Tag: San Jose State Football

Former UCLA assistant Ken Niumatalolo picks up 1st win of 2024 season

Ken Niumatalolo, who was an assistant at UCLA last season picked up his first head coaching win of the 2024 with San Jose State.

Ken Niumatalolo, who came to UCLA last season for one season as the tight ends coach picked up his first win as the head coach at San Jose State this weekend.

Initially, Niumatalolo came to Westwood to be the director of leadership, but then was the acting tight ends coach for the bowl game. He left the position in the middle of July to take the job at San Jose State.

This is not the first head coaching job for Niumatalolo. He was the head coach from 2008 through 2022 with the Navy Midshipmen. His career was strong there, winning 109 games. He was fired following three straight losing seasons. In his career at Navy, he won six out of 11 bowl games.

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The Spartans got off to a slow start, trailing 17-14 at halftime. The second half was strong with 28 points, including 21 in the fourth quarter. San Jose State plays out of the Mountain West Conference. Next week, they will take on Air Force on the road.

EasyPost Hawaii Bowl: Game Preview, How To Watch, Odds, Prediction

San Jose State and Coastal Carolina will battle on the islands to close out 2023. Here’s how to watch and what to watch for.

 

EasyPost Hawaii Bowl: Game Preview, How To Watch, Odds, Prediction

The San Jose State Spartans and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers will battle on the islands to close out 2023. Here’s how to watch and what to watch for.

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Who will gift themselves a pre-Christmas W?

EASYPOST HAWAII BOWL: Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (7-5, 5-3 Sun Belt) vs. San Jose State Spartans (7-5, 6-2 Mountain West)

WHEN: Saturday, December 23 — 7:30 PM PT/8:30 PM MT

WHERE: Clarence T.C. Ching Complex; Honolulu, HI

WEATHER: Isolated showers and breezy, low of 73 degrees

TV: ESPN

STREAMING: Fans can sign up to receive a free one-week trial of Fubo, which includes ESPN, by following this link.

RADIO: The Coastal Carolina broadcast can be found on the affiliates of the Chanticleer Sports Radio Network, including flagship 99.5 FM (WRNN) in Myrtle Beach. The San Jose State broadcast can be found in and around San Jose on 860 AM (KTRB).

SERIES RECORD: This is the first meeting between Coastal Carolina and San Jose State.

LAST GAME: Coastal Carolina lost to James Madison at home, 56-14, while San Jose State defeated UNLV on the road, 37-31.

WEBSITES: GoCCUSports.com, the official Coastal Carolina athletics website | SJSUSpartans.com, the official San Jose State athletics website

GAME NOTES (PDF): Coastal Carolina | San Jose State

ODDS: San Jose State -9.5

SP+ PROJECTION: San Jose State by 1.0

FEI PROJECTION: San Jose State by 6.5

PARKER FLEMING PROJECTION: San Jose State 64.50% win probability (31.51-26.58)

As bowl season picks up in earnest, the Saturday nightcap will be the Hawaii Bowl, featuring two teams at 7-5, albeit with very different credentials: San Jose State, winners of their last six, and Coastal Carolina, who lost their last two. Both the Spartans and the Chanticleers will look to continue their offensive prowess, led by Chevan Cordeiro and Ethan Vasko, respectively. (Grayson McCall has since transferred to N.C. State.)

Both teams come in averaging more than 400 yards per game, and one would expect the offensive fireworks to continue one more time. The transfer portal has impacted both teams for this game, but at their heart these two teams are driven by offenses that will look to attack, early and often.

The game will also represent a homecoming of sorts for Chevan Cordeiro, having been raised in Hawaii and starting his collegiate career at the University of Hawaii.

Here’s how the Chanticleers and Spartans can win the 2023 Hawaii Bowl.

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Three Keys to a Coastal Carolina Victory

1. Protect Ethan Vasko.

Grayson McCall has moved on to N.C. State and Vasko is named the starter for this game. He will need time to throw and settle in early for the Chanticleers to have a shot in this game.

2. Establish the running game.

A running game will take a lot of pressure off Vasko and allow the game to play at a slower pace, all while controlling time of possession.

3. Prepare a trick play (or two)

An onside kick, flea flicker, something that breaks up the norm could go a long way in a closely-contested game like this

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Three Keys to a San Jose State Victory

1. Establish the running game.

Kairee Robinson and Quali Conley are among the leaders in the conference, and as with Coastal Carolina, the running game can control time of possession will keep the Chanticleers offense on the sidelines.

2. Establish a viable tight end in the offense.

Dominick Mazzotti has entered the transfer portal and provided a reliable receiver for Cordeiro in many a situation. Cordeiro will need to rely on a new tight end to take the pressure off his wide receivers.

