Wyoming Football: News and Notes Ahead of Spring Football

LARAMIE -- Giddy.

That's one word you could easily use to describe Wyoming's rookie head coach, who in just four days will open his first spring camp.

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"There's a good spirit in the building," Jay Sawvel said with a smile that persisted Friday throughout his near 30-minute press conference. "There's a good vibe about everything. I think our players are looking forward to getting back out on the field. I'm excited about the direction that everybody's pulling in right now."

Offseason progress in the weight room, evaluating new coaching hires, position battles and, maybe most importantly, expectations, were just a few topics of conversation.

Some questions you might have, Sawvel does, too.

Watching the quarterback room sort itself out will be intriguing, he said. Who's ready to take the next step in their progression? How will this new offensive scheme -- one Sawvel admitted will look a little different at times -- highlight playmakers? Who fills the roles of departing seniors like Frank Crum, Easton Gibbs and Cole Godbout, among others?

Many of those queries will remain long after these 15 practices, culminating with the annual spring game on April 27, but the 53-year-old, like you, is eager to watch it all unfold.

"As an entire football team, I think we're in a really good spot and made some great gains," Sawvel added. "There's a lot of people that, this is the best they've looked at in their career. So we're very excited about that.

"...  I think we've got a hungry football team. I think we've got an eager football team."

Here are a few tidbits from Sawvel's meeting with the media:

* How are the Cowboys from a health standpoint? Sawvel said four players -- Offensive tackle Caden Barnett, defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole, running back Dawaiian McNeely and cornerback Keany Parks -- will all miss spring as they recover from injuries. "Everybody is basically on track to be cleared for summer workouts once they start in May," he said. "So, we don't have a long-term threat to the season or anything like that right now. So that's a good thing."

* What did you say about the offense looking "a little different?" New coordinator Jay Johnson said last month he was eager to see what kind of weapons this unit has -- and utilize them. Here is not only a glimpse into Sawvel's honest nature, but likely sweet, sweet music to your ears. "Jay Johnson said to me yesterday, he's like, 'Yeah, I'm trying to figure out a reason why I wouldn't try to get (tight end John Michael Gyllenborg) the ball, like, every couple plays,'" Sawvel said. "And I'm like, 'Well, that's why you're here because that's a good starting point because I would try to get him the ball all the time, too.'" A source told me this scheme is even implementing some elements of the spread. "It'll look different," Sawvel added. "It will on some things, but there'll be some of it that maybe kind of looks the same, too."

* Evan Svoboda will enter the spring as Wyoming's No. 1 quarterback. How the pecking order shakes out behind the 6-foot-5 junior can go a long way to being determined this offseason. Though Svoboda is the guy right now, Sawvel did say "nobody is immune to competition." In layman's terms, the best signal caller will be under center when the Cowboys open the season Aug. 30 at Arizona State. "It's a fact of life and football that you're a play away from a guy starting one, two or more games as a backup quarterback," he said, referencing Jayden Clemons and Svoboda, who both had to step in at various times for Andrew Peasley. "We've got to figure out what that order is right now and that's one of the chief things for us offensively is to figure out that order at quarterback and where we go."

* By all accounts, the weight room inside the High Altitude Performance Center was a busy place this winter. That goes for players -- and Sawvel. You saw the video of his bench pressing 305 pounds a couple of weeks ago, right? If not, click HERE. "A year ago, we gained 510 pounds as a football team," he said. "This year we're at 641. You know, I think our team has done very well with what we've asked them to do." Sawvel highlighted a few of the biggest gainers: Defensive ends Sabastian Harsh and Braden Siders, center Nofoafia Tulafono, defensive tackle Jaden Williams, linebacker Connor Shay (385-pound clean), wideouts Will Pelissier and Jaylen Sargent and offensive linemen Alex Conn, Jake Davies and Nathan Geiger.

* Former Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl made no bones about it: His team's prepared for Air Force during the spring. Will that continue? Sawvel held up three fingers. That's how many days the Cowboys will dedicate to the Falcons' triple-option attack, especially with their Front Range rivals coming to town Sept. 28. That's not all. That 34-27 setback last fall in Colorado Springs still sticks in Sawvel's craw. It will serve as motivation this spring. "I guess I'm militant this way," he grinned and paused, also throwing the outcome of the Boise State game out there, "... I may just have a freeze frame a picture of the final score of the Air Force game on the scoreboard. We will remind each other, we still got work to do."

* The Cowboys will hit the practice field for the first time Tuesday, March 26. Wyoming won't throw on the pads until the third practice Saturday, March 30. Again, Sawvel has opened up practices for fans April 6 and April 13. Times are still to be determined. The spring game will be held this year in Cheyenne while War Memorial Stadium's west-side stands are under construction. That will be Saturday, April 27.

* Stay tuned to 7220sports.com for plenty of stories from Sawvel's presser as well as the entire spring slate.