Spring Camp Day One: Wyoming Lays the Foundation for 2025

Head Coach Jay Sawvel Conducts Spring Practice Number One. Photo by UW Athletics

LARAMIE, Wyo. – Wyoming head football coach Jay Sawvel met with the media following the first day of spring practice. The second-year head coach had a lot to address, including an unexpected assistant coach departure.

"We’ll start off with the fact that this morning we had a coaching change with a running back coach that left and went to another school," Sawvel stated - referring to running backs coach Donnell Kirkwood, who departed Wyoming today to take a job at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. "And, you know, it's unfortunate timing. Disappointing thing. Wasn't a major difference in finances involved in this type of situation, even though I guess he'll get a little bit of a raise where he goes, and he can go enjoy that. We're going to talk about people that are relevant to the Wyoming Cowboys and not talk about people that aren't." Bitterness from Sawvel? You make the call...

Sawvel expressed enthusiasm for returning to the field.

"Fun to get back out on the field. We've got a lot of work to do, and our biggest focus right now is how we start plays – alignment, assignment, where our eyes go, footwork, hand placements. These are all the basic, fundamental things that we have to do day one, day two, day three. It's boring. But we've got to get so much better at the boring than what we were a year ago."

Coaching Vacancy and Adjustment "on the Fly"

Sawvel knows the difficulty of finding a new running backs coach at this stage of the football year, but is confident in moving forward.

"Had [Kirkwood] been going to Oregon, triple your money – I would have been the first guy to say, 'Hey, you gotta do that.' When it's not that, you sit there and look at it and go, 'OK, it's not a good deal.' We'll get it handled. I'll be on the phone tonight. We'll work quickly on what we need to do. It happens. Right? Coach Bohl always said, 'Don't lock your knees.' And it just means you've got to stay flexible and keep moving... and that's what we're going to do. So, I'm OK with it. We'll do a good job."

On Wide Receiver DeBlanc, Wyomingite Quarterback Mason Drube, and Defensive End Brayden Wilson

"I think you can obviously see that the two of them are talented. That's not hard to see. You know, Deion [DeBlanc] is ahead of his curve as far as a guy that should be playing for us in the fall. Mason [Drube] is very mature, handles business the right way. And so, we're in a good spot with all that."

The coach also praised new addition of defensive end transfer from Weber State Brayden Wilson who also has a background in rugby. - Stay tuned for a feature story on Brayden!

"The rugby background helps him because he's crazy. So that part, I appreciate – and I say that in a good way. The thing that sticks out about him is his motor, his size. Maybe even more than that, his athleticism. He's a solid athlete, but he's got a big motor. And that's the biggest thing to it. So, I'm glad he's here."

Recognizing Leadership and Special Teams Contributions

Sawvel spoke highly of tight end Evan Svoboda, who transitioned from quarterback to tight end toward the end of the 2024 football season…then played the quarterback position for half of the last home game, and the season finale while Kaden Anderson was out due to concussion protocol.

"It's the start of plays, right? Like, for him – where his eyes are, hand placement, first steps, aiming point on blocks, those types of things. Routes – his footwork in a route, his depths in routes. He's a really intelligent guy, works his tail off. So, I don't question knowing what to do. Now, it's just all the things of how to do it. The phases of what you’ve got to do, how to do it. But he definitely stands out when you watch him play. And now he's doing it full time, so he will get better and better."

For the record, Evan Svoboda has traded in the iconic number 17 and went for a more "tight end-esque" number of 86.

The coach also recognized senior special teams contributor and tight end Justin Erb, who was recently awarded a scholarship.

"…It’s hard to carve out big roles in the offense when you've got guys like John Michael Gyllenborg, Jake Wilson, Isaac Schoenfeld, and Svoboda. But a guy that’s a starter on four special teams and a positive player in all four – that’s a guy you have to have in the program. That was really not a hard decision."

Looking Ahead

Sawvel concluded by speaking about receiver depth and some areas of improvement.

"I’m optimistic in the group right now, but we'll see. Chris Durr is a lot better version of himself than he was a year ago. Jalen Sergeant is a leader in the room. I love what he’s doing. Jackson Holman is a solid guy that will help us. Deion DeBlanc and Jalen Bean, we moved [Clay] Nanke to receiver, so we’ll see how that all works."

You read that correctly: Former tight end Clay Nanke has made the switch to the wide receiver position. 

One thing is certain: Sawvel is keeping his focus on daily improvement and setting the foundation for a successful spring camp, looking to carry that momentum into a successful 2025 season.

"We’ve got a lot of work to do. But I like the effort of the group. We'll watch the video, learn from it, and get better. That’s what spring ball is about."