After being hired as the 33rd head coach in Wyoming football history, Sawvel said the program's quest for its first Mountain West championship was like a 4x100 relay.
Craig Bohl ran the first three legs and had the Cowboys on the cusp of contending for the conference crown.
Sawvel plans to finish the race.
The Pokes, who return 16 starters and three all-Mountain West selections from last season's 9-4 campaign, begin spring practice on Tuesday following a fruitful winter in the weight room.
"There's a good spirit in the building," Sawvel said. "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."
Here are three prominent storylines to follow during Wyoming's 15 spring practices:
Cowboys welcome two new coordinators
It didn't take Sawvel, who served as Bohl's defensive coordinator since 2020, long to replace himself in that role. He announced the promotion of Aaron Bohl, Wyoming's linebackers coach, before the team defeated Toledo in the Arizona Bowl.
"First of all, defensively we're not changing anything, OK," Sawvel said. "We've got a bunch of guys back defensively, starters, next year. We're not bringing some guy into all of a sudden be a 3-4 defense or some crap like that. That's not happening.
"I'm promoting Aaron Bohl as the defensive coordinator. OK, so you've got that right now. There's your first thing. Our defensive staff is completely on board with that."
Bohl, whose unit returns eight starters and six of the top seven tacklers from 2023, will have plenty of experienced assistants to lean on during this transition.
New safeties coach Jason Petrino, beginning his third stint with the Cowboys after previously working under Joe Glenn and Dave Christensen, was the head coach at Rocky Mountain (2016-18) and the defensive coordinator at Southern Illinois (2019-22) and North Dakota State (2023) before returning to Laramie.
"There's always a little extra pressure," Petrino said of taking over Sawvel's position group where veteran safeties Wyett Ekeler and Isaac White return. "You're looking at him like, is that right? But those are the things I'm excited about because I'm confident.
"I believe I'm a good coach and I'm excited about the things that I can do and bring to the staff and to these players and to this program."
Wyoming's new defensive tackles coach, Jeff Phelps, worked with Sawvel at Minnesota in 2016 and for Mike Leach at Washington State (2017-19) and Mississippi State (2020-22). He joined Petrino at NDSU last season following the tragic death of Leach, the legendary coach from Cody.
"Never leave," Phelps said when asked what Leach would think of his move to Laramie. "It's God's country. He loved this place. The stories and the way he lit up about this place, Wyoming no doubt never left his heart as far as being a special place for him."
Sawvel's defensive staff also returns cornerbacks coach and co-special teams coordinator Benny Boyd and defensive ends coach Brian Hendricks.
Jay Johnson, a former offensive coordinator in the Big Ten and Pac-12, was hired by Sawvel for the same position following the departure of Tim Polasek to be the head coach at North Dakota State.
During the 2021 season, Johnson was a finalist for the Broyles Award given to the nation's top assistant. Michigan State finished 11-2 that season with quarterback Payton Thorne throwing for 3,240 yards and 27 touchdowns, running back Kenneth Walker III rushing for 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns and wide receiver Jayden Reed finishing with 1,026 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
Sawvel, who worked with Johnson at Minnesota, is seeking to balance Wyoming's run-heavy scheme.
"Philosophically, for me, you've got to be able to run it and you have to be able to throw it," Johnson said. "And you probably have to be able to do both things when everyone at War Memorial Stadium knows what you're going to do."
Johnson is the only newcomer on the offensive staff as Sawvel was able to retain Mike Grant (associate head coach/receivers coach), Gordie Haug (executive director of recruiting/running backs coach) and Shannon Moore (co-special teams coordinator/tight ends and fullbacks coach) and Joe Tripodi (offensive line).
No. 17 at QB1
Evan Svoboda came to Wyoming two years ago to follow the path Josh Allen took from overlooked prospect to NFL franchise quarterback.
Now the 6-foot-5, 245-pound junior will take over the offense as the starter entering spring practice.
Svoboda, who wears the No. 17 uniform made famous by Allen, looked calm in the spotlight making his first career start in front of over 100,000 burnt orange-clad fans at Texas and orchestrating the winning drive in the Arizona Bowl.
"I talked to him this morning, I was like, 'You ready to go next week?'" Sawvel said during his pre-spring press conference last Friday. "He's like, 'I can't wait.'
