Despite age gaps, Cowboys young and old rally around universal desire to win

Apr. 18—LARAMIE — Garrett Crall just doesn't recover like he used to. And the University of Wyoming sixth-year senior defensive end admits there are times he's envious of how easily his teenaged teammates do.

Crall and a handful of other UW teammates took the NCAA up on its offer to return for an additional season of college football. Because the 2020 season was filled with COVID-19 related cancelations and other strange happenstance, all players retained a season of eligibility, seniors included.

Crall, safeties Braden Smith and Esaias Gandy, guard Logan Harris and receiver Ayden Eberhardt are among a handful of Cowboys playing another season of college football who otherwise would have already exhausted their eligibility.

While Crall said he has to show up well before workouts to get stretched out and make sure his body complies with the agony it's about to be put through, his younger teammates can show up right before a lifting session starts and not miss a beat.

Those were the days.

"I get jealous of them sometimes," Crall said. "I'm getting here at like five in the morning, an hour before, trying to stretch out, and I can barely get out and walk. ... They're not in the tubs either like I am."

Then, of course, there's the man teammates affectionately refer to as "Unc."

Between his time at Louisville and UW, 25-year-old running back Trey Smith will be entering his seventh season of college football come fall. "Unc" is short for uncle, of course, but there are times when he feels more like a grandfather.

Among the age barriers he's had trouble following is TikTok, the popular social media video service that is dominated by the college-aged demographic.

Smith has an account but, if he's being honest, it's not exactly his wheelhouse.

"I've only made like one video," Smith said. "I don't know how to work all the features."

A lot of life happens between the ages of 18 and 22, when the majority of people are in college. Even more life happens between 18 and 25.

You don't listen to the same music as your younger teammates, do the same activities as fellow athletes and aren't following the same trends. Relating isn't always easy.

But when it comes to a locker room, age is simply a number. And wanting to atone for a 2020 season each and every UW player considered unacceptable is universal, whether you're fresh out of high school or midway through your 20s.

"We have one goal in mind, and that's to win a Mountain West championship, and anything less than that to me is unacceptable," Crall said. "At the end of the day, we're here for the same reason, doing the same thing for the same team."

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Isaiah Neyor, one of the most dynamic playmakers in the Mountain West, is just 19. He is entering his third season at UW, the same duration Smith has been in Wyoming.

To put it in perspective, however, when Smith was entering his freshman camp at Louisville, Neyor had just finished middle school. It's a fact that, quite frankly, blows Neyor's mind.

"I never thought of it like that," Neyor said with a laugh. "A guy that's a freshman (in college) and you're in middle school? That's crazy."

Whatever disconnect there might be due to a six-year age gap between running back and receiver is secondary, though. Music preference and social media savvy have nothing to do with wins and losses on a football field. Just ask Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, 43, who has teammates half his age.

"Age is nothing it all. Age is nothing but a number in this sport," Neyor said. "Whatever you can do to contribute to the team success, age has nothing to do with it."

It's not all bad being an old man on the team, either. For Crall, the start of camp or practice used to be a nerve-wracking experience. It's now something he eagerly looks forward to.

"The mental side of things has gotten a lot easier. I'm not stressing, I'm not anxious," Crall said. "Those first couple weeks really expose young guys."

Crall and his older teammates have a unique perspective on college football that not many people can say they have. He is getting a second chance at a senior season. The first one was cut short by injuries, COVID-19 protocol and game cancelations. It was not the way any player wanted his career to end.

When it came time for Crall to decide whether to take the NCAA's offer of an additional season, it came down to one main thing: when he was a younger player, players like Josh Allen, Lucas Wacha and Chase Appleby brought the program to its first and only MW title game appearance in 2016. The Cowboys lost to San Diego State 27-24, but that moment and experience stuck with Crall.

If he had another chance to complete the mission, win UW's first league title, he had to do it. He owed it to the players who came before him and the ones like Neyor who are younger.

"We'll be damned if we got to have all that experience ... if we don't get to finish it the right way," Crall said.

The decision to come back was simple for Harris, too. The Torrington native missed time in 2020 with a non-COVID illness that held him out of the Border War. Like Crall, he had the option to end his college career and pursue the rest of his life, whether that involved football or not.

Between the time missed and the less-than-stellar campaign, Harris said it didn't take him too long to make up his mind.

"To me, it was kind of a no-brainer," Harris said. "That last season left a sour taste in everyone's mouth. ... Time's running out. There's no more lollygagging. This is it."

Smith's case is particularly interesting. He is the son of former Jacksonville Jaguars All-Pro wide receiver Jimmy Smith. The elder Smith played in the NFL for more than a decade and racked up 12,287 receiving yards.

The younger Smith has aspirations to play in the NFL as well. The shelf life for a professional running back is rather short, however, and entering the league at 26 is a tall task. Many running backs are already past their primes at that age and have been in the NFL for several years.

Smith played at Louisville with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner and 2019 NFL MVP. Jackson, 24, is younger than Smith but is entering his fourth NFL season. That's a weird thing to think about for Smith, though he's aware Jackson is a very rare case given his talent.

Smith's professional dreams are on-hold at the moment, but it's for a good reason. With one more chance at a being a college student (he's finishing his masters in American Studies this winter), he felt that the 2021 Cowboys had a chance to do what the 2020 version of the team could not: win big.

He also really, really wants to beat Colorado State again.

"I want to get that boot back from CSU," Smith said. "I was born into the sport. I understand how important rivalries are."

The 2020 season was difficult on a number of levels for players of all ages. It was especially tough for veterans like Crall who have seen firsthand how important camaraderie can be, particularly at a developmental program like UW. In 2016, Allen and others helped bond the Cowboys extremely close.

That sort of teambuilding wasn't really possible in 2020, as social-distancing took precedence over team functions, and Zoom calls were often taken in place of face-to-face meetings to avoid any and all chances to potentially spread the virus.

UW gets a chance at a redo on that front. The 2021 season is an opportunity to have that special, final campaign the super-seniors wanted last year. It's also a chance to win more games and make lifelong memories with teammates.

Young or old, that's something every Cowboy can rally around.

"I really just try to enjoy the players, the coaching staff, the training staff, being around everyone. I try to be a bright spot in everyone's day," Crall said. "If I'm going to be here, I'm going to be here."

Michael Katz covers the University of Wyoming for WyoSports. He can be reached at mkatz@wyosports.net or 307-755-3325. Follow him on Twitter at @michaellkatz.