LARAMIE — Who won today’s annual Brown and Gold Spring Game inside War Memorial Stadium?

Wyoming did.

That’s not some cheeky dad joke, either.

This coaching staff just sweated out a grueling 10-day spring transfer portal window, mainly unscathed, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Agents, boosters and other shady characters have filled the inbox of some of the program’s most-recognizable names this offseason, attempting to lure them away in the name of the almighty dollar.

Let’s face it, this was a 3-9 squad with talent to burn. Admittedly, some of the offers were tempting, too.

It all seemed ripe for the picking, right?

Wrong.

“I know everybody sometimes goes into doom and gloom about, how can we keep people? We kept them, all right? That’s the biggest thing,” an impassioned Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said postgame. “… There’s guys on this team that, all the way up till Friday, are getting dinged on by all these third-party people.”

The 54-year-old wasn’t ready to get off the soapbox quite yet.

Who could blame him?

“This is a really good day for University of Wyoming football, because you have a couple of high-line players that could have went to (teams) that were in the playoff, you know? I mean, you look at it and go, ‘How do you know all this stuff?’ It’s a bunch of b—— when people can reach out to people and go, ‘Hey, you can go here for this much money and this stuff’ — and they stayed.

“Look, we lost one guy during spring practice, and he wasn’t in my Top 25. So we’re good.”

That guy was Keany Parks, a starting cornerback who yesterday inked with the University of Houston.

There have been others, too. Twenty-one of them this offseason, to be exact.

Sawvel said after the season finale at Washington State, he made a list of 10 players this program couldn’t afford to lose.

Tampering and back-channeling be damned, nine of those remain, he added, including arguably the most important piece being quarterback Kaden Anderson.

Make no mistake, that’s the most important position in all of sports. Around these parts, we know all too well what inconsistency at that position can cause.

Anderson, a 6-foot-4, 221-pound sophomore from Southlake, Texas, will likely be handed the keys to Jay Johnson’s offense in 2025. In just three starts last season, he threw for 578 yards and four touchdowns.

More importantly, he connected on nearly 60% of his throws.

“It’s out there. People DM you and stuff and say all this stuff,” the laidback signal caller said with a grin. “You don’t really pay too much attention to it. You know, put trust in God’s plan. You know, He’s got a plan for you. Like I said in a couple interviews during the season, at the end of the day, it’s you and the guys in locker room. Don’t listen to outside noise.”

MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:

* Behind the numbers: Wyoming spring football game

* Gold Team prevails 21-7 in Wyoming spring game

* Pokes host annual Brown and Gold Spring game Saturday

* Wyoming loses starting cornerback to transfer portal

* Wyoming’s Dante Drake has been a menace in the trenches

* Cowboys plan to add another QB after Batiste departure

* Wyoming’s rookie corner is turning heads this spring

* Double or nothing: Pokes’ makeshift front five falters late

* Wyoming looking to add to roster with spring portal looming

* Can Wyoming’s Gary Rutherford snag a starting gig?: ‘No doubt’

* Wyoming cornerback to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

* Caleb Robinson: ‘He was missed last year, for sure’

* Sawvel: It’s a ‘wide open’ battle for back-up QB spot

* Cowboy football enters third week of spring camp

* Hendricks on edge rushers: ‘Production pays the bills’

* Gary Harrell named running backs coach at Wyoming

John Michael Gyllenborg could’ve played anywhere in the country, according to his head coach. Shannon Moore, his position coach, called him the best tight end in the nation.

Plenty of others obviously believe that to be true.

The 6-foot-5 senior hauled in 30 balls for 425 yards and three scores in 2024. Injuries hampered him throughout, but we’ve all seen the flashes.

It’s not a stretch to think he will hear his name called by an NFL team around this time next season.

How did he handle that outside noise?

“Well, leaving was never really an option for me,” Gyllenborg said, adding it wasn’t a tough decision to cap his college career in Laramie. “I think for most guys, including myself, the real temptations were after the season. I mean, there are just no regulations, so everything was being thrown at a lot of us, including me. That was a time to really reflect and think about what each of us wanted.”

What does he want?

“We’ve got a good core group of guys here that it just wasn’t a hard decision for us,” he continued. “We knew we were going to stay. We want to stay, turn this program around from what it was last year and win. That’s really what it was — win.”

Running back Sam Scott is back in the mix, too. He led the Cowboys with 435 rushing yards and three touchdowns last fall. He will be joined in the backfield by a whole host of youth, including Charlotte transfer Terron Kellman, who proved to be a load this spring.

