Muma not thinking about NFL after breakout season

Apr. 10—LARAMIE — Given his successful first season manning the middle of the University of Wyoming's always-prolific defense, it'd be hard to fault junior linebacker Chad Muma for pondering a future in the NFL.

After all, two of his former teammates, Logan Wilson and Cassh Maluia, were drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots, respectively, in the 2020 draft. Muma has seen what it takes to reach the highest level of the sport, and his accolades in Year One as a starter put him on par with either of his former teammates.

Muma, a 6-foot-3 Colorado native and the son of former Cowboys player Ty Muma, starred as UW's middle linebacker in 2020, racking up 71 tackles (eight for loss) and three sacks in just six games on his way to first team All-Mountain West honors. He will likely enter the 2021 campaign on the watchlist for a handful of awards, including the prestigious Butkus Award, of which Wilson was a finalist in 2019.

But Muma isn't letting any hopes for the future get in the way of what he wants most: a successful 2021 campaign for the Pokes.

"I'm just kind of thinking about the team more," Muma said. "I'm trying to play this year and go from there and not really thinking about personally, for me, going to the NFL ... What can we do for the team right now and kind of get in that position?"

Muma finished 2020 averaging 11.8 tackles per game, which ranked third nationally. Over a normal 12-game season that wasn't cut short due to a pandemic, he would have finished with nearly 142 tackles. That's 31 more tackles than Wilson had in any of his four seasons in Laramie.

Muma expected a good season from himself last fall, but he'll be the first to admit that his strong on-field performance has served as a morale builder. He's also up to about 240 pounds from 227 last season, according to UW coach Craig Bohl.

"It definitely boosted (my confidence) a little bit. I'm not going to lie," Muma said. "But for me personally, it's kind of just what I expected to do out there, kind of run around, make those plays."

Muma spent a bit of time with Wilson in recent months, as the latter spent part of his first NFL offseason back in Laramie. Chief among Wilson's words of wisdom: things move a lot faster in the professional ranks, including classroom work off the field. You have to be ready to adapt in a hurry.

That shouldn't be too much of an issue for Muma, though, a Mountain West all-academic team member and mechanical engineering major.

"(Wilson) kind of just explained to me how in the NFL they install stuff maybe like, one day before the game," Muma said. "That was definitely kind of an aspect that he kind of taught me."

As far as where he thinks he can get better, Muma believes he can improve his playing strength and his coverage skills. He also noted he could be a better open-field tackler and can always be a better student of the game.

Bohl is quick to note that Muma still has two years of eligibility due to the NCAA granting all players an additional year during the pandemic. Bohl also pointed out that Muma is as team-oriented as they come and is "all about Wyoming."

But Bohl is also keenly aware that players like Muma have NFL dreams. It's part of the reason they come to UW: players know that, if they play their cards right, they'll have a chance to make it to the big leagues. At the start of the 2020 season, 14 former Cowboys were on active NFL rosters, the most of any Mountain West team. Being ready for the pros is one of the selling points of UW's developmental program, Bohl has frequently said.

"(Muma's) got a really good ability to close the field and make explosive plays," Bohl said. "He is an excellent blitzer. I think some of the things that he'll need to continue to improve on is some of this plays out in space, on third down and things like that, when he's in pass coverage. He's got good strength, he's picked up some good weight.

"We run a pro-style offense and defense. And because of that, some guys have risen (up) draft boards."

As for whether Muma can make the sort of NFL Draft stock jump that Wilson did during his final year at UW?

"I certainly do," Bohl said.

Polasek and Frazier making good impressions

UW has two new coaches on staff this season in offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tim Polasek and offensive line coach Derek Frazier. Polasek is replacing Brent Vigen, now the head coach at Montana State, while Frazier is taking the place of Bart Miller, now at the University of Illinois.

While the success of the on-field product has yet to be determined and likely won't be until September, both coaches have made a positive impression so far, according to redshirt junior offensive lineman Eric Abojei.

"Coach Frazier has come in and brought something for our unit. And I really want to say that's high, very high energy. He brings something that, as an offense, we all need that energy to start going and getting that momentum going," Abojei said. "(Frazier and Polasek) definitely bring a different type of energy. Very outspoken.

"Coach P, he's definitely made a shift in our offense energy-wise, for sure."

Defenders more comfortable in Year Two under Sawvel

With no spring practice and only about a month of a preseason camp last fall, senior safety Esaias Gandy admits picking up then first-year defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel's playbook was a challenge. The group struggled early in the season, surrendering 496 yards of offense and a season-worst 37 points in an overtime loss to Nevada. Sawvel was hired to replace Jake Dickert, who took the defensive coordinator job at Washington State.

As the season progressed, however, the Cowboys began to thrive as a defense, surrendering just 17.8 points per game over their final five contests. UW ended the season with the 24th-ranked scoring defense in college football (21 points per game).

"The defense was kind of like a foreign language you have to learn. It feels like learning Spanish or something," Gandy said. "Everybody knows it now, though. ... It feels like the back of my hand now. I feel like I know it very well.

"It makes it easier for us to play hard and play fast."

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.