3. Establish the defensive line pressure

The Spartans’ defense has proven to be opportunistic, a bend-but-not-break type, especially for its front seven. If San Jose State can get in the Chanticleers’ backfield and disrupt, that can prove to be effective as well.

Prediction

Based on the statistics, expect a high-scoring affair, with both offenses eager to finish their seasons on a high note. The Spartans’ running game should be the difference maker, however, controlling time of possession and limiting the Chanticleer offense time on the field.

San Jose State 37, Coastal Carolina 33

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Hawaii Bowl: First Look At The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

San Jose State will end its season against a Sun Belt opponent that’s dealt with plenty of its own adversity this year.

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Hawaii Bowl: First Look At The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

San Jose State will end its season against a Sun Belt opponent that’s dealt with plenty of its own adversity this year.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

The Spartans face a team in flux.

The San Jose State Spartans will play in their third bowl game in four seasons when they face the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in this year’s Easypost Hawaii Bowl. For their part, Coastal is also in a bowl game for the fourth straight year, but the vibes around both teams might be, for the moment, significantly different.

While SJSU is in the midst of a six-game winning streak, their opponent is in the midst of grappling with regression from the heights they reached just two seasons ago. The pressure is on, then, for Coastal Carolina to head into the off-season with some momentum behind the unavoidable transition to a new chapter.

Here’s what San Jose State fans need to know about the Chanticleers.

2023 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers — Team Profile

Conference: Sun Belt

2023 Record: 7-5 (5-3 Sun Belt)

SP+ ranking: 76th

FEI ranking: 86th

Sagarin rating: 86th

Head coach: Tim Beck (first year)

2023 in a nutshell: This fall, the “Chants” became some of the latest proof that things can change quickly in college football. Just two years removed from back-to-back 11-win campaigns, Coastal Carolina began 2-3, dropping their first two conference games, before rallying to win five games in a row. That turnaround came at a price, however, as star quarterback Grayson McCall was lost for the season to a head injury in October.

It was also shortlived since the Chanticleers ended the regular season with back-to-back losses to Army and James Madison. Since then, McCall has led a substantial exodus of talent to the transfer portal, meaning the CCU squad that takes the field in Hawaii will look different from the one that fought their way to seven wins in the rough-and-tumble Sun Belt.

Best wins: vs. Jacksonville State (8-4), at Appalachian State (8-5), at Old Dominion (6-6)

Key Players

Sam Pinckney, WR

After spending four seasons at Georgia State, Pinckney’s two seasons in Myrtle Beach have been productive enough to rewrite the record books. After leading Coastal with 64 catches, 904 yards, and seven touchdowns in 2023, the Greenwood, South Carolina native now holds the Sun Belt record for career receiving yards and established a new NCAA benchmark with a 57-game streak of at least one reception.

Clayton Isbell, S

A former freshman All-American at FCS Illinois State, Isbell transferred to Coastal after a one-year stint at Utah and landed on the third-team all-Sun Belt defense in 2023. According to Pro Football Focus, the super senior played a total of 738 snaps and made 34 stops among 86 total tackles, all of which were the most of any Chanticleers defender. He also chipped in with 4.5 tackles for loss, five passes defended, and four interceptions, so don’t be shocked if Isbell’s name comes up early and often since he could be just about anywhere.

Will McDonald, G

A two-year starter at left guard, McDonald hardly missed a snap for the Chanticleers this year and played 781 in all, allowing only one quarterback sack and eight total hurries. For that, he was named a member of the Sun Belt’s third-team all-conference offense, so Spartans defenders may find it tough to make much headway in the interior.

Micheal Mason, DL

Few athletes at any level play well enough to make four straight all-conference teams, but that’s exactly what Mason did at Wofford in the FCS’s Southern Conference from 2019 to 2022. After becoming the first Terrier ever to accomplish that feat, he transferred to CCU to play his super senior season with the Chanticleers, so while he only merited an honorable mention from the Sun Belt in 2023, Mason did lead the team with six sacks and nine tackles for loss.

Matthew McDoom, CB

The lone sophomore starter on a veteran-heavy defense, McDoom had a quality campaign after primarily contributing on special teams last year. Per PFF, he held opposing receivers to a 50% catch rate when targeted and gave up 11.6 yards per reception, making 24 total tackles while tying for the team lead with six passes defended.

Overview:

Offense

After two high-flying seasons as a top-ten offense in 2020 and 2021, the Chanticleers have regressed to the mean over the last two years and finished the regular season as almost exactly an average unit, ranking 66th in points per drive (2.19) despite finishing 29th in available yards percentage earned per drive (54.0%). One big reason for this was a season-long struggle to finish drives: Coastal has converted 74.51% of their red zone opportunities into points (119th in FBS), and just 45.1% of those trips resulted in a touchdown (130th).

