40 in 40: The top 40 Mountain West football players

Chris Murray | Reno Gazette-Journal

The Mountain West football season kicks off in exactly 40 days when Hawaii travels to Colorado State in a conference matchup and Wyoming plays at New Mexico State in a non-league affair. To mark the 40 days until the MW’s season begins, lets break down the 40 best players in the conference heading into the season. Boise State leads the way with nine selections followed by Nevada (six), Wyoming (five), San Diego State (five), Fresno State (four) and Utah State (three). Hawaii, UNLV and New Mexico each have two representatives with Colorado State and Air Force with one each. San Jose State has zero.

1. DB Andrew Wingard, Sr., Wyoming: Wingard is one of two returning MW players with two first-team all-conference honors under his belt. He’s a turnover machine (eight interceptions, five forced fumbles created in his career) who has averaged 122 tackles per season. He anchors an excellent defensive unit.

2. QB Brett Rypien, Sr., Boise State: I’ve been mixed on Rypien. He’s good, but hasn’t been great. That being said, he’s completed 63 percent of his passes for nearly 10,000 yards and 60 touchdowns (against 22 interceptions) in his career. Those numbers are good and any MW coach would take him at quarterback.

More: Wolf Pack football for dummies: Post-spring camp 2018 season preview

More: Murray's Mailbag: The miracle at Shasta Lake (and some sports stuff)

More: Nevada's new assistant coach, Brandon Dunson, dubbed a 'rising star'

3. WR KeeSean Johnson, Sr., Fresno State: The other received named KeeSean Johnson has improved every year and is now the MW’s top wideout. He broke the 1,000-yard single-season mark last year and has reeled in 180 passes for 2,123 yards and 16 scores in his career. He’s an NFL-caliber player.

4. DL Curtis Weaver, So., Boise State: Last season, Weaver became the first freshman defender to earn first-team All-MW honors after leading the conference with 11 sacks while recording 13 tackles for loss. Since Weaver, the only non-senior in our top 10, redshirted in 2016, he’s draft eligible after this season.

5. DL Carl Granderson, Sr., Wyoming: In his first season back after a torn ACL, Granderson had a gigantic junior season in which he recorded 16 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and created five takeaways as the Cowboys’ defense took a huge jump. Wyoming has an excellent defensive front led by Granderson.

6. RB Lexington Thomas, Sr., UNLV: The only returning All-MW first-team offensive player from 2017, Thomas rushed for 1,336 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. UNLV would take another season like that from the league’s top running back who had five 100-yard games and scored in 10 of 12 games last year.

7. LB Malik Reed, Sr., Nevada: Reed is one of the nation’s top pass-rushers but is moving from defensive end, where he was a two-time All-MW pick, to linebacker where he’ll be asked to work more often in coverage. Reed, who has 14 career sacks and 23 TFL, will still get plenty of pass-rushing chances.

8. DL David Moa, Sr., Boise State: The 2017 season wasn’t a good one for Moa, who was arrested in September and saw his production dip from 10.5 TFL and 8.5 sacks in 2016 to 3.5 and one, respectively, in 2017. He was still named second-team All-MW, but needs a bounce-back year to help his draft stock.

9. LB Jahlani Tavai, Sr., Hawaii: The Rainbow Warriors saw a ton of talent transfer in the offseason, but Tavai returns after earning second-team All-MW honors last year. In the last two seasons, Tavai has 253 tackles, 30.5 TFL, 11.5 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. No MW player has been more productive.

10. DB Tyler Horton, Sr., Boise State: The top cover corner in the conference, Horton was first-team All-MW last season when he had 44 tackles and three interceptions. Horton has to improve his ball skills to ensure he’ll be selected in the NFL draft, but he’s a quality cornerback who is hard to wiggle free from.

11. WR McLane Mannix, So., Nevada: The freshman All-American is one of the nation’s fastest players. He caught 57 passes for 778 yards and six scores last season and should be improved this year.

12. DL Youhanna Ghaifan, Jr., Wyoming: Ghaifan is a 300-pound monster. He piled up 69 tackles, 15.5 TFL and seven sacks last year as a defensive tackle, which isn’t typically a high-stat position.

13. QB Ty Gangi, Sr., Nevada: Gangi won a quarterback battle and survived a benching to lead the MW in passing during the conference season. He should post a 3,000-yard, 30-touchdown season in 2018.

14. QB Marcus McMaryion, Sr., Fresno State: The Bulldogs’ savior, McMaryion might not put up crazy stats, but he’s an athletic, accurate and smart quarterback who found a home after transferring from Oregon State.

15. LB Jeffrey Allison, Jr., Fresno State: A first-team All-MW pick as a sophomore, Allison is a productive force who racked up 126 tackles in 2017. He very well could be the conference’s top linebacker.

16. RB Alexander Mattison, Jr., Boise State: The latest in a long line of talented Broncos backs, Mattison accounted for 1,370 yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore. He has good size and versatility.

