Category: MW Top 50

2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #44, Boise State TE John Bates

The Boise State Broncos’ steady hand at tight end makes the cut for our countdown of Mountain West football’s best players.

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2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #44, Boise State TE John Bates

The Boise State Broncos’ steady hand at tight end makes the cut for our countdown of Mountain West football’s best players.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Proof that the things you can’t count matter.

Tight ends in college football are tough to stack up. Some teams don’t use them at all and it’s rare to see one light up the stat sheet like some of the nation’s best pass catchers, so you can be forgiven for overlooking just how valuable the next player on our list of the Mountain West’s top athletes has been to Boise State’s continued success.

John Bates has made 23 starts in his three years on the blue, but 2019 was his first year as a full-time starter and, given the wealth of new faces being broken in elsewhere on offense, his experience and zeal for doing all of the things beyond simply catching passes certainly came in handy. He still finished tied for fifth among Mountain West tight ends with 22 catches, averaging 12.4 yards per catch, but he was also an active hand in helping the Broncos’ running game improve throughout the year. Once the calendar turned to October, Boise State averaged a solid 4.73 yards per carry and scored 21 total touchdowns.

For his efforts, Bates earned an honorable mention when the all-Mountain West teams were unveiled at season’s end. He may not make as many headlines as Hank Bachmeier or George Holani, but he’s still clearly among the best tight ends in the conference.

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2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #45, Wyoming DE Garrett Crall

The Wyoming Cowboys defensive end was as dependable as ever last fall and steps into our list of Mountain West football’s best players.

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2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #45, Wyoming DE Garrett Crall

The Cowboys defensive end was as dependable as ever last fall and steps into our list of Mountain West football’s best players.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

A long-time contributor finally breaks through.

It can be difficult sometimes to find things you can reliably count upon but, thankfully, the next player on our countdown of the conference’s top players has proven you can pencil him in for a healthy amount of production no matter what.

Believe it or not, Garrett Crall enters his senior year having already played in 38 games across three seasons. 2019 was his second season as a full-time starter and, in a lot of respects, it was just like the first in 2018 as he racked up 4.5 sacks and six tackles for loss while setting a new career high with 55 total tackles.

With a host of young up-and-comers on the defensive line around him now, don’t be surprised if Crall leads the way with his best season yet for the Pokes, cementing his legacy in Laramie as perhaps the most dependable pass rusher of the Craig Bohl era.

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2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #46, Nevada K Brandon Talton

The Nevada Wolf Pack kicker makes history as the first kicker ever to crack our annual list of Mountain West football’s best players.

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2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #46, Nevada K Brandon Talton

The Wolf Pack kicker makes history as the first ever to crack our annual list of Mountain West football’s best players.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

After a memorable 2019, the spot is definitely earned.

If you count the time that some of our staff spent at our old digital digs, we here at Mountain West Wire have done this annual top 50 countdown every year since 2013. In this eighth iteration of the list, a kicker has finally vaulted into the ranks.

You can’t say Brandon Talton didn’t earn it, either. After seizing the national spotlight and earning a scholarship with a walk-off 56-yard field goal against Purdue in Week 1 of the 2019 season, the true freshman was arguably the most reliable specialist in the Mountain West, connecting on his first 13 field goal tries and finishing the year 21-of-25 overall. In particular, Talton made 5-of-7 on attempts of 40 or more yards, including another walk-off success against San Jose State.

In a conference suddenly flush with talented young kickers, it’ll be a tall task for Talton to stay ahead of the pack going into his sophomore campaign. Precedent suggests, though, it’d be tough to bet against him doing just that.

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2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #47, Wyoming QB Sean Chambers

The Wyoming quarterback has made a huge impact with his legs over two seasons and is back on our list of the Mountain West’s best players.

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2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #47, Wyoming QB Sean Chambers

The Cowboys quarterback has made a huge impact with his legs over two seasons and is back on our list of the Mountain West’s best players.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

There’s no quarterback like him.

Under Craig Bohl, the Wyoming Cowboys have made themselves into a rugged foe that no one in the Mountain West relishes facing and perhaps no one has embodied that spirit over the past two seasons than the next player on our countdown of the conference’s best players.

Sean Chambers has only played in 12 games so far in his collegiate career, but it’s hard to argue that the Kerman, California native had an outsized impact in that abbreviated time. He completed only 43% of his passes in 2019 and owns a career 45.9% completion rate, but he’s also averaged a healthy 8.1 yards per attempt and sports a 10-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Additionally, Chambers has proven to be a scoring machine by accounting for 12 more touchdowns as a runner, including ten in 2019, while averaging six yards per carry over 149 career attempts. Keep in mind with the latter figure that while he still has a ways to go to reach the benchmark, just six players in Mountain West history with 300 carries have bested 6.0 YPC.

