Walsh, Barnett Earn Preseason All-Mountain West Honors
LAS VEGAS, Nev., -- The Mountain West Conference released on Wednesday its 2025 Preseason Predicted Order of Finish and Preseason All-Conference Team as selected by Mountain West media members. A pair of Cowboy offensive linemen were named to the Preseason All-Mountain West Squad.
Wyoming seniors Caden Barnett, who moved from right tackle to guard this season, along with Jack Walsh, now at center for the Brown and Gold, were named to the team. It marks back-to-back seasons that Walsh has been named to the squad.
In 2024, Barnett appeared in all 12 games and started every contest at offensive tackle for the Brown and Gold, but he will move to the interior and play guard this season. A veteran up front for the Cowboys, he has appeared in 35 games heading into his final season. The senior helped the Cowboys amass 604 yards of total offense in a November tilt at New Mexico, the most since recording 604 yards on Nov. 20, 2021 at Utah State.
He protected Kaden Anderson, who passed for 342 yards in Albuquerque, the most since Cam Coffman threw for 366 yards in 2015.
Walsh appeared and started 10 games for the Cowboys in 2024 and was a veteran upfront. He was named Second Team along the offensive line. Walsh recorded over 650 snaps during the season and did not allow a sack. He recorded over 20 pancake blocks along the offensive line. Pro Football Focus ranked him the No. 25 guard in the nation and fourth in the MW.
Wednesday's Old Trapper MW Mountain West Media Day schedule will feature two football student-athletes from each Mountain West school being interviewed by MW television partners CBS Sports Network, FOX Sports and the Mountain West Network, as well as media members from around the conference. On Thursday, all 12 head coaches from each Mountain West school will take center stage.
Wyoming was picked to finish tenth in the preseason poll. Boise State was picked to finish first with 35 first-place followed by UNLV with four first place votes.
2025 Mountain West Predicted Order of Finish
Rank Team (first-place votes) Points
1. Boise State (35) 464
2. UNLV (4) 415
3. San José State 359
4. Colorado State 326
5. Fresno State 301
6. Air Force 280
7. Hawai’i 213
8. San Diego State 202
9. Utah State 165
10. Wyoming 150
11. New Mexico 84
12. Nevada 83
Wyoming is being represented at MW media day by head coach Jay Sawvel, Walsh and tight end John Michael Gyllenborg.
Boise State QB Maddux Madsen tabbed Offensive Player of the Year
The 2025 Preseason All-Mountain West Football Team was announced today at the Old Trapper Mountain West Football Media Days, being held at Circa Resort & Casino. As selected by a media panel, the team features 11 student-athletes who were first or second-team All-MW selections in 2024.
The 28-member squad is comprised of two graduate students, 17 seniors and nine juniors.
Boise State junior quarterback Maddux Madsen is the Preseason Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, while San Diego State junior EDGE Trey White is the Preseason MW Defensive Player of the Year. Aztec senior placekicker Gabe Plascencia is the Preseason MW Special Teams Player of the Year.
Madsen led the Mountain West with 3,018 passing yards and 23 passing touchdowns last season and was second in the league with a 142.5 passing efficiency. As a sophomore in 2024, the American Fork, Utah, native quarterbacked the Broncos to the No. 3 seed in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff field, with Boise State making an appearance in the quarterfinals at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and finishing the year ranked inside the top 10 in the CFP, Associated Press and US LBM Coaches polls. Madsen helped BSU to a 12-2 overall mark, a 7-0 MW record and a win over UNLV in the Old Trapper Mountain West Football Championship.
A member of the Davey O'Brien Award Quarterback Class of 2024, he earned national recognition in consecutive weeks, as he was named to the Davey O’Brien Award Great 8 after accounting for 267 yards of total offense and a pair of scores in a Week 9 win over UNLV and was tabbed a Manning Award Star of the Week after throwing for 307 yards and four touchdowns, both career highs, in Week 10.
Madsen is Boise State’s fourth MW Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and second straight, following former teammate and current Las Vegas Raider Ashton Jeanty.
A first-team All-Mountain West selection as a sophomore in 2024, White was fourth nationally in both sacks per game (1.04) and tackles for loss per game (1.5). The EDGE from San Diego, California, totaled 18.5 tackles for loss, good for seventh in the FBS and 13th in program history, and 12.5 sacks, ranking fifth in FBS and tied for third in a season in SDSU history.
A midseason All-American and addition to the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list, he helped San Diego State rank 28th in the FBS in team sacks at 2.67 per game. White, who finished the 2024 campaign with 60 total tackles, 10 quarterback hurries and a forced fumble in 12 starts for the Aztecs, was the MW Defensive Player of the Week for Week 6 after logging 4.0 TFLs, including 3.0 sacks for 26 yards, in a come-from-behind win over Hawai‘i. White is San Diego State’s fourth MW Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and first since Patrick McMorris in 2022.
A second-team All-Mountain West performer as a junior last season, Plascencia led the MW and ranked ninth in the FBS with a school-record 92.9 field-goal percentage. The Oakland, California, native went 13-for-14 on field-goal tries in his first season as the Aztecs’ primary kicker, converting his final 12 attempts, including a pair from 40-plus yards. Plascencia also converted his final 18 point-after tries after missing his first of the season and recorded 23 touchbacks on kickoffs in 11 games. Late in the 2024 season, Plascencia was named a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy, which honors the most outstanding player in college football who began his career as a walk-on. Plascencia is San Diego State’s sixth MW Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year and first since Jack Browning in 2023.
2025 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Offense
QB Maddux Madsen Jr. Boise State
WR Latrell Caples Gr. Boise State
WR Pofele Ashlock Jr. Hawai‘i
WR Nick Cenacle Sr. Hawai‘i
RB Scottre Humphrey Jr. New Mexico
RB Jai’Den Thomas** Jr. UNLV
OL Kage Casey* Jr. Boise State
OL Mason Randolph Sr. Boise State
OL Peseti Lapuaho Sr. San José State
OL Caden Barnett Sr. Wyoming
OL Jack Walsh** Sr. Wyoming
TE Matt Lauter* Sr. Boise State
Defense
DL Braxton Fely** Sr. Boise State
DL Jayden Virgin-Morgan* Jr. Boise State
DL Trey White* Jr. San Diego State
DL Gafa Faga Sr. San José State
LB Marco Notarainni* Sr. Boise State
LB Tano Letuli Jr. San Diego State
LB Jordan Pollard* Sr. San José State
LB Marsel McDuffie Sr. UNLV
DB Ty Benefield Jr. Boise State
DB A'Marion McCoy Gr. Boise State
DB Al'zillion Hamilton Sr. Fresno State
DB Ike Larsen Sr. Utah State
Specialists
P Luke Freer** Sr. Air Force
PK Gabe Plascencia** Sr. San Diego State
PR Marcus Bellon Sr. Nevada
KR Abraham Williams Sr. New Mexico
Offensive Player of the Year: Maddux Madsen, Jr., QB, Boise State
Defensive Player of the Year: Trey White, Jr., EDGE, San Diego State
Special Teams Player of the Year: Gabe Plascencia, Sr., PK, San Diego State
* - member of the 2024 All-Mountain West first team
** - member of the 2024 All-Mountain West second team
University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
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