‘He’s Going to Be Special': Bricen Brantley Turning Heads

LARAMIE -- See ball, catch ball.

Though Bricen Brantley's head coach raved about his compete level when it comes to contested catches and his fearless nature between the hashes, for the 6-foot-3 sophomore, that praise barely draws a shoulder shrug.

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"For me, it's not really that hard," he said. "I'm just thinking, 'I gotta get it.' Even if there is a defender by me, I'm getting hit or I have to go deep and go get it, the quarterback trusts me to catch it. So, I have to go catch it."

Sounds simple enough, right?

Just ask Gage Brook.

The lanky signal caller spotted No. 82 flying down the west sideline early in the second quarter of the Cowboys' annual spring game. Tyrese Boss was in Brantley's hip pocket the entire way.

It didn't matter.

The Houston product timed his jump perfectly, snagging the 24-yard strike over the back of the redshirt freshman cornerback before gliding into the end zone for the equalizer.

That's what Jay Sawvel has been seeing all spring from his young wideout.

"He is getting better," the second-year head man reiterated. "He'll run all day and work his butt off. He's come a long way. I thought there were a lot of really encouraging signs that I've seen out of him."

The presumed starter under center this fall agrees.

"He's been awesome," said Kaden Anderson, a smile creasing his unshaven face. "He's put on a lot of weight and looks really good. He's fast. He's going to be special, too."

Brantley has certainly waited his turn.

Despite earning First Team All-District honors in the highest classification in Texas, Brantley was overlooked coming out of Alief Taylor High School, where he racked up more than 1,100 all-purpose yards during his senior season.

Maybe his nickname, "Slim," had something to do with that?

He weighed just 165 pounds in 2022. Still, that didn't stop him from hauling in 55 passes for 918 yards and nine scores. It certainly didn't hinder his kick-return abilities, where he tacked on 213 more yards to boost his overall average to 102.9 a night.

The two-star prospect was also a track standout in the southwest suburbs, blazing to a silver-medal finish in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.74.

Brantley initially committed to Illinois State. That changed when Wyoming came into the picture that December.

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He is now 16 pounds heavier and still making the difficult plays look easy.

He got the best of David Leonard during one spring practice, outracing the redshirt freshman to the end zone on a go-route. He also beat newcomers BJ Inmon and Tyson Deen in the same drill.

Joaquin Sandoval also got left in the dust on a long ball inside War Memorial Stadium.

"Obviously, he brings something different to the table, as far as top-end speed," Wyoming wide receivers coach Jovon Bouknight said. "He's playing faster, man. I am so pleased with his progress. A lot of it is mental makeup, you know what I mean? As far as where he was last year. So, you know, obviously he's being thrown in the mix more."

Admittedly, Brantley has been vocal in the past about wanting the football thrown in his direction. He was often in the ear of his quarterback and coaches.

Not anymore.

Though his locker is just feet away from Anderson's, he said, the two have a great relationship and the jokes fly. So do the compliments. Brantley said he received a number of those from his teammates and the staff when it came to what he called catching a simple slant route.

Sure, he had to dive for it, but, he added, that's where the throw took him.

Confidence, yeah, that's not lacking, but watching from the sideline throughout his freshman campaign and only getting on the field for punt-block duties last fall, has been a humbling experience.

Now, he could not only end up being a go-to target on the outside, he might very well be returning kicks in 2025.

"I got in trouble for it in high school, so I try and fix it," he said with a smile when asked if he ever pesters Anderson for more opportunities. "I try not to get too rowdy, but I feel like in big moments -- I'm not saying I should get the ball -- I feel like I can definitely stand out."

About that film room praise?

"It's just regular," he added. "I just hand the ball to the ref and keep going."

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