Gillette's LaFramboise building off redshirt season at UW

May 3—LARAMIE — Kayden LaFramboise capped this spring with the biggest catch so far in his young college career.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound wide receiver hauled in a game-winning 37-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Evan Svoboda late in the fourth quarter of the University of Wyoming's spring game last week. The Thunder Basin graduate ran an out-cut to create separation in the secondary, a move that caught the eye of first-year head coach Jay Sawvel.

"The great thing with that: Two weeks ago, when we had that open scrimmage, he didn't play very well," Sawvel said. "I kind of had a higher expectation of some things. I brought him in, and he and I kind of talked about some stuff that we could clean up or that he could do better.

"His last couple weeks of practice have been really good, and with his size and everything else, I have an expectation for him. He's a guy that, there's no doubt, I can envision being a guy that can play for us at some point in the future.

"So much of it's attitude, right? When people have a positive image of themselves and a positive image of what they're doing, they improve. That's the biggest piece to it."

LaFramboise is heading into his second year at UW after redshirting as a freshman last fall. He was a unanimous first team all-state selection with the Bolts during his senior season, leading Class 4A with 1,151 yards on 81 receptions. He averaged 115.1 yards per game while hauling in 13 touchdowns and adding three more on the ground.

The Gillette product's first season was a productive one.

He added some much-needed weight, while shadowing some of the Cowboys' older receivers like Wyatt Wieland, Ayir Asante, Ryan Marquez and Gunner Gentry, who all graduated this offseason.

"I think I had a really good first year of development," LaFramboise told WyoSports last month. "I still have a ways to go, and I still have stuff I have to get a lot better at, but overall, I'm optimistic about where I'm at. Physically, I'm in a good spot."

LaFramboise is one of the tallest receivers on UW's roster. His size is a trait that hasn't gone unnoticed from some of the older receivers in the room.

"I love that kid," Big Horn graduate Will Pelissier told WyoSports last month. "I think he started out, when he got here last summer, at about 180 pounds. That kid has worked his butt off, and he's all the way up to fluctuating between 210 and 215, which, for a receiver, is pretty big.

"He's worked his absolute butt off. I had him when he was on his visit here, but just getting to see him grow — he's going to have a great career here. I'm so excited to watch him grow when I'm gone from here. He'll be a heck of a talent for us."

Veteran wide receiver Alex Brown made the decision to return to Laramie for a sixth and final season. He's also been impressed with LaFramboise's dedication in the weight room since arriving in Laramie last summer.

"He had a really good offseason," Brown said. "A lot better than I was expecting. He's a big kid. He's still figuring out his body, but I think he's maybe 19 years old. I was the same way.

"I was out there running routes looking goofy, but he's like 6-5. He just has to learn his body. I'd say probably another year with (director of sports performance Eric Donoval), and he's ready to roll. I think he can play now, but in a year, he'll be really, really solid."

During his first year on campus, LaFramboise was able to participate on the scout team in practice while watching the Cowboys go 7-0 at home last fall. Seeing the atmosphere at War Memorial Stadium during games against Texas Tech, Fresno State and Appalachian State was a good reminder of why he committed to the Cowboys in the first place.

"I really, really enjoyed my first year here," LaFramboise said. "I didn't really understand the environment until the first game, and then after that, you realize just how big of a level this is.

"... Me and some of the other freshmen were talking like, 'We got really lucky with our first year.' I think the biggest thing was seeing how people prepared for games and how important these games are to people. That kind of elevates you. When everybody else is doing this much better, it raises your level."

LaFramboise wants to continue to build the positive momentum going into summer workouts. While he might not see the field right away as a redshirt freshman, Sawvel sees plenty of potential when it comes to LaFramboise's pure athleticism.

"He's a promising young man," Sawvel said in March. "He's a promising player. I think the thing that we all appreciate about him is the fact that there's not a back-down at all. He's going to fight, he's going to compete, and he'll help us on special teams, which are all important progressions to being a full-time receiver or to do these other things.

"I'm glad he's here, and I think he has a chance to have a bright future. I really do."

Sawvel's words of encouragement have only motivated LaFramboise as he turns his attention to fall camp. His goal this summer is as simple as it gets.

"I just want to get better," LaFramboise said. "That's the only thing on my mind. I have no timeline or anything. I just want to, every day, get better. I want to do something today that makes me better tomorrow."

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Alex Taylor is the assistant editor for WyoSports and covers University of Wyoming athletics. He can be reached at ataylor@wyosports.net. Follow him on X at @alex_m_taylor22.