Losing McCall almost certainly had an impact, but even he wasn’t as mistake-free as he’d been throughout the program’s peak: He averaged 8.6 yards per attempt, but that was the lowest YPA of his collegiate career. McCall also threw six interceptions in 224 attempts, a 2.7% rate that, believe it or not, was two-and-a-half times higher than what he posted from 2020 to 2022. With he and backup Jarrett Guest gone through the transfer portal, starting quarterback duties will fall to redshirt freshman Ethan Vasko, who has started three of the last five games and averaged 271.7 yards of total offense per game in November.

He won’t be the only relatively new face in the mix for the Chants on offense, though, since running back CJ Beasley and wide receiver Jared Brown, the Sun Belt’s freshman of the year in 2022, are both gone, as well. Braydon Bennett and Reese White have been the nominal starters at running back most of the year, but youngsters Max Balthazar and Ja’Vin Simpkins could see more reps in Beasley’s absence.

The offensive line is relatively stable, at least, with the same group of five starting the final six games of the regular season. McDonald and tackles Nick Del Grande and Zovon Lindsey headline a unit that held up well in pass protection, allowing just 16 sacks in 12 games.

As for replacing Brown, Coastal has a handful of intriguing options to pull attention away from Pinckney in the passing game. Tight end Kendall Karr (21 catches, 232 yards, four touchdowns) and wide receivers Jameson Tucker (19-395-3) and Kyre Duplessis (14-223-1) could all factor in with a few targets against the Spartans secondary.

Defense

Much like their offensive counterparts, the best descriptor for the Coastal defense in 2023 might just be “fine”. They allowed opponents to earn 49% of available yards per drive on average (78th in FBS) and gave up 2.23 points per drive (67th), propelled in part by 21 takeaways but equally hindered by an overall lack of disruption that’s evidenced by a 15.3% defensive havoc rate. Just one player, Mason, managed more than five tackles for loss in the regular season, which might be a problem against a San Jose State running game that’s surged as the year has progressed.

Also like the CCU offense, the ranks may be thinned by the transfer portal here, too, with Braylon Ryan and JT Killen the most noteworthy names. It’s still a veteran-heavy group at every level, though: On the defensive line, Will Whitson started the last seven games and contributed five TFLs and three sacks while Kennedy Roberts has appeared in 59 games dating back to 2019. Nickelback Juan Powell transferred in after four year at East Carolina and chipped in five TFLs and six pass breakups. Isbell and cornerback Keonte Lusk (five passes defended, three interceptions) anchor a secondary that features four different players who have picked off at least two passes in 2023.

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Mountain West Football’s Updated 2024 Matchups Released

Mountain West Football’s Updated 2024 Matchups Released The Mountain West revised its college football schedule to include games against wayward Oregon State and Washington State. Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire What’s new? The vagaries of …

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Mountain West Football’s Updated 2024 Matchups Released

The Mountain West revised its college football schedule to include games against wayward Oregon State and Washington State.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

What’s new?

The vagaries of college football realignment didn’t directly impact the Mountain West Conference over the last calendar year, but the shockwaves of moves across the country resulted today in a revised slate of matchups that includes the Oregon State Beavers and Washington State Cougars, the two Pac-12 programs left behind by their conference mates’ exodus.

When it was announced that the conference would do away with the Mountain and West divisions in 2022, the conference announced a rotation that would protect two games for each team and extend through the 2025 season. A multitude of Power 5 programs had other plans, however, and when the Big 12, Big Ten, and ACC raided the Pac-12 for ten of its teams throughout 2023, it left Oregon State and Washington State standing alone.

Here are the home and away games that the Mountain West had previously unveiled for 2024:

Air Force, Nevada, and San Diego State will host the Beavers while Boise State, Fresno State, and New Mexico will do the same for the Cougars. Conversely, Colorado State, San Jose State, and UNLV will travel to Corvallis; Hawaii, Utah State, and Wyoming will head to Pullman. None of the games will count as part of the conference standings, however, meaning that each Mountain West team will have seven conference games rather than the usual eight.

The changes, as you might expect, have differing impacts on every Mountain West team’s pre-existing schedule. Air Force, for instance, will get to face Oregon State at home instead of Hawaii, but Colorado State now travels to Oregon State and Nevada rather than Boise and San Diego. As DNVR Sports’s Justin Michael noted, it will be the first time since 2010 that the Rams and Broncos do not face each other. Similarly, Wyoming will now host San Diego State and Utah State rather than Nevada and UNLV.

One interesting twist is that the two teams who played in the Mountain West championship game this month, Boise State and UNLV, are now set to square off at Allegiant Stadium rather than Albertsons Stadium next year. Exact dates for the Mountain West schedule will be released at a later time, but next year’s title game is slated for Saturday, December 7, 2024.

