Mountain West Announces 2024 Football All-Conference Teams and Individual Honors

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountain West announced today its 2024 All-Conference football teams and individual award winners, as chosen by the 12 head coaches and a select media panel, with Old Trapper Mountain West Football Championship participants Boise State and UNLV sweeping the individual awards. Bronco running back Ashton Jeanty has been honored as the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season and Boise State skipper Spencer Danielson is the MW Coach of the Year. UNLV linebacker Jackson Woodard was named the MW Defensive Player of the Year, wide receiver Ricky White III was named the MW Special Teams Player of the Year and placekicker Caden Chittenden has been selected as the MW Freshman of the Year.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – ASHTON JEANTY, JUNIOR, RB, BOISE STATE

• Claims Boise State’s fourth MW Offensive Player of the Year and second straight.
• Sixth player to earn consecutive MW Offensive Player of the Year honors and first since Nevada quarterback Carson Strong in 2020 and 2021. First running back to win in consecutive years since San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey in 2015 and 2016.
• Marks the third straight time a running back has won the award and the 10th time in league history.
• Unanimous first-team All-MW selection.
• Finalist for the Maxwell, Walter Camp and Doak Walker awards.
• Earned first-team midseason All-America honors from several organizations, including unanimous consideration from the Associated Press and CBS Sports.
• Four-time Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week and six-time MW Offensive Player of the Week selection.
• Leads the FBS in all-purpose yards (199.17), rushing touchdowns (28), rushing yards (2,288), rushing yards per game (190.7), total points scored (174) and total touchdowns (29) and is second in rush yards per carry (7.33) and scoring (14.5).
• His 2,288 rushing yards are Mountain West and Boise State single-season records and rank fifth in a season in FBS history.
• Has rushed for at least 125 yards in all 12 games this season, the longest such streak in the FBS since at least 1996, and a MW record for consecutive 100-yard performances. He’s rushed for 100 yards in the first half alone in eight contests.
• Has surpassed 200 yards five times this season, the second-most in a season in MW history and pushing his career total to seven 200-yard games, matching the MW record. No other FBS player has more than two 200-yard games this season.
• His 28 rushing touchdowns this season match the Boise State record and are tied for second in a season in MW history. They are the most in the FBS since 2017.
• He has rushed for at least one touchdown in nine straight games, tied for the third-longest streak in MW history.
• Has 2,390 all-purpose yards, a Boise State single-season record and fourth in a season in MW history.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – JACKSON WOODARD, SENIOR, LB, UNLV

• Fourth UNLV player to earn MW Defensive Player of the Year honors and first since Beau Bell in 2007.
• Has posted 114 total tackles for an average of 9.5 per game, both of which are second in the MW.
• Has turned in 17.0 tackles for loss, good for 1.4 per game, both of which rank sixth in the FBS.
• Also ranks in the top 20 in the FBS in tackles (14th), tackles per game (17th), fumbles recovered (16th, two) and total interceptions (15th, four).
• Recovered a fumble in the end zone in the regular-season finale against Nevada for his first career touchdown.
• Earned first-team midseason All-America honors from College Football Network.
• Named the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Player of the Week and Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week after collecting 11 tackles, including four for loss and three sacks, in the Rebels’ 27-7 win over Houston.
• Semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award and the Burlsworth Trophy, both firsts in UNLV’s program history.
• Finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy and an NFF National Scholar-Athlete. First finalist for the Campbell Trophy in program history.
• On the watch lists for the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, and Chuck Bednarik Award. He is the first member of the Bednarik watch list in program history.
• Three-time MW Defensive Player of the Week this season, matching the most in a season in league history.
• Has helped UNLV to a 10-2 overall record and 6-1 MW mark this season and its second straight berth in the Old Trapper Mountain West Football Championship. It’s UNLV’s first 10-win season in 40 years.
• Has also helped the Rebels to their first rankings in the CFP, Associated Press, and AFCA polls in program history.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR – RICKY WHITE III, SENIOR, WR, UNLV

• UNLV’s second straight MW Special Teams Player of the Year and second overall.
• Leads the FBS with a school record four blocked punts this season, more than any other FBS team has.
• The four blocked punts are the most in a season in the MW since at least 2012.
• Has altered three other punts.
• Plays on both punt coverage and kickoff coverage units.
• Scored a touchdown on special teams in a win over Fresno State, recovering a punt blocked by a teammate and returning it 13 yards for the score.
• Blocked a punt that resulted in a safety in UNLV’s 29-27 win at Hawai‘i.
• Earned second-team midseason All-America honors as an all-purpose player from Sports Illustrated.
• Also ranks second in the MW in receiving yards (1,020) and receiving touchdowns (11).
• On the preseason watch lists for the Walter Camp, Maxwell, and Biletnikoff awards.
• Has helped UNLV to its first 10-win season in 40 years.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR – CADEN CHITTENDEN, PK, UNLV

• UNLV’s eighth MW Freshman of the Year, fourth in the last five seasons, and second straight.
• First-team All-MW at placekicker.
• Has set a MW freshman record with 25 made field goals on 31 attempts.
• His 25 made field goals and 2.08 per game both rank second in the FBS this season.
• Tied for fourth in MW history for single-season field goals made.
• Ranks sixth in the FBS in total points scored (126) and scoring (10.5).
• His 126 kicking points are a MW freshman record.
• Is 51-for-52 on PATs.
• Has kicked off 80 times with 54 touchbacks.
• Lou Groza Award semifinalist.
• Named a first-team midseason true freshman All-American by 247Sports.
• Has claimed six MW weekly awards this season, earning MW Special Teams Player of the Week and MW Freshman of the Week honors three times apiece.

COACH OF THE YEAR – SPENCER DANIELSON, BOISE STATE

• Earned Boise State’s second MW Coach of the Year award and first since 2022.
• Has led Boise State to an 11-1 overall record and a 7-0 MW mark, its fourth perfect league record in the last six seasons. The Broncos’ lone loss this season came to current No. 1 Oregon on a walk-off field goal in a game where Boise State outgained the Ducks.
• The 11 victories are Boise State’s most in the regular season since 2019.
• Led Boise State to its third straight appearance in the Old Trapper Mountain West Football Championship and eighth overall.
• Has his Broncos ranked No. 11 in the CFP rankings, 10 in the Associated Press poll, and 10 in the US LBM Coaches Poll entering postseason play.
• Has led Boise State to a 10-game winning streak entering the Old Trapper Mountain West Football Championship, its longest single-season winning streak since 2010, and tied for the second-longest active streak in the FBS behind No. 1 Oregon’s current 13-game run.
• At the conclusion of the regular season, Boise State is second in the FBS with 3.75 sacks per game, third in scoring offense (40.6), fifth in total offense (478.3), sixth in rushing yards per game (253.5) and tackles for loss per game (7.8).
• Named the AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year and a member of the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award watch list.
• Saw seven players earn six All-MW first-team honors and two more claim second-team distinction.

2024 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL FIRST TEAM

OFFENSE

*Two-Time First-Team Selection
#Unanimous Selection

DEFENSE

*Two-Time First-Team Selection

2024 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL SECOND TEAM

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

*Two-Time Second-Team Selection

HONORABLE MENTION