He Bet on Himself, Now Kimble-Turner’s Opportunity is on Horizon

LARAMIE -- It was make-or-break time.

Kaiden Kimble-Turner had zero college offers at the conclusion of his junior season. Despite being tabbed the No. 4 high school prospect in the state of Idaho by a number of recruiting services, his phone wasn't ringing.

"We're overlooked, as a state, in general," the redshirt freshman said in late March. "I feel like it's kind of been my story. That's just what it's been."

Get our free mobile app

With some urging from his uncle, a member of the football staff at TCU, Kimble-Turner hopped on a plane and attended a camp in Fort Worth, Texas. Dozens, if not hundreds, of coaches would be in attendance. This was a chance to prove himself on the big stage, his final chance to catch the eye of a decision-maker.

That happened.

"We saw him just being a playmaker, especially on the offense side of the ball," said Wyoming safeties coach Jason Petrino, who watched Kimble-Turner run through drills as a running back and at the cornerback spot. "He's just a super-high character kid that truly, truly cares about his growth and his success. So, in terms of that, he's very low maintenance, just because you know what you're going to get out of him."

After returning home from the tryout -- one Kimble-Turner said, in his opinion, was less than impressive -- he received a text. It was from a UW coach. It said "congratulations."

"I actually didn't even know that I got offered for like four hours," he said with a laugh, adding head coach Jay Sawvel eventually called, giving him the official welcome. "I started running around my house. I was screaming. It was crazy. It was super cool."

His official role upon arrival was "athlete."

Kimble-Turner was an all-conference defensive back at Rocky Mountain High School in Kuna, tallying 24 tackles, a sack, three pass breakups and an interception during his senior season. He was also a standout running back, finding the end zone five times.

Schools like Nevada, New Mexico and Army, among others, finally started to take notice.

It was too late.

Fluid hip movement, along with his physicality, eventually landed him in the Cowboys' secondary. Though he's learning the safety spot on the fly, Sawvel said this spring it isn't a crazy notion to think the 5-foot-10, 202-pound sledgehammer won't find his way into the rotation in 2026.

"Sure, he could," the third-year head coach said. "I mean, he's a really good athlete, a really good player. He's going to do a lot of things for us."

MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:

* Brooklyn Cheek Eyeing Starting Gig in UW Secondary

* Drake's Love Affair With Football Rekindled Through Adversity

* Richardson Has Coming-Out Party in Pokes' Spring Game

* Cowboy Offense Finds End Zone Five Times in Spring Game Victory

* Pokes' Latest Downfield Threat May Have Been on Roster All Along

* Wyoming Teammates on Johnathan Bush: 'He's Our Psycho'

* Josh Allen to Tyler Hughes: Wyoming Football 'One Step Away'

* New UW President on Athletics: 'We Will Compete'

* Landon Sims: 'You Can't Get Rid of Me That Easy'

* Sawvel Believes This Could Be His Best Defense at Wyoming

* Lofty Expectations Ahead for Desman Hearns

* Wyoming's Staff Expecting Inside Dominance From Jayden Williams

* PJ Jackson Looks an Awful Lot Like a Former UW Receiver

* Are the Cowboys Really Flirting With Adding an Option Attack?

Petrino says safety is a "natural fit" for Kimble-Turner.

"The work ethic and the commitment is there," he added. "That's the thing about him: he's definitely motivated and driven, and you see it daily. He takes it's almost to the point where he's such a perfectionist and he gets so hard on himself, it's like you got to pick him back up for the smallest mistakes. He thinks and processes, and it's just kind of getting reps and getting comfortable so he can go out and play free, not worrying so much about if he's doing it right or wrong, just playing."

Though it's a work in progress, his teammates have been impressed. Even the ones he battles with daily.

"He's a worker," fellow safety Brooklyn Cheek said. "That's one thing I'll say about him. In the weight room, we do powers and stuff, and he's always right above me. It pisses me off. Or I'm always right above him and he's one of those guys that's going to compete no matter where it is. We could be playing pickleball or something, you know, he'd be competing. He wants to win. He's a super competitor and a super great guy."

Kyle Frendt, a 6-foot-5, 236-pound tight end, has met up with Kimble-Turner over the middle a time or two. Despite the size advantage, it's never a walk in the park.

"He's a great athlete and a really good defender," Frendt said. "I think he has a really good upside. I think he can be really good and a benefit for our team this year. It's great to have young guys like that. They're going to grow as seasons go on and we're just going to have a great football team in the future, as well."

Tyson Shamsid-Deen attended that same TCU camp. He said the two were destined to share a secondary one day, he just didn't initially think that would be in Laramie. He received a scholarship offer to the University of Idaho. Kimble-Turner, as a last resort, would likely walk-on in Moscow.

Instead, former cornerbacks coach Benny Boyd -- who is now ironically at TCU -- sold the San Antonio product on Wyoming. Having Kimble-Turner already in the barn made the decision even more of a no-brainer, he added.

"He's just a dog," Shamsid-Deen said. "There aren't that many people, I can say, who really love football. He's an absolute dog."

Kimble-Turner said he's relishing the opportunity to play in the box. The more hitting, the merrier. He is also in the process of mastering all three positions. He's comfortable at the nickel spot. Boundary, his likely future landing spot, has allowed him to play faster, he added. His strength numbers are up, across the board.

So is his confidence.

"I'm ride or die for my team," he said. "So, if I make a mistake, I want to fix it. It's bigger than me."