Utah State football was picked to finish seventh in the upcoming season by Mountain West media members in the preseason poll released earlier today. The preseason All-Mountain West teams were also released, featuring two Aggies. Junior wide receiver Jalen Royals and safety Ike Larsen, who were both First Team All-MW selections at the end of last year, were the two who received the distinction.
Boise State was picked to finish first in the poll, the 14th straight year the Broncos have been the preseason favorite of the conference or their division. They received 38 of the 46 first-place votes with UNLV (second in the poll) and Fresno State (third) each getting four votes apiece.
Mountain West Preseason Poll
- Boise State (38) – 543
- UNLV (4) – 471
- Fresno State (4) – 460
- Air Force – 384
- Colorado State – 337
- Wyoming – 296
- Utah State – 285
- San Diego State – 251
- Hawai’i – 214
- San Jose State – 185
- New Mexico – 85
- Nevada – 12
This year is the second since USU joined the conference in 2013 that the preseason poll hasn’t been divided into two divisions. Last year the Aggies were picked eighth (and finished seventh).
Predicted middle-of-the-pack finishes have made up about half of Utah State’s preseason poll placements over the last 11 seasons, those seasons being 2023, 2021, 2020, 2018, 2017 where the Aggies were picked in the bottom half of the conference or the division. Interestingly, in all of those seasons save 2020, USU finished above its preseason poll prediction, including the 2021 Mountain West championship.
Utah State safety Ike Larsen
The preseason Offensive Player of the Year went to Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, who was second in the FBS last year in all-purpose yards per game. Defensive Player of the Year was split between Boise State defensive lineman Ahmed Hassanein and UNLV linebacker Jackson Woodard. Hassanein recorded the most sacks (12.5) and TFLs (17) last year of any returning MW player, Woodard is the top returner in tackles (116 last year).
Larsen’s appearance on the preseason All-Mountain West team is his second straight. He’s been a mainstay in Mountain West awards for the last two years with being on the preseason team twice, a Second Team All-MW pick in 2022, First Team All-MW last year and a host of weekly conference awards (three Defensive Player of the Week, one Special Teams Player of the Week). His selection is hardly to be disputed.
Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals
Royals made first team in a season where competition for the best wide receiver in the conference is likely to be the toughest it’s ever been. Colorado State’s Tory Horton, with back-to-back 1,100-yard, eight TD seasons is back for a final year and UNLV’s Ricky White, who led the conference with nearly 1,500 receiving yards last year, join Royals in being All-MW preseason selections. Royals fits in just fine as he led the conference with 15 receiving TDs, a number which also set a USU record.
Mountain West All-Offense Preseason Team
- (QB) Mikey Keene – Fresno State
- (RB) Ashton Jeanty – Boise State
- (RB) Malik Sherrod – Fresno State
- (WR) Tory Horton – Colorado State
- (WR) Ricky White III – UNLV
- (WR) Jalen Royals – Utah State
- (OL) Kage Casey – Boise State
- (OL) Jacob Gardner – Colorado State
- (OL) Mose Vavao – Fresno State
- (OL) Tiger Shanks – UNLV
- (OL) Jack Walsh – Wyoming
- (TE) John Michael Gyllenborg – Wyoming
- (K) Jonah Dalmas – Boise State
- (KR) Jacob De Jesus – UNLV
Mountain West All-Defense Preseason Team
- (DL) Ahmed Hassanein – Boise State
- (DL) Devo Bridges – Fresno State
- (DL) Soane Toia – San Jose State
- (DL) Jordan Bertagnole – Wyoming
- (LB) Andrew Simpson – Boise State
- (LB) Chase Wilson – Colorado State
- (LB) Jordan Pollard – San Jose State
- (LB) Jackson Woodard – UNLV
- (DB) A’Marion McCoy – Boise State
- (DB) Jack Howell – Colorado State
- (DB) Cameron Oliver – UNLV
- (DB) Ike Larsen – Utah State
- (P) James Ferguson-Reynolds – Boise State
- (PR) Jacob De Jesus – UNLV
