Kaden Anderson making strides in UW's QB room

May 3—LARAMIE — Kaden Anderson has learned from the best.

The 6-foot-4, 223-pound quarterback backed up five-star recruit Quinn Ewers as a sophomore at Southlake Carroll High in Texas during the 2020 season. Ewers is coming off a College Football Playoff appearance with the University of Texas and is a projected first-round pick in next year's NFL draft by DraftKings.

Anderson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during his sophomore season, but bounced back with an impressive junior campaign. He threw for 3,036 yards and 34 touchdowns to just eight interceptions in 2021, earning a three-star rating from both 247 Sports and Rivals. He added 140 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

Anderson was primed for another big season at Southlake Carroll during his senior year, but went down with a significant injury to the same right knee midway through the season.

"It was totally just a fluke deal," Anderson told WyoSports last month. "A guy just kind of tackled me low and chopped the tree down, in a sense. ... I knew immediately. I just kind of sat there on the field in disbelief.

"I popped up, and I knew immediately what had happened. I walked off the field with my head down."

Anderson tore his right ACL for a second time, also suffering damage to his meniscus and medial collateral ligament in the same knee. The setback was a big blow for the quarterback, but the University of Wyoming stuck with Anderson through the injury during the recruiting process.

Anderson eventually signed with the Cowboys in 2022, redshirting last fall while rehabbing his knee. He was cleared to practice midway through the season, giving him an opportunity to learn UW's offense by running the scout team throughout the week.

Coordinating the Cowboys' scout team was an opportunity for Anderson to gain his confidence back on the field.

"The scout team was really beneficial actually," Anderson said. "The speed of the game has changed so much from high school, and you're going against the No. 1 defense. The big difference is just the speed of the game, but last year on the scout team, I wasn't really fully (healthy) yet.

"I needed a least one offseason to get back to having some athleticism again, but scout team was really great for me last year just to get started and get everything rolling a little bit."

Anderson is likely UW's third-string quarterback going into fall camp, trailing starter Evan Svoboda and experienced backup Jayden Clemons. The biggest hurdle in Anderson's development is growing into a vocal leader for the offense, regardless of where he sits on the depth chart.

"With Kaden, he's made big strides this spring," first-year head coach Jay Sawvel said last month. "... When he was on the scout team last year, I just thought there were times where it was like, 'Hey, you're the quarterback, be more assertive. Take charge. Even though you're running (the scout team) right here, you're in charge. You're the quarterback.'

"I've seen that growth from him this spring. When he's out there on the field, he's doing that. So, I'm optimistic about where his growth is right now, and I like what I've seen from him so far."

After shadowing Ewers in high school, Anderson had the opportunity to learn from two-year starter Andrew Peasley last fall. Now, he's keying in on Svoboda and Clemons as his mentors going into his second college season.

"To be under Evan and Jayden, it really is another one of those blessings," Anderson said. "They've been in the game for quite some time, especially Jayden. He's been playing college ball for quite some time, so he knows a lot about the game, and so does Evan.

"Evan is coming along and he's getting really smart, especially this spring. Evan from day one, you could just tell he's just jumped so much, and same with Jayden."

Anderson feels the closest he's been to 100% healthy since coming to Laramie. While missing time was a frustrating process, he's taken the time to reflect on how his perspective on football has shifted over the past two years.

"I've been through a lot of adversity in my life," Anderson said. "I feel like it's aged me like 10 years. I'm 20 years old, but I feel like a 30-year-old dad out there in a sense, just maturity wise.

"It really is just a blessing to be back out there. I love this game so much, so it really is just a gift from God by putting me back out there. I'm so much happier now than when I was rehabbing and not doing anything at all on the field."

Anderson had a relatively strong showing during the Cowboys' spring game last week, finishing 14-of-22 for 116 yards and an interception. It was Anderson's first real opportunity to showcase his arm to UW fans since arriving on campus.

"It truly is a blessing," Anderson said. "Just a year ago, I was just coming here and rehabbing through spring ball and everybody was kind of just like, 'Who is this guy? Is he even good?'

"Now, I finally get to prove myself a little bit, which is truly a blessing. I've been waiting so long for this opportunity, so it's been really fun so far."

Growing into a vocal leader in the quarterback room has been a point of emphasis for Anderson since returning to the field. That process has been aided by his movement up the depth chart.

"I feel like it's hard to (be a vocal leader) when you're the No. 4 quarterback on the scout team and you're not even like the first scout-team quarterback out there," Anderson said. "I feel like it's kind of hard to be the vocal guy when you're running scout team, but this spring, (offensive coordinator Jay) Johnson's philosophy has been, 'Every time you take a rep, you're the starting quarterback.'

"I think just putting that into perspective and being more vocal and trying to gel and mesh with all the guys, it's been really great."

Back-to-back injuries impacted Anderson's confidence in his right knee, but the mental barrier is something the quarterback continues to work past every day he takes the field. This summer will be crucial for Anderson being ready for the season, Sawvel said.

"He's getting better," the coach said. "He had a run (in a spring practice) that he kind of didn't pick his feet up through the hole and he fell over, and I told him he needed to turn his athlete card in. He told me he's still getting back to being an athlete. I think that's coming.

"Step No. 1 for him was to have a full offseason from January to mid-March when we started spring practice, and he had that. Step No. 2 from him was to develop as a quarterback in the spring, and he's in the process of doing just that, and it's getting better.

"Step No. 3 then is to go have a good summer as far as working out and running and all those things that way to where, now, you do get over the hump of the confidence athletically in doing that. So, he's got two of the three down now. This third one will be a big one."

Going into his second year in Laramie, Anderson wants to remain consistent while continuing to develop as a quarterback at the college level.

"Some goals for me are just to keep being that consistent guy," Anderson said. "I feel like I'm one of those guys that always has a smile on my face and I'm never really down. I really want to get more athletic. It's in there somewhere, so I just have to find it.

"I just want to get more athletic and faster. I have to work on a bit of accuracy, too, but I feel like I throw the ball with some of the best."

UW's quarterback room lost Carson May to the transfer portal last month. Anderson doesn't want Cowboys fan to worry about him following suit.

"This place is really amazing, and I'm definitely not leaving anytime soon," Anderson said with a smile. "You can have my word with that."

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.