Thorburn: Jay Sawvel has quickly found his stride as Wyoming Cowboys head coach

 

Ryan Thorburn

Feb 9, 2024 Updated 16 hrs ago

Wyoming quarterback Evan Svoboda scores a touchdown in the Cowboys' 42-9 victory over Hawaii on Nov. 18 at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.

Andrew Towne, Star-Tribune

 

LARAMIE – Jay Sawvel didn’t feel quite right about asking someone to pick up his dry cleaning during a busy week.

“I’ve never done that in my career,” Wyoming’s new head coach said. “I feel terrible.”

Pokes fans should be feeling great about how Sawvel’s hectic first two months on the job have gone.

UW added 11 more players, including two impact transfers from the Power 5 level, during Wednesday’s signing day after landing 27 prospects in December as part of a recruiting class that remained intact despite Craig Bohl’s retirement and changes to the coaching staff.

Sawvel conducted Wednesday’s press conference via Zoom, but the excitement and momentum inside the High Altitude Performance Center was palpable coming through the computer screen.

“It’s really easy to come work in this building right now with the way our players are and the coaches that we work with and the people that we’re adding to the program right now,” Sawvel said.

Two years ago, Bohl posted a help wanted ad on social media seeking quarterbacks. The old-school coach had to recalibrate his approach to relating to today’s players and roster management following a mass exodus of talent to the portal.

Since the Cowboys capped Bohl’s four-decade career with a 9-4 campaign and a dramatic victory in the Arizona Bowl, no players that were expected to have a major role on the 2024 team have transferred.

UW added seven transfers, headlined by North Carolina running back DJ Jones and Texas Tech wide receiver TK King, to give brawny quarterback Evan Svoboda more explosive weapons to work with.

I asked Gordie Haug, the program’s executive director of recruiting, how the Pokes avoided attrition and accrued several high-end players during a coaching transition.

“It kind of just speaks volumes of the university,” Haug explained. “Our culture, our program, the athletic department, the fans, the support that we get … people are starting to understand it’s not always greener on the other side. This is a good place to develop and turn into hopefully the best player they can become.”

Three players that could have garnered significant interest in the portal – defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole, wide receiver Alex Brown and linebacker Shae Suiaunoa – decided to return to UW as super seniors.

“It’s three really good recruits,” Sawvel said. “That’s probably the best work we could have done in the transfer portal.”

Bertagnole, an all-Mountain West player from Casper, was injured late in the season and wants to improve his NFL stock. Suiaunoa, arguably the most improved player on the team last season, will slide over to middle linebacker to continue the tradition of excellence at the position established by predecessors Logan Wilson, Chad Muma and Easton Gibbs.

Sawvel, who promoted Aaron Bohl to defensive coordinator, returns nine starters on that side of the ball.

There’s also a lot of potential on offense based on the small but tantalizing sample size the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Svoboda displayed in relief of Andrew Peasley.

Starting running back Harrison Waylee returns and will be pushed by Jones, Dawaiian McNeely, Jamari Ferrell and Sam Scott.

Svoboda already has great chemistry with his roommate, John Michael Gyllenborg, who has NFL tight end traits.

King adds Olympic speed to a promising, albeit unproven, receiver room that includes Devin Boddie, Caleb Merritt, Will Pelissier, Jaylen Sargent and Justin Stevenson.

Sawvel’s ability to connect and retain players has been as impressive as those three-piece suits he had dry cleaned.

What really stood out to me was what Sawvel said about Brown, who has really only had one shining moment – the game-winning touchdown catch at Colorado State in 2022 – during a quiet career.

“He just feels like he’s got unfinished business in the fact that he really wants to put together a really good last year. I like Alex a lot and I talked to him about that,” Sawvel said. “As a head coach, he’s a guy I want to put time in myself. I want to be a big cheerleader behind him because he’s a really good kid. He’s got a lot of talent, and I want to see him have a really good year and elevate himself.”

At his introductory press conference on Dec. 6, Sawvel made the analogy that the Cowboys’ pursuit of the program’s first MW championship was like a 4x100 relay.

Bohl ran the first three legs and handed the baton to his protégé with a lot of momentum for the final lap.

So far, Sawvel has quickly found his stride and the Pokes have not stumbled.

