Wyoming
Wyoming Loses Starting Cornerback to Transfer Portal
LARAMIE — Jay Sawvel said last Saturday it’s a miserable time to be a head coach at a non-power conference level.
Why?
Two words: Transfer Portal.
Starting cornerback Keany Parks, just three days before the spring window is set to slam shut, entered college football’s version of free agency on Wednesday, becoming the seventh Wyoming player to bolt this spring.
Quarterback Deyon Batiste is also on the open market. So is running back Harrison Waylee, nickel Wrook Brown and cornerback Charles Williams. Edge rusher Sabastian Harsh has already committed to North Carolina State. Fellow defensive end Dawan Martin is also in search of a new home.
Parks is expected to sign with the University of Houston, according to two sources familiar with the situation.
He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
“I think we got some capabilities to be good,” Sawvel said, referring to the cornerback room. “We have a lot of work to do and we have some development to do, but there’s no weeping or gnashing of teeth, as they would say in the Bible.
“So, we’re OK. We’re going to move on.”
Parks tallied 41 tackles — 34 solo stops — and broke up seven passes during his first full year in the Cowboys’ secondary. He also added a fumble recovery. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Wisconsin product was moved to cornerback during the 2023 campaign after signing as a running back the year prior.
The former three-star recruit was tabbed the No. 2 prospect in the state, per Rivals.com, rushing for more than 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns over his final two seasons at Bradford High School. That damage came in just 19 games and included a 193-yard performance against Racine Case High School.
Parks was also recruited by Power-4 programs Arizona State, SMU, Iowa State and Wisconsin. Washington State, Louisiana Tech and Tulane also showed interest.
“I loved it from the start,” Parks said back in August of 2023 when asked why he eventually chose Wyoming. “Coach (Tim) Polasek and coach (Craig) Bohl, we just clicked from the start. I felt like this is the place I wanted to go to be great. I plan on putting my head down, just working and showing them what kind of worker they got.
“I feel like I belong in Wyoming. This is my home.”
Not anymore.
MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:
* 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’s Adrian Onyeigo learning the pass-rushing ropes
* 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
* Pokes working on hurry-up offense, focus on ‘middle eight’
Sawvel said Wednesday Parks was the third-best corner in last Saturday’s scrimmage, behind rookie Tyson Deen and Snow College transfer BJ Inmon. He also went on to say he will “address the specifics” of Parks’ move following Saturday’s annual spring game.
“We may have a little state of the state type of thing on that, and we’ll talk about some of those things,” the second-year head coach reiterated, adding that he has “supreme confidence” in a couple of young corners on this current roster.
Deen and Inmon could be opening-day options. Ian Bell, a junior with double-digit appearances under his belt, could also be an option. He has dealt with foot and hamstring issues over the last couple of seasons.
This staff is also high on redshirt freshmen Markie Grant and Tyrese Boss. Same can be said for Incoming transfers like Brooklyn Cheek and Justin Taylor, who could also make the transition from the safety spot.
“I think there are possibilities there if we chose to do that,” Sawvel said. “I don’t know that that’s necessarily what we need to choose to do right now.”
Sawvel said he was already in the market for a defensive back or two himself before Parks’ departure. That’s easier said than done, though, he added.
Cornerbacks are a hot commodity.
“Well, No. 1, they’re really hard to find right now,” he said. “Look, there’s a reason (Parks leaving) just happened.”
The portal is set to close April 25, less than 24 hours prior to the Cowboys’ exhibition inside War Memorial Stadium. Players have to enter free agency before that date. They can sign with a new program at any time.
Kickoff is slated for noon.
University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
The rules are simple: What was the player’s impact while in Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status or any other accolade earned outside of UW is irrelevant when it comes to this list.
This isn’t a one-man job. This task called for a panel of experts. Joining 7220’s Cody Tucker are Robert Gagliardi, Jared Newland, Ryan Thorburn, and Kevin McKinney.
We all compiled our own list of 50 and let computer averages do the work. Think BCS — only we hope this catalog is fairer.
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
– University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
CASPER, Wyo. — High school athletics in Wyoming could see some drastic changes in the coming years following legislative changes to the state’s education budget, the Wyoming High School Activities Association recently announced in a statement.
According to the WHSAA, Wyoming school districts are facing a projected $3.9 million shortfall in activities funding, forcing officials to consider significant cuts to high school sports and extracurricular programs.
The WHSAA shared details regarding a new “silo” funding model implemented by the Legislature, stating that the recalibrated block grant model reduced funding for student activities and extra-duty responsibilities from $46.3 million to $42.4 million, an approximately 8.4% decrease statewide.
WHSAA Commissioner Trevor Wilson said the restructuring also restricts district access to an additional $76.2 million in previously flexible funding.
“A significant portion of the [April 28 WHSAA Board of Directors] meeting was dedicated to discussing the projected funding shortfall,” Wilson wrote.
