2022 Mountain West preview: Justin's preseason all-conference picks

LAS VEGAS — The annual Mountain West Media Days are here and with it comes the preseason awards. 

While DNVR does not have an official vote at this time, I decided to put together a little breakdown of who I believe is deserving of preseason recognition. 

Again, these are not the official preseason awards, those will be released Thursday, July 21. These are the individuals that I personally believe are poised to have noteworthy campaigns this fall.  

So, with that in mind, let’s dive into it all. 

MWC Offensive Player of the Year: QB Jake Haener (Fresno State) 

It was an easy choice for the preseason MWC Offensive Player of the Year. The Bulldogs may have lost their head coach to the University of Washington this past offseason, but with Haener still in the mix and a strong group of playmakers around him, the Bulldogs should be a popular pick to win the conference. 

Regardless of how the team fares in its quest for a MWC title, Haener seems to be in position to put up big numbers once again. The dual-threat gunslinger has thrown for an average of 322 yards per game over the last two seasons, over 6,000 yards in total. In 19 starts for the Bulldogs, Haener has a touchdown to interception ratio of roughly 3:1. He’s completed 66 percent of his passes too (479 of 722), so he’s been both efficient and explosive. 

Beyond his impressive athletic abilities, what makes Haener such an intriguing player is his never-say-die mentality. The guy will take a beating, but he always gets back up to make the next throw. Watching his perseverance in 2021 was one of the more enjoyable aspects of the season, particularly the thrilling win over UCLA in the Rose Bowl. 

With another strong year Haener could be in the conversation to be an All-American this fall. At a minimum though, he is the heavy favorite to be the league’s most prolific offensive player. 

MWC Defensive Player of the Year: LB Kyle Harmon (San Jose State) 

Harmon has been a tackling machine throughout his career, racking up 341 total tackles over the last four seasons. Coming off of a year in which he finished with a career-best 134 total tackles, 72 of which were solo, Harmon is definitely one of the frontrunners for Defensive Player of the Year going into 2022. 

It should be noted that in order for Harmon to actually take home the hardware, SJSU would likely need to have more team success than the Spartans did in 2021. But assuming SJSU is able to capitalize on a fairly friendly non-conference slate and be competitive within league play, with a disruptive D-line that features Cade Hall and Viliami Fehoko on the ends, Harmon could have a shot to stuff the stat sheet once again in 2022. 

Freshman of the Year: QB Clay Millen (Colorado State) 

Anytime a freshman starts at quarterback he is going to have a strong chance to take home this award. With CSU transitioning to the Air Raid this fall, the odds are even better for Millen. 

Obviously, Millen will have to keep the job and be effective in his role as QB1. Based on what we saw from him over the spring though, the former four-star recruit certainly has the raw tools to rip it up in the MWC. 

With a big arm, a talented receiving corps around him, and an offense that inherently spikes passing stats, everything is set up for Millen to begin his college career with a bang. We’ll see if he is able to go out there and do it, but everything is in place. 

Special Teams Player of the Year: RB Jordan Byrd (San Diego State) 

Just like he was in 2021, when he was named first-team all-conference as a kickoff returner, the best return man in the conference will likely be RB Jordan Byrd.

Ram fans know all too well just how dangerous Byrd can be, as the speedster gashed the Green & Gold for 148 yards on just two kickoff returns, including a 93-yard touchdown back in 2020. According to SDSU, the 74.0 kickoff return average was the highest by any Aztec since at least 1996 (min. 2 returns), it was the second highest in Mountain West history and the second highest in any FBS game in 2020. 

With less star power at punter in the MWC this fall than there was in 2021 — yes, I just said star power when referencing specialists — Byrd seems like the easy choice to be selected as the preseason Special Teams Player of the Year. 

Preseason All-Conference 

The process is imperfect, particularly in the modern era, where there are more schemes and hybrid roles than ever before. Is an edge rusher classified as a defensive end or linebacker? What about teams that run a 4-2-5 and move defensive backs all around the secondary? Without an option for nickel or dime backs, classifying a specific position can get wonky. 

Because of this predicament, I decided to slightly tweak the format that the MWC uses. Instead of choosing four linebackers on each defensive team, I elected to guarantee three on each team, along with a flex position. Now, that does not mean the flex position cannot be used for a linebacker because it can, however, it can also be used for hybrid DBs like San Diego State’s Patrick McMorris, who racked up 90 tackles as a nickelback last season, but doesn’t necessarily fit the role of a traditional safety or linebacker. 

First Team Offense 

• QB Jake Haener (Fresno State) 
• RB Jake Roberts (Air Force) 
• RB Titus Swen (Wyoming) 
• WR Jalen Cropper (Fresno State) 
• WR Tory Horton (Colorado State)
• WR Jesse Matthews (San Diego State)
• TE Tanner Arkin (Colorado State)
• C Alama Uluave (San Diego State)
• OG Isaac Cochran (Air Force) 
• OG Ben Dooley (Boise State) 
• OT John Ojuwuku (Boise State) 
• OT Aaron Frost (Nevada)

First Team Defense 

• DE Viliami Fehoko (San Jose State) 
• DE Jonah Tavai (San Diego State) 
• DT Cole Godbout (Wyoming) 
• DT Scott Matlock (Boise State)
• LB Vince Sanford (Air Force)
• LB Kyle Harmon (San Jose State)
• LB LB Levelle Bailey (Fresno State)
• DB Nehemia Shelton (San Jose State) 
• DB Ajani Carter (Utah State) 
• S JL Skinner (Boise State)
• S Evan Williams (Fresno State)
• FLEX Patrick McMorris (San Diego State)

First Team Specialists 

• P Aaron Rodriguez (New Mexico) 
• K Jonah Dalmas (Boise State)
• PR Jordan Byrd (San Diego State)
• KR Jordan Byrd (San Diego State)

Second Team Offense

• QB Logan Bonner (Utah State)
• RB Toa Tua (Nevada) 
• RB Jordan Mims (Fresno State)
• WR Justin McGriff (Utah State)
• WR Stefan Cobbs (Boise State)
• WR Josh Kelly (Fresno State)
• TE Mark Redman (San Diego State)
• C Jacob Gardner (Colorado State) 
• OG Garrett Curran (Boise State)
• OG Gray Davis (Colorado State)
• OT Dontae Bull (Fresno State) 
• OT Frank Crum (Wyoming)

Second Team Defense 

• DE Keshawn Banks (San Diego State) 
• DE Byron Vaughns (Utah State) 
• DT Dom Peterson (Nevada) 
• DT Christopher Herrera (Air Force)
• LB Caden McDonald (San Diego State)
• LB Easton Gibbs (Wyoming) 
• LB Dequan Jackson (Colorado State) 
• CB Kaonohi Kahino (Boise State) 
• CB Chigozie Anusiem (Colorado State) 
• S Jerrick Reed (New Mexico)
• S Jack Howell (Colorado State) 
• FLEX Tavian Combs (New Mexico)  

Second Team Specialists 

• P Stephen Kotanslee (Utah State)
• K Cayden Camper (Colorado State)
• PR Thomas Pannunzio (Colorado State) 
• KR Jordan Mims (Fresno State)