Matt L. Stephens

matthewstephens@coloradoan.com

CSU point guard Jon Octeus is the most recent player to leave a Mountian West school this offseason, but he's far from the first.

The conference, known more for having incoming transfers rather than outgoing, has seen a lot of turnover in the past few months. Here is a breakdown of all the players to leave the Mountain West recently for reasons other than exhausting their eligibility.

Jon Octeus (CSU): The most recent player to leave — and the most surprising — was the Rams' starting point guard. Few details have surfaced so far regarding Octeus' decision, but the leader of the Colorado State University program averaged 13.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game as a junior last season.

He is one of four Rams to hit the road since their season ended in a loss to Utah State in the Mountain West tournament.

Marcus Holt (CSU): Holt didn't see a lot of minutes for the Rams in his one season with the program and his departure wasn't surprising. His biggest strength is shot blocking and causing problems around the rim on defense.

He hasn't found a landing spot yet, but is looking at transferring to a handful of Division I programs, including Northern Colorado.

Dwight Smith (CSU): Smith's move was another one that didn't surprise most fans, though their hearts did break to see him go. He was a fan-favorite who helped rebuild the CSU program with former coach Tim Miles, but injuries constantly plagued his tenure under Larry Eustachy.

Smith has transferred to Northern Colorado, located about a half hour east of Fort Collins, and will be eligible to play immediately since he graduated from CSU in the spring.

David Cohn (CSU): At one point, Eustachy called Cohn the future of the CSU program, but after an up-and-down freshman season where he had little impact during Mountain West play, the Chicagoland native decided to transfer to William & Mary.

The point guard averaged 3.9 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game, but saw his defensive skills improve exponentially as the year progressed.

Deville Smith (UNLV): Smith, a guard, started 32 of 33 games for Dave Rice's Rebels last season and averaged 9.7 points in the process.

He played only one year for UNLV after transferring from Mississippi State and is one of five Rebels to leave the program this offseason.

Bryce Dejean-Jones: Dejean-Jones is making a nice college tour of the United States. After transferring to UNLV from USC, the 6-foot-5 guard announced this offseason he'd be playing out his senior year at Iowa State, making the Cyclones an immediate contender for the Big 12 title.

Khem Birch (UNLV): Behind Wyoming's Larry Nance Jr., Birch was the Mountain West's best defensive player last season. He consistently punished any guard foolish enough to drive the lane by blocking their shot.

He decided to declare for the NBA draft.

Roscoe Smith (UNLV): Another Rebel who's leaving early for the NBA draft, Smith was a key cog for UNLV in 2013-14, averaging 11.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.

He played one season for Rice after transferring from Connecticut (had to sit out 2012-13) season.

Demetris Morant (UNLV): Morant didn't have much an impact at UNLV. As a redshirt freshman last year, the Las Vegas native played in 13 games and scored eight points.

He's transferring to Florida Gulf Coast to be closer to his father, who suffered a stroke.

Alex Kirk (New Mexico): Kirk was one of the Mountain West's most versatile players last season and toughest to defend. He was a monster in the paint, averaging 13.3 and 8.7 rebounds per game, but had a surprising ability to step out and shoot the 3-pointer.

The 7-footer is entering the NBA draft after three seasons with the Lobos.

Cleveland Thomas (New Mexico): Thomas was known better for his nickname, "Pancake", than what he did on the court for New Mexico, but he was a young player who showed flashes of greatness, averaging 3.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.

Thomas is transferring to Hartford.

Other New Mexico players: Neither were as big of names as Kirk or Thomas, but sophomore Nick Banyard and freshman Tim Myles have left the Lobos' program.

Banyard, a forward, averaged 1.7 points and 1.6 rebounds per game last season. Myles, not to be confused with Nebraska coach Tim Miles, averaged 4 minutes per game, but never scored.

James Johnson (San Diego State): No high-profile players are leaving the Aztecs program, but Johnson will finish out his college career at his third university.

He came to SDSU from Virginia and is heading back east to play one season for Liberty, led by former CSU coach Dale Layer. the 6-10 forward averaged 9.1 minutes per game as a junior.

Kyle Davis (Utah State): The Aggies took some serious hits this offseason, losing five players who weren't scrubs. Davis started in 27 of 29 games for Utah State, averaging 9.7 points and 7.6 rebounds.

The 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward has decided to leave Logan, Utah, and travel south to Provo, playing out his final seasons for USU rival Brigham Young.

Marcel Davis (Utah State): He's of no relation to Kyle, but this Davis from Utah State made 11 starts as a sophomore this past season, shooting 41.3 percent from the field.

Davis was known for his ability to distribute the ball, averaging 2.7 in 17 minutes per game. Where he'll play next year hasn't been announced.

Jordan Stone (Utah State): Stone has one season of eligibility remaining and he'll spend it at BYU-Hawaii since he's already graduated from Utah State.

He was a force inside at center for the Aggies in 2013-14 and while not as athletic as Jarred Shaw was, he could do some damage on both ends of the floor. He only averaged 2.7 points per game, but shot the ball at 60.3 percent, relied on more for defensive production.

Danny Berger (Utah State): Berger will join Stone at BYU-Hawaii, but according to school press release, he left Utah State in search of more playing time rather than looking for something new after graduation. He played in 28 games this past season, averaging 3.2 points and 1.9 rebounds.

He'll have one season of eligibility remaining.

Utah State freshman center Carson Banks is transferring to North Dakota. He didn't play last season.

Cole Huff (Nevada): Huff was in line to be Nevada's go-to player during his junior season in 2014-15, but has instead decided to transfer.

The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 12.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season and shot 40.3 percent from 3-point range. He'll play at Creighton after sitting out next season.

D.J. Brown (San Jose State): It's hard to fault Brown for his decision to leave the Spartans. He has one year of eligibility remaining and SJSU has been disqualified from postseason competition due to poor APR scores.

Brown will transfer to Texas State, where he'll bring his 5.7 points and 2.8 assists per game with him. He graduated and can play immediately.

Air Force: Tre' Coggins was, hands-down, Air Force's best player last season and a much-needed boost after the graduation of Michael Lyons, but had he stuck around another season, Coggins would have been locked into a five-year military contract.

The 6-foot-2 guard from California hasn't announced yet where he'll play the rest of his career at. He averaged 16 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists as a sophomore.

Freshman center Darrius Parker, who became more of a force later in the year, is transferring, too.

Boise State: Neither made much of an impact for the Broncos last season and neither are sticking around to make one in the future. Joey Nebeker is transferring to College of Idaho, Edmunds Dukulis hasn't announced his next destination.

Both averaged about 1.3 points per game last season.

Boise State will return most of its key players in 2014-15.

Wyoming: Two rarely-used Wyoming players have left the program this offseason in Austin Haldorson and Keonta Vernon.

Haldorson, who's transferring to Fort Lewis, averaged 0.5 points per game this season and Vernon acquired no stats. He's heading to junior college to play at Southern Idaho.