The WHSAA is weighing several strategies to address rising costs with fewer resources. Proposed changes include eliminating regional tournaments and reducing the number of teams qualifying for state events from eight to four; limiting wrestling to two classes and restricting track and field state participants to the top 16 marks; making cuts to soccer, indoor track and field, Nordic and Alpine skiing, swimming and diving, spring golf and tennis; and reducing in-person speech and debate events by half and centrally locating All-State Music events to minimize travel. The board also recommended increasing gate admission or implementing student participation fees to offset costs.
While the WHSAA release states that no plans have been finalized and the various changes are currently just possibilities, Natrona County School District 1 Board of Trustees member Mary Schmidt criticized the WHSAA’s handling of the news at Monday’s board meeting.
“I take some issues with this, [including] the sheer fact that we as Board of Trustees members have not talked about that at all,” Schmidt said. “It is not our intent and it has not been brought to us to cut our athletics or activities budget for the upcoming school year. … I take issue with them picking sports and getting the community upset and ginning them up to be upset that this is all going to be cut when that hasn’t been discussed.”
Later in the meeting, Superintendent Angela Hensley clarified that Natrona County School District 1’s athletics and activities budget saw a reduction of roughly $550,000 in the coming year’s budget, but said the local school district does not plan to cut any sports.
“Thank you, Trustee Schmidt, for saying this, because I think people are wondering — we are not planning to cut athletics and activities for next year,” Hensley said. “We do have to take a look at our entire budget as we have talked about, as we learn more about these new rules that come in.”
Related
Republished with permission from Wyoming News Now, a TV news outlet covering the Cheyenne and Casper areas.
Cheyenne City Council has introduced a temporary moratorium, or pause, on new data center construction.
“The end goal is to actually have regulations in place, to have really heavy public involvement with this with data centers,” said Councilman Mark Moody.
The proposed ordinance is not a permanent ban on data centers and would not affect data centers currently under construction.
Councilman Moody says this is a bipartisan issue.
“I just want to make this clear, I’m not against data centers. We do need them from a national security perspective,” he said.
He said there needs to be more public input and regulations regarding data centers in Cheyenne.
The ordinance would require city staff to study data center impacts such as electricity usage, electricity tariffs, closed-loop cooling systems, groundwater impacts, agricultural impacts, and land value.
Cheyenne LEADS, the economic development corporation for Cheyenne and Laramie County, reported in November 2025 that there are 12 operational data centers in Wyoming, five under construction and plans for 43 data centers announced across the state.
“There needs to be more public input with this, and also to see how many we can sustain here in this community, cause there are talks of 43, and then another day 70. How many can we sustain here?” said Councilman Moody.
The proposed moratorium will now go to the Public Services Committee on Monday, May 18 at noon in the Municipal Building.
Sheridan will play in the North Regional Tournament at Gillette, while the South Regional Tournament will be played at Rock Springs.
North Regional Tournament at Gillette:
Checking record vs. highest team in the quadrant not involved in the tie, Thunder Basin gets the #1 Northeast seed over Campbell County, because the Lady Bolts went 3-1 vs. Sheridan, whereas the Lady Camels went 2-2.
Friday, May 15th:
(#1 NE) Thunder Basin vs. (#4 NW) Jackson – 11am
(#2 NW) Natrona County vs. (#3 NE) Sheridan – 11am
(#2 NE) Campbell County vs. (#3 NW) Kelly Walsh – 1pm
(#1 NW) Cody vs. (#4 NE) Worland – 1pm
Semi-Finals:
Thunder Basin/Jackson winner vs. Natrona County/Sheridan winner – 3pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Campbell County/Kelly Walsh winner vs. Cody/Worland winner – 5pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Consolation Round:
Thunder Basin/Jackson loser vs. Natrona County/Sheridan loser – 3pm LOSER OUT!
Campbell County/Kelly Walsh loser vs. Cody/Worland loser – 5pm LOSER OUT!
Saturday, May 16th:
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
2 10am winners vs. each other – 1pm 3rd Place
TBA vs. TBA – 1pm 1st Place
South Regional Tournament at Rock Springs:
Friday, May 15th:
(#1 SW) Laramie vs. (#4 SE) Torrington – 11am
(#2 SE) Cheyenne East vs. (#3 SW) Green River – 11am
(#2 SW) Rock Springs vs. (#3 SE) Wheatland – 1pm
(#1 SE) Cheyenne Central vs. (#4 SW) Cheyenne South – 1pm
Semi-Finals:
Laramie/Torrington winner vs. Cheyenne East/Green River winner – 3pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Rock Springs/Wheatland winner vs. Cheyenne Central/Cheyenne South winner – 5pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Consolation Round:
Laramie/Torrington loser vs. Cheyenne East/Green River loser – 3pm LOSER OUT!
Rock Springs/Wheatland loser vs. Cheyenne Central/Cheyenne South loser – 5pm LOSER OUT!
Saturday, May 16th:
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
2 10am winners vs. each other – 1pm 3rd Place
TBA vs. TBA – 1pm 1st Place
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