"So, I'm a little worried that maybe the first few passes he throws will be like 105-mile-per-hour fast balls. He's ready to go."
Johnson has a reputation of developing good quarterbacks and will coach the position group stocked with physical talent as Wyoming begins the process of replacing Andrew Peasley behind center.
"My No. 1 objective in all of it was to find someone who was detailed and very experienced with quarterbacks," Sawvel said of what he was looking for in an offensive coordinator. "I think we have a uniquely talented quarterback right now, and we could have a couple others in this program.
"I wanted someone who has an extensive working knowledge of developing quarterbacks and (Johnson) days."
Jayden Clemons, who threw the game-winning touchdown pass in the 2022 Border War at Colorado State, bring some experience to the room as the senior attempts to win the backup job he lost to Svoboda last spring.
Redshirt freshman Kaden Anderson is ready to compete after recovering from a lingering knee injury he suffered during his prep career at Texas powerhouse Southlake Carroll. Iowa transfer Carson May, a 6-4, 215-pound sophomore, will also compete for the No. 2 spot.
"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," Sawvel said. "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."
Key position battles
A lot of fans will have their eyes on Svoboda during the open practices on April 6 and 13, but there are some big shoes to fill at cornerback, defensive tackle, left tackle, linebacker, punter and wide receiver.
Jakorey Hawkins was among the former Wyoming players that auditioned for NFL scouts during the recent Pro Day event at the Indoor Practice Facility. Replacing the dynamic cornerback, who showed off his next-level speed with the scoop and scores of blocked kicks against Appalachian State and New Mexico last season, will be at the top of Boyd's to-do list.
Sophomore Ian Bell and redshirt freshman Naz Hill are the favorites to step in for Hawkins. Keany Parks will also be in the mix during fall camp, but the speedy sophomore is currently recovering from an injury. Tyrecus Davis is expected to lock down the other starting cornerback spot after a strong debut season with the Pokes.
Cole Godbout is out of eligibility and Jordan Bertagnole is sitting out this spring to recover from offseason surgery. Veteran interior defensive linemen Gavin Meyer, Ben Florentine and Caleb Robinson lead the group with talented young prospects Dante Drake, Lucas Samsula, Jayden Williams and Jaden Williams looking to carve out roles in a deep rotation.
The Cowboys return four starters on the offensive line, but there are extra large cleats to fill with Frank Crum preparing to ride for the brand during the NFL draft. Caden Barnett is the most likely candidate to fill the LT spot, but the 6-5, 310-pound junior is also missing spring practice to recover from surgery that kept him out of the Arizona Bowl.
Touted junior college transfer Alex Conn, who began his career at Nebraska, will get a lot of reps while compete with a list of developing youngsters at tackle. Paul Bunyan-strong center Nofoafia Tulafono anchors the unit that also returns the versatile Jack Walsh, Luke Sandy and Wes King.
Shae Suiaunoa, arguably the most improved player on the team last season, decided to return for a super senior season to slide over from weak-side linebacker to continue the strong tradition at middle linebacker established by tackling machines Logan Wilson, Chad Muma and Easton Gibbs. Cole DeMarzo and Connor Shay are in position to have a major impact this season and VMI transfer Evan Eller was one of the most productive linebackers at the FCS level.
Keelan Anderson, who broke the state record with a 61-yard field goal last season for Cheyenne South, enrolled early and will get a leg up on the race to replace graduated punters Clayton Stewart and Ralph Fawaz. Gavyn Helm, another incoming freshman, will join the competition this summer.
The Pokes said goodbye to a large senior class at wide receiver with Ayir Asante, Wyatt Wieland, Ryan Marquez and Gunner Gentry all running out of eligibility after lengthy college careers.
Alex Brown returns for one final ride and Will Pelissier showed off his potential catching passes from Peasley during Pro Day. Devin Boddie Jr., who joined the program from Vanderbilt a year ago, and Tyler King, who transferred from Texas Tech this year, have elite speed.
Sawvel said it's also time for Caleb Merritt and Jaylen Sargent to make their moves up the depth chart after developing behind the old guard.
"I think we've got a hungry football team," Sawvel said. "I think we've got an eager football team."
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @byryanthorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.
