Mountain West Football: Key Newcomers Atop Each Week 1 Depth Chart

All but one Mountain West team will play in Week 1. These new names atop the depth charts could be most crucial.

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Which unfamiliar names are worth following?

Fresno State — Morice Norris Jr., NB

After it came out last week that Justin Houston would be ineligible to play for the first six games of the season, the Bulldogs’ veteran depth at a key position looked like it had taken a hit. Instead, Norris Jr. beat out sophomore Emari Pait to claim the starting job for himself and looks to provide all the depth they’ll need.

Norris Jr. spent two seasons at Orange Coast College before the COVID pandemic erased a potential 2020 campaign, after which he walked on to the Fresno State roster and took a redshirt in 2021. He isn’t the only person in the Mountain West set to log a lot of snaps after a long layoff, UNLV’s Jerrae Williams snapped a similar game-action drought last Saturday, but considering the team’s lofty expectations in 2022, Norris Jr. won’t have much of a learning curve

San Jose State — Fernando Carmona Jr., OT

The Spartans will feature four new starters on the offensive line, but Carmona Jr. is the one tasked with protecting Chevan Cordeiro on his blind side, replacing Jack Snyder at left tackle. Relative to just about every other projected starter at the position in the Mountain West, he’s a little smaller physically (6-foot-5, 265 pounds), so it’ll be interesting to see if he holds up against defenders who may be roughly as bigger but perhaps a step quicker.

Nevada — Maurice Wilmer, LB

The Wolf Pack had plenty of mysteries headed into fall camp, but the biggest one of all concerned who would step up in a linebacker unit that would be nearly new from top to bottom. Wilmer, who made his first career tackle in last December’s Quick Lane Bowl, has answered the bell and did his part in the dominant defensive performance over New Mexico State with two total tackles and a tackle for loss.

Colorado State — Brian Crespo-Jaquez, OT

The Rams restocked their roster through the transfer portal, but Crespo-Jaquez winning the left tackle job is perhaps the most under-the-radar ascension anywhere on the two-deep. Like Carmona Jr., the Fort Collins native will be responsible for protecting Clay Millen’s blindside and has a very tough task ahead against what should be a very good Michigan Wolverines defensive front. If he can help the redshirt freshman quarterback survive that, Fort Air Raid should find much smoother sailing in future weeks.

Air Force — Wyatt Wilson, WR

Assuming that there haven’t been many changes since last month’s media days, Wilson is one of the few new names we’re likely to see often in the Falcons’ opener against Northern Iowa. What kind of role will he play, though?

For one, he’s a much different player physically than Micah Davis, the explosive pass catcher who left the program during the off-season, standing at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds. If you’re inclined to think he’ll be counted upon to stretch the field vertically rather than by attacking the edges on the ground as Davis did, there’s plenty of reason to believe it.

San Diego State — Josh Simmons, OT

The Aztecs’ projected lineup doesn’t contain too many surprises, but Simmons’s ascension is one that’s been hotly anticipated by many on the Mesa. The lone four-star recruit in San Diego State’s 2021 class, Simmons is listed at 6-foot-6 and 305 pounds, exactly the kind of athlete that the Aztecs have come to expect to have along their grinding offensive line.

Wyoming — Jakorey Hawkins, CB

Not much has changed in the Cowboys’ depth chart from Week 0 to Week 1 — Craig Bohl has dispensed with being cute about the quarterback quandry following Saturday’s disaster — but one small wrinkle is that, while they’re stilled tied together with an “OR”, Hawkins is now listed ahead of fellow Power 5 transfer Deron Harrell at the cornerback position opposite Cameron Stone.

Utah State — Kyle Van Leeuwen, WR

Van Leeuwen feels like he’s been with the Aggies for ages and is just now getting his first extended opportunity on the field, but he didn’t waste it last week against UConn. He had three catches for 54 yards and a touchdown on six targets in the opener, proving plenty capable of doing the kind of damage that Brandon Bowling did from the slot last year.

New Mexico — Sherod White, RB

There was a lot of talk about Nathaniel Jones looking pretty sharp during fall camp, which makes it fairly surprising that the Lobos depth chart features four running backs… and no Jones. Instead, the juco transfer White should get first crack at establishing himself at the head of any committee, and given his track record of production, it may not take long for Lobos fans to miss Aaron Dumas.

Boise State — Latrell Caples, WR

There aren’t a ton of surprises in the Broncos’ projected lineup, but it appears the redshirt sophomore Caples will take on a big role in replacing the big hole left by Khalil Shakir and complementing the more establishing Stefan Cobbs. He only logged playing time in six games last year, catching four passes in all, but he’s now the leading edge of Boise State’s recent run of talented three-star pass catching recruits.

Hawaii — Leonard Lee, S

After highlighting the true freshman safety Matagi Thompson last week, it seems only fair to highlight his counterpart Lee headed into game two. He was an unexpected focal point of the Todd Graham fallout over the off-season and briefly left the team before returning to the roster and winning a starting spot in Jacob Yoro’s defense.

Despite the disappointing overall performance on defense, Lee himself played pretty well with six total tackles, two quarterback hurries and a pass breakup. Even if it takes time for the Warriors defense to settle in, Lee looks like someone ready to lead the way.

More Week 1!

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Colorado State, Hawaii To Face Different Michigan Quarterbacks In Weeks 1 And 2

Story originally appeared on Mountain West Wire