Different Cat: Tegen Seeds Built for the Mountains and the Trenches
- Jeff Bugher
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
LARAMIE, Wyo. - PokesNews.com had the chance to interview Tegen Seeds about his path to the University of Wyoming football program, along with his Wyoming roots.
At 6-foot, 303 pounds, the sophomore defensive lineman from Douglas, Wyoming, has already proven himself in the Cowboys’ program. But where did he get his inspiration to become a Division I football player?
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“I'm going to say my Dad [Jack Seeds],” Seeds said. “He pushed me a lot. He was one of my football coaches in high school, and he pushed me to be the best I could be, in middle school ball and everything. I’ve just looked up to him because he wanted the best for me.”
“Also Payten Gilmore, he was also a football coach and he was the one who got me strong and helped me do stuff in the summertime to prepare for the season,” Seeds added. “So I think those two people and then just my whole family, I looked up to them a lot because they always pushed me to be better all the time.”
Growing up in Douglas, Seeds developed not only as a player, but also as a person guided by Wyoming values in a blue-collar town.
“It means a lot to me. It's my hometown. It's where I grew up. I just love it there,” Seeds said. “It has everything I need. It has the mountains, it has the lakes, and it has the rivers. When I was in high school, it had the weight room and stuff like that for me to get better.”
So how did a kid from small-town Wyoming get onto Wyoming’s radar?
“It was just from film, they looked at my Twitter, and then Shannon Moore texted me and was like, ' Hey, let's get you up here for a junior day visit,'” Seeds said. “That was my junior year. Then it progressed from there, talking to them, and then they offered me a preferred walk-on at the end of my football season.”
The transition from high school to college football is never easy.
“Everybody's stronger, and faster,” Seeds said. “It definitely took me a little bit to adjust to it, but after a year in it, you get pretty adjusted to it, and then it's kind of just feels like normal ball from there.”
His development has already taken a step forward, especially when an opportunity came knocking. Seeds snagged an interception and returned it for eight yards last season at San Diego State. He was on the field getting reps because several players were out, and he made the most of it.
That momentum has carried into the offseason. Seeds told PokesNews.com he’s made significant progress during winter workouts and has made a significant jump in his football IQ.
His goals in 2026 are simple: keep proving himself and earn more snaps.
Through spring ball, he’s done just that.
Seeds has been putting together strong performances with increased reps while filling in for injured teammates. He’s also gaining the respect of those around him.
Following Wyoming's second scrimmage last Saturday, Seeds was drenched in sweat, and smiling.
"Putting in their work has really proved to me that I can do a lot for this team, and I think I've gotten a lot of respect from that," Seeds said about earning respect from his teammates.
That mentality reflects how much playing for Wyoming means to him.
“It makes me feel proud. It's an honor to do it,” Seeds said. “I just keep pushing every day we're out on runs, lifts, and even on practice because it's just an honor and I want to make my state happy.”
That pride hasn’t gone unnoticed by Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel.
“Tegen does a really good job of doing his job,” Sawvel said. “There's a place that Tegen can help us. He did a good job on PAT field goal last year because he's kind of dense, and he's hard to move, so he did a good job on that part of it against some of the more run-heavy teams.”
Sawvel also pointed to the value Seeds brings in physical situations.
“He's a big guy to try to move around in there,” Sawvel said. “So you know there's value that he can bring that way… and it’s valuable to the program.”
That toughness and work ethic sound familiar to his high school head coach and current Douglas High School AD, Jay Rhoades, who saw it firsthand.
“The thing about Tegen is he loves football,” Rhoades said. “You could always just tell that he really was excited to be a Bearcat, wanted to be a Bearcat.”
Seeds impacted the game for Bearcat Football.
“They would have to put two, or they'd have to double or triple team Tegen just to keep him at bay, and then that always freed up somebody else to make a play,” Rhoades said. “He impacted the game in ways that you don't normally see as far as stats.”
Rhoades also pointed to Seeds’ physicality and versatility, even recalling how Douglas built plays around him.
“We put in special plays just so we could pull him,” Rhoades said. “Because we knew if he got a head of steam, he was going to open a hole.”
Rhoades believed Wyoming was the right fit.
“I was really happy for him that he chose the University of Wyoming just because I believed he had the skill to play,” Rhoades said. “I think it was really a huge step for him just personally on taking on that challenge.”
Toughness and work ethic were a big part of his upbringing, according to his father, Jack Seeds, a physical education teacher, retired assistant football coach at Douglas High School, and former linebacker for Black Hills State.
“He's a complete Wyoming boy that loves to hunt, fish, and just go do things that are different,” Jack Seeds said. “He's not afraid to walk 12 to 15 miles in the mountains and sleep in a hammock, eat some dried food, take his straw, get fresh water, and keep going. He's just a different cat.”
That “different cat” mentality is what separates him.
“Tegen’s different. He's not your typical cat. He's not going to complain. He's going to go 100% until his neck is broken. He has one motor, and it's 100%,” his father said. “There might be people more athletic around him, but he doesn't care because he's going to outwork you, he's going to outdo you, and he's going to outlift you.”
When his career at Wyoming is finished, Seeds already knows how he wants to be remembered.
“I want people to remember me as a hard worker, never one to give up,” he said.
Off the field, he sticks to his Wyoming roots.
“Yeah, I'm a pretty big hunter and fisherman,” Seeds said. “I do that a lot in my free time when we have free time with football and then hanging out with friends and stuff like that.”
For the next generation of Wyoming kids dreaming of wearing the brown and gold, Seeds has some advice.
“Keep working, never stop, get in the weight room, run,” Seeds said. “Just grind, honestly. And then you'll see what you get from there.”
Tegen also mentioned how important it is to watch film to develop as a player.
Tegen Seeds embodies exactly what Wyoming football hangs its hat on: toughness, humility, and relentless effort. As he continues to chase a bigger role, he’s doing it the only way he knows how: full speed, and no shortcuts.
About the Author:
Jeff Bugher is a third-generation Wyomingite living in Casper. He is a sportswriter and Wyoming Cowboys/Cowgirls enthusiast who is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA ) and the National Sports Media Association (NSMA). Jeff's work has been cited by Sports Illustrated, one of the world's leading sports publications.
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