Kaden Anderson’s Resilience Defines His Role as Wyoming’s Signal Caller
- Jeff Bugher
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 hour ago
At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, Wyoming quarterback Kaden Anderson looks every bit the part of a Division I signal caller ready to lead a team. He's been around good leaders; he even played behind University of Texas phenomenon QB Quinn Ewers during his freshman year at Southlake Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas. Yet his perspective off the field is shaped by the loss of his father and the strengthened love from his family following the loss. Anderson has a deeper strength heading into his sophomore season as the team kicks off their 2025 campaign on the road at Akron on Thursday
“I feel great, really looking forward to playing Akron and opening up week one,” Anderson said. “I’m really excited.”
A Childhood with Football Always Nearby
Anderson’s first memory of football? He remembers sleeping with a small Superman football when he was little, an obvious foreshadowing of where his passion was heading.
“I had a Superman football when I was younger,” Anderson recalled. “My parents would come tuck me into bed and they’d put the Superman football right there so I could sleep with it.”
Before throwing footballs, Anderson found ways to test his arm. “I used to throw Hot Wheels when I was two years old,” he laughed. “I’d throw Hot Wheels at the drywall in our house. My parents said, ‘You’re either gonna be a pitcher or a quarterback.’”
That prediction turned out to be true. Yet, maybe there’s an NIL opportunity for Hot Wheels to step in 😊
A Loss That Changed Everything
While Anderson’s childhood was full of football memories, it was also marked by tragedy in 2020 when his father, Ronnie, succumbed to brain cancer, per Spectrum Local News in Texas. As a freshman in high school, Anderson lost his father.
“Not a day goes by that I don't think about him,” Anderson said. “It definitely matured me as a man. Going to high school without a father was definitely tough. It really taught me to never take things for granted. It really brought our family closer together.”
When asked what his father might say to him today, Anderson didn’t hesitate.
“I think he’d be very proud of me. The dream came true,” he said. “He was a great guy, so I know he’s smiling down on me.”
Growing as a Cowboy
Anderson saw action during the 2024 season, including his first start against New Mexico. “Getting my feet wet a little bit last year was awesome,” he said. “My first start against New Mexico - that was a great game, high energy, a lot of fun. CSU didn’t go how we wanted it to, and Boise State we had that game in the bag, but you know, stuff happens. It’s football.”
That experience fuels his confidence this fall. “We’ve got some really high standards, and we have the playmakers to really do something special here,” Anderson said. “I think we definitely can make a bowl game for sure.”
He was also recently named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch list, an honor reserved for standout offensive players from Texas. “It’s a great honor,” he said. “You gotta be from Texas, you gotta show great character traits, and hopefully we can come up with the award. I’m really, really excited and grateful for that.”
Chemistry and Leadership
Anderson has no shortage of weapons around him. “Our receiver room’s so stacked right now. They look fast - really fast. We got a lot of depth,” he said. “Bricen Brantley looks really good, Jaylan Bean’s coming along, Jackson Holman’s coming back - he looks really, really good. You know, Sarge (Jaylen Sargent), we’ll always have that special connection. J-Mike (John Michael Gyllenborg), Evan Svoboda - he looks really good. I’m really excited for him. Our offense can be really special this year.”
He also praised second-year head coach Jay Sawvel for solidifying the program. “Last year he was still kind of doing some stuff that Coach Bohl did. This year he’s doing what he wants to do. We’re here supporting him, he’s supporting us. We love him -he’s a great coach and he’s really smart. I think this will be a lot better season than last year.”
As for leadership, Anderson said it’s a team-wide effort. “I think we’re all leaders now. Coach Sawvel said we don’t need captains this year - we said fine, we’ll all lead.”
Anchored by Family
Through all of it - the childhood dreams, the family loss, the high expectations in Laramie, Anderson knows who’s still there cheering loudest.
“My mom comes to every game,” he said with a smile. “She’s my #1 fan. I can hear her yelling in the stands.”
Anderson balances football with academics as a communications major, where he carries both responsibility and gratitude with him.
From the little kid throwing Hot Wheels who has grown into a quarterback who understands what the game of football and life truly means, Anderson has a message to the fans:
“Love us, support us, trust us…It’s going to be a great season.”
Somewhere above, Anderson's Dad is proud of the man he has become - both on and off the field.
*A special "thank you" to Eric Henderson for his help with this interview.
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