Air Force

Home – Colorado State, Fresno State, San Jose State, Oregon State
Away – Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, Wyoming

Boise State

Home – Nevada, San Diego State, Utah State, Washington State
Away – Hawaii, San Jose State, UNLV, Wyoming

Colorado State

Home – New Mexico, San Jose State, Utah State, Wyoming
Away – Air Force, Fresno State, Nevada, Oregon State

Fresno State

Home – Colorado State, Hawaii, San Jose State, Washington State
Away – Air Force, Nevada, New Mexico, UNLV

Hawaii

Home – Boise State, Nevada, New Mexico, UNLV
Away – Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State, Washington State

Nevada

Home – Air Force, Colorado State, Fresno State, Oregon State
Away – Boise State, Hawaii, San Jose State, UNLV

New Mexico

Home – Air Force, Fresno State, Wyoming, Washington State
Away – Colorado State, Hawai‘i, San Diego State, Utah State

San Diego State

Home – Air Force, Hawaii, New Mexico, Oregon State
Away – Boise State, UNLV, Utah State, Wyoming

San Jose State

Home – Boise State, Nevada, UNLV, Wyoming
Away – Air Force, Colorado State, Fresno State, Oregon State

UNLV

Home – Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada, San Diego State
Away – Hawaii, San Jose State, Utah State, Oregon State

Utah State

Home – Hawaii, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV
Away – Boise State, Colorado State, Wyoming, Washington State

Wyoming

Home – Air Force, Boise State, San Diego State, Utah State
Away – Colorado State, New Mexico, San Jose State, Washington State

Oregon State

Home – Colorado State, San Jose State, UNLV
Away – Air Force, Nevada, San Diego State

Washington State

Home – Hawaii, Utah State, Wyoming
Away – Boise State, Fresno State, New Mexico

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Mountain West Football: 2023 Bowl Season Opt-Out And Transfer Tracker

The transfer portal is open. NFL Draft prep looms. Business decisions are made. Which players will sit out the Mountain West’s bowl games?

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Mountain West Football: 2023 Bowl Season Opt-Out and Transfer Tracker

The transfer portal is open. NFL Draft prep looms. Business decisions are made. Which players will sit out the Mountain West’s bowl games?

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Not all the stars will be out in December.

December marks perhaps the busiest time of college football season. Between the upcoming slate of bowl games, the official opening of the transfer portal, and buzz surrounding the game’s brightest stars and their standing in next year’s NFL Draft, players have plenty on their minds when deciding how to finish their season.

Not everyone will choose to stay on the field, though. Check back here throughout the month as we watch which athletes opt out of bowl season, both among the Mountain West’s seven bowl teams and their opponents.

Note: Significant contributors among opponents will be noted in italics.

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Air Force

  • Aidan Behymer, TE
  • Caden Blum, DL
  • Mason Carlan, OL
  • John Lee Eldridge III, RB
  • Jonah Jensen, QB
  • Brady Phillips, DL
  • Caleb Rillos, TE
  • Jarius Stewart, QB
  • Anthony Wenson, WR

James Madison

  • Brent Austin, DB
  • Kaelon Black, RB — team-high 594 rushing yards, 23 catches, 220 receiving yards in 2023
  • James Carpenter, DL — FCS Freshman All-American in 2021; two-time all-Sun Belt
  • Aiden Fisher, LB — third-team all-Sun Belt, 91 tackles, seven passes defended, six tackles for loss in 2023
  • Desmond Green, WR
  • Zach Horton, TE — first-team all-Sun Belt, 26 catches, 266 yards, six touchdowns in 2023
  • Taurus Jones, LB — first-team all-Sun Belt, 82 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss in 2022
  • Mikail Kamara, DL — second-team all-Sun Belt, 18.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks in 2023
  • Wayne Knight, RB
  • Ty Son Lawton, RB — 742 all-purpose yards, six total touchdowns in 2023
  • Chauncey Logan, DB — 42 tackles, four tackles for loss, six passes defended in 2023
  • Carter Miller, OL — redshirt freshman, nine starts, 639 snaps at left guard in 2023
  • Abi Nwabuoku-Okonji, DL
  • Tyler Stephens, OL — 30 career starts; four starts each at left guard, right tackle, left tackle in 2023
  • Jailin Walker, LB — 30 career starts; 55 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, four passes defended in 2023
  • Tyshawn Wyatt, OL

Starco Brands LA Bowl, Hosted By Gronk

Boise State 

  • Taylen Green, QB
  • Eric McAlister, WR
  • Keenan McCaddy, DB
  • Kivon Wright, DL

