What’s On Deck For Jay Sawvel, Wyoming’s Football Staff?

LARAMIE -- Jay Sawvel isn't stopping here.

In fact, Wyoming's head football coach is only in the beginning phases of retooling a roster that was exposed in areas and inexperienced in others. Injuries, of course, also played a major role in the Cowboys' three-win campaign in 2024.

"There is no broken culture here," Sawvel said. "There's no divisions, in-fighting and all that other stuff. We have to play better. We have to do better."

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Twenty-one freshmen inked their letters of intent Wednesday on early signing day. Sawvel said he hopes to add 18 more to the mix by February.

"There's a plan for everything," Sawvel said.

He means it, too.

The first name he mentioned was Carson York. The most casual of fans might be asking, "Who?" That's the team's long snapper. He has one season of eligibility remaining. The tight end room will take a hit after the '25 season, too. John Michael Gyllenborg and Clay Nanke will graduate. Enter rookies Landon Pace and Kyle Frendt, two big bodies that will get a year of work under their belt before they are expected to produce.

The Transfer portal, which opens Monday, will also be heavily monitored by Sawvel and Co. as they try to construct a 105-man lineup.

There are a few positions of need, including at least a couple of linebackers, a few players in the secondary, wide receivers and a defensive tackle.

That's not all.

"We're going to look to sign a junior college quarterback," Sawvel added.

An offer is already on the table. Brady Jones, a sophomore at Riverside City College (Calif.) Thursday afternoon announced as much on social media. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound dual-threat signal caller threw for 3,723 yards and 42 touchdowns last fall. He added 338 yards on the ground and five more scores.

He's also being courted by UTSA, UTEP, Western Michigan, Wofford, McNeese State and New Mexico State.

Sawvel also said he is currently attempting to entice a JUCO linebacker to Laramie.

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* Wyoming wideout TK King hitting the open market

* 2025 Recruiting HQ: Wyoming Expected to Sign 20

* Wyoming DT Jaden Williams entering NCAA Transfer Portal

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* Rants and Raves: Washington State Edition

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* LIVE FILE: Wyoming Cowboys vs. Washington State Cougars

* Three-star Texas receiver verbally commits to Cowboys

* Worried about the transfer portal? Sawvel doesn't seem to be

Don't be shocked to see this staff going after other unknowns from smaller schools, either.

Think Ayir Asante, a wide receiver that spent the 2023 season at UW, hauling in 372 yards worth of passes and six touchdowns after a productive four-year career at Holy Cross.

"We're going to largely live outside of the power-conference transfer market," Sawvel said, adding that the UW basketball team once added two players from USC (Max Agbonkpolo and Ethan Anderson) and another from UCLA (Jake Kyman) that didn't work out too well. "A big part of this goes back to when I talked to (Arizona State head coach) Kenny Dillingham earlier in the fall. One of the things he said that helped flip their roster the most was, get people on the come up, get people on a rise because they love it. They can't wait to be in your program. They can't wait to be in your building.

"They're excited to be in the program, as opposed to somebody that comes in with a sense of entitlement, or that feels like this is a step down for them. I'm not interested in that guy."

With roster limits on the horizon and scholarships now featuring "equivalencies," this offseason is already shaping up to be a wild ride:

* 17 players were announced on senior day

* Two players -- QB Jayden Clemons and WR Devon Boddie Jr. -- left the team midseason

* Three guys, as of now, have announced their intentions to transfer. Sawvel mentioned another potential departure Wednesday

* Running back Dawaiian McNeely will return from injury. Evan Svoboda has officially moved from QB to tight end. Harrison Waylee will also return to backfield after redshirting in 2024

* Wyoming is not currently accepting any walk-on's

* The roster, as available on the school's website, features 95 returning players, 116 total with the addition of Wednesday afternoon's newcomers

That means there are plenty of tough decisions on deck for this staff.

Sawvel said a number of current players are on the "bubble" and will be asked to look elsewhere. He's already met with a number of guys, beginning a mere hours after the win over Washington State in last Saturday's season finale. There was also a team meeting Thursday afternoon.

"By and large, I think if we put out a list of people that I anticipate and expect to be here, going through the spring and playing next fall, everybody would be pretty happy with that list right now," he added.

Admittedly, Sawvel is in "full-roster mode," though he will meet with coaches next week to discuss any future movement within the staff.

Building depth and competition (Sawvel repeated and emphasized the latter word) is the immediate goal. Quite simply, he added, he's in search of football players.

"We're going to find 105 people that ride for the brand," he said. "When they wake up, yeah, they have to go to class, but the first thing they better think about is football."

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players