With Bowl games underway and the College Football Playoff on the horizon, it’s time to put a bow on the regular season with our All-SuperWest Sports Regional College Football Teams and Annual Awards.
We went three squads deep, making for some tough calls in placing players on the First, Second, or Third team.
There were certainly some tough calls to be made, and many talented players and accomplished coaches had to be left off.
The selections are all mine, and I’m sure there will be plenty of disagreements.
I provide a brief commentary on each First-Team player, with lists for the remaining teams.
Here are my choices for 2025.
Annual Awards
Offensive Player of the Year: Makai Lemon, WR, USC
Lemmon was electric for the Trojans in 2025. He ranked third in the nation in receiving yards, and he did it on just 79 receptions.
His 96.3 yards per game led the Big Ten and ranked third in the nation.
He has already taken home the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best WR, and now gets the nod as the SuperWest offensive player of the year.
Defensive Player of the Year: Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
A lockdown defender, especially in the Red Zone, Johnson held opponents to just 18 for 45 for 185 yards this season, with no TDs when throwing his way.
He picked off four passes and broke up nine. His 1.18 passes defended per game rank ninth in the nation.
Johnson paced a defense that led the FBS with three shutouts and has held seven of its 12 opponents to single digits.
Offensive Freshman of the Year: Bear Bachmeier, QB, BYU
Bachmeier, the first true freshman ever to start at QB for BYU, led the Cougars to an 11-2 mark that many thought should have landed them in the Playoff.
He threw for 2,708 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding another 527 yards on the ground and 11 more TDs.
Defensive Freshman of the Year: Luke Ferrelli, LB, Cal
Ferrelli led all freshmen nationally with 87 tackles in 2025 as part of a talented group of linebackers for the Bears.
He ranked second in stops for Cal, behind Cade Uluave’s 91.
Ferrelli also picked off a pass and had a sack against Duke.
Coach of the Year: Jason Eck, New Mexico
Eck and the Lobos blew past all expectations in 2025.
New Mexico went 9-3 overall and 6-2 in Mountain West play, both records being the best for UNM since 2016.
His nine wins are the most by a Lobos coach in his first year in program history.
First-Team Offense
QB Jayden Maiava, USC—Maiava led the Big Ten with 285.9 passing yards per game, the eighth-most in the nation and the most of any player in the West. He completed 66.2% of his passes for 3,431 yards and 23 TDs, with only eight interceptions.
RB Lucky Sutton, San Diego State—Sutton led the Aztecs to a share of the MW crown with 1,237 yards rushing. He averaged 103.8 rushing yards per game, the 12th-most in the nation, and the most of any player in our coverage area. Sutton scored 10 TDs on the ground and topped the 100-yard threshold six times.
RB LJ Martin, BYU—Martin led the Big XII with 100.4 rushing yards per game, the 14th-most nationally. His 1,305 yards on the ground (to date) are the sixth most in the country. Martin found the end zone 12 times and added another 255 yards receiving.
WR Makai Lemon, USC—The Biletnikoff winner in 2025, Lemon led Big Ten receivers in almost every statistical category, hauling in 79 passes for 1,156 yards at a clip of 14.63 yards per catch. He ended the regular season with 96.3 receiving yards per game, third-most nationally, and his 11 TD catches were tied for sixth. Lemon had three games with double-digit receptions.
WR Denzel Boston, Washington—Boston was a safety net for Demond Williams, tallying 62 receptions for 881 yards, despite battling some injuries. An absolute beast in the Red Zone, Boston finished sixth in the nation with 11 TD receptions, giving him 20 TD catches in the last two seasons.
WR Danny Scudero, San Jose State—Scudero led the nation with 107.6 receiving yards per game and 1,291 receiving yards. He hauled in 10 TD receptions, and 53 of his 88 receptions in 2025 resulted in either a first down or a touchdown.
TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon—Sadiq led all TEs nationally with eight TD receptions in 2025, good enough to tie for the 22nd-best for any player this season. He has also tallied 40 receptions for 490 yards so far this season.
OL Spencer Fano, Utah—The Outland Trophy winner is an obvious choice to lead our First-Team offensive line. Fano paved the way for a Utah ground attack that ran for 3,237 yards, the second-most in the nation and second-most in school history.
OL Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon—Pregnon did not allow a sack in 352 pass blocking plays and only allowed two hurries all season. He was flagged just once in 699 total snaps.
OL Caleb Lomu, Utah—Bookending the Utah line at tackle opposite Fano, Lomu did not allow a sack in 383 passing snaps and allowed just eight pressures all season. He helped drive the Ute offense that tallied the second-most rushing yards in the nation.
OL Bruce Mitchell, BYU—Mitchell helped keep his true freshman QB upright, allowing just a pair of sacks and two hits in 428 passing snaps. He led the way for an offense that finished the regular season with 2,397 yards on the ground.
OL Iapani Laloulu, Oregon—One of the premier centers in the country, Laloulu allowed just one sack and six pressures in 2025. He helped pave the way for a rushing attack that averaged 5.8 yards per carry, the fifth-best average in the nation.
First-Team Defense
DL John Henry Daley, Utah—Daley was third in the nation and tied for the Big XII lead with 17.5 tackles for loss in 2025. His 1.59 TFL/game led the conference and ranked second nationally. He tallied 11.5 sacks to pace the Utes and rank fourth in the nation.