UCLA

  • Kam Brown, WR
  • Keegan Jones, WR
  • Laiatu Latu, DL — Ted Hendricks Award winner, Lombardi Award winner, Pac-12 defensive player of the year in 2023
  • Dante Moore, QB — five-star true freshman, five starts in 2023
  • William Nimmo Jr., DB
  • Kamari Ramsey, DB — redshirt freshman safety, 11 starts in 2023
  • Carsen Ryan, TE
  • Jake Wiley, OL

Isleta New Mexico Bowl

Fresno State

  • Tanner Blount, LB
  • Logan Fife, QB
  • Chrishawn Gordon, DB
  • Abraham Montaño, K
  • Hayden Pulis, OL
  • Raymond Scott, LB

New Mexico State

  • Reggie Akles, WR
  • Ta’ir Brooks, WR
  • Jamari Buddin, LB
  • Tyler Devera, TE
  • Trent Hudson, WR — 36 catches, 571 yards, team-high ten touchdowns in 2023
  • PJ Johnson, WR
  • Malachi McLean, DB
  • Jordin Parker, WR
  • Tyriece Thomas, DL

EasyPost Hawaii Bowl

San Jose State

  • Branden Alvarez, WR
  • Fernando Carmona Jr., OL
  • Blake Davis, DB
  • Charlie Leota, DL
  • Anthony Madrigal, OL
  • Dominick Mazotti, TE
  • Elijah Wood, LB

Coastal Carolina

  • CJ Beasley, RB — team-high 717 rushing yards in 2022; 262 rushing yards, two touchdowns in 2023
  • Mason Bowers, OL
  • Jahmar Brown, DB
  • Jared Brown, WR — 2022 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year; 108 career receptions, 1,534 career receiving yards, 11 career touchdowns
  • Bailey Carraway, LB
  • Evan Crenshaw, P — sophomore; 83 career punts, 39.7 career yards per punt
  • Aaron Diggs, DB
  • Jarrett Guest, QB — two starts in 2023 following injury to Grayson McCall
  • Eli Hillman, DB
  • Kaleb Hutchinson, DB
  • Tavyn Jackson, DB
  • JT Killen, LB — 25 career starts; 65 tackles, three tackles for loss in 2023
  • Derrick Maxey, DB
  • Grayson McCall, QB — three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year
  • Tyson Mobley, WR
  • Tre Pinkney, LB
  • Jacob Proche, DB
  • Chris Rhone, WR
  • Braylon Ryan, DL — 38 career games, 21 career starts; 24 tackles, two tackles for loss in 2023
  • Laurence Sullivan, DB
  • Bryson Summers, OL
  • Dami’on Thompson, WR
  • Donnell Wilson, OL

Guaranteed Rate Bowl

UNLV

  • Jordan Jakes, WR
  • Jordyn Morgan, DB

Kansas

  • Will Huggins, TE
  • Reece Thomas, WR

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Utah State

  • William Testa, K
  • Josh Williams, LB

Georgia State

  • KZ Adams, RB
  • Rico Arnold, WR
  • Bryquice Brown, DB — 42 career games; 35 tackles, six passes defended in nine games
  • Marcus Carroll, RB — first-team all-Sun Belt, 1,350 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns
  • Montavious Cunningham, OL — redshirt sophomore, 15 career starts, 737 snaps at right tackle in 2023
  • Jaquon Dixon, RB
  • Cameron Dye, OL
  • Evan Graham, LB
  • JayT Jackson, DB
  • Jordan Jones, LB
  • Robert Lewis, WR — led team with 70 catches, 877 yards, five receiving touchdowns
  • Tony McCray, DB
  • Jalen Tate, DB

Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl

Wyoming

  • DQ James, RB
  • Kolbey Taylor, DB

Toledo

  • Dequan Finn, QB — three-time all-MAC, 2023 MAC Vern Smith Leadership Award winner (conference MVP)
  • Jaret Frantz, WR
  • Micah Kelly, RB
  • Brad Ling, K
  • Vinny Sciury, OL — first-team all-MAC in 2023, 836 snaps at left guard
  • Ty Thomas, DL

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Mountain West Wire’s 2023 Postseason All-Conference Football Team

Who did our staff pick as the best of the best in Mountain West football this season?

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Mountain West Wire Presents Its 2023 Postseason All-Mountain West Football Teams

Our staff has made its selections for the best of Mountain West football as we close out the 2023 season.

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Only the best of the best make the cut.

Mountain West Wire’s 2023 postseason 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

With the Mountain West’s regular season in the books and the conference championship game just one day away, our staff here at Mountain West Wire has once again put its collective heads together to create our fifth annual postseason all-Mountain West football team.