Jaylen Sargent and Chris Durr Jr., the Cowboys’ Top-2 outside targets last fall will again be relied upon to take the next step. The latter amassed 348 yards through the air. He made the circus catches. He was deadly on the third down.

Sargent, a 6-foot-2 senior, stayed patient throughout his first three years in the program. That ultimately paid off in October when he ran under a 70-yard touchdown pass against San Diego State. Two weeks later, he caught a career-high six balls for 186 yards and a score in a road victory at New Mexico.

It’s not just the skill guys who will suit up for the Cowpokes this fall, either.

Three of the most important pieces to the process, Sawvel said, are back in the saddle: Jack Walsh, Caden Barnett and Wes King. This trio will be lining up at center, right and left guard, respectively.

Rex Johnsen should man the right tackle spot. Nate Geiger, who suffered a torn ACL 11 plays into the 2024 season, could again find himself on the right edge.

Sawvel joked that he told Walsh Friday, “Welp, 12 more hours of this portal stuff.”

His response: “F— it!”

“I always say, you can’t put a price on loyalty,” Walsh added. “I’m very happy and proud of all the guys that decide to stay here, guys going into their fifth year at one place. You know, it’s special here.

“I couldn’t see myself anywhere else.”

We all knew this defense was going to receive a major overhaul this winter.

It has.

Starters Sabastian Harsh, Wrook Brown, Jaden Williams, Tyrecus Davis and Parks all left in free agency. Both safeties — Isaac White and Wyett Ekeler — exhausted their eligibility. So did linebackers Shae Suiaunoa and Connor Shay. Jordan Bertagnole graduated. So did DeVonne Harris.

You might recall, last year’s defense ranked 103rd overall out of 133 FBS teams, allowing nearly 411 yards an outing.

Remember the debacle in Albuquerque?

There are plenty of unknowns on that side of the ball, but there has been a serious upgrade, across the board, if you ask Sawvel.

That portal you loathe so much, believe it or not, works both ways.

Justin Taylor picked off a pass in Saturday’s spring game. So did Brooklyn Cheek. Those are transfer safeties, the first from Wisconsin. The second played at Cal. Gary Rutherford, a redshirt freshman linebacker from Peoria, Ill., also hauled in an interception in this one.

Don’t be surprised if he’s in the starting lineup Aug. 28 at Akron.

Edge rusher Tyce Westland deserves his flowers for loyalty, too. So does tackle Ben Florentine. Both have a number of starts under their collective belt and would be attractive to other programs. You can throw Dante Drake and Jayden Williams’ names in that conversation, too.

This is the squad that will look to bring this state, university and fanbase its first outright conference championship since 1988.

It’s finally official.

“We have the makings of a good football team,” Sawvel said. “…  I think we’re a better football team than what we were a year ago at this time, but I think we have a lot of work to do.”

– University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players

Mostly sunny in much of Wyoming on Saturday. Breezy in some areas. Highs from the upper 50s to the mid 70s. Lows from the low 30s to the mid 40s. 

Central:  

Casper:  Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 73 and wind gusts as high as 31 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with a low near 39 and wind gusts as high as 26 mph.

Riverton:  Mostly sunny today with a high near 73 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 37.

Shoshoni:  Mostly sunny today with a high near 72 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 39.

Southwest:  

Evanston:  Sunny today with a high near 64 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 33.

Green River:  Sunny and breezy today with a high near 68 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Partly cloudy and breezy overnight with a low near 39 and wind gusts as high as 28 mph.

Lyman:  Mostly sunny today with a high near 66 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 36.

Western Wyoming:  

Pinedale:  Mostly sunny today with a high near 59 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 32. 

Alpine:  Gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 66 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 34.

Big Piney:  Breezy, gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 62 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 30 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph.

Northwest:  

Dubois:  Slight chance of rain after 3 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 58 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 33.

Jackson:  Mostly sunny today with a high near 63 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 33.

Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park:  Partly sunny today with a high near 55 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 27.

Bighorn Basin:  

Thermopolis:  Mostly sunny today with a high near 72 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 40.

Cody:  Partly sunny today with a high near 69 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 42.

Greybull:  Mostly sunny today with a high near 72 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 43.

North Central:  

Buffalo:  Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 68 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 44.

Sheridan:  Gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 70 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 40.

Ranchester:  Patchy fog before 9 a.m., otherwise gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 69 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 42.

Northeast:  

Gillette:  Gradually clearing skies and breezy today with a high near 71 and wind gusts as high as 38 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 43 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph.

