Mountain West Football: Key Newcomers Atop Each Week 1 Depth Chart

All but one Mountain West team will play in Week 1. These new names atop the depth charts could be most crucial.

Wyoming — Jakorey Hawkins, CB

Not much has changed in the Cowboys’ depth chart from Week 0 to Week 1 — Craig Bohl has dispensed with being cute about the quarterback quandry following Saturday’s disaster — but one small wrinkle is that, while they’re stilled tied together with an “OR”, Hawkins is now listed ahead of fellow Power 5 transfer Deron Harrell at the cornerback position opposite Cameron Stone.

Utah State — Kyle Van Leeuwen, WR

Van Leeuwen feels like he’s been with the Aggies for ages and is just now getting his first extended opportunity on the field, but he didn’t waste it last week against UConn. He had three catches for 54 yards and a touchdown on six targets in the opener, proving plenty capable of doing the kind of damage that Brandon Bowling did from the slot last year.

New Mexico — Sherod White, RB

There was a lot of talk about Nathaniel Jones looking pretty sharp during fall camp, which makes it fairly surprising that the Lobos depth chart features four running backs… and no Jones. Instead, the juco transfer White should get first crack at establishing himself at the head of any committee, and given his track record of production, it may not take long for Lobos fans to miss Aaron Dumas.

Boise State — Latrell Caples, WR

There aren’t a ton of surprises in the Broncos’ projected lineup, but it appears the redshirt sophomore Caples will take on a big role in replacing the big hole left by Khalil Shakir and complementing the more establishing Stefan Cobbs. He only logged playing time in six games last year, catching four passes in all, but he’s now the leading edge of Boise State’s recent run of talented three-star pass catching recruits.

Hawaii — Leonard Lee, S

After highlighting the true freshman safety Matagi Thompson last week, it seems only fair to highlight his counterpart Lee headed into game two. He was an unexpected focal point of the Todd Graham fallout over the off-season and briefly left the team before returning to the roster and winning a starting spot in Jacob Yoro’s defense.

Despite the disappointing overall performance on defense, Lee himself played pretty well with six total tackles, two quarterback hurries and a pass breakup. Even if it takes time for the Warriors defense to settle in, Lee looks like someone ready to lead the way.

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