LAS VEGAS – The 2024 Preseason All-Mountain West Football Team was announced today at the league’s annual media days, being held at Circa Resort & Casino. As selected by a media panel, the team features 21 student-athletes who were first or second-team All-MW selections in 2023. The 28-member squad is comprised of four graduate students, 14 seniors, eight juniors and one sophomore.
Boise State junior running back Ashton Jeanty is the Preseason Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, while Boise State senior defensive end Ahmed Hassanein and UNLV senior linebacker Jackson Woodard share Preseason MW Defensive Player of the Year honors. UNLV senior returner Jacob De Jesus is the Preseason MW Special Teams Player of the Year.
Jeanty, the reigning MW Offensive Player of the Year, finished second in the FBS in 2023 with 159.7 all-purpose yards per game and seventh with 112.3 rushing yards per game. He ranked 11th with 1,347 total rushing yards and scored 19 rushing touchdowns, which ranked fifth in the FBS. The Jacksonville, Florida, native earned All-America honors from several organizations last season, including The Associated Press, Athlon Sports, ESPN and USA Today. Jeanty rushed for at least 100 yards in six games, including a pair of contests over 200 yards, and twice went over 100 yards receiving. He was one of five national finalists for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and helped the Broncos to a share of the 2023 MW regular-season title and the MW Football Championship crown. Jeanty is Boise State’s third Preseason MW Offensive Player of the Year and first since Brett Rypien in 2018.
Hassanein was fifth in the FBS last season with 12.5 total sacks and seventh with 0.89 per game. A 2023 first-team All-MW selection, Hassanein recorded a streak of nine straight games with at least half a sack, the longest streak in the FBS since 2015. His total for the season was the sixth-best in program history. The Cairo, Egypt, native also turned in 16.5 tackles for loss in 2023, ranking third in the MW. A second-team College Sports Communicators Academic All-America selection and a Phil Steele All-America honorable mention last season, Hassanein forced two fumbles and anchored a defensive line that was second in the MW in rushing defense at 134.8 yards per game. He is Boise State’s second Preseason MW Defensive Player of the Year, joining Curtis Weaver, who took the honor in 2019.
Woodard was third in the MW with 117 total tackles last season, including 55 solo stops, 9.0 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. A 2023 first-team All-MW selection, Woodard was named the MW Defensive Newcomer of the Year by College Football Network. The Little Rock, Arkansas, native, who helped the Rebels to a share of their first regular-season MW title, first appearance in the MW Football Championship game, and first bowl appearance in a decade, added one interception and three pass breakups on the season. Woodard also made history as the first UNLV football player to earn first-team Academic All-America honors from CSC. He is UNLV’s second Preseason MW Defensive Player of the Year and first since Kevin Thomas in 2000.
De Jesus paced the FBS in total return yards last season with 1,079, earning first-team All-MW honors at kick and punt returner and All-America honors from USA Today (second team) and Phil Steele (third team). One of three finalists for the Jet Award, given annually to the country’s best returner, De Jesus had a 96-yard kickoff return in the Rebels’ season opener, which was the fourth-longest in program history, and a 59-yard punt return against New Mexico, which was UNLV’s longest since 2003. De Jesus, who also caught 60 passes for 606 yards and rushed 11 times for 46 yards, ranked 20th in the FBS in all-purpose yards with 123.64 per game last season. The Manteca, California, native is UNLV’s second Preseason MW Special Teams Player of the Year and first since Sergio Aguayo in 2006.
2024 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Offense
Defense
Specialists
Offensive Player of the Year: Ashton Jeanty, Jr., RB, Boise State
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Ahmed Hassanein, Sr., DL, Boise State
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Jackson Woodard, Sr., LB, UNLV
Special Teams Player of the Year: Jacob De Jesus, Sr., PR/KR, UNLV
* – member of the 2023 All-Mountain West first team
** – member of the 2023 All-Mountain West second team
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