Mountain West Football: Eight Named As MWwire’s 2020 Preseason Freshmen Of The Year
A number of new arrivals, including Hawaii’s Quin Bright and Boise State’s Shea Whiting, are named as our impact freshmen for 2020.
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No consensus, no problem.
A funny thing happened among our staff when it came to determining our selection as the Mountain West’s preseason freshman of the year: We couldn’t agree upon anything. One eight-way tie later, we decided to simply bestow this distinct upon all of our selections. Here’s a little information on each of the eight freshman we expect to make a splash in 2020.
Quin Bright, wide receiver, Hawaii
If you, like Ricky Bobby, like to go fast, you’ll be hard pressed to find more speed in one Mountain West athlete than the Warriors’ new pass catcher from Texas.
According to 247Sports’s Jackson Moore, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Bright chose Hawaii over more than 20 other FBS offers, giving new Warriors head coach Todd Graham and offensive coordinator G.J. Kinne one of the conference’s most explosive weapons in their first year at the helm.
LaTrell Caples and Shea Whiting, wide receiver, Boise State
The Broncos are accustomed to cranking out highly productive pass catchers year in and year out. It’s been a little while, however, since anyone has been as productive in their freshman year on the blue as Matt Miller was in 2011. The 62 catches, 679 yards, and nine touchdowns Miller put up that year are far and away the best such campaign by any Boise State freshman in the past decade, but with few proven commodities behind Khalil Shakir and CT Thomas going into 2020, could this be the time for a new breakthrough?
Enter Caples and Whiting, a pair of three-star recruits from Texas that were part of Boise State’s last two recruiting classes. Caples was actually rated as the program’s highest-rated recruit of 2020, according to 247Sports, while Whiting redshirted in 2019 after appearing in three games.
Kyjuan Herndon, running back, Colorado State
Marvin Kinsey was arguably the most productive player on Colorado State’s offense during the first half of 2019, so replacing his explosiveness will be a tall task for new head coach Steve Addazio.
Herndon, a three-star 2020 recruit from Florida, could carve himself a role after choosing to head to Fort Collins over offers from the likes of Maryland, Mississippi, and Cincinnati. After all, not just anyone can average nearly eight yards per carry as a high school senior, and Addazio and new offensive coordinator Bodie Reeder will want to balance the obvious talents in the passing game with an effective running attack.
Brennon Scott, linebacker, UNLV
In a lot of respects, the Rebels are starting over on the defensive side of the ball, but new head coach was able to bring a wealth of talent through his first recruiting class, none bigger than Scott.
According to 247Sports, Scott arrives in Las Vegas as the program’s third-highest-ranked recruit ever, choosing UNLV over a whopping 34 other offers. If competition everywhere is to be the name of the game in the early going, he could find his way into the linebacker rotation pretty quickly with only Farrell Hester II as a truly proven commodity in the unit.
John Gentry, running back, Utah State
Jaylen Warren looks set to be the Aggies’ lead back in 2020, but if head coach Gary Andersen wants to continue the committee that has worked so well over the past few years, who will pick up the slack left by the departed Gerold Bright?
Gentry, the highest-ranked recruit in Utah State’s most recent class, could be an option. After prying him away from in-state rival Utah, the 5-foot-10, 186-pound Houstonian could be the lightning that the offense missed at times last fall.
Dean Rice, defensive lineman, Utah State
After playing both ways in high school, the 6-foot-2, 295-pound Rice could be an integral part of a defensive front that will have to replace a lot of lost production from 2019. He didn’t see any action last fall, but he’s also one of just four defensive tackles listed on the current roster, meaning that he could easily see a lot of playing time inside.
Michael Washington, cornerback, Hawaii
Though he only saw playing time in three games last season, Washington was definitely thrown into the fire more than anyone else on this list, playing a healthy portion of the 2019 SoFi Hawaii Bowl alongside Cortez Davis and Zach Wilson. He held his own, recording four tackles, and should be in line to compete for a starting role now that Rojesterman Farris has graduated to the NFL ranks.
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