Fremd graduate Jack Walsh is a preseason all-Mountain West Conference pick at center for the University of Wyoming.
Photo courtesy of University of Wyoming Athletics
From his first moment on the campus of the University of Wyoming, former Fremd offensive lineman Jack Walsh felt comfortable and at home.
But for Walsh, who has earned honors as an offensive lineman for the Cowboys the past three seasons, this wasn’t a recruiting visit that brought him to the campus in Laramie. That would have been difficult, since at the time Walsh was just 8 months old.
“There was some sort of reunion going on for my dad and his college teammates,” said Jack, whose father, John, played for Wyoming in 1987 and 1988.
“My brothers were running around on the football field and kicking field goals. And I had to get my diaper changed.”
Jack’s mom, Kathy, attempted to do that just that. And although Jack was nowhere near the 6-foot-3, 318 pounds that he is now, he was still quite large compared to most babies.
With Jack squirming in the back of a rental car, it caught the attention of then Wyoming head coach Joe Glenn, who was walking by. Glenn graciously offered the carpeted floor in his office for a diaper change.
That comfort and feeling of home stayed with Jack Walsh, who has been a three-year anchor to the Cowboys’ offensive line. So much so that after last season, when Power Four conference schools came calling and offering him NIL opportunities to transfer, Walsh turned them all away.
“You can’t put a price on loyalty,” said Walsh, a senior majoring in kinesiology and health promotion. “There’s a lot of money being thrown around by the bigger schools, and all that stuff’s kind of great. But you know, at the end of the day, none of it is life changing. And there’s so many unanswered variables that go into it. You don’t really know the coaches. You don’t know your new teammates, the strength staff or the athletic trainers. And what about academics?
“I love the University of Wyoming. It’s been so good to me. The coaches here have been so good to me. My teammates are amazing. It was just, it was a no-brainer that I stay here and finish my career.”
Wyoming coach Jay Sawvel said that Walsh’s loyalty to the Cowboys is impressive and important.
“Jack Walsh means a great deal to Wyoming football,” Sawvel said. “Here is a guy who has played a lot of games and in today’s world could have left this program and gone to a number of different places. And he stayed. He has been a great leader and his commitment to the University of Wyoming and our football program is evident and apparent on a day-to-day basis. He wants to leave the University of Wyoming coming off a great season.”
Typical for most offensive linemen, Walsh redshirted his freshman year of college. His career then took off for the Cowboys, starting 25 games and playing in 36.
He played in all 13 games as a redshirt freshman as an offensive guard, starting two of those games.
Then before the start of his redshirt sophomore season, he changed his number to 79. It was the same number his father wore when his dad played at Wyoming.
Walsh then started all 13 games that next season, again playing guard and some tackle due to injuries on the offensive line.
He started 10 games last season at guard, missing two games midseason with a shoulder injury. In those 10 games he was not called for a penalty and didn’t allow a sack.
Walsh has already accumulated some preseason honors heading into this season, which begins Thursday at Akron (6 p.m., ESPN+).
He was named to both the Lombardi Award watch list as well as the Outland Trophy watch list. He was also named to the preseason all-Mountain West Conference team.
Walsh, who has played both guard and tackle positions in game situations, makes the move to center this year. Sawvel said that the move was important for the Cowboys offense and Walsh’s possible NFL opportunities.
“He is very intelligent and gave us the best option of the players we had in the program,” Sawvel said. “It is best for him in the long term. He was very agreeable to this move and very excited for this move because he thinks this is his best opportunity to be noticed and to have an opportunity at the NFL level.”
Wyoming offensive line coach Joe Tripodi said that the move was an important one for the cohesiveness of his offensive line.
“He is a football guy,” Tripodi said. “He loves talking football. He is physically capable of doing it. The mental side of it is a huge piece. You have to be good up the middle. He can be a rock for us and the quarterback, that is why.”
Tripodi said that Walsh’s consistency is his biggest asset.
“He is the same guy every day,” Tripodi said. “He doesn’t get too high, and he doesn’t get too low. He attacks everything with a cool mindset. He is a football guy, and he loves it. His consistency from his approach to film study to workouts to how he practices. It all translates on how he plays. Even when was a young guy, he was like that, which gave him chance to play earlier.”
Walsh has drawn the attention of NFL teams and agents.
“It’s always been a dream of mine,” Walsh said. “And I am always going to push for that dream and hopefully make that a reality. That would just be the ultimate blessing for me. It has been so fun to go through this process, especially college football. I have just got to continue to work hard, be respectful and humble.”
Wyoming guard Jack Walsh (79) holds 11-year-old Riot Anderson after the team’s win over Washington State in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Pullman, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)
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