LAS VEGAS – The 2023 Preseason All-Mountain West Football Team was announced today at the league’s annual media days, being held at Circa Las Vegas. As selected by a media panel, the team features 12 student-athletes who were first or second-team All-MW selections in 2022. The 27-member squad is comprised of 15 seniors, nine juniors, and two sophomores.
San José State senior quarterback Chevan Cordeiro is the Preseason Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, while Wyoming junior linebacker Easton Gibbs has been named Preseason MW Defensive Player of the Year, and San Diego State senior punter Jack Browning garnered Preseason MW Special Teams Player of the Year honors.
Cordeiro, the first Spartan to claim MW Preseason Offensive Player of the Year honors, was a 2022 All-Mountain West Second-Team selection. He is coming off a career year in which he threw for 3,251 yards and a career-high 23 touchdowns, which topped the MW. He also ran for a career-best nine touchdowns, the most by a Spartan quarterback in the modern era. The Honolulu native averaged 270.9 passing yards per game last season. Cordeiro threw 170 passing attempts before his first interception at SJSU.
Gibbs, the second Cowboy to earn MW Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors, started 12 of Wyoming’s 13 games last season. He recorded 121 tackles, including nine tackles for loss and three sacks, for his first 100-tackle season. The native of Temecula, California, finished the 2022 season ranked No. 3 in the Conference and 22nd nationally in tackles last season, at 9.3 tackles per game. Gibbs, a 2022 All-Mountain West First Team honoree, posted double figures in tackles in six games last season.
Browning is the fourth Aztec to be named MW Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year, joining Jordyn Byrd (2022), Rashaad Penny (2016, ’17), and Donny Hageman (2015). The native of Lakeside, California, was the 2022 MW Special Teams Player of the Year after making 20 of 25 field goal attempts (80 percent) with a season-best kick of 52 yards. He also made all 30 PATs last season. Browning recorded 68 punts for 3,135 yards, averaging 46.1 yards per punt in 2022. The senior had 28 of his punts last season land inside the 20-yard line, including 14 in the 10-yard line.
2023 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Offense
QB Chevan Cordeiro ** Sr. San José State
WR Tory Horton* Sr. Colorado State
WR Justin Lockhart Jr. San José State
RB John Lee Eldridge III Sr. Air Force
RB George Holani** Sr. Boise State
OL Thor Paglialong Sr. Air Force
OL Cade Beresford** Sr. Boise State
OL Mose Vavao Sr. Fresno State
OL Cade Bennett** Jr. San Diego State
OL Frank Crum Sr. Wyoming
TE Mark Redman Sr. San Diego State
Defense
DL Payton Zdroik Jr. Air Force
DL Mohamed Kamara** Sr. Colorado State
DL Devo Bridges Sr. Fresno State
DL Jordan Bertagnole Jr. Wyoming
DL DeVonne Harris Jr. Wyoming
LB DJ Schramm** Sr. Boise State
LB Cody Moon Jr. San Diego State
LB Easton Gibbs* Jr. Wyoming
DB Trey Taylor** Sr. Air Force
DB Jack Howell* Jr. Colorado State
DB Cam Stone Sr. Hawai’i
DB Ike Larsen** So. Utah State
Specialists
P Jack Browning* Sr. San Diego State
PK John Hoyland* Jr. Wyoming
PR Tory Horton Sr. Colorado State
KR Christian Washington So. New Mexico
Offensive Player of the Year: Chevan Cordeiro, Sr., QB, San José State
Defensive Player of the Year: Easton Gibbs, Jr., LB, Wyoming
Special Teams Player of the Year: Jack Browning, Sr., PK/P, San Diego State
* – member of the 2022 All-Mountain West first team
** – member of the 2022 All-Mountain West second team
