5. San Jose State
Projected starters/depth: Nehemiah Shelton (CB), Tre Jenkins (S), Tre White (S?), Kenyon Reed (CB), Ryan Nixon, Mikale Greer, B.J. Johnson
The Spartans have a projected starting secondary that should be rock solid, if nothing else, but what holds them back here is a lack of proven depth. Greer might get first crack at nickel duties after seeing most of his time there in 2021, but others like Nixon and Johnson and Zavion Reese only played sparingly last season and have plenty to prove with more likely to end up on their plates. Whoever can help the defense improve upon its 1.5% team interception rate could earn themselves a substantial boost in reps.
4. Air Force
Projected starters/depth: Zion Kelly (CB), Camby Goff (S), Trey Taylor (S), Michael Mack II (CB?), Eion Castonguay, Jalen Mergerson, Jayden Goodwin
Having to replace Tre Bugg and Corvan Taylor won’t be easy, but bringing back Trey Taylor, the rangy Goff (who actually ended last year atop the depth chart as an outside linebacker) and a trio of cornerbacks who each started at least two games last season still puts the Falcons in a really good place overall. This unit’s ceiling may depend on how much Kelly, Mack II, and Castonguay develop, especially since you can bet that both Troy Calhoun and new defensive coordinator Brian Knorr are aware they allowed about two full yards more per pass attempt in the last five games of 2021.
3. Fresno State
Projected starters/depth: Cale Sanders Jr. (CB), Evan Williams (S), Elijah Gates (S), Cameron Lockridge (CB?), Justin Houston, Emari Pait, Bralyn Lux, Kosi Agina, L.J. Early, Reggie Strong
The Bulldogs may not have the high-end star power of the teams ahead of them here, but the unit as a whole might be the deepest anywhere in the Mountain West. Williams definitely earned his all-conference nod last year and Sanders Jr. improved over the course of the season, while Houston and Pait were as well-rounded at the Husky position as expected.
The biggest open question at this point is who will start alongside Sanders Jr., though a strong spring performance almost certainly gives Lockridge, who was Hawaii’s highest-graded cornerback last season according to Pro Football Focus, a leg up.
2. San Diego State
Projected starters/depth: Noah Tumblin (CB), CJ Baskerville (S), Patrick McMorris (S), Cedarious Barfield (S), Dallas Branch (CB), Noah Avinger
Once again, the Aztecs find themselves in a position where they must replace multiple starters, but that’s just standard operating procedure for this defense. Baskerville is a rising star who, along with McMorris and Barfield, give this team a very good trio on the back end while Tumblin, Branch, Avinger, and Dezhjon Malone could all probably start. In all, it’s a good problem to have, but it’ll be a team effort to tighten up after getting pushed a few times in the second half last year.
1. Boise State
Projected starters/depth: Caleb Biggers (CB), JL Skinner (S), Tyreque Jones (S), Tyriq LeBeauf (CB), Kaonohi Kaniho (NB), Markel Reed, Rodney Robinson, Seyi Oladipo
The Broncos have questions, sure, but this ain’t one of them. Skinner and Jones have a strong case as the Mountain West’s top safety tandem while the cornerback rotation features a healthy mix of veterans (Biggers, LeBeauf, Reed) and young talent (Kaniho, Robinson, Oladipo). If everyone stays healthy and plays up to their collective potential, Boise State could end up being one of the toughest teams in the nation to throw against.
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