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Current
Cowboy Defensive Coordinator will take over program following Barstool Sports
Arizona Bowl
Nick SeemanFootball12/6/2023
10:14:00 AM
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Dec. 6, 2023) – Jay Sawvel was introduced by
University of Wyoming Athletics Director Tom Burman as the new head coach of
the Wyoming Cowboys during a team meeting on Wednesday morning. He will replace
head coach Craig Bohl following
Wyoming's bowl game against Toledo in the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl on Dec.
30. Bohl announced he will retire after the Toledo game to the team on
Wednesday. Bohl leaves the program after 10 seasons that saw him engineer
one of the most successful runs in program history.
"Jay has done a masterful job in his time at Wyoming building strong
relationships with players and staff," Burman said. "His defense
embodies Wyoming's culture in that we play physical, disciplined and with
passion."
Sawvel is the 33rd coach in Wyoming history and has served as the team's
defensive coordinator and safeties coach since February of 2020. Over his
career, he has been part of 21 teams who advanced to postseason play, including
14 bowl appearances and seven NCAA Playoff appearances.
"His vision on the future of Cowboy Football energized me and I feel he
will help us reach a Mountain West Championship in the near future,"
Burman said.
Sawvel has learned from some of the top minds in college football history. Some
of the names include Craig Bohl, Lou Holtz, Roy Kidd
and Jerry Kill. Of the seven head coaches that Sawvel has worked for, the group
owns over 1,200 wins.
"I'm excited and honored to be the next head football coach at the
University of Wyoming," Sawvel said. "I have loved working and
learning under head coach Craig Bohl for the last four
years. The infrastructure Coach Bohl has put into this program makes me very
excited to be the next leader of this program."
The 2023 Cowboy defense ranks No. 17 in the nation thus far in turnovers
gained. The Cowboys rank sixth in the nation this season with 11 fumble
recoveries. The Wyoming defense ranks No. 24 in the nation in fewest yards
allowed per pass attempts. Sawvel's 2023 defense ranks No. 2 in the
Mountain West Conference in scoring defense (allowing only 22.9 points per game)
and ranks No. 3 in the MW in total defense (allowing opponents only 360.2 yards
per game). Linebacker Easton Gibbs, a first-team All-MW selection finished
the 2023 regular season averaging 8.8 tackles per game to rank No. 4 in the
Mountain West and No. 29 in the nation. Gibbs will enter Wyoming's bowl
game with 359 career tackles as a Cowboy to rank eighth in school history and
13th among all active FBS players. Defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole, was a second-team All-MW selection ranking
No. 3 among all Mountain West defensive linemen in tackles this season,
averaging 4.8 tackles per game. Safety Wyett Ekeler ranked third on the Cowboy
team in tackles this season with 75 and ranked No. 9 among MW defensive backs
in tackles, averaging 6.25 per game. Ekeler was twice named MW Defensive
Player of the Week in 2023 and was an honorable mention All-MW selection.
Sawvel's 2022 defense ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West and No. 21 in the
nation in sacks, averaging 2.85 per game. His defense also ranked No. 2
in the MW and No. 33 in the FBS in defensive touchdowns scored, with two.
Sawvel's defense featured three All-MW honorees as selected by coaches and
media. Those three were: Easton Gibbs (LB), who
earned First Team All-MW; and defensive end DeVonne Harris and
cornerback Cam Stone, who both earned
Honorable Mention honors. Phil Steele's All-MW team included: Gibbs and
Stone on his First Team; defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole on his
Second Team; and Harris on Steele's Fourth Team. Freshman defensive
end Braden Siders was also named
an Honorable Mention Freshman All-American by College Football News.
The Wyoming Cowboys entered the 2022 college football season as the fourth
youngest team in the country. But given that, the Cowboys went on to
record a 7-6 record, finish second in the Mountain West Conference Mountain
Division and earn a spot in the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl. Along the
way the '22 Pokes defeated rivals Air Force, Colorado State, Hawai'i, Utah
State and American Athletic Conference member Tulsa. Wyoming's 7-6 record
gave them their fifth winning season in the past seven
seasons.
The Cowboy defense in 2021 was one of the top pass defenses in the
nation. Wyoming allowed opponents only 189.8 passing yards per game to
rank No. 1 in the Mountain West and No. 12 in the nation. The Cowboy
defense was also No. 13 in the nation in defensive touchdowns scored, with
three. Wyoming held opponents to 23.7 points per game in the 2021 season
to rank No. 5 in the MW and No. 43 in the country out of 130 FBS programs.
The Cowboys posted a 7-6 record and won their third consecutive bowl game, with
a convincing 52-38 win over Kent State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Linebacker Chad Muma was one of six
national finalists for the Butkus Award in 2021. Muma earned Second Team
All-America honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation and Pro Football
Focus and was a Third Team selection by Associated Press. He was selected
as the Sixth Pick in the Third Round (70th overall) by the Jacksonville Jaguars
in the 2022 NFL Draft. Sawvel also had six of his defenders earn
All-Mountain West Conference honors in 2021. Muma was a First Team
selection (MW Coaches/Media and Pro Football Focus), cornerback C.J. Coldon
(Second Team MW Coaches/Media), nose tackle Cole Godbout (Second Team
Pro Football Focus and Honorable Mention MW Coaches/Media), cornerback Azizi
Hearn (Second Team Pro Football Focus), defensive end Garrett Crall (Honorable
Mention MW Coaches/Media), linebacker Easton Gibbs (Honorable
Mention Pro Football Focus).
