Jay Sawvel Emphasizes Physicality in Wyoming’s Spring Practice

Defensive tackle Lucas Samsula during drills. Photo courtesy of UW Athletics

LARAMIE – Three practices into spring football, Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel was very clear following Saturday’s session: the Cowboys are going to hit—more than ever.

“We got to go run around, bang into each other a little bit, physical practice,” Sawvel said.

“We did a true inside run period where it’s put the ball down and go, and everybody knows in the whole place that it’s run. Then we finish practice with a run period. Like I told them, we’re gonna be a calloused football team. We’re gonna hit. We’re gonna hit more than we’ve ever hit around here.”

Sawvel stated that physicality will be a major shift from previous years, even compared to last season’s physical approach. “… It’s going to be exponentially different that way,” he added.

More Violence Needed in Practice

When asked if practice had met his expectations for intensity, Sawvel was happy with the progress but said the team still has work to do.

“Next week, it needs to be a lot more violent than that,” he said. “But it was good. There was a start of violence, and that’s what I wanted.”

Players with Something to Prove

The 2024 season left a “bad taste” for many players, leaving a “chip on their shoulder” mentality coming full speed into spring. 

“That vibe was created,” Sawvel said. “Even go back to pre-Boise, but that vibe has been created by everybody that walks in the building every day. We remind them constantly of certain things. Our trophy case at the boot’s end sits in our weight room, so they see that every day. Everybody has to own it, and that includes the new people. They have to buy into that. Take your work personal and let’s go.”

Standout Players from Day Three

Several players caught Sawvel’s eye during Saturday’s practice, including a few under-the-radar names.

“I think Jaylan Bean had a solid day today,” he said. “I thought he did some good things, which is a positive right there. I think John Mike [Gyllenborg] showed up really well today, too. That was a good thing.”

Sawvel also had high praise for transfer running back, Terron Kellman. “You can kind of see that he has very good vision, he has very good feet, and he’s a 208-pound running back,” Sawvel noted. “He’s not a guy that’s an arm tackle type of guy either. He’s everything that I hoped he would be in that regard, so I’m happy with that so far.”

He also highlighted a couple of secondary players making progress. “Some of our younger secondary guys—the newer secondary guys—are still learning everything, but they flashed,” he said. “Desman Hearns makes a pretty solid football player. I think Esaia Bogar has had a good week.”

Upgrades at Safety

Sawvel is pleased with the overall athleticism of the group, including players like Justin Taylor and Desman Hearns.

“We’re upgraded athletically,” he said. “Now what we’ve got to do is play the way that we want them to play in terms of eye control, footwork, body positions, communication, all those things. There’s a lot of layers to it, but purely when they get out and run around, they’ve got good size and good athleticism.”

Quarterback Play and Offensive Line Progress

Sawvel also discussed the quarterback room and the offensive line, specifically mentioning young players stepping up.

“Kaden was pretty sharp,” he said. “I think Landon Sims has had a really good week. You can see how the ball jumps off his hand real well, and he’s a good athlete.”

On the offensive line, he highlighted Jack Walsh as the starting center. “Jack Walsh being our center, Wes King is really like our backup center right now, but he’s playing guard,” Sawvel explained. “Caleb Hall has stepped in and is snapping for us right now.”

Running Back Coach Search

The Cowboys are still searching for a running backs coach following Donnell Kirkwood Jr.'s departure on day one of spring practice last Tuesday, but Sawvel is moving quickly to fill the position.

“I have a pool of really good candidates,” he said. “Not that I was surprised by the candidates, but very good candidates. My goal is to come out of tomorrow night with a path of, ‘OK, this is the person I want to bring in to interview,’ or ‘These are the couple people I want to bring in to interview,’ with the goal of having a hire by next weekend.”

Who’s filling the shoes for the vacancy as spring ball progresses? For now, graduate assistant Bryce is handling the position group. “We’re not in a situation where we’re rudderless at that position,” Sawvel assured. “He’s meeting with them, he’s running drills with them. We’re not missing assignments.”

Recruiting Efforts Continue

Sawvel and his staff welcomed about 65 high school recruits to practice Saturday for Junior Day.

“I love this,” he said. “With parents and everything, obviously there are different layers to it. There’ll be some guys that will have offers from us today, others that we will push to get back to camp in the summer for further evaluations.”

Although Sawvel has been a bit distracted with the unexpected search for a running backs coach, recruiting remains a priority for him. “That’s a constant thing,” he said. “The only thing the running back thing has been a distraction on is I’ve had to do just a little less recruiting the last couple of days.”

Looking Ahead

Sawvel certainly wants a bigger crowd when Wyoming holds open practice next Saturday.

“I hope next Saturday when we have open practice, we have more people,” he said. “I probably need to put something out there too.” “But the reality is, they like the Saturday open practices and getting a chance to be around people.”

There's no sham about it... "Cowboy Tough" is being redefined under Jay Sawvel.

With three practices down and plenty more ahead, Sawvel is pushing for physicality, violence, and accountability—setting the tone for the 2025 Cowboys.