Tag: Jack Browning

Mountain West Football Media Reveals 2023 Preseason Players of the Year

Chevan Cordeiro, Easton Gibbs, and Jack Browning are named the Mountain West’s preseason players of the year.

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Mountain West Football Media Reveals 2023 Preseason Players of the Year

The conference media makes its picks for offensive, defensive, and special teams players of the year.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

A new trio of predicted standouts.

Mountain West football’s media days are underway this morning in Las Vegas and the conference wasted little time in announcing the media’s choices for preseason players of the year.

San Jose State quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, Wyoming linebacker Easton Gibbs, and San Diego State punter/kicker Jack Browning were named as offensive, defensive, and special teams players of the year, respectively.

Cordeiro’s first year in San Jose was a big success as he led the Spartans to a Famous Idaho Potato Bowl bid by completing 60.1% of his 427 attempts for a Mountain West-high 3,251 yards and 23 touchdowns against six interceptions. He also made the most of his mobility, as well, adding 265 rushing yards and nine more touchdowns on the ground.

Gibbs, meanwhile, took a few steps toward becoming the next great Cowboys linebacker by tallying 121 total tackles, the second-most in the conference, nine tackles for loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble.

Browning had a difficult task in replacing Matt Araiza, but he handled specialist duties with aplomb, finishing 20-of-25 on field goal tries as a kicker and leading the Mountain West with an average of 46.3 yards per punt, including a net of 42.3 and 28 kicks inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.

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San Diego State Football: Jack Browning Is MWwire’s 2023 Preseason Special Teams Player Of The Year

San Diego State still corners the market on quality specialists as we project the Aztecs punter/kicker to be the Mountain West’s best.

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San Diego State Football: Jack Browning Is Mountain West Wire’s 2023 Preseason Special Teams Player Of The Year

The Aztecs still corner the market on top-quality specialists as we project San Diego State’s punter/kicker to be the Mountain West’s singular best.

Contact/FollowΒ @MWCwire

A unique weapon in the Mountain West.

Mountain West Wire’s 2023 preseason honors:

All-Conference Teams | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Special Teams Player of the Year | Freshman of the Year | Newcomer of the Year | Coach of the Year | Coordinator of the Year

Replacing a punt god must look like an impossible task from the outside, but few programs in college football have as consistent a record of special teams excellence as San Diego State.

Though the Mountain West is still lousy with great specialists, Jack Browning stands alone. The conference’s official reigning special teams player of the year, Browning inherited punting and kicking duties from Matt Araiza and was more than up to the task. As a punter, Browning bested the rest of the Mountain West by over two full yards per punt, leading the way with an average of 46.1 with a net of 42.3, and pinned 28-of-68 kicks inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.

The Aztecs weren’t shy about letting Browning put points on the board, either, and he answered the bell by going a perfect 30-for-30 on extra point tries and 20-of-25 on field goals, including 5-of-9 from 40 yards and beyond. While the offense looks like it could be improved in 2023, you can be sure San Diego State will find every chance to put his unique skillset to good use.

Also received votes: Jonah Dalmas, K, Boise State; Matthew Dapore, K, Air Force; Tory Horton, PR, Colorado State; John Hoyland, K, Wyoming; Cooper Jones, PR, Utah State; Aaron Rodriguez, New Mexico; Matthew Shipley, Hawaii; Terrell Vaughn, KR, Utah State; Christian Washington, KR, New Mexico

Previous preseason STPofY honorees: 2022: Jordan Byrd, San Diego State |Β 2021: Savon Scarver, Utah State | 2020: Savon Scarver, Utah State | 2019: Savon Scarver, Utah State

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Mountain West Football: First Look at 2024 NFL Draft Prospects

George Holani, Jack Browning, and Cole Godbout headline the group of Mountain West football stars who could be NFL Draft picks next year.

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Mountain West Football: First Look At 2024 NFL Draft Prospects

Next year’s class of NFL prospects from the Mountain West is an interesting mix of stars and under-the-radar breakout candidates.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Who could be next April’s top players?

Air Force

As usual, it’s always tough to determine which cadets are most likely to be on the NFL’s radar, but the Falcons project to have a very stingy defense this fall and that could bode well for someone like Camby Goff. The defensive back from Reynoldsburg, Ohio has played all over the secondary, and often in the box, over the last two seasons and led Air Force in 2022 with three interceptions and nine passes defended while allowing just 42.9% of receiver targets to be caught. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, he’s definitely worth tuning in for.

In the mix: Trey Taylor, S; Everett Smalley, OT

Boise State

If the bounceback can last for another season, then it’s easy to think that NFL teams will be interested in running backΒ George Holani. Though he had help in the offensive backfield throughout 2022, Holani led the Broncos with 1,157 rushing yards and 13 total touchdowns while contributing 24 receptions for 151 yards to the passing game, as well.

The most enticing statistic, though? According to Pro Football Focus, Holani had 15 more missed tackles forced (70) than any other Mountain West running back. As usual, the Broncos are likely to have a handful of prospects worth following, but he may be something else entirely.

In the mix: Cade Beresford, OT; Stefan Cobbs, WR; DJ Schramm, LB

Colorado State

The Rams didn’t have a great 2023 as a team, butΒ Mohamed Kamara thrived under new defensive coordinator Freddie Banks. Among Mountain West defenders, the Newark native finished in a tie for fourth with 8.5 sacks and third with 16.5 tackles for loss while tallying 35 quarterback hurries. Now that he has a full year within Banks’ system under his belt, he should be in the conversation as the conference’s most disruptive player next season.

In the mix: Chigozie Anusiem, CB; Tory Horton, WR

Fresno State

The Bulldogs may not be quite as rife with prospects next year, but Levelle Bailey is an underrated defender who figures to anchor a veteran linebacker unit. Over the past two seasons, he’s racked up 144 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, and 13 passes defended; in 2022, Pro Football Focus credited him with 48 stops, tied for the second-most among all Mountain West players.

In the mix: Cam Lockridge, CB

Hawaii

The Warriors will have much more experience on hand in Timmy Chang‘s second year at the helm and, among their veteran group, Virdel Edwards II is someone who deserves more attention. After transferring in from Iowa State, he made a switch from safety to cornerback and became the top player, per PFF, in Hawaii’s secondary last year with a 71.4 overall grade. He tied for the team lead with three interceptions and broke up five passes while collecting 50 total tackles and, at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, has a blend of size and athleticism unlike many of his peers at the position throughout the Mountain West.

In the mix: Matthew Shipley, P/K; Cam Stone, CB; Solo Vaipulu, OL

Nevada

It might seem lazy to select a specialist here, butΒ Brandon Talton is no ordinary kicker. He announced himself back in 2019 by crushing a game-winning 56-yard field goal in the Wolf Pack’s season opener against Purdue, then connected on his first 13 field goal tries andΒ then, four years later, set the Mountain West record for career field goals made with a 80% success rate. Oh, and did we mention that includes making 20-of-31 of field goals from 40-plus yards? Nevada hasn’t been shy about letting him use his cannon leg to put points on the board over the years.

In the mix: Dalevon Campbell, WR

New Mexico

One of the few mainstays on a Lobos defense that’s seen plenty of upheaval over the past two off-seasons,Β Donte Martin is back to make another argument that he’ll belong in the NFL this time next year. Since breaking into the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman in 2019, Martin has defended 27 passes and, according to Pro Football Focus, he had his best season yet in 2022 with an overall grade of 74.0. If UNM has a resurgence this fall, Martin is likely to be a big reason why.

In the mix: Dylan Hopkins, QB; Aaron Rodriguez, P

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