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Wyoming Starting Center Jason Maciejczak Out for Season With Torn ACL
LARAMIE, Wyo. - Wyoming will be without its starting center, Jason Maciejczak, for the remainder of the 2026 season after the Nebraska transfer suffered a torn ACL against Northern Colorado. Sawvel shared the devastating news with the media on Monday during his weekly press conference.
Maciejczak went down late in the second quarter of Wyoming's wild 21-13 win over the Bears on Sept. 12. The Cowboys' medical staff attended to him on the field before he eventually got back to his feet with assistance. Maciejczak walked toward the locker room under his own power, though he had a noticeable limp.
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The 6-foot-3, 314-pound junior from Pierre, South Dakota, transferred to Wyoming after spending three seasons at Nebraska, where he appeared in 21 games. He chose Laramie to seek a larger role and entered the season as one of the Cowboys' experienced additions on the offensive line.
Back in January, Maciejczak told PokesNews.com that playing time - rather than money - was at the center of his decision to enter the transfer portal.
“I’m not really chasing a dollar amount,” Maciejczak said. “I’m chasing an opportunity, and that’s what they’re giving me.”
“Coming in, I’m never promised a position,” Maciejczak said. “Whatever position I earn is what I’m going to play.”
“I want to be the best that I can be,” he said. “If you can do one little thing every day to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses, you’re going to get to your goals.”
The opportunity to establish himself as the starting center started in spring camp and solidified during fall camp.
Maciejczak started in Wyoming's first two games of the season against Colorado State and Northern Colorado before suffering the injury against the Bears.
He came to Wyoming after three seasons with the Cornhuskers. Originally recruited to Nebraska as a defensive lineman, Maciejczak eventually moved to the offensive line, a position he had played growing up. He appeared in nine games in 2024 and 12 in 2025 while also earning Academic All-Big Ten honors twice.
Leaving Nebraska was a tough decision, but Maciejczak believed Wyoming offered the fit he was looking for.
“I hated leaving the relationships I made in Nebraska,” he said in January. “It wasn’t a fun process… but it was what was best for me.”
Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel pointed to Maciejczak as an example of a transfer looking for an opportunity rather than simply chasing a larger NIL deal.
“That’s kind of Jason's situation,” Sawvel said earlier this year, describing Maciejczak's motivation simply as, “I want to go play.”
Who will take over the center position in Jason’s absence? Chandler Donaway took over the duties last Saturday at Central Michigan. Sawvel said Donaway will continue in that role for the rest of the season.
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