17. RB Juwan Washington, Jr., San Diego State: Washington replaces back-to-back 2,000-yard rushers in the Aztec backfield. He might not hit that mark, but he should put up 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns.

18. QB Armani Rogers, So., UNLV: A lethal runner, the reigning MW freshman of the year must improve his passing accuracy to deliver the promise so many Rebel fans had for him last season. The talent is there.

19. DB Tariq Thompson, So., San Diego State: One of five freshmen to make the All-MW first or second team in 2017, Thompson picked off five balls to go with 63 tackles. He should be stellar as a sophomore.

20. OL Ezra Cleveland, So., Boise State: We might have some anti-offensive line bias as this is the first big guy to make the list, but the MW did lose its top eight offensive linemen from last year. Cleveland (6-6/310) is mammoth.

21. OL Tyler Roemer, So., San Diego State: The Fernley High graduate made second-team All-MW last year while starting 13 games at left tackle and being named SDSU’s offensive lineman of the year.

22. DB Kekoa Nawahine, Jr., Boise State: Nawahine had a breakout sophomore season, going from 18 tackles in 2016 to 108 in 2017 while tossing in three picks. The homegrown product is an elite safety.

23. LB Logan Wilson, Jr., Wyoming: Wilson showed his freshman season was no mirage as he backed up a 94-tackle 2016 season with 111 tackles in 2017. He’s been a part of 12 takeaways since 2016.

24. LB Ronley Lakalaka, Sr., San Diego State: Lakalaka is undersized but a production player who remains underrated. He’s been a key piece to the Aztecs’ stellar run defense over the last two seasons.

25. OL Sean Krepsz, Sr., Nevada: The Wolf Pack lost OT Austin Corbett to the NFL (with the 33rd overall pick), so Krepsz will have to take over ownership of The Union. Like Corbett, he’s a potential pro.

26. RB Tyrone Owens, Sr., New Mexico: Owens had an excellent 2016 season, rushing for 1,000-plus yards and eight yards per carry. His 2017 season wasn’t as strong (770, 5.5), so a rebound is in order.

27. TE Dax Raymond, Jr., Utah State: The only tight end on the list, Raymond caught 41 passes for 456 yards and a touchdown last season after redshirting the year prior. He’s a big target (6-5/245).

28. DL Jabril Frazier, Sr., Boise State: The third member of Boise State’s D-line on this list, Frazier was second-team All-MW last year after recording six sacks. He’s been solid; there’s more potential there.

29. OL Aaron Jenkins, Sr., New Mexico: Capable of playing guard or tackle, Jenkins powers New Mexico’s strong rushing attack. He’s started 37 games and should be on the preseason All-MW team.

30. DB/PR Avery Williams, So., Boise State: Williams had a strong freshman season at cornerback and was a big contributor on special teams (24.7 yards/kick return; 11.1 yards/punt return; two return TDs).

31. DB Jaron Bryant, Jr., Fresno State: Bryant didn’t make the All-MW team last season but he played well enough to do so with 67 tackles, four interceptions and two touchdowns as a sophomore.

32. OL Keith Ismael, So., San Diego State: Ismael was one of two non-seniors to make the All-MW first/second team on the offensive line last season, splitting time between center and guard.

33. DB Asauni Rufus, Sr., Nevada: Rufus’ 2017 season was cut short by a broken leg but he’s a proven producer who has 275 tackles, seven forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 34 career games.

34. OL Quin Ficklin, Sr., Utah State: A former BYU player, former walk-on and former college fullback, Ficklin is an undersized center but had a breakout junior season and helped stabilize Utah State’s revamped line.

35. WR/PR Austin Conway, Jr., Wyoming: An all-purpose player, Conway caught 61 passes for 549 yards and three scores last year and averaged 10.4 yards per punt return. He also was recruited out of high school in basketball.

36. PK Dominik Eberle, Jr., Utah State: We have to put a kicker on the list. The German was a Lou Groza finalist last season after hitting 16-of-18 field goals in the regular season (although he was 2-of-6 in a bowl loss).

37. P Ryan Stonehouse, So., Colorado State: You can’t have a kicker without a punter. Stonehouse started as a true freshman last season and averaged 45.9 yards per punt, the fifth-best mark in the NCAA.

38. WR Brendan O’Leary-Orange, Jr., Nevada: The Wolf Pack lost All-MW receiver Wyatt Demps but O’Leary-Orange has a huge ceiling as evidenced by his 11-catch, 214-yard, three-TD game at SDSU.

39. WR John Ursua, Sr., Hawaii: A small and slippery receiver, Ursua has caught 100 passes for 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns in his first two college seasons. Hawaii needs a big season out of him in 2018.

40. QB Arion Worthman, Sr., Air Force: A triple-option master, Worthman rushed for 821 yards and 13 touchdowns and tossed for 1,100 yards and 10 scores in 2018. He has to improve his passing accuracy.

Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at cmurray@rgj.com or follow him on Twitter @MurrayRGJ.