Preseason All-Mountain West team is out; Boise State’s Bagnah, Jones switch positions
The preseason All-Mountain West team was announced Thursday at media days in Las Vegas, and Boise State had four players make the cut.
Left tackle John Ojukwu, defensive lineman Scott Matlock, safety JL Skinner and kicker Jonah Dalmas made the preseason all-conference team, which was voted on by Mountain West media members.
Ojukwu — a 6-foot-6, 300-pound sixth-year senior who was a standout at Boise High School — is expected to become a five-year starter this fall. He played right tackle in 2018 and 2019, and then replaced Vikings offensive lineman Ezra Cleveland at left tackle in 2020.
Ojukwu was the only Boise State offensive lineman to start every game at the same position last season.
Matlock is a 6-4, 305-pound fifth-year senior who starred at Homedale High School. He led the Broncos with seven sacks and posted career highs in tackles (41) and tackles for loss (8.5) last season.
Skinner may be the Boise State player NFL scouts are most excited about. The 6-4, 200-pound senior from San Diego opted to pass on the draft last year after leading the Broncos with 92 tackles and snagging two interceptions. He also evolved into a big hitter while breaking up seven passes, forcing two fumbles and recovering three.
Dalmas — a former walk-on who played football and soccer at Rocky Mountain High — set Boise State’s single-season record with 26 made field goals last season. He’s 19-for-33 in his career, and the junior’s longest field goal covered 51 yards.
Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener was named preseason Offensive Player of the Year after racking up 4,096 passing yards and 33 touchdowns last season.
San Jose State defensive lineman Cade Hall and San Diego State safety Patrick McMorris shared Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Hall, the 2020 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, posted 40 tackles and four sacks last season despite being slowed by injuries. McMorris had four interceptions, defended 13 passes and broke up 11. He also had 90 tackles last fall.
San Diego State’s Jordan Byrd was named preseason Special Teams Player of the Year. He’s a two-time All-Mountain West pick as a kick returner. He earned the honor last season after averaging 27.3 yards per kick return and 7.1 yards per punt return.
Boise State was picked to win its division or a Mountain West title for the 12th year in a row on Wednesday. The Broncos open the season Sept. 3 at Oregon State.
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Bagnah changes positions
Boise State redshirt junior Isaiah Bagnah has moved from edge rusher to linebacker, coach Andy Avalos confirmed during media days.
The 6-4, 225-pound native of Lethbridge, Canada, finished second on the team with six sacks last season. He has nine career sacks, and he posted career highs in tackles (36) and tackles for loss (7) last season.
Avalos said the move was made because the Broncos’ coaches feel good about their depth at edge, with Demitri Washington returning and transfers George Tarlas and Deven Wright joining the program this year. The move should also offset some of the youth the Broncos have at linebacker.
“We have a lot of young talent at linebacker, but getting a guy like him who has real game experience will be a benefit for us,” Avalos said. “We’ve been working on it behind the scenes since the spring, and he’s excited to compete.”
Edge and boundary linebacker are interchangeable in the Broncos’ system, Avalos said, so it shouldn’t be much of a transition for Bagnah. He’ll compete with redshirt senior Brandon Hawkins to replace five-year starter Riley Whimpey.
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Changes in the secondary
Boise State sixth-year senior Tyreque Jones will open the season at nickel, replacing five-year starter Kekaula Kaniho, who had a brief stint with the Arizona Cardinals after going undrafted earlier this year.
Jones has started at field safety the past four years, and he finished last season with a career-high 53 tackles, eight pass breakups and three interceptions.
Avalos said the field safety and nickel positions are similar enough that it shouldn’t be a tough transition.
“They do a lot of the same things, from the standpoint of the mental fit,” Avalos said. “(Jones) has a great understanding of everything the nickel does because he was in constant communication with Kaniho, and he is an explosive player. We’ve seen that as he fills the alley from high safety and has the ability to make those tackles.”
Sophomore Seyi Oladipo and redshirt sophomore Rodney Robinson will compete to replace Jones at safety. Oladipo (5-11, 195) appeared in all 12 games last season, posting eight tackles and two interceptions. Robinson (5-8, 180) was Kaniho’s primary backup last fall. He appeared in 11 games and had 19 tackles.
Edge off the team
Edge Dylan Herberg is no longer with the team, Avalos confirmed at media days. The former standout at Timberline High was suspended indefinitely in January after a DUI arrest.
Herberg joined the team as a walk-on in 2018 and was put on full scholarship last September. He appeared in 10 games and finished with six tackles and one sack.
Boise State offensive lineman Jacob Golden was also charged with a DUI in June, but Avalos declined to comment on his status with the team.
2022 preseason All-Mountain West team
Offense
QB Jake Haener, Sr., Fresno State
WR Jalen Cropper, Sr., Fresno State
WR Jesse Matthews, Sr., San Diego State
RB Brad Roberts, Sr., Air Force
RB Jordan Mims, Sr., Fresno State
OL Isaac Cochran, Sr., Air Force
OL John Ojukwu, Sr., Boise State
OL Dontae Bull, Sr., Fresno State
OL Aaron Frost, Sr., Nevada
OL Alama Uluave, Sr., San Diego State
TE Tanner Arkin, RS-Fr., Colorado State
Defense
DL Scott Matlock, Sr., Boise State
DL Keshawn Banks, Sr., San Diego State
DL Jonah Tavai, Sr., San Diego State
DL Viliami Fehoko, Sr., San José State
DL Cade Hall, Sr., San José State
LB Vince Sanford, Sr., Air Force
LB Caden McDonald, Sr., San Diego State
LB Kyle Harmon, Sr., San José State
DB JL Skinner, Sr., Boise State
DB Evan Williams, Sr., Fresno State
DB Jerrick Reed II, Sr., New Mexico
DB Patrick McMorris, Sr., San Diego State
Specialists
P Aaron Rodriguez, Jr., New Mexico
PK Jonah Dalmas, Jr., Boise State
PR Jordan Byrd, Sr., San Diego State
KR Jordan Byrd, Sr., San Diego State
Offensive Player of the Year: QB Jake Haener, Sr., Fresno State
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: S Patrick McMorris, Sr., San Diego State; DL Cade Hall, Sr., San José State
Special Teams Player of the Year: PR/KR Jordan Byrd, Sr., San Diego State
