Wyoming
Wyoming's QB is Healthy, Motivated Heading Into Spring Practice
LARAMIE — He knew the question was coming.
The performance that just took place inside University Stadium over the previous three hours warranted an answer.
Why did it take so long to insert Kaden Anderson under center, replacing an ineffective Evan Svoboda?
Jay Sawvel pointed to a number of reasons that evening in Albuquerque.
First and foremost, there was Anderson’s injury history. The Southlake Carroll product suffered two ACL tears, derailing what was supposed to be a decorated prep career at that Texas football factory.
Jayden Clemons took the majority of the scout team snaps in 2023 while Anderson slowly rehabbed his knee back into playing shape. The senior back-up again asserted himself the following offseason before unexpectedly leaving the program in early October.
Was Anderson truly ready to take the reins and lead this offense?
The eye test was important in this equation, too, according to Sawvel.
Wyoming’s head coach said though Anderson had a solid fall camp — and was showing constant improvement — he was not yet the guy who just torched New Mexico’s secondary to the tune of 342 yards through the air and three scores. The 6-foot-4, 221-pound signal caller also added a rushing touchdown during his starting debut.
“I was just out there having fun, playing ball,” Anderson said postgame. “It was a really great time.”
He was also named the Mountain West’s Freshman of the Week.
Sawvel added additional rationale to his ultimate decision earlier this month after an early morning workout in Laramie.
“One of the things that we had to take into consideration, Evan was like our run game, too,” he said. “It’s like, OK, if Evan Svoboda wasn’t playing quarterback, then what were we doing in the run game? You know, Sam Scott was banged up. Harrison Waylee wasn’t around.
“… When you’re down a couple of offensive linemen, it’s like, OK, we’re not just rolling people out of there. Evan had to be a big chunk of the run game.”
Running back DJ Jones also left the program for “personal reasons” after the non-conference slate. Jamari Ferrell was averaging under four yards per carry.
MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:
* Rex Johnsen to get first crack at landing starting tackle spot
* Who will be Wyoming’s featured back this fall?
* Linebacker Gary Rutherford vying for playing time in ’25
* Wyoming’s Sabastian Harsh Hitting Open Market in Final Season
* Wyoming Football: News and notes from offseason workout
* Who will replace placekicker John Hoyland at Wyoming?
* COLUMN: Should Wyoming Retire Josh Allen’s No. 17?
* Josh Allen Highlights UW Athletics ’25 Hall of Fame Class
* Jay Sawvel on Freshman RB: ‘I’m a Big Patrick Broadway Fan’
* Wyoming Football Announces Full 2025 Schedule
* Wyoming’s football staff shifting focus to self-evaluation
* No concern in Wyoming’s receiver room heading into spring
* Wyoming overhauling defense with ‘winnable players’
* Jay Sawvel: ‘We will never vote for captains again’
* Are Wyoming players being tampered with? You bet, says Sawvel
After that spirited victory over the Lobos last November, one in which the Cowboys found the end zone on their initial four possessions and overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, Sawvel smiled and simply said, “I think we found a quarterback.”
“There is so much to build on with that guy,” he continued. “So, we’re excited … I’m proud of the way Kaden played today.”
Anderson, still sporting that curly hair do and ever-present smile, blew through drills inside the team’s indoor practice facility two weeks ago, competing against Wyoming’s newest gun slinger, Mason Drube.
They raced around cones. They sprinted. They weaved around tackling dummies.
The bulky black brace Anderson has worn for two years on his surgically repaired right knee is gone. He’s healthy. He’s visibly stronger. He’s in a great mental space, too, Sawvel added.
The biggest difference, though, might be in the leadership category.
“Way different,” Sawvel said bluntly. “… This is an incredible offseason for him.”
Anderson and Cowboys are set to begin spring practices Tuesday, March 25 in Laramie. The annual Brown and Gold Spring game will take place Saturday, April 26 inside War Memorial Stadium.
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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