LARAMIE – Garrett Ricks didn't believe Mark Branch's bat phone was real.
 
Or in this case the mat phone.
 
Following the 2023-24 season, the senior from Perry, Utah, decided to hang up his singlet and return to his hometown after graduating from Wyoming in December.

Branch respected Ricks' opting not to use his extra year of eligibility, but UW's head coach said he would reach out if the Cowboys ran into some adversity at the top of the lineup this fall.
 
When All-American Jore Volk suffered a season-ending injury, Branch made the call to see if Ricks would fill the massive void at 125 points.

"I told him last spring, you're going to be around, pop in, you can really help us out. Jump in and roll around with the guys whenever you can and you're still a part of our family and our team," Branch recalled on the One Wyoming Podcast. "And I jokingly said, if I come calling in an emergency keep an open mind. (Ricks) laughed. So, when I called on him, he goes, this is that conversation, huh?"
 
Ricks, who was helping coach at a middle school in Laramie while finishing his degree in human nutrition, accepted the challenge. His plans to search for a job in the healthcare industry and applying to physician assistant programs were put on temporary hold.
 
"I was pretty much getting all my stuff packed up ready to move home because the semester was about over. I was not expecting this or ready for it at all, to be honest," Ricks said. "When (Branch) first said he might call me, I kind of thought it was more just a joke, and I didn't think anything would come of it."
 
Ricks, who maintained a healthy lifestyle with his exercise regimen and diet during his nine months away from the team, returned to action at the NWCA National Dual Meet Championships in January. He lost his first match, but Branch became the winningest coach in UW history after the Pokes' rallied for a 20-18 win over Drexel.
 
After starting 0-2 in the tournament, Ricks won a 10-6 decision over George Mason's Ben Monn to get the team off to a fast start in a 30-12 victory. He won a decision over Central Michigan's Grant Stahl and lost a decision to Penn's Max Gallagher to close out the taxing two-day dual championships in Ceder Falls, Iowa.
 
"I was definitely not (wrestling) at a college level when I first came back," Ricks said. "Wrestling with middle schoolers was not keeping me in shape. I definitely had to put some extra work in when I did come back."
 
Ricks rounded into form down the stretch of the regular season with a win during UW's dual victory at Air Force, followed up with a senior day win in the home final against Northern Colorado to help the Pokes avenge their early defeat to the Bears.
 
The Cowboys recalibrated after losing Volk, winning seven of their final eight duals of the season with Ricks at his natural 125-pound spot after he competed at 133 the previous two seasons.
 
"I think that's been a boost when guys see Garrett compete hard and train hard like he does," Branch said. "He does things right on and off the mat. Jore's loss still hurts, but we've got a guy that's still going to go out there and fight hard for us."
 
Volk won a Big 12 title and made his second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships as a sophomore. He will be able to use a reshirt this season and will have two more years of eligibility remaining.
 
"Jore is amazing at wrestling, so they are big shoes to fill and I'm still not filling them up all the way," Ricks said. "I'm still pretty fresh back to being in the room and stuff. I kept telling myself the only thing that matters is wins in March, so I'm just making sure I'm ready to go 100 percent at the right time."
 
Ricks was a three-time state champion in Utah and a two-time NJCAA All-American at Western Wyoming College before coming to UW. He posted 15 wins and placed eighth at the Big 12 Championships in 2023 as a junior.
 
During the 2024 Big 12 Championships, which Ricks believed would be his last chance to compete for a spot in the NCAA Championships, he was pinned by Daton Fix, Oklahoma's top-ranked standout, in the quarterfinals before getting disqualified in the consolation bracket.
 
"I was not happy with the way Big 12s went last year," Ricks said. "I'm super happy to have this opportunity to kind of rewrite the ending to that book."
 
UW will host the Cowboy Shootout beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday in the UniWyo Sports Complex before gearing up for the Big 12 Championships, which will be held March 8-9 in Tulsa, Okla.
 
Ricks will enter the pressure-packed postseason with a sense of peace.
 
"One thing I've kind of thought before every match is I have nothing to lose, so I can just go out there and be free and have fun," Ricks said. "I think it has been good for me to be relaxed and not feel so much pressure because I'm not even supposed to be here technically. It's nice to go out and wrestle loose and whatever happens is extra icing on the cake. "
 
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