are really, really athletic. If we can just put all the pieces of the puzzle together, I think we'll have a really great room."

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Alex Taylor is the assistant editor for WyoSports and covers University of Wyoming athletics. He can be reached at ataylor@wyosports.net. Follow him on X at @alex_m_taylor22.