Justin Stevenson is Ready to Take Next Step, Become a Playmaker

LARAMIE -- Some nights -- heck, most nights -- Justin Stevenson said he would lay in bed and his emotions would take over.

Angry? Sure. Frustrated? You bet.

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The true freshman receiver was making plays all over the field throughout the week in practice last fall, but come Saturday, he was a non-factor, standing on the bench, forced to sit and watch.

"It was tough," Stevenson said. "I was just thinking mad, you know what I'm saying? But that never really stopped me. I've always had this one drive to make it to the NFL, so I'm not going to let anything stop that drive."

Sunday through Friday was his time to shine.

"Every day I just had the mentality of, if I make this play, maybe they'll move me up?" he added.

They didn't.

What got in his way? Well, mainly himself.

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Jay Sawvel said the promise and talent were often on full display. Academics, on the other hand, were neglected.

"That was a big emphasis for me right away," Wyoming's rookie head coach said in the spring. "I don't mess around with that part."

No need anymore.

Stevenson, who is originally from Philadelphia but played high school football on the outskirts of Houston, Texas, admitted the lack of playing time affected his performance in the classroom. School was all but an afterthought.

Why put in all this effort to be a scout team body, preparing his teammates to play when it mattered?

It's all part of the maturation process. Stevenson received the message loud and clear, too.

"If he if it ended now, I mean, this guy would be like, over 3.3 (GPA) right now for the semester," Sawvel said. "I'm so proud of the guy. I'm happy with him."

He's no longer prepping the Cowboy secondary to face the likes of Colorado State's Tory Horton, UNLV's Ricky White or the Texas duo of Xavier Worthy and AD Mitchell, Stevenson is now hauling in meaningful passes from Evan Svoboda, building a connection and proving he can be a go-to target with the 2024 campaign on the horizon.

Sawvel said he certainly possesses the speed. His work ethic, according to the coach, is also unmatched.

"I think he's got a really, really high ceiling," he said about the 6-foot-1, 192-pound redshirt freshman. "... I think he can make an impact for us, so I'm excited for him."

Those words were uttered in spring camp. Nothing has changed today, Sawvel added, praising Stevenson for making a pair of crucial third-down catches in last Tuesday's practice.

Before Jovon Bouknight became a tenured coach, making stops at places like Oregon and Kentucky, among others, he was busy hauling in 250 passes for 3,626 yards and 29 touchdown grabs during his Hall of Fame career in Laramie.

He knows a thing or two about untapped ability. He also has a keen eye when it comes to spotting skill, especially at the wide receiver spot.

Bouknight has been impressed with what Stevenson is bringing to the table.

"Day one, man. When I first got here -- the very first day -- he probably stuck out the most, as far as just me observing and watching (the receivers) go through routes and stuff like that," said Bouknight, who was recently hired at UW to help out at his former position and analyze the offense. "I mean, I saw his athleticism, and I was like, I got to ask him, 'How old is this guy?' 

"The talent is extreme."

Stevenson, who is just 19, wasn't highly recruited out of Paetow High School, only receiving interest from schools like Hawai'i, Illinois State, Incarnate Word, Houston Baptist and others.

He traveled the camp circuit. He showed his skills at Clemson, Ohio State and Ole Miss. He even spoke with Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa. The legendary head coach saw the talent. Stevenson said the word "scholarship" was kicked around though it never came to fruition.

"I just was getting overlooked, honestly," he said. "I'm used to being overlooked. I've been overlooked since high school, even with my high school coaches overlooking me with some older guys. It's all about how you persevered."

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Tabbed a three-star recruit, Stevenson snagged just 37 career prep passes for 552 yards and five touchdowns as a two-year starter. He also handled kicks for the Panthers, dashing 71 yards for a touchdown during his senior season.

The facilities -- mainly the weight room, he said -- drew him to Wyoming. The staff, the same coaches who saw him running around at an SMU camp in Dallas, also sealed the deal.

Immature is a word he used to describe himself upon arrival. Playmaker is a moniker he seeks this fall. The adjustment, admittedly, hasn't been an easy one, but Stevenson said he is where he's supposed to be.

"As you get through it, and as you figure out your purpose here, I feel like it gets easier," he said. "Football helped 100%."

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players