University of Wyoming Athletics

         Samantha Patten was hired as Wyoming’s Director of On-Campus Recruiting in August of 2022.  Patten came to Wyoming after most recently serving as a recruiting intern for the University of Florida football program from 2018 to 2020.
         At Wyoming, she works closely with the Cowboy coaching staff in coordinating on-campus visits by recruits and hosting recruits and their families while on campus.  She also assists the Executive Director of Recruiting and Director of Player Personnel in helping manage all recruiting activities.  Patten also assists in hosting special events for Cowboy Football.
         Patten’s position at the University of Florida in the summer of 2022 was as a football intern and recruiting analyst.  She assisted in planning official and unofficial recruiting visits for prospective student-athletes.  Patten helped host recruits and their families while on campus, including conducting tours of the Florida campus and the athletics facilities.  She held that position from May to July of 2022 before accepting her full-time position with Wyoming Football.
         Since graduating from Florida in August 2020, Patten has also gained valuable experience working in two different roles affiliated with the NFL.  From September 2021 to April 2022, Patten worked as a coaching and personnel intern with Athletes First, which is one of the most prestigious agencies representing NFL players, coaches, administrative personnel and broadcasters.  She attended the 2022 NFL Combine, assisting with setup of the venue and registration.  Patten helped create personalized graphics and presentations for clients and was involved in data analysis and execution of other creative materials.  She specifically assisted in planning and creating head-coaching interview presentations for Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.
         Patten’s other NFL experience was working as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ game-day event and entertainment staff from August 2021 to January 2022.  She assisted with the Fan Entertainment Zone, coordinating with corporate sponsors on set up and breakdown.  During home games, Patten served on the field as a liaison to pre-game and halftime performers.  She also engaged with fans to help ensure their overall positive game-day experience.
         From December 2020 to June 2021, Patten gained experience as a game operations and marketing intern with the Orlando Solar Bears, a minor-league hockey team affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL.  She helped create and organize all in-game promotions and intermission contests, as well as assisted in planning and implementation of other special events and promotions for the team.  Patten was also involved with management of the Solar Bears Twitter account during games.
         As an undergraduate at the University of Florida, Patten was a recruiting and administrative assistant with Gator Football from January 2018 to May 2020.  She assisted in updating information on prospective student-athletes for use by the Florida recruiting and coaching staffs as they evaluated potential recruits.  Patten helped in organizing recruiting events for prospects and their families, and she helped design and create recruiting materials that focused on the various academic programs available at the University of Florida.  She was also a Gator Football Ambassador from January 2017 to January 2018, helping host prospects and their families on game days.
         Patten earned her bachelor of science degree in advertising, with a concentration in art studies and graphic design from Florida in August 2020.