5. Boise State
Projected major contributors: Stefan Cobbs, Davis Koetter, Riley Smith (TE), Billy Bowens, Latrell Caples, Shea Whiting, Tynell Hopper (TE)
Unlike a number of other position groups at this point, the Broncos are much longer on promise among their pass catchers than in actual production and, with Khalil Shakir in the NFL, the time is now to rectify that.
This is where bringing in a legion of three-star recruits year after year helps, at least. Cobbs is the number one option while Koetter and Smith are reliable, if not terribly explosive, but there are a number of other options not even mentioned above, like Jalen Richmond and Eric McAlister, who could play their way into the rotation.
4. Air Force
Projected major contributors: DeAndre Hughes, Dane Kinamon, Kyle Patterson (TE), Micah Davis, David Cormier
Brandon Lewis made his last impression at the First Responder Bowl count, but the good news is that the Falcons return pretty much everyone else (though this may be bad news for defenses). If Kyle Patterson is back to 100% after a knee injury limited him to just four games in 2021, this offense has all the makings of a top-tier Falcons attack.
3. Colorado State
Projected major contributors: Dante Wright, Tory Horton, Melquan Stovall, Ty McCullouch, Gary Williams (TE), E.J. Scott, Peter Montini (TE)
Replacing Trey McBride is a tall task, but Fort Air Raid replenished its arsenal to do just that. Wright, Horton and Stovall can all create yards after the catch and get down the field, while Williams was a lot more productive than you thought in 2021 as McBride’s tight end partner. The only thing this Rams team doesn’t really have at present is a Cole Turner-type threat, but don’t be shocked if they’re highly productive without it.
2. San Jose State
Projected major contributors: Elijah Cooks, Isaiah Hamilton, Justin Lockhart, Dominick Mazotti (TE) Charles Ross, Jermaine Braddock, Sam Olson (TE), Malikhi Miller
Despite losing a fair bit of depth to the transfer portal, the Spartans deserve major props for shoring up all of those departures. Cooks, when healthy, is one of the best receivers in the Mountain West; Hamilton and Lockhart are similarly underrated since they haven’t had the volume of a typical WR1, but the former has averaged over 15 yards per catch in the last three seasons while the latter has improved his YPC year after year in that same time.
The biggest question left is whether the tight end tandem of Mazotti and Olson can keep up their ability to create chunk plays now that they’ll be responsible for more in Derrick Deese Jr.’s wake. If Chevan Cordeiro is up to the task, though, this could be the deepest passing game in the conference.
1. Fresno State
Projected major contributors: Jalen Cropper, Josh Kelly, Zane Pope, Ty Jones, Tre Watson (TE), Nikko Remigio, Raymond Pauwels Jr. (TE), Erik Brooks
For now, though, that title belongs to the Bulldogs and the calculus on it is pretty simple: Cropper is the headliner, but this is a group that has lost just two major contributors (Keric Wheatfall, Juan Rodriguez) to this point in the off-season and otherwise returns everyone else who caught at least ten passes in 2021. It’s the collective strength of the ensemble that could make this offense one of the Group of 5’s best, so while Wheatfall’s ability to get down the field and Rodriguez’s blocking won’t be easy to replace, this is as deep a unit as any on either side of the ball in this conference.
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