COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Five Mountain West football players earned All-America honors Wednesday, as USA Today, CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated all released their 2023 FBS postseason teams.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty earned first-team honors at all-purpose from USA Today and earned honorable mention at running back and AP from CBS Sports. The MW Offensive Player of the Year, Jeanty totaled 1,814 yards from scrimmage and averaged 164.9 all-purpose yards per game, ranking second nationally in both categories. He gained 1,262 yards on the ground and added 552 receiving yards, scoring 19 total touchdowns. He is the only player in the nation with multiple rushing touchdowns of 50+ yards and multiple receiving touchdowns of 50+ yards, scoring two of each.
Bronco punter James Ferguson-Reynolds earned second-team honors from Sports Illustrated. Ferguson-Reynolds leads the FBS with a punting average of 49.6 yards per punt, which is more than a yard better than No. 2 on the list. He has 26 punts of 50 yards or better this season and has pinned opponents inside the 20-yard like 22 times on the season. He unleashed a career-long 71-yard punt against San Jose State on Oct. 7 and added another 70-yarder against Air Force in Boise State’s regular-season finale on Nov. 24.
Colorado State tight end Dallin Holker earned second-team honors from both USA Today and Sports Illustrated. A finalist for the John Mackey Award, which goes to the top tight end in college football, Holker’s 64 receptions and 767 receiving yards were the most by any tight end during the 2023 regular season and ranked No. 40 and No. 69, respectively, among all pass catchers. His 10 contested catches, as graded by Pro Football Focus, were the most by any tight end, and his six touchdown receptions ranked third among tight ends.
UNLV kicker Jose Pizano earned second-team distinction from Sports Illustrated and honorable mention from CBS Sports. One of three finalists for the Lou Groza National Place-Kicker Award, Pizano is 25-for-27 on field-goal attempts this season, including a pair of game-winners and a MW-record 6-for-6 performance in a win over Colorado State on Oct. 21. He ranks seventh in the FBS with a field-goal percentage of 92.6 and fourth nationally in total field goals made. Pizano is sixth in the FBS in scoring at 9.8 points per game.
UNLV’s Jacob De Jesus was a second-team pick at returner by USA Today. One of three finalists for the Jet Award, which goes to the nation’s top kick returner, De Jesus leads all of college football with 1,019 total return yards and is the only player in the nation to rank in the top 15 for both punt and kickoff returns. He sits third in punt returns with 16.1 yards per attempt and 13th in kickoff returns with 26.3. He was named first-team All-Mountain West as both a punt returner and kickoff returner.
USA Today
First Team
AP – Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
Second Team
TE – Dallin Holker, Colorado State
RS – Jacob De Jesus, UNLV
CBS Sports
Honorable Mention
Ashton Jeanty, RB/AP, Boise State
Jose Pizano, K, UNLV
Sports Illustrated
Second Team
TE – Dallin Holker, Colorado State
P – James Ferguson-Reynolds, Boise State
K – Jose Pizano, UNLV
