‘I’m Loyal to the Core’

LARAMIE -- Maybe Evan Svoboda is just getting a head start?

Tim Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, was drafted as a quarterback but later finished his NFL career as a tight end. Cleveland's dynamic kick returner, Josh Cribbs, spent his college days at Kent State under center. So did Super Bowl 53 MVP Julian Edelman.

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A pair of wizards at the triple option, Nebraska's Eric Crouch and Scott Frost, also made position changes. Couch, like Tebow, also claimed college football's highest individual honor.

The list goes on: Matt Jones (Arkansas), Terrelle Pryor (Ohio State), Antwaan Randle El (Indiana), Kordell "Slash" Stewart (Colorado), and many, many others have lost their jobs at the next level.

They all have something else in common, too -- They're all high-level athletes.

Just like Svoboda.

"He's gifted. I mean, first of all, look at the guy," Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said, referring to the 6-foot-5, 252-pound senior, who is now a full-time tight end after starting the first seven games of the 2024 season at quarterback. "His whole thing is, 'I want to play in the NFL', right? Great. OK, it didn't work at quarterback, right? Well, you still have an NFL body.

"... For him, he had an alternate position that he could go try to be great at, you know? And I love his work ethic for it."

If you were at last Saturday's open workout inside the Cowboys' indoor practice facility, you might have said to yourself, "Who is No. 86?"

He flashed across the middle of the field at one point, snagging a ball with both hands extended before cruising out of bounds. The same happened in the team's first official practice. That time the lumbering tight end was chopped down by an oncoming safety, who wanted nothing to do with that big frame rumbling in his direction.

In a two-minute drill to close Tuesday's outing, He made a play again, this time catching a deep out route to inch his team closer to the red zone with the clock under a minute.

That was Svoboda.

He certainly looks the part.

"It's been good just, you know, trying to put in a lot of the baby steps during these first couple months, during the winter cycle, and then just kind of applying it now," the Mesa, Ariz., native said. "I'm really just focusing on my footwork and just kind of getting a feel for the game again.

"It's almost like I'm a freshman coming in and kind of learning everything again."

Svoboda was born and bred to be a signal caller.

That dream began in Pee-Wee football and was manifested -- and trained for -- all the way through a standout career at Red Mountain High School, a brief stint at Snow Junior College and his FBS opportunity at Wyoming.

He's never blocked. He's never run routes. He's never caught a pass.

The latter two, so far, have come naturally. Svoboda says being a QB has been an advantage for him as far as the playbook and knowing where to be at all times.

Blocking, he admitted, hasn't been an easy process.

"It doesn't come right away," he added. "But it's kind of just go put your hat on somebody go out-physical them."

Svoboda rushed for 237 yards last fall on 109 attempts. Sack yardage -- he was dropped a forgettable 26 times -- plays into that 2.2 yard-per-carry average, despite busting a 51-yard touchdown run against San Diego State and adding jaunts of 37 and 22 versus Idaho and Air Force, respectively.

He got plenty of the tough yards between the tackles, too.

"I kind of seek that out," he said with a grin. "I don't know if that's a good thing, especially playing quarterback. I've kind of always been the kind of guy to just, you know, go take a hit. You know, it's football, it's going to be physical."

His roommate and former top target John Michael Gyllenborg is helping take care of the rest, teaching the Intricacies of the position. Svoboda received a baptism by fire last November when Sawvel made the permanent switch, inserting Kaden Anderson at the quarterback spot.

He also watches film of NFL tight ends and has kept a close eye on Oregon's Terrance Ferguson and Penn State's Mackay Award winner Tyler Warren. Those guys are special, but his mentor, he added, could be even better.

"He's the best tight end in, probably, the country right now," he said of Gyllenborg. "He doesn't get enough recognition."

How did he land on his new jersey number, switching from the controversial No. 17?

That comes from another guy he hopes to emulate, Todd Heap, a family friend and former coach who was a tight end in the NFL for 12 seasons, primarily with the Baltimore Ravens.

Whatever Svoboda is doing, it's impressing his new coaches.

"I'm very pleased with Evan," Wyoming offensive coordinator Jay Johnson said. "I think he's transitioned very well. Obviously, there's still a lot of work to be done because certain things are all new for him, but one of things that I'm impressed with, which I even saw last year a little bit at the end of the year, he has really good ball skills. He catches the ball well, and those types of things.

"... I'm excited for him, and really, really excited to see where it all goes."

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There's no longer a radio in Svoboda's helmet. He takes his cues from the sideline now. He wears gloves and wrist tape now. The rib protector is also a thing of the past.

So are the emotions of a trying season.

Svoboda was statistically the least-efficient passer in the country last fall. He connected on just over 49% of his throws and was picked off eight times, including on his very first attempt of the year. That was returned for a touchdown. It happened just a few miles from his hometown, to make matters even worse.

There were bright spots, but not many.

He did lead the Cowboys to a 31-19 victory over Front Range rival Air Force. That night in Laramie, Svoboda completed 71.4% of his passes and rushed for two touchdowns, including a 17-yard dash to the end zone late in the fourth quarter.

It was Wyoming's first win of the season. The issue? That came in Week 5.

Through it all, including a severely broken nose suffered the following week that required offseason surgery, Svoboda took responsibility and held his head high -- in public. Behind closed doors, the then-junior felt the brunt of a vocal fanbase that couldn't accept the losing.

"I mean, after games, it was brutal," he said. "Like, especially going on social media, trying to log in and, you know, just kind of go and see what's going on. Just that's the stuff you would see. It's awful, but you kind of just have to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving past that kind of stuff.

"I think, for me, it was truly eye opening. I've never really had a season that, you know, a losing season, I suppose. So, it was kind of like, holy s---. Like, this almost feels like rock bottom."

Sawvel stood up for his embattled captain each week behind the podium. He implored fans to be patient, promising better days are ahead.

That never materialized.

"He cares deeply about this program," Sawvel said. "Look, if he didn't care deeply about this program, there's a lot of people that would have taken last season and they would have just sacked the bats and left after the season and just went somewhere else and did all that. That's not him, and that's never him."

Why didn't Svoboda leave?

"I'm loyal to the core," he said. "I truly believe if you're in a position, you have to make the most of it. You don't need to go to a new spot and get all this money and get everything else. You're truly in a good spot.

"You know what you're worth. You know what you need to do."

Ending on a good note helps.

Svoboda, after weeks of lining up at tight end, was forced back into duty in the second half against 12th-ranked Boise State after Anderson suffered a season-ending concussion. He would again get the nod the following Saturday in the finale at Washington State.

It looked like all the other starts before.

Svoboda threw an interception and lost two fumbles in the second half on back-to-back possessions. He was also sacked six times, matching a season high.

What are his memories from that night in Pullman?

"Fourth and 14," he said with a smile.

That was the down and distance Svoboda and this offense was facing with just 29 ticks remaining. The visitors trailed by five and were sitting at the Cougars' 18-yard line.

Someone needed to make a play.

That someone was Svoboda, who fired a pass right up the seam -- splitting the safety and linebacker -- into the awaiting arms of Gyllenborg, who spun into the end zone. Wyoming pulled off the stunner, 15-14.

He went out with a bang.

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players