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LARAMIE – It’s a question Carl Granderson gets asked a lot.

“Everywhere I go, they ask me if I play basketball. I say, ‘No, I’m a football player. I just need to get bigger,’” he said.

That’s true for the 6-foot-5, 200-pound University of Wyoming true freshman defensive end. But as the Cowboys’ season-opener is less than two weeks away, he figures to see significant playing time this season.

It’s been a rough fall camp for UW defensive ends. Sophomore Seth Edeen of Cheyenne retired from the game last week due to health concerns related to having only one kidney. Junior-college transfer Tavita Faaiu (concussion) has missed some time, as has junior Adam Kinder (shoulder). However, Faaiu was back at practice Monday.

And junior Trevor Meader (knee) likely will be lost for the majority of the season after being injured in last Saturday’s scrimmage.

Seniors Eddie Yarbrough and Siaosi Hala’api’api are the starters, but depth behind them is running thin. As of now, it’s Faaiu and Granderson. But that’s not why second-year coach Craig Bohl said Monday that Granderson will play this season.

“I think he’s a good player,” Bohl said. “We’ve been pleased with Carl. Even though he physically doesn’t weigh very much, he plays strong. He has long levers and plays with good speed.”

Granderson came to UW from Grant High in Sacramento, California. He played basketball through his junior year, but spent most of his time playing football and baseball as an outfielder.

Granderson was about 182 pounds when he arrived in Laramie in June for summer school and workouts. He added about 15 pounds before fall camp.

Granderson is listed at 200 pounds on UW’s latest roster. He jokes that he’s 200 pounds “on a good day,” and that he hovers between 197 and 200. By UW’s season-opener Sept. 5 against North Dakota, Granderson hopes to be around 205 pounds.

While some dwell on Granderson’s slight stature, those within the football program emphasize the positives he has displayed since the first day of fall camp.

“He’s shown the ability to make plays, whether it’s in the run game or rushing the passer,” UW defensive ends coach AJ Cooper said. “He’s got some natural ability I’m not going to take credit for.

“He’s explosive. He can bend his knees and change direction. He’s earned this. He put himself in this position. He surprised us in a good way in the way he can rush the passer and be in space. He’s going to give people some issues.

“He’s a 6-5 guy with long arms, and that really helps negate that he’s 200 pounds.”

Learning the plays and fundamentals of the position are still things Granderson must learn, but Cooper said he’s making steady progress.

Granderson said he arrived in Laramie with a simple mentality: play hard and play fast. He also doesn’t give his lack of weight a second thought.

“A lot of people doubt me most of the time because of that,” he said. “I don’t let that bother me. When I get out there, I just try to play hard and beat the person on the other side of the ball. Weight doesn’t matter. If you play hard, you can win.”

Practice notes

UW practiced for a little more than two hours Monday morning in full pads in War Memorial Stadium.

It also practiced Monday afternoon, its final two-a-day session of camp, in half pads. The Cowboys had their full complement of running backs during the morning practice. Those who returned included senior Shaun Wick (concussion), sophomore Josh Tapscott (illness) and redshirt freshman Nico Evans (hamstring). Sophomore Brian Hill (hamstring) was held out of Saturday’s scrimmage for precautionary reasons. Bohl said “it doesn’t look good” in terms of the prognosis after redshirt freshman tight end Grant Lewis suffered a knee injury in the scrimmage.

Bohl also said cornerback Antonio Hull and safety Andrew Wingard are two true freshmen who will play this season. As for true freshman running back Kellen Overstreet, Bohl said he and his staff are undecided, and want to see how the health of the other running backs goes leading up to the first game.