Cowboy Football Opens Spring Practice on Tuesday

UW will have 15 practices this spring

Head Coach Jay Sawvel. Photo by UW Athletics

LARAMIE, Wyo.  (March 25, 2025) – The Cowboy Football team will return to the field next Tuesday, March 25 for the start of spring practice. Wyoming will practice 15 times this spring with the Spring Game set for April 26 inside War Memorial Stadium. Wyoming will have open practices to the public on Saturday's this spring with times and more information to be released later. The Cowboys will host a youth football clinic after practice on April 5 with additional information available in the coming days. 

Sawvel on Spring Practice

We are excited to get started and is time to get started. Our players did well this offseason. We have hit some markers and I see a lot of leadership from the veterans in terms of how they operate day to day. I have been very pleased with the new guys that we added from a physical and maturity standpoint. We have a lot of things to get done with the two biggest things for me is to increase the number of winnable offensive lineman and that is a development thing. On the defensive side, we have a lot of new players, and we have to get them play the way we need them to play to be successful. 

About the Cowboys

Second-year head coach Jay Sawvel returns some key veterans on both sides of the ball with numerous All-Mountain West performers back. Sawvel also added 40 players during the signing period, 16 of whom are transfers from all levels of college football. The Cowboys return a solid foundation on offense, including quarterback Kaden Anderson, All-MW tight end John Michael Gyllenborg, and a mix of veteran and young running backs led by

Sam Scott. Also back are wide receivers Jaylen Sargent, an Honorable Mention All-MW selection, and Chris Durr Jr., along with nine offensive linemen from the 2024 two-deep that includes Al-MW selection Jack Walsh.

Defensive end Tyce Westland, nose tackle Ben Florentine, defensive tackle Jayden Williams, and cornerback Keany Parks return for a solid defensive core. Brown earned Honorable Mention All-MW honors a season ago. Sawvel brought in 10 transfers on the defensive side of the football to compete with talented returners and redshirts who saw Wyoming lead the nation in third-down defense last season.

New Faces on the Sidelines

Sawvel announced the addition of three new coaches to the staff earlier this offseason. Former Cowboy wide receiver and UW Athletics Hall of Famer

Jovon Bouknight takes over the wide receiver's group after serving as an analyst last season. Deonte Gibson comes to UW from Air Force and will coach the defensive tackles.Donnell Kirkwood, Jr., who played for Sawvel at Minnesota is coaching running backs for the Brown and Gold.

Wyoming also added a trio of graduate assistants to the staff: former Cowboys Mason Schultz and Cameron Murray. Schultz spent time at Colorado Mesa, and Murray came to UW after spending last season at New Mexico Highlands.Bryce Missey also joined the staff and served as offensive coordinator at Whitworth University last season.

Former graduate assistant and assistant director of player development

Austin Maus moves into the role of Director of Player Personnel. Jamison Brown and Brandon Haselbeck, both Cheyenne natives, join the staff. Both served as interns; Brown is now the assistant director of player personnel after spending last season at North Dakota State. Haselbeck is the video coordinator and returns to Wyoming after time at Kansas State.

The Cowboy sports performance staff for football, led by Eric Donoval, welcomes four coaches. Andrew Espinoza comes to Wyoming from Central Florida, where he spent three seasons with the Knights. Victor Evans comes to Wyoming after three seasons at Florida Atlantic. Gaines Jordan comes to Wyoming after working at Auburn last season. Robert Marco comes to Wyoming after time at Florida Atlantic, Liberty, and Kansas.

2025 Schedule

Home Schedule

• After opening the season on the road, the Pokes will host back-to-back home games inside War Memorial Stadium hosting Northern Iowa and longtime rival Utah.

• The Utes will make their first trip to Laramie since the 2010 season.

• Wyoming opens the conference slate hosting UNLV and first-year head coach Dan Mullen

• The Cowboys will open the conference slate with back-to-back home games hosting San Jose State on October 11

• The Border War is slated for Saturday, October 25. The two teams have played in the month of November in five-straight seasons.

• Wyoming closes the home portion of the schedule hosting Nevada on November 22.

  
  

Road Schedule

• The Pokes will open at Akron for the first ever meeting against the Zips. Sawvel  a native of Ohio, will lead the Cowboys to their first trip to the state since facing Bowling Green in 2011.

• The Cowboys will face regional rival Colorado on the road on September 30 for the first meeting since 2009 and the 28th meeting all-time.

• Wyoming opens the road portion of the Mountain West schedule with a trip to Air Force on October 18. The Pokes will play within the Rocky Mountain Region in September and October.

• The Cowboys will make their first trip to San Diego State since 2019 and the first time in Snap Dragon Stadium.

• - Wyoming will play at Fresno State on November 15

• The Pokes will play for the Paniolo Trophy at Hawai'i to close the regular season on November 29 for the first November meeting in Hawai'i since the 1994 season.

Don't forget to sign up for our email list, and follow us on our socials! Stay up to day with Spring Football.

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