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Top Mountain West Football Players Heading into the 2019 Season
Who are going to be the best of the best?
Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire
Let’s Talk MW Players!
Sitting on the other side of the 4th of July, we are now full steam ahead towards the upcoming college football season.
We all know that top online betting sites like Intertops have the Boise State Broncos listed as the favorites to win the Mountain West. And that Fresno State and San Diego State are going to be in the mix of top teams as well …
But who are best players coming into the 2019 season?
Usually, all the glory in articles like these go to quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers, but today we are going to highlight impact defensive players in the Mountain West.
Let’s start in the secondary and then work our way towards the trenches.
Jaron Bryant – Cornerback
Fresno State can use all the help it can get in the secondary right now, seeing how they lost both Tank Kelly and Mike Bell this offseason. But their returning cornerback, Jaron Bryant is one of the best in the conference. He was rated below Daniel Brown by Pro Football Focus, but we are giving the top corner spot to Bryant who has twenty-three pass breakups, five interceptions, and four touchdowns over the last two season.
This is substantially better than Brown’s career, one INT and fourteen breakups. That said, Brown is an impact defensive back who has a bright future with tons of potential.
Other Corners to look out for this season are Wyoming’s Tyler Hall and Boise State’s dual-purpose back, Kekaula Kaniho.
Tariq Thompson – Safety
This San Diego State safety is a stud. Since 2017 he has 123 tackles –eight of which were for a loss– nineteen defended passes, seven interceptions, and three forced fumbles. The Aztecs are going to be tough to beat deep downfield as they also return Taylor Hawkins and Trenton Thompson. Look for Tariq to be an All-Mountain West contender once again.
Kyahva Tezino – Linebacker
Another Aztec, Teino will be back to act as a defensive anchor around the middle of the field. Last season, if a ball carrier made it through the big uglies up front, they usually ended up getting a not so friendly hug from Kyahva.
The SDSU 2018 defensive player of the year and team MVP led the Aztecs with 126 tackles — with 69 of them solo — 8.5 sacks, and 15 hurries. With Tezino roaming the middle of the field his senior year, this Aztecs defense is going to be potent in 2019.
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Mykal Walker – Linebacker
Jeffrey Allison took up most of the media space over in Bulldog land, but Mykol Walker was all over the field, wreaking havoc last season for Freston State. He can hit for stops, keep up with tight ends and slot receivers to break up passes in the middle, and power his way through the middle for sacks, hurries, and even blocked kicks.
Now that Allison has moved on, we should see Walker move over to middle LB and blow up even more offensive plays this season than he did last year. OCs, look out!
Curtis Weaver – EDGE
Some say that the Boise State EDGE just may be the best player in the Mountain West on either side of the ball, regardless of position. Twenty-eight tackles for a loss … Who in the MW is better at blowing up the backfield?
The two-time All-American fist-teamer has 20.5 career sacks, 76 tackles, a pair of forced fumbles, and INT, and a handful of defended passes. The Broncos have a true talent coming back to their defensive line in 2019 and will be a force to be reckoned with up front this season.
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