Three familiar faces headline the 2021 Preseason All-Mountain West Football Team. The media selections were announced Thursday at the league’s annual media days, being held at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The team, as selected by members of the media, features 24 student-athletes who were first or second team All-MW selections in 2020. The 26-member squad is comprised of 17 seniors, eight juniors and one sophomore.
Nevada junior quarterback Carson Strong is the Preseason MW Offensive Player of the Year, while San José State senior defensive lineman Cade Hall earned Preseason MW Defensive Player of the Year accolades. Utah State kickoff returner Savon Scarver garnered Preseason MW Special Teams Player of the Year honors.
Strong, who is the reigning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year and first-team all-conference honoree, is coming off a career year in 2020 in which he led the Conference in passing yards (2,858), passing touchdowns (27) and completion percentage (70.1). The native of Vacaville, California, who was seventh nationally with 317.6 passing yards per game, guided Nevada to 7-2 record last season. Strong holds the league record for consecutive 300-yard passing games (six). Strong was named to the Maxwell Award preseason watch list, an honor presented annually to the outstanding player in college football.
Hall, who earned MW Defensive Player of the Year and All-America honors last season, tallied 10.0 sacks, which was tied for the third-most nationally in 2020. The native of Morgan Hill, California, who is a three-year starter on the San José State defensive line, finished last year with 26 total tackles, including 12.0 tackles for loss. Hall is also on the Chuck Bednarik Award preseason watch list, an accolade presented annually to the outstanding defensive player in college football.
Scarver, who was named MW Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year in 2020, is just the fourth student-athlete in league history to earn the honor in back-to-back years. The native of Las Vegas has six kickoff returns for touchdowns in his career, which is tied for the fifth-most in NCAA history and is the second-most in Mountain West history. In 2020, he returned 10 kicks for a 31.4 yards per return average, including a 94-yard return for touchdown against Fresno State.