Progress.
This is the word out of the Pokes spring football camp this week, with a focus on fundamentals already showing a payoff.
“I think we’re better,” said head coach Jay Sawvel following Thursday’s practice in the Indoor Practice Facility (IPF). “We have a lot of work to do, but we’re making progress, and we’re making the right kind of progress,” he said.
Staying Healthy
Sawvel talked about a ramping up of intensity for these couple weeks before summer, but that physicality also comes with a risk of injury.
“There’s a fine line to it,” Sawvel said. “A big part of it is how they manage themselves.”
There’s been a noticeable energy at these sessions for the Pokes, but Sawvel isn’t worried about long term injuries popping up.
“If guys are in a football position and they’re fighting, they’ll typically avoid injury pretty well,” he said.
Absent from this practice was running back Sam Scott, a big difference maker for the Pokes in the backfield last season, with even more eyes on him now with the departure of Harrison Waylee.
“Sam had a bone bruise, which can be an extensive thing at times,” Sawvel said. “I want to make sure he’s completely right, and he’s working with strength staff, but we’re not practicing him in the spring,” he said.
Hope for the Ground Game
The departures of Harrison Waylee and running back coach Donnel Kirkwood Jr. looked to spell trouble for the Wyoming rushing attack, but Sawvel isn’t too worried about the recent change.
“I’m optimistic at that position right now,” he said. “We’ll get Sam [Scott] back, and then have Nico [Hamilton] and Terron [Kellman]…I think we need to add another, and we have a good chance to be okay at that position.”
Nico Hamilton, a redshirt freshman, is excited for this opportunity and believes he has the chops to take his game to the next level.
“Not playing last year definitely sparked a fire,” he said. “I just put my head down and got to work…I’ve been feeling good coming out this spring. I take everything very seriously in the training room and get extra work in when I go home.”
“I think I should be able to prove to everybody that I’m ready,” he said.
Reworking the O-Line
“That’s a work in progress,” said Sawvel about the front line for Wyoming. “We were substandard at one of the tackle spots last year and it cost us in a number of plays last year.”
“These things are going to be a constant work in progress with all these guys that have to be able to do this at tackle,” Sawvel said. “That’s gonna go right up to August 28 as far as I know.”
Two weeks in, and Sawvel is still keeping the team moving in the right direction and focused on the long term goals.
“Everybody just needs to remember each day when they walk in the building to put the chip back on the shoulder and go to work,” he said. “At the end of the day, there’s juice on both sides of the ball and that’s a good sign.”