In his first season guiding the Wyoming defense as defensive coordinator in
2020, the Cowboys were among the best in the country, ranking No. 16 in the
nation in total defense, allowing opponents only 328.0 yards per game.
UW's defense also ranked No. 21 in rushing defense (125.3 yards per game), No.
24 in scoring defense (21.0 points per game) and No. 29 in pass defense (202.7
yards per game). Three of his Cowboy defenders earned All-Conference
recognition in 2020. Junior linebacker Chad Muma earned First Team
All-Mountain West honors from MW head coaches and media. Senior free
safety Esaias Gandy earned Honorable Mention honors from the conference head
coaches and media, and sophomore cornerback C.J. Coldon earned Fourth Team All-MW
from Phil Steele.
Before coming to Wyoming, Sawvel served as the defensive coordinator
at Wake Forest University in 2017 and '18. He was named the
defensive coordinator at Wake Forest in January 2017 and helped the Deacons to
the 2017 Belk Bowl. During his first season at the helm of the Wake
Forest defense, the Deacons set school records for tackles for loss in a single
season and finished the season ranked No. 7 nationally in tackles for loss.
As the cornerbacks coach in 2017, Sawvel coached Essang Bassey, who set a
sophomore school record with 19 passes defended and earned Honorable Mention
All-ACC honors.
Prior to coaching at Wake Forest, Sawvel served as the defensive coordinator at
the University of Minnesota where he constructed a Top 25 ranked defense and
helped the Gophers to their best record in 13 seasons in 2016. Minnesota
posted a 9-4 record in 2016 and defeated Washington State, 17-12, in the
Holiday Bowl. In the Holiday Bowl victory, Minnesota held Washington
State's explosive passing offense to just 264 yards, 86 yards below its
average, and held the Cougars to their lowest point total of the season.
Sawvel spent six seasons as an assistant at Minnesota. He was the defensive
backs and special teams coach from 2011 to 2015. After Jerry Kill's retirement
as the head coach at Minnesota, Tracy Claeys was elevated to head coach and
Sawvel became the Gophers' defensive coordinator.
Under Sawvel's direction, the 2016 Golden Gopher defense was ranked in the Top
25 in a number of defensive categories including: rushing defense (14th),
turnover margin (18th), scoring defense (21st), total defense (21st) and sacks
(22nd). In addition, Minnesota ranked 27th nationally in team pass
efficiency defense.
Sawvel has helped develop several players who went on to play in the NFL.
In 2015, two of his players at Minnesota, Eric Murray and Briean Boddy-Calhoun,
earned opportunities in the NFL. Murray was a fourth round pick of the
Kansas City Chiefs while Boddy-Calhoun signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as
a free agent. In 2014, both Murray and Boddy-Calhoun were named to the
All-Big Ten Team following a season in which the Gophers were 18th in the
nation in pass defense.
Brock Vereen, a 2014 First Team All-Big Ten selection and another one of
Sawvel's pupils, was drafted in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the
Chicago Bears.
For three seasons from 2014 through 2016, Sawvel had at least one of his
secondary players selected in the NFL Draft. Sawvel was part of teams
that advanced to four conference championships as a collegiate coach.
Prior to his time at Minnesota, he served as the defensive backs coach on
Kill's coaching staff at Northern Illinois for three seasons from
2008-10. As secondary coach at Northern Illinois, he mentored Jimmie
Ward, a first round pick of the San Francisco 49ers.
Sawvel was a member of the Southern Illinois staff under Kill for seven seasons
from 2001-07, working with the secondary and special teams.
His first full-time coaching position came at Ferris State for two seasons from
1999-2000, where he coached the defensive backs and special teams.
Sawvel was a three-year letterwinner and an All-Conference linebacker in 1993
at Division III power Mount Union. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1993
in sports management with minors in business administration, information
systems and physical education. He began his coaching career as a
graduate assistant at Eastern Kentucky in 1994 and moved to Notre Dame as a
graduate assistant coach for the 1996-98 seasons. Sawvel owns master's
degrees from both Eastern Kentucky and Notre Dame, where he completed his
master's in administration.
Sawvel has two daughters, Mackenzie and Miranda.
Coaching Experience
2020-
Wyoming, Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
2017-18 Wake Forest, Defensive
Coordinator/Cornerbacks
2016
Minnesota, Defensive Coordinator/Secondary
2011-15
Minnesota, Secondary/Special Teams
2008-10
Northern Illinois, Secondary/Special Teams
2001-07
Southern Ilinois, Secondary/Special Teams
1999-00
Ferris State, Secondary/Special Teams
1996-98
Notre Dame, Graduate Assistant
1994-95
Eastern Kentucky, Graduate Assistant