 

Jay Sawvel Named Head Coach of Cowboy Football

 

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

 

Wyoming hires Jay Sawvel as defensive coordinator; Marty English rejoins staff

Davis Potter

 Feb 6, 2020 Updated 18 hrs ago

Wyoming assistant coach Pete Kaligis talks with Cowboys players during their game against Idaho on Sept. 7, 2013 at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.

File, Star-Tribune

LARAMIE — With a little familiarity, Wyoming has filled out its defensive coaching staff.

Jay Sawvel has been hired as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator while former UW assistant Marty English and Benny Boyd have also joined the staff, UW coach Craig Bohl announced Thursday. English, who was an assistant at UW under Joe Glenn and Dave Christensen from 2003-11, is returning to coach defensive ends. Boyd will coach cornerbacks.

The trio replaces Jake Dickert, A.J. Cooper and John Richardson, all of whom left last month to join Nick Rolovich’s staff at Washington State. Sawvel, who was out of coaching this past season, will take over the defense from Dickert, who’s taking the same position with the Cougars after one season as UW’s defensive coordinator.

Sawvel, who will also coach the Cowboys’ safeties, previously had stints as the defensive coordinator at Minnesota and, most recently, Wake Forest. Sawvel spent six seasons on staff at Minnesota from 2011-16, taking over as defensive coordinator for the 2016 season.

“Jay comes from the great coaching tree of (former Minnesota coach) Jerry Kill and has a long relationship with Coach Kill,” Bohl said in a statement. “I’ve admired Jay’s work through the years. He’s an outstanding recruiter, a great secondary coach and an experienced coordinator.”

Sawvel directed a Golden Gopher defense that season that finished in the top 25 nationally in scoring defense, rushing defense, total defense, sacks and turnovers forced. Sawvel joined Dave Clawson’s staff in the same capacity at Wake Forest the following season, but Sawvel was fired four games into the 2018 season following the Demon Deacons’ 56-27 loss to Notre Dame.

He will take over a UW defense that finished in the top 15 nationally in points and rushing yards allowed this season. The Cowboys are losing six defensive starters, including their top three tacklers in Alijah Halliburton, Logan Wilson and Cassh Maluia. But UW is set to return six of its top eight defensive linemen, including sack leader Solomon Byrd.

Sawvel, who played at Division III Mount Union in the early 1990s, has also coached at Northern Illinois and Southern Illinois.

“I am honored and excited to be a Cowboy,” Sawvel said in a statement. “Having an opportunity to work for a championship coach like Coach Bohl is something I am really looking forward to. The players here have been great to me as I’ve gotten a chance to meet them, and I can’t wait to start working with them daily.”

English returns to UW after spending the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Football Championship Subdivision member Northern Colorado, his alma mater. His time at UNC was preceded by a six-year stint as an assistant at Colorado State, the latter two spent as the Rams’ defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

English spent the first six seasons of his first stint at UW as Glenn’s linebackers coach. He doubled as defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator under Christensen from 2009-11, helping the Cowboys to two bowl appearances during that time.

“Marty English enjoys a great reputation recruiting the Rocky Mountain area,” Bohl said. “He has spent time previously here at Wyoming, at Colorado State and at Northern Colorado. ... He has tremendous defensive experience. Marty will add great value on our defensive staff, and we look forward to his recruiting efforts in the state of Colorado.”

Boyd comes to UW after one season coaching cornerbacks and special teams at Eastern Illinois. Before that, Boyd spent four seasons in the same roles at Central Washington. The Illinois native has also had stints as an assistant at North Dakota and Aurora (Illinois) University, where he played from 1996-99.

“This is a tremendous opportunity, and I am humbled to join a program the caliber of the University of Wyoming,” Boyd said in a statement. “To be able to work with Coach Bohl and this coaching staff and to uphold the high standards that have been set here at Wyoming is a daunting task but is one I am extremely excited about.”

Said Bohl, “Benny is a very capable corners coach and special teams coordinator as well. He has demonstrated his skills by molding young men and doing an excellent job of mentoring many players over his long career.”

Bohl also announced the promotion of defensive tackles coach Pete Kaligis to defensive run-game coordinator, a title previously held by Cooper. Kaligis, the longest-tenured assistant at UW, is entering his 12th season on the Cowboys’ staff.

“His role will increase with these new responsibilities,” Bohl said of Kaligis. “He transitioned from being an offensive coach prior to joining our staff to becoming a very effective defensive coach who does a great job mentoring his players.”