Pokes Practice Report: Don't Mistake Kindness for Weakness

LARAMIE -- Don't for one second mistake Jay Sawvel's kindness and playfulness for weakness.

Sure, he's already proven to be more lax than his predecessor Craig Bohl, but that's not difficult. He doesn't mind the blaring tunes at the beginning of practice, the fancy footwear his receivers are wearing or even busting out a new third uniform combination for his team.

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It's all conditional, Wyoming's rookie head coach said on Tuesday in Laramie.

"I think, in the whole grand scheme of things, I look at as, OK, are the main things that pertain to winning and losing being accomplished?" Sawvel said. "If they are, then yeah, I'm open to all these other things."

The 53-year-old said Bohl left him a parting gift in his new office when he officially took the reins of the program in early January. Though he didn't divulge what exactly the present was, Sawvel said it has a plaque on it that simply reads "Just coach the team."

That doesn't just pertain to X's and O's.

Sawvel, admittedly a player's coach, said he's drawn a hard line in the sand on certain aspects of the job. He doesn't allow his guys to miss meals, for one. Being late to an appointment with a tutor or the training room is another big no-no. So is a messy locker room.

"It wasn't the way I wanted it earlier today, so we'll make a big deal about that," he added.

Just because this isn't a dictatorship doesn't mean it's a free-for-all.

"I think we've got a good working relationship that way with the players in the fact that they know I have a high expectation every day," he said. "And, in return, we're going to do things. We took the team bowling. They want to go do a home-run derby in the summer and stuff like that. Great. We're going to do some of that stuff, but there's a standard that we want to meet in our day-to-day life and that's what we're working on."

Here are some other tidbits from Sawvel's Tuesday meeting with the media:

* About those new uniforms. That apparently was the brainchild of Wyoming's Equipment Manager JD Jordan. Sawvel said he brought him "five pages of stuff" after the Cowboys' appearance in the Arizona Bowl. The program's X page released a video Monday of the team seeing the new threads for the first time. You can check that out right HERE. "That wasn't an April Fool's thing," Sawvel joked. "The April Fool's thing would have been the state pride uniform that he mocked up." Sawvel said it would cost "$100,000" to pull that off, unlike basketball, which only needs a tank top and shorts. "We have a lot of other ways to spend that 100 grand," he said with a laugh.

* If the season was to start today, who would be Evan Svoboda's back-up in the quarterback rotation? "I would say, right now, if you took today or based on four practices, I probably say Jayden Clemons is probably in that spot." The 6-foot-1, 215-pound senior served in that role in 2022 before being bumped last fall for Svoboda. Sawvel also said he's been happy with a redshirt freshman, too. "I think Kaden Anderson is doing good things," he said, referring to the 6-foot-4, 223-pound Southlake, Texas product. "He's really intelligent and I saw some good things out of him today. I think there's progress there."

* Speaking of the offense, Sawvel admitted that unit is a tad behind the defense right now. There are plenty of reasons for that, one being a new coordinator in Jay Johnson. That means new plays, schemes and practice habits. Svoboda is also a newly crowned starter and the offense is still without offensive lineman Caden Barnett, tight end Nick Miles and running back Dawaiian McNeely, who will all miss these 15 practices as they recover from injuries. "There's going to be probably a little curve where the offense has to catch up a little bit that way," Sawvel said. "But, you know, we're working."

* The defense, one Sawvel coordinated over the last four seasons, is returning nearly intact, though cornerback Keany Parks and defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole won't compete this spring. Despite having a new boss in Aaron Bohl, "nothing is changing" on that side of the ball, according to Sawvel.

* Wyoming, for the first time this spring, took practice outdoors on Tuesday. The team split up -- half inside War Memorial Stadium, the other half inside the indoor practice facility --in order to get the players "double reps," something Bohl implemented from the day he arrived on campus back in the winter of 2013. "There was a little bit of a wind, but it was good to throw in it," Sawvel said. "It was good to get people running around outside.

* Sawvel spoke Tuesday about his fourth-down philosophy when I asked him if he will be conservative like Bohl was. You can find that answer right HERE.

* This team is in search of John Michael Gyllenborg's back-up at the tight end position. With Treyton Welch (eligibility) and Colin O'Brien (graduated) now gone, who will step into that role? Sawvel said it could be a number of players, including fullback Caleb Driskill, who Sawvel said "has good hands and runs well." Other options could be Rock Springs native Isaac Schoenfeld and Nick Miles. Gyllenborg, Sawvel joked, will be a busy guy this season. "He better grow a third lung, because I don't know when he's ever going to come off the field," he said of the 6-foot-5, 245-pound junior.

* The Cowboys' Saturday practice begins at 11 a.m. -- and you're invited. Sawvel has opened two workouts to the public this spring, not including the annual spring game Saturday, April 27 at East High School in Cheyenne. Check out the details and why he is doing this in the first place, right HERE.

* Need to catch up on Wyoming football news? You can do that below:

* T'Vondre Sweat's compliment still reverberating for Pokes' O-line

* Cowboys first open practice will take place Saturday in Laramie

* Will Wyoming remain conservative on fourth down?

* Sawvel unveils new third Wyoming football uniform

* PODCAST: The Sawvel Era is underway in Laradise

* Sam Scott could be Mr. Do Everything in Pokes' new-look offense

* What jersey numbers are the new guys wearing?

* Pokes Practice Report: Sawvel era of to 'refreshing' start

* Wyoming's Wyatt Wieland says goodbye to football

* Andrew Peasley shows off arm strength in front of NFL scouts

* Deron Harrell not allowing major hip surgery to derail dream