Newcastle:  Slight chance of rain before 9 a.m., otherwise gradually clearing skies and breezy today with a high near 64 and wind gusts as high as 33 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 45 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph.

Hulett:  Gradually clearing skies today with a high near 70 and wind gusts as high as 26 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 45 and wind gusts as high as 17 mph.

Eastern Plains:  

Torrington:  Slight chance of rain after noon, gradually clearing and breezy today with a high near 73 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight and a low near 44.

Douglas:  Breezy, gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 75 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 37.

Midwest:  Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 73 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 38 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

Southeast:  

Cheyenne:  Chance of rain mainly after noon, otherwise gradually clearing and breezy today with a high near 67 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight and a low near 40.

Laramie:  Slight chance of rain after noon, otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 66 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 37.

Pine Bluffs:  Chance of rain, otherwise gradually clearing and breezy today with a high near 68 and wind gusts as high as 35 mph. Partly cloudy and breezy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight, a low near 42 and wind from 10-20 mph.

South Central:  

Rawlins:  Sunny and breezy today with a high near 68 and wind gusts as high as 35 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with a low near 38 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph.

Encampment:  Sunny and breezy today with a high near 66 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 38.

Wamsutter:  Sunny and breezy today with a high near 67 and wind gusts as high as 36 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with a low near 37 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph.

The two Wyoming High School All-Star rosters were released Thursday for the annual Wyoming-Montana All-Star basketball series. The 2025 edition will occur at the Pronghorn Center in Gillette on Friday, June 13, and then the series will shift to Lockwood High School in Billings, MT, on Saturday, June 14. The girls’ games will start at 5 p.m., followed by the boys’ games at 7 p.m.

WYOMING ALL-STAR BASKETBALL ROSTERS 2025

This year is the 49th for the boys’ series and the 28th for the annual girls’ series. They did not play in 2020. The Wyoming boys snapped a 22-game losing streak last year and swept their Montana counterparts in 2024. It marked the Cowboy State’s first series sweep in 13 years. The Wyoming boys won the two games by the final scores of 83-62 and 94-85. Montana still leads the all-time series in boys’ basketball, 67-29. The Treasure State girls won last year’s meetings, 90-68 and 76-35. Montana has won 15 in a row and leads the series 41-13.

WYOMING-MONTANA GIRLS BASKETBALL ALL-STAR GAMES 2024

WYOMING GIRLS ALL-STAR BASKETBALL GAME INTERVIEWS 2024

WYOMING-MONTANA BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-STAR GAMES 2024

WYOMING BOYS ALL-STAR BASKETBALL GAME INTERVIEWS 2024

WYOMING-MONTANA ALL-STAR BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2024

The 2025 rosters are below.

Wyoming Girls Roster:

Lauren Kuhbacher – Campbell County

Kaylie Neary – Campbell County

Izzy Kelly – Cheyenne Central

Karson Tempel – Cheyenne Central

Jaden Meyer – Douglas

Lauren Olsen – Douglas

Kennedy Davila – Kelly Walsh

Brynn Sybrant – Natrona County

Elyn Bowers – Pinedale

Emma Asay – Rock Springs

Wyoming Boys Roster:

Truman Degrange – Campbell County

Nomar Gonzales – Campbell County

Lane Hladky – Campbell County

Clayton Cook – Evanston

Jordan Mendez – Evanston

Jaden Smith – Laramie

Neil Summers – Laramie

Tanner Hagar – Natrona County

Karver Partlow – Thunder Basin

Jaxson Neely – Wright

Three of the eight state championship teams during the 2025 high school season are represented on the girls’ and boys’ teams. On the girls’ roster, 4A champ Cheyenne Central and 3A champ Douglas have two players involved. For the boys, it’s 4A champ Campbell County.

All ten Wyoming girls selected earned all-state awards during the 2025 high school season, and all of them are going on to play basketball at the collegiate level this fall. Seven of the ten Wyoming boys chosen also received all-state honors earlier this year. The other three were named all-conference.

Wyoming’s head coaches in 2024 are Liz Lewis (Women’s Team) and Shawn Neary (Men’s Team). They are the current head coaches at Gillette College. Lewis led the Pronghorns to a 23-10 record in the 2024-25 season. Neary guided the Gillette men to a 29-4 record, the Region IX North Conference title, and a runner-up finish at the Region IX Men’s Basketball Postseason Tournament. He was the Region IX North Conference Coach of the Year for a second straight season.

The players will report to Gillette on June 10, 2025, for practice.