Sawvel Evaluates Progress After Wyoming's Open Spring Scrimmage

Photo by Jeff Bugher, PokesNews.com

LARAMIE, Wyo—The Wyoming football team hit the turf Saturday for its ninth session of spring practice, holding a live scrimmage at War Memorial Stadium that was open to the public. Head coach Jay Sawvel was pleased with the work done, but also knows that there is more work to be done.

“It was good that we got extended work,” Sawvel said. “We’ve got a lot of things that we’ll need to go back and watch the video on.”

Deep Passing Game Needs Improvement

One area Sawvel mentioned was the deep passing game — both throwing and defending.

“We did not throw deep balls as well as what I would have liked, and I don’t think we covered deep balls as well as what I’d like,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do in that area of the game — of putting it on the receiver and the spots.”

While the unpredictable Wyoming spring weather brought sunshine, windy conditions made execution challenging. Sawvel was direct: “We’ve got to be more proficient at those, and defensively we’ve got to be in a better spot on those.”

Standout Performances on Defense

Sawvel saw positives on both sides of the ball. One standout: redshirt freshman defensive back Gary Rutherford.

“That guy’s been making plays. Really good,” Sawvel said. “He’s a football player. He runs well, but the biggest thing with Gary Rutherford — he has a tremendous motor that does not stop. Every ball, he’s going to be chasing. He will be around the ball every play he’s in.”

Asked if Rutherford could earn a starting role, Sawvel didn’t hesitate.

“There’s no doubt. We knew that last fall,” he said, explaining that the staff made a deliberate decision to redshirt Rutherford after four games in 2023. “In today’s world, I don’t know that I make that decision again… the chances of keeping a guy five years isn’t always the best thing in the world.”

The defensive front also showed flashes of dominance in the early going. “I thought Dante Drake — I noticed several times right away,” Sawvel said. “[Brayden] Wilson at defensive end is physical all the time… And then offensively, I thought Gary [Rutherford] was [physical], I thought Wilson was, I thought that Brayden Johnson had some physical plays.”

Sawvel added that Johnson “looked like he made all his tackles on the edge.”

Leadership Emerging in Wide Receiver Room

Veteran receiver Jalen Sargent continues to provide consistency and now has established leadership in the wide receiver room.

“The empowerment of Jalen Sargent… now he’s coming off a year where he was productive, but he’s also got leadership capabilities,” Sawvel said. “That room was — we were leaderless in that. So it’s a big deal.”

Position Changes and Offensive Bright Spots

Position shuffling was also part of the day, with Clay Nanke transitioning from tight end to wide receiver — a move initiated by the coaching staff.

“Clay Nanke, the strengths that he has is he runs well and he catches the ball well,” Sawvel said. “His in-line, in-the-box blocking wasn’t his biggest strength… Coach [Jovon] Bouknight was the one who kind of planted the seed.”

Another offensive bright spot: Deion DeBlanc, who played well during the scrimmage.

“He’s talented. He is really, really talented and he’s also physical,” Sawvel said. “He’s playing faster and faster. He knows what he’s doing right now… We’re excited with what he will be able to do going forward.”

Offensive Line Still a Work in Progress

On the offensive line, Sawvel said there’s still ground to cover.

“Our one focus in this program right now is to get the number of winning offensive linemen to increase,” he said. “Do I think it was good enough right now to get to where we need to get to? No.”

Transfer Portal Looms

And with the transfer portal opening Wednesday, Sawvel knows his workload is about to ramp up.

“We already have a volume of guys that are kind of portal announced and we’ve got work to do,” he said. “Does that automatically mean that we get the wish list? Maybe, maybe not. The one thing you don’t want to do is just force yourself into taking a guy that doesn’t help you.”

As for players returning to the team after entering the portal?

“Nope,” Sawvel said flatly. “If you open that door, your whole team’s in there every year. That bridge gets burned and there’s no coming back.”

Final Thoughts on the Scrimmage

“This was a good day to put the ball down, clear the coaches off the field, and let the guys go play,” Sawvel said. “There’s still a lot of work to do — but there’s also a lot to be excited about.”