LARAMIE – The grass is not greener at 7,220 feet compared to April in Tucson.
 
But Jackson Holman believes his opportunity to thrive at Wyoming will be greater than it was at Arizona.
 
The 6-foot-3, 206-pound wide receiver has been targeted early and often through the first two weeks of spring practice with the Pokes and has made a strong first impression with his new team.
 
"He works," UW head coach Jay Sawvel said. "He'll fight you."
 
One of the weaknesses of the 2024 team was the perimeter blocking by receivers.
 
In addition to Holman, there has been noticeable improvement in physicality on the edge with Jaylen Sargent and Clay Nanke leading the way.
 
"A great opportunity to play," Holman, a sophomore, said when asked why he chose UW. "I love the culture here; it's a winning culture and the brand is built on physicality. I feel that's what I bring to the table."
 
Holman was a three-star recruit coming out of high school in Mission Viejo, Calif., with a variety of offers from Ivy League (Cornell, Penn, Princeton, Yale) and Power 4 (Arizona, Utah, Vanderbilt) programs. He was even recruited by UW rival Colorado State.
 
After signing with the Wildcats in December 2022, Holman enrolled early for spring practice and then redshirted during the 2023 season. Head coach Jedd Fisch left for Washington and Brent Brennan was hired from San Jose State to take over the program in 2024.
 
Holman played seven games on special teams last season before opting to enter the transfer portal on Jan. 9.
 
"It's awesome," Holman said of creating a new opportunity in Laramie. "I feel like the transfer portal was super helpful for me to find a place where there's competition in the room and there's an opening for the outside position right now."
 
The Cowboys have some gifted slot receivers, including sophomore Chris Durr Jr. and true freshman Deion DeBlanc. Bricen Brantley, Jaylan Bean, Tyler Nystrom and Charlie Coenen have all shown improvement under new wide receivers coach Jovon Bouknight.
 
"Coach Bouknight is really one of the best in the business," Holman said of the 2024 UW Athletics Hall of Fame inductee. "After looking at his background where he's been, who he's produced, he's a great hands-on teacher and he really knows what he's talking about. He has played the game, he is one of the leading receivers here, he's done it, and he knows what he's talking about."
 
Holman was not part of last year's struggles in which UW was unable to overcome a challenging non-conference schedule and key injuries during a frustrating campaign that included four losses by four points or less.
 
Based on winter workouts and an intense start to spring practice, Holman is confident the Pokes will play more like the nine-win team that sent Craig Bohl off with an Arizona Bowl victory in Tucson.
 
"You can tell there's a chip on the shoulder from everybody that was on the team last year," Holman said. "Last year isn't what Wyoming does, it was a fluke of a year. Typically, seven-plus wins, going to a bowl game, competing for the Mountain West.
 
"I think guys have carried that from last year into this year and they know what it needs to be in order to achieve that bowl game and Mountain West championship."
 
If you are interested in learning more about NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) or would like to support our student-athletes, please visit 1wyo.org. 1WYO was created out of Wyoming's culture of neighbor helping neighbor. The mission is to promote and strengthen local charitable organizations and develop Wyoming student athletes. 

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