The MWCConnection 2026 Mountain West Preseason Top 10 Players.

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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 18: Jai'Den Thomas #9 of the UNLV Rebels runs with the ball during the first half against Cal Golden Bears at SoFi Stadium on December 18, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images) | Getty Images

If you haven’t been able to see the rest of our Kickoff Week coverage from this week, be sure to catch up on the content we rolled out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

There are many ways to measure the strength of a team or conference. During this week, we’ve tried to capture that from as many angles as possible. Today’s post is a simple list of the top 10 players in the Mountain West Conference, according to our team of writers. Yes, it’s hard to compare different positions and sides of the ball, but it’s also hard not to make a top-10 list of the best players when running a blog.

Without further delay, here are the top ten players in the Mountain West heading into 2026, voted on by the MWCConnection team of writers.

1) RB Jai’Den Thomas (UNLV)​

• 2025 stats: 985 rushing yards, 7.2 ypc, 221 receiving yards, 6.1 ypc, 13 total TDs

2) LB Jaxton Eck (New Mexico)​

• 2025 stats: 126 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, 1 FF, 2 PD

3) QB Micah Alejado (Hawaii)​

• 2025 stats: 3106 passing yards, 66.3% completion, 24 TDs

4) EDGE Dylan Labarbera (Nevada)​

• 2025 stats: 87 tackles, 17 TFLs, 6.5 sacks

5) WR Pofele Ashlock(Hawaii)​

• 2025 stats: 827 receiving yards, 10.9 ypr, 8 TDs

6) RB Owen Allen (Air Force)​

• 2025 stats: 750 rushing yards, 5.7 ypc, 5 total TDs

7) LB Blake Fletcher (Air Force)​

• 2025 stats: 108 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 passes defended

8) WR DeAree Rogers(NIU)​

• 2025 stats: 506 receiving yards, 11 ypr, 3 TDs

9) DB Elijah Palmer(Hawaii)​

• 2025 stats: 52 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 2 INTs, 10 passes defended

10) TE Cade Keith(New Mexico)​

• 2025 stats: 253 receiving yards, 12.7 ypr, 3 TDs

Team Breakdown:​

• Hawaii: 3
• Air Force: 2
• New Mexico: 2
• NIU: 1
• Nevada: 1
• UNLV: 1

Notes:​

• 18 total players received votes. Those who did not crack the top 10 were: Isaac Hubert, Jack Layne, Jerry McClure, Austin Brawley, Brian Booker, Donovan Woolen, Anthony Ivey, and Scottre Humphrey.
• There are six players on the offensive side of the ball, meaning the other four players are on defense. Position-wise, there are: 1 quarterback, 2 running backs, 2 wide receivers, 1 tight end, 1 edge, 2 linebackers, and 1 defensive back.
• Two players are holdovers from December’s list at the end of the 2025 season: Thomas and Eck. However, the rest of the list either went to the NFL, entered the transfer portal, or are on teams that left the conference, meaning no one dropped off the list.
• Thomas and Alejado battled for the top spot, and they were the only two players to receive first-place votes. However, Eck only had second- or third-place votes, whereas Alejado had some fourth-place votes, which is why Eck got the #2 spot.
• There was a gap after the top three players, and then again after the top five.
• Hawaii led the way with three players, and Air Force and New Mexico also got multiple players on the list. Six teams are getting votes, which is a nice variety.
• Eck jumped from 7th to 2nd, while Thomas went from 10th to 1st. Labarbera was the only other player who received votes last year.
• On the flip side, no players who still have eligibility fell in the rankings.

There it is. So let’s hear it. Who did we snub? Who did we put on here that shouldn’t be? Let’s hear your feedback in the comments section.

Coming next week: Our site awards for the Pac-12

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