That may be an unorthodox path to fame for a quarterback, but Chambers is well on his way if he can avoid the injury issues that cut short both 2018 and 2019. If he’s healthy for an entire season? Watch out.

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2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #50, Boise State DT Scale Igiehon

The first spot on our countdown of the Mountain West’s best starts with an impact player in the trenches from Boise State.

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2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #50, Boise State DT Scale Igiehon

The first spot on our countdown of the Mountain West’s best starts with an impact player in the trenches from Boise State.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

The Broncos’ big man in the middle is back for more.

Boise State’s defense is always pretty well represented on our annual list of the Mountain West’s top players and this year is no exception. Though the Broncos replace a lot of big names in 2020, one of the biggest (literally and figuratively) is back to anchor the defensive line.

Scale Igiehon has spent most of his first two years on the blue as a role player, but he has already played in 25 games and started five in his young career. In 2019, he had some of his biggest performances in Boise State’s toughest bouts, collecting six tackles in the Broncos’ win over Air Force and seven against Wyoming en route to 39 total tackles on the season.

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Now that David Moa and Sonatane Lui have moved on, Igiehon should take on a much more prominent role in 2020 and could create a lot of headaches for opposing running games all fall.

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Mountain West Football: The Top 50 Players Of 2020

Our annual countdown of the Mountain West Conference’s 50 best football players has returned.

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Mountain West Football: The Top 50 Players of 2020

Our annual countdown of the Mountain West Conference’s 50 best football players has returned.

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Who will be #1? Stick around and find out.

There can be only fifty. College football fans, our countdown of the Mountain West Conference’s top players is finally back.

Our staff’s votes — which included a total of 123 different athletes, 33 of whom received at least one top-ten vote — were perhaps more diverse than they have ever been before.

We will update this page every day with a new athlete, so bookmark it or simply follow Mountain West Wire on Twitter and Facebook to stay on top of everything and tell us about your inevitable outrage. You can also keep an eye on the hashtag #MWwireTop50, as well.

And if you’re interested in seeing how this year’s list stacks up with our choices from the first two years here at Mountain West Wire, check out the 2018 countdown here and the 2019 edition here (unfortunately, our 2017 countdown has been cast into the digital ether and will require a complete reconstruction at a later date).

Finally, for the sake of transparency, here is the list of those writers on staff who voted: Brandon Blake (Nevada), Collin Clovis (Boise State), Josh Fredlund (Colorado State), Roger Holien (New Mexico), Logan Jones (Utah State), Matthew Kenerly (Fresno State), Jeremy Mauss (Utah), Sam McConkie (Utah State), Erwin Mendoza (San Diego State), Sean O’Toole (Air Force), Raja Prabhala (Boise State), Jesse Tachiquin (Wyoming)

Thank you for following along!

The Top 50

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #49, San Diego State G William Dunkle

One of the biggest players in the Mountain West burst onto the scene last fall for the San Diego State Aztecs.

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2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #49, San Diego State G William Dunkle

One of the biggest players in the Mountain West burst onto the scene last fall for the Aztecs.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

SDSU’s best offensive lineman cracks the countdown.

Our list of the Mountain West Conference’s best football players heads to San Diego, where guard William Dunkle is the first Aztec to make an appearance on this year’s countdown.

After taking a redshirt in 2018, the 6-foot-5, 350-pound Dunkle started 12 games last fall and anchored a unit whose responsibilities were different than they had been in years past. He finished 2019 as the fourth-highest graded guard in the conference, according to Pro Football Focus, and as one of the best guards in the country, period, when it came to protecting the quarterback.

Now that Keith Ismael has moved on to the NFL ranks, “Big Bill” looks to have the inside track toward becoming the face of what is annually one of the Mountain West’s most physical group of athletes.

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2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #48, Hawaii C Taaga Tuulima

The Hawaii Warriors center had a uniquely demanding workload that he handled with flying colors last fall.

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2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #48, Hawaii C Taaga Tuulima

The Warriors center had a uniquely demanding workload that he handled with flying colors last fall.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

One of the quietest, and biggest reasons, for last year’s successes.

Centers don’t usually receive a lot of attention if they aren’t making mistakes, but insightful football fans know a good one makes everything else work on offense and, when you’re as aggressive as the Hawaii Warriors have been over the last few years, having someone like the next athlete on our countdown of the Mountain West’s best football players is almost like a cheat code.

Taaga Tuulima received only an honorable mention from the Mountain West media in 2019, but you could make a pretty convincing argument that he was underappreciated. For one, he was named the team’s offensive MVP in December. On top of that, he enters 2020 as one of college football’s most unique players, according to Pro Football Focus:

That, in itself, is a significant reason why Hawaii improved its sack rate allowed from 8.2% in 2018 to 3.9% in 2019. While we don’t know just yet how new head coach Todd Graham will refine the offense that fans know and love, Tuulima should continue to be as integral to its successes as ever.

