Bigger, Stronger and More Confident, Kyle Frendt Is Ready to Emerge
- Jeff Bugher
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
LARAMIE, Wyo. - Kyle Frendt didn’t receive much warning before making his college football debut in 2025.
Shortly before Wyoming’s game at Colorado in Boulder last season, veteran tight end John Michael Gyllenborg told the position group that he would be unable to play. Tight ends coach Shannon Moore turned to Frendt, then a true freshman.
“Coach Moore was like, well, it’s your time,” Frendt recalled. “I was nervous, you know, for your first game in front of 60,000 [53,442] people, you’re like, wow.”
Article Continues Below
Article Continues Below
Frendt eventually settled in, appearing in nine games during his freshman season. He caught two passes for 25 yards, including his first collegiate reception against Air Force.
“It was a great experience and opportunity, where you kind of dip your toes in the water and see what college football was like. I think it’s really helped me with my confidence going into this year,” Frendt said.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound sophomore will take on an even bigger role in Wyoming’s new-look offense.
“I’m ecstatic,” Frendt said. “This is a great opportunity for tight ends this year and years upcoming as well, because we’re put in positions that we really haven’t been in the past for us to be successful.”
Frendt tells Pokes News that Taylor plans to use multiple formations featuring two or three tight ends. Wyoming’s tight ends could line up anywhere, in the backfield or split outside as receivers.
“We’re split out,” Frendt said. “It’s a wide variety of what we’re doing. Whereas before, we were just doing kind of base stuff, where we didn’t really get an opportunity to show our athletic ability. Versus now, we are.”
Growth
Frendt has transformed physically to prepare for the expanded responsibility. He played at approximately 219 pounds last season before adding nearly 20 pounds during the offseason.
“Now I’m at 240. So I’ve grown a lot there as well, size-wise, speed and all that. Our strength staff does an amazing job with that over the offseason,” Frendt added.
His growth has also come in the meeting room. Frendt spent time during the offseason working with Moore to improve his understanding of Wyoming’s offense and learn multiple positions.
“Mentally, offensively, I feel like I’m just way broader than I was last year,” Frendt said. “The X’s and O’s part, I feel way more comfortable.”
Moore said Frendt’s approach to everything separates him from most players entering their second collegiate season.
“The thing with Kyle is his approach to everything, whether it is his academics, his nutrition, his strength conditioning, his body, the football side of things, a walkthrough; it is 100% go every snap,” Moore said. “You’ll never question his drive, desire and work ethic...ever.”
To put things in perspective, the coaching staff chose to “burn the redshirt” of Frendt in 2025; that’s how valuable he was to see field time. That means Kyle would’ve only had 3 more years of eligibility. Fortunately for Frendt, the NCAA implemented a five-year eligibility rule, which means he will have four more years of eligibility, rather than three.
“He wasn’t the biggest. He wasn’t the strongest last year. He’s completely changed his body,” Moore said. “But just the way he approached it and played and attacked off the ball, it was hard not to put him in.”
Frendt arrived at Wyoming as a three-star prospect from East Ridge High School in Woodbury, Minnesota. He recorded 1,695 career offensive yards and 12 touchdowns, including 1,524 receiving yards and nine scores.
He also played defense, recording 73 tackles and four interceptions, and was named to the Minneapolis Star Tribune Dream Team.
Frendt received recruiting interest from Iowa State, North Dakota State, Minnesota and several Ivy League programs.
Why Wyoming?
With that amount of interest, why did he choose Wyoming? It was his relationship with Moore that helped draw him to Laramie.
“He’s an amazing guy and an even better coach than that,” Frendt said. “He coaches you hard, but he loves you at the exact same time.”
“When I came here on my game-day visit, the fan base was amazing,” Frendt said. “We’re the only university. There’s no pro team. We’re basically the pro team.”
Frendt has a lot of gratitude as he was able to spend his first season learning from Gyllenborg
and Evan Svoboda, former Wyoming tight ends who received NFL opportunities.
Learning from Veteran Leadership
During Frendt’s second week in Laramie, he asked the soft-spoken Gyllenborg if they could sit down and discuss college football. Their conversation lasted approximately one hour and 45 minutes. Not bad for a man of few words.
“We just talked football, life,” Frendt said. “It was an absolute honor to have those two in the room last year. They helped me so much.”
Moore sees some of those same qualities in Frendt.
“He’s another one of those guys that would remind you of a Treyton Welch, a Parker Christensen, a John Mike and an Evan,” Moore said. “It’s about, in my five years here, what can I do to make the biggest impact and reach my full potential to have success at the next level too?”
Frendt hopes that path eventually leads him to the NFL, but he isn’t setting statistical goals for his sophomore season. His focus is on helping Wyoming win, whether that requires catching passes or creating running lanes.
“Win,” Frendt said when asked what a great game would look like for him. “I’m really a team guy. If we win, I do my job. That’s all I can ask for.”
What personal objective does Frendt have for 2026?
“My goal honestly is to dominate,” Frendt said. “Whether that’s pass game, whether that’s run blocking, I just want to do the best I absolutely can.”
Don't forget to sign up for our email list, and follow us on our socials!
Subscribe to receive our newsletter here (no spam, we promise): Subscribe
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pokesnews
X (formerly known as Twitter): https://x.com/Pokes_News