If you’re interested in seeing how these selections stack up against our preseason picks, click here. Alternatively, you can click the following links to find our postseason honorees from 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018.

As always, our all-conference roster goes four deep and attempts to best reflect the variety of offenses and defenses we see week in and week out throughout the conference:

  • We vote for a Defensive Flex player to better reflect that some units — like Boise State, San Diego State, and Wyoming — often operate with five defensive backs or a nickelback/linebacker hybrid in their 3-3-5 or 4-2-5.
  • We split our linebacker selections into two, inside and outside, as we’d previously differentiated between centers, guards, and tackles on the offensive lines and between interior linemen and edge rushers on defense.
  • We vote for three wide receivers instead of two.

If you disagree with our choices, feel free to let us know what you’d have done differently on Twitter or Facebook.

First Team

Offense

QB – Chevan Cordeiro, San Jose State
RB – Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
RB – Jacory Croskey-Merritt, New Mexico
RB – Kairee Robinson, San Jose State
WR – Tory Horton, Colorado State
WR – Ricky White, UNLV
WR – Jalen Royals, Utah State
TE – Dallin Holker, Colorado State
C – Thor Paglialong, Air Force
G – Mark Hiestand, Air Force
G – Wesley Ndago, Air Force
T – Adam Karas, Air Force
T – Cade Beresford, Boise State

Defense

DT – Jordan Bertagnole, Wyoming
DT – Payton Zdroik, Air Force
DE – Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State
DE – Ahmed Hassanein, Boise State
OLB – Jackson Woodard, UNLV
OLB – Bo Richter, Air Force
ILB – Easton Gibbs, Wyoming
ILB – MJ Tafisi, Utah State
CB – Cameron Oliver, UNLV
CB – Jay’Vion Cole, San Jose State
CB – Carlton Johnson, Fresno State
S – Ike Larsen, Utah State
S – Wyatt Ekeler, Wyoming
FLEX – Morice Norris Jr., Fresno State

Special Teams

K – Jose Pizano, UNLV
P – James Ferguson-Reynolds, Boise State
KR – Jacob De Jesus, UNLV
PR – Jacob De Jesus, UNLV

Second Team

Offense

QB – Jayden Maiava, UNLV
RB – Malik Sherrod, Fresno State
RB – Emmanuel Michel, Air Force
WR – Steven McBride, Hawaii
WR – Terrell Vaughn, Utah State
WR – Pofele Ashlock, Hawaii
TE – Mark Redman, San Diego State
C – Jacob Gardner, Colorado State
G – Mose Vavao, Fresno State
G – Wes King, Wyoming
T – Frank Crum, Wyoming
T – Kage Casey, Boise State

Defense

DT – Soane Toia, San Jose State
DT – Cole Godbout, Wyoming
DE – P.J. Ramsey, Air Force
DE – Tre Smith, San Jose State
OLB – Levelle Bailey, Fresno State
OLB – Andrew Simpson, Boise State
ILB – Alec Mock, Air Force
ILB – Bryun Parham, San Jose State
CB – Noah Tumblin, San Diego State
CB – Donte Martin, New Mexico
S – Trey Taylor, Air Force
S – Jack Howell, Colorado State
FLEX – Seyi Oladipo, Boise State

Special Teams

K – Jonah Dalmas, Boise State
P – Marshall Nichols, UNLV
KR – Jaelen Gill, Fresno State
PR – Tory Horton, Colorado State

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San Jose State Football: Spartans To Face Coastal Carolina In EasyPost Hawaii Bowl

The Spartans will head to the Hawaiian islands once again to close 2023 against the Chanticleers.

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San Jose State Football: Spartans To Face Coastal Carolina In EasyPost Hawaii Bowl

The Spartans will head to the Hawaiian islands once again to close 2023 against the Chanticleers.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

An early Christmas gift for the surging Spartans.

The EasyPost Hawaii Bowl made a triumphant return to college football’s postseason scene last season, following a two-year hiatus, and is now one of the first games on the scene with a matchup in place for December: The San Jose State Spartans will clash with the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, first reported by Action Network’s Brett McMurphy.

After starting 2023 with a 1-5 record, Brent Brennan’s Spartans ended the regular season with a six-game winning streak, including rivalry wins over Hawaii and Fresno State and a season-ending road victory over UNLV, though the computers didn’t favor them in a three-way tiebreaker for the Mountain West championship game. The consolation comes with some intriguing narratives, however, namely that star quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, a native of the islands who transferred from Hawaii before the 2022 season, will get one last chance to impress before a home crowd.

Coastal Carolina, meanwhile, secured bowl eligibility for the fourth straight season under first-year head coach Tim Beck with a 7-5 record, but they had plenty of their own challenges in the fiercely competitive Sun Belt Conference. For instance, star quarterback Grayson McCall only appeared in seven games before being lost for the season to injury and recently left the program for the transfer portal.