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2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: Honorable Mentions

Here is the list of Mountain West football players that got some love from our staff but did not make our top 50 in 2020.

2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: Honorable Mentions

Here is the list of Mountain West football players that got some love from our staff but did not make our top 50 in 2020.

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Who couldn’t quite make the cut this summer?

Before our countdown of Mountain West football’s top 50 players of 2020 gets underway, we kick things off with a nod to those athletes who didn’t quite receive enough support to make the cut in 2020.

See anyone you think should have made our top 50? Did we overlook your favorite player entirely? Join the discussion using the hashtag #MWwireTop50 on Twitter or leave us a comment on our Facebook page.

Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming

It’s a tall task having to step in and replace a pair of NFL Draft selections but Muma, who spent all of 2019 as the primary backup to both Logan Wilson and Cassh Maluia, managed to rack up 51 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack despite starting just two games. If he’s anywhere near as productive as the Cowboys’ departed linebacker duo, he’ll be a cinch to make our list in 2021.

Shaq Bond, S, Utah State

After his 2018 campaign was cut short by injury, the Decatur, Illinois native played like one of the Mountain West’s best safeties last fall, collecting 83 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions. That ability to do a little bit of everything will come in handy as the seasoned veteran in a reloading secondary.

Kyle Stapley, C, New Mexico

The Lobos’ running game may not have reached the same dizzying heights of the mid-2010s last fall, but it still finished second in the Mountain West on a per-carry basis in 2019 and that could not have happened without the steady anchors along the offensive line. Stapley, in particular, has been a fixture for the last two seasons, leading all UNM offensive linemen in snaps played during that time and, according to New Mexico, allowed just six pressures last fall.

Carson Strong, QB, Nevada

It wasn’t without its growing pains, but Strong’s first season at the helm in Reno was an overall success. He made ten starts for the Wolf Pack and completed 63.4% of his passes for 2,335 yards and 11 touchdowns against just seven interceptions. His last five starts, in particular, generated a lot of excitement as he improved to 6.8 yards per attempt and threw just one INT on his last 200 throws.

Kevin Atkins, DT, Fresno State

Interior linemen don’t often get a lot of notice, but Atkins was one of just 15 Mountain West defenders to rack up at least five sacks in 2019 and he led the Bulldogs defensive line with 31 tackles. Many of the stars from the 2017-18 peak have departed at this point, but Atkins is in a prime position to be the next disruptive great.

Randal Grimes, WR, UNLV

Grimes’s arrival back in his hometown came pretty late last off-season, but Rebels fans were certainly glad that he decided to join their program rather than head to Minnesota after he led the team with 44 catches and seven touchdowns. Furthermore, among Mountain West receivers who caught at least 40 passes, Grimes ranked fourth by averaging 15.8 yards per catch.

Matt Araiza, K, San Diego State

2019 saw a wealth of specialists emerge across the Mountain West, but the Aztecs’ redshirt freshman kicker made replacing John Baron II look easy. He now holds the program record with 22 field goals made in a single season and, among all FBS kickers, enters 2020 with the second-longest streak of games with at least one field goal made. All he needs now is a catchy nickname of his own…

The Complete List

Air Force — Milton Bugg III, Timothy Jackson, Lakota Wills

Boise State — Chase Cord, Jackson Cravens, Octavius Evans, Donte Harrington, Kekaniokoa Holomalia-Gonzalez, Robert Mahone, Ezekiel Noa, Markel Reed, Jack Sears, JL Skinner, Jake Stetz, CT Thomas, Demetri Washington

Colorado State — Rashad Ajayi, Ellison Hubbard, Dequan Jackson, Manny Jones, Logan Stewart, Barry Wesley

Fresno State — Kevin Atkins, Jordan Mims, Zane Pope, Syrus Tuitele

Hawaii — Khoury Bethley, Cortez Davis, Jonah Laulu, Penei Pavihi, Jeremiah Pritchard, Miles Reed

Nevada — Romeo Doubs, Berdale Robins, Carson Strong

New Mexico — Bryson Carroll, Tyson Dyer, Elijah Lilly, Donte Martin, Jerrick Reed II, Teton Saltes, Brandon Shook, Kyle Stapley, Tevaka Tuioti

San Diego State — Matt Araiza, Jesse Matthews, Caden McDonald, Kobe Smith, Zachary Thomas

San Jose State — Bailey Gaither, Cade Hall, Kyle Harmon, Kyle Hoppe, Tyler Nevens, Jack Snyder

UNLV — Noah Bean, Tyleek Collins, Julio Garcia, Randal Grimes

Utah State — Shaq Bond, Henry Colombi, Alfred Edwards, Nick Heninger, Kevin Meitzenheimer, Jordan Nathan, Justus Te’i, Carson Terrell

Wyoming — Keyon Blankenbaker, Logan Harris, Ravontae Holt, Mario Mora, Chad Muma, Rome Weber

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