DL Dylan LaBarbera, Nevada—A bright spot for the Wolf Pack defenses this season, LaBarbera led the MW with 17 stops behind the line. His 1.42 TFLs/game tied for the fifth-most in the nation.
DL Keyshawn James-Newby, New Mexico—The senior led the MW with eight sacks in 2025. He harassed QBs all season and was a major contributor in the Lobos’ turnaround.
DL Bear Alexander, Oregon—Alexander was a beast in the interior of the Oregon defensive front. He was the main run-stuffer for a Duck defense that limited opponents to just 107.3 yards rushing per outing. He ended the regular season with six stops behind the line and 45 total tackles, with five QB hurries.
LB Jaxton, Eck, New Mexico—Eck spearheaded the defense for the Lobos, recording 126 total tackles for an average of 10.5 per game, both of which rank eighth nationally. He also tallied 6.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks, adding four QB hurries, a forced fumble, and breaking up two passes in coverage.
LB Jack Kelly, BYU—Kelly ended the season with 10 sacks for the Cougars, the third-most in the Big XII, 13th-most in the nation, and second-most among players from the West. Kelly also added seven QB hurries and forced a pair of fumbles.
LB Bryce Boettcher, Oregon—Boettcher averaged 8.67 stops per game with four of his 104 tackles stuffing opponents behind the line. He also picked off a pass, recorded a sack, and forced a fumble.
DB Dillon Thieneman, Oregon—One of the premier safeties in the nation, Thieneman is equally as productive in run support as he is in defending the pass. He ended the season with 67 total stops and four passes defended, while also collecting a pair of interceptions.
DB Bishop Fitzgerald, USC—Fitzgerald picked off five passes in 2025 to tie for the fourth most in the nation. His .5 interceptions per outing were the most among Big Ten players and the second most in the country. He returned one of his picks for a score.
DB Chris Johnson, San Diego State—Johnson tallied four interceptions and nine passes broken up for a total of 13 passes defended and did not allow a touchdown in coverage. His 1.18 passes defended per game are the second-most among players in the West.
DB Hezekiah Masses, California—Masses led the nation with 1.5 passes defended per game and ranked fourth in the nation with five interceptions.
First-Team Special Teams
K Kenseu Matsuzawa, Hawai’i—Matsuzawa was my choice for the Groza award, given to the best kicker in the nation, and I did not think that was a close decision. The award did not go to him, but he ended the season 25 for 26 on FGs, connecting on his first 25 attempts, which matched the FBS record. He led the nation with a 96.2% success rate on FGs.
P Bryan Hansen, Colorado State—Hansen led all punters in the West with 47.9 yards per punt, the third-best average in the nation. A total of 23 of his 57 punts this season went for over 50 yards, while 13 of them pinned CSU opponents inside the 20.
RET Damon Bankston, New Mexico—Bankston averaged 30.36 yards per kickoff return in 2025, the highest average of any player in the West. He returned one kick for a touchdown and tallied 334 total yards on returns.
AP Jacob De Jesus, California—De Jesus averaged 11.25 yards per punt return and 20.63 yards per kickoff return. He was an electric return man throughout his career at UNLV and continues to be one with the Golden Bears. He also led Cal with 892 yards, and his 99 receptions this season were the most in the ACC.
Second-Team Offense
QB Noah Fifita, Arizona
RB Raleek Brown, Arizona State
RB Anthony Hankerson, Oregon State
WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
WR Jackson Harris, Hawai’i
WR Braden Pegan, Utah State
TE Dorian Thomas, New Mexico
OL Kage Casey, Boise State
OL Mason Randolph, Boise State
OL Costen Cooley, Air Force
OL Max Iheanachor, Arizona State
OL Jordan Seaton, Colorado
Second-Team Defense
DL Teitum Tuioti, Oregon
DL Trey White, San Diego State
DL Jackie Johnson III, Hawai’i
DL Isaac Terrell, Washington State
LB Owen Long, Colorado State
LB Cade Uluave, California
LB Owen Chambliss, San Diego State
DB Keith Abney II, Arizona State
DB Tanner Wall, BYU
DB A’Marion McCoy, Boise State
DB Keith Abney, Arizona State
Second-Team Special Teams
K Will Ferrin, BYU
P Hunter Green, San Diego State
RET Tony Freeman, Washington State
AP Adam Mohammed, Washington
Third-Team Offense
QB Anthony Colandrea, UNLV
RB Jai’Den Thomas, UNLV
RB King Miller, USC
WR Jacob De Jesus, California
WR Omarion Miller, Colorado
WR Parker Kingston, BYU
TE Lake McRee, USC
OL Dave Lulu, Oregon
OL Jacob Spomer, Fresno State
OL Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli, San Diego State
OL Isaiah Jetta, BYU
OL Kaden Robnett, New Mexico
Third-Team Defense
DL Logan Fano, Utah
DL Prince Dorbah, Arizona State
DL A’Mauri Washington, Oregon
DL Ryan Henderson, San Diego State
LB Matt Rose, Stanford
LB John Miller, Utah State
LB Keyshaun Elliott, Arizona State
DB Dalton Johnson, Arizona
DB Treydan Stukes, Arizona
DB Brent Austin, California
DB Ty Benefield, Boise State
Third-Team Special Teams
K Luke Drzewiecki, New Mexico
P Billy Gowers, Hawai’i
RET Quentin Gibson, Colorado
AP Malik Sherrod, Boise State