This year’s Hawaii Bowl is not on Christmas Eve but will take place the day before on Saturday, December 23. It will be broadcast on ESPN, kicking off at 5:30 PM local time (7:30 PM Pacific/8:30 PM Mountain).

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Mountain West Football: 2023 Postseason All-Conference Team, Individual Honors Announced

The regular season is in the books. Here are the all-Mountain West teams, players of the year, and coach of the year.

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Mountain West Football: 2023 Postseason All-Conference Team, Individual Honors Announced

The regular season is in the books. Here are the all-Mountain West teams, players of the year, and coach of the year.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Only the best of the best.

The Mountain West football season is nearly complete, but before Saturday’s championship tilt between Boise State and UNLV and bowl games after that, the conference media announced its selections for the all-Mountain West two-deep and individual awards.

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty earned the nod as the Mountain West’s offensive player of the year, becoming the first sophomore to do so since Nevada’s Carson Strong in 2020. Though he was limited to just ten games because of injury, the Broncos’ super sophomore led the conference with 110.9 rushing yards per game and 164.6 all-purpose yards per game and finished second with 18 total touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, Jeanty’s 92.4 overall grade also led the Mountain West and ranked third among all FBS running backs.

Colorado State’s Mohamed Kamara was tabbed as the Mountain West’s defensive player of the year, the first Ram to be decorated as such since Shaquil Barrett in 2013. His 13 sacks and 17 tackles for loss both paced the conference, as did the 35 quarterback hurries for which he was credited by PFF, while his 83.2 overall grade is third-best among all Mountain West defenders.

Meanwhile, UNLV kicker Jose Pizano stepped up to win the conference’s special teams player of the year award. After transferring in from Missouri State, Pizano led the Mountain West in connecting on 23-of-25 field goals, including a perfect 16-of-16 inside of 40 yards, and finished second overall with 119 total points. That made him just the second Rebel to crack the century mark dating back to 2009.

UNLV quarterback Jayden Maiava was named the conference’s freshman of the year, becoming the fourth Rebel in the last seven seasons to earn the honor. He stepped into a difficult situation when incumbent starter Doug Brumfield was sidelined by injury in September, but the Vegas native stepped up and finished the regular season with a 64.1% completion rate, 2,626 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and a 2.1% interception rate. More than any of the other individual awards, this one may have been a foregone conclusion after Maiava had already earned freshman of the week five times throughout 2023, a conference first.

Lastly, UNLV’s Barry Odom became the first Rebels head coach since John Robinson in 2000 to be named the Mountain West’s coach of the year. After taking over from Marcus Arroyo, Odom shepherded the Rebels to a 9-3 record, the team’s highest single-season win total since 1984, engineering an offense that led the conference with 35.5 points per game and a defense that tied for first with 22 total giveaways and led the way in allowing a 34.6% third-down conversion rate.

As for the all-conference teams, every program has at least one player on this year’s postseason honor roll. UNLV leads the way with six first-team selections, while three players — Wyoming’s Easton Gibbs and Colorado State’s Jack Howell and Tory Horton — each earned their second postseason first-team appearance.

2023 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL FIRST TEAM

Offense

QB – Chevan Cordeiro, San Jose State
WR – Tory Horton, Colorado State
WR – Ricky White, UNLV
WR – Jalen Royals, Utah State
RB – Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
RB – Kairee Robinson, San Jose State
TE – Dallin Holker, Colorado State
OL – Thor Paglialong, Air Force
OL – Cade Beresford, Boise State
OL – JC Davis, New Mexico
OL – Tiger Shanks, UNLV
OL – Frank Crum, Wyoming
PK – Jose Pizano, UNLV
KR – Jacob De Jesus, UNLV

Defense

DL – PJ Ramsey, Air Force
DL – Ahmed Hassanein, Boise State
DL – Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State
DL – Tre Smith, San Jose State
LB – Bo Richter, Air Force
LB – Jackson Woodard, UNLV
LB – MJ Tafisi, Utah State
LB – Easton Gibbs, Wyoming
DB – Trey Taylor, Air Force
DB – Jack Howell, Colorado State
DB – Emany Johnson, Nevada
DB – Ike Larsen, Utah State
P – James Ferguson-Reynolds, Boise State
PR – Jacob De Jesus, UNLV

2023 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL SECOND TEAM

Offense

QB – Jayden Maiava, UNLV
WR – Steven McBride, Hawaii
WR – Nick Nash, San Jose State
WR – Terrell Vaughn, Utah State
RB – Emmanuel Michel, Air Force
RB – Jacory Croskey-Merritt, New Mexico
TE – Mark Redman, San Diego State
OL – Adam Karas, Air Force
OL – Kage Casey, Boise State
OL – Jacob Gardner, Colorado State
OL – Mose Vavao, Fresno State
OL – Cade Barnett, San Diego State
PK – Jonah Dalmas, Boise State
KR – Terrell Vaughn, Utah State

Defense

DL – Jalen Dixon, UNLV
DL – Devo Bridges, Fresno State
DL – Soane Toia, San Jose State
DL – Jordan Bertagnole, Wyoming
LB – Alec Mock, Air Force
LB – Andrew Simpson, Boise State
LB – Chase Wilson, Colorado State
LB – Levelle Bailey, Fresno State
DB – Carlton Johnson, Fresno State
DB – Morice Norris Jr., Fresno State
DB – Noah Tumblin, San Diego State
DB – Cameron Oliver, UNLV
P – Jack Browning, San Diego State
PR – Tory Horton, Colorado State

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Mountain West Football: 2023-24 Transfer Tracker

Mountain West Football: 2022-23 Transfer Tracker College football’s transfer is open for business in the new academic year. We’ll keep track of who’s leaving and who’s coming to the Mountain West. Contact/Follow @MWCwire Who is the league losing and …

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Mountain West Football: 2022-23 Transfer Tracker

College football’s transfer is open for business in the new academic year. We’ll keep track of who’s leaving and who’s coming to the Mountain West.

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Who is the league losing and adding?

College football’s regular season is underway, but transfer portal season is never really over.

Since the new year officially began on August 1, football players from the Mountain West and beyond have announced their intention to find new places to play. Check back here periodically as we keep an eye on who is arriving and who’s heading out from the conference in the days, weeks, and months to come.

Leaving the Mountain West

Air Force

Boise State 

Colorado State

Fresno State

Hawaii

Nevada

New Mexico

San Diego State

San Jose State

UNLV

Utah State

Wyoming

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Mountain West Football: Players Of The Month For October

The weather is finally cooling down, but these Mountain West football standouts were red-hot throughout spooky season.

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Mountain West Football: Players of the Month For October

The weather is finally cooling down, but these Mountain West football standouts were red-hot throughout spooky season.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

The small-sample elite.

Note: Players below are presented in alphabetical order.

Offensive Players of the Month

1. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

Though Jeanty was limited by injury in Boise State’s victory over Wyoming in Week 9, the super sophomore still posted one of the nation’s best overall performances through October. In three games, Jeanty posted a Mountain West-best 163.3 all-purpose yards per game, averaging a whopping 7.08 yards per carry on the ground, and scored three touchdowns.

2. Kairee Robinson, RB, San Jose State

The Spartans surged in October thanks in large part to their star senior in the backfield. It was Robinson, not Jeanty, that led the Mountain West with 435 rushing yards and nine total touchdowns last month, though he also chipped in with ten receptions for 165 yards for the SJSU passing game, as well.

3. Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State

After posting a monster game to close out September against UConn, Royals kept the good times rolling into last month with a pair of 100-yard performances, racking up 17 catches for 325 yards in three contests, and a conference-high five receiving touchdowns.

4. Ricky White, WR, UNLV

Though the Rebels ended October with a bit of heartache, you can’t say White didn’t do everything possible to keep UNLV in the title game chase. After all, he tallied 24 catches for a Mountain West-high 400 receiving yards with touchdowns, topping 150 yards against both Nevada and Fresno State.

Defensive Players of the Month

1. Jay’Vion Cole, CB, San Jose State

If Cole’s October performance is any indication, the Spartans’ newest star defender is quietly putting together a pretty solid candidacy for defensive player of the year. He was the only defender in the Mountain West to intercept three passes last month, doing so across four games, though he added two additional pass breakups and, according to Pro Football Focus, allowed a reception on 10 of 21 targets.

2. Mohamed Kamara, DE, Colorado State

Where Cole’s case might be subtle, Kamara’s defensive player of the year push disrupted offenses just about as frequently as it did in September. He once again paced the Mountain West with four sacks and finished third among conference defenders with five tackles for loss while also racking up 20 total tackles.

3. Bo Richter, DE, Air Force

Then again, the same could be said of Richter, who posted an overall PFF grade of 81.7 throughout October, the seventh-best mark among Mountain West defenders who played at least 50 snaps, and racked up three sacks, seven tackles for loss, and a forced fumble to go along with 11 total tackles in three Falcons contests.

4. Jackson Woodard, LB, UNLV

When it came to tackling, few players in the country were as prolific as Woodard was in the middle of the Rebels defense last month. He was one of only 15 FBS players to average at least 11 tackles per game, though he also intercepted a pass against Hawaii and, according to PFF, also tied for third among Mountain West defenders with eight total stops.

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