Mountain West Football: Key Newcomers Atop Each Week 2 Depth Chart
Mountain West Football: Key Newcomers Atop Each Week 2 Depth Chart
Every Mountain West team will play in Week 2. We identify new names atop each depth chart who could be important.
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Which unfamiliar names are worth following?
Boise State — DJ Schramm, LB
The former three-star recruit from Fresno waited a long time for his chance to replace Riley Whimpey and his debut in the starting lineup against Oregon State was a decent one. He finished the night with 11 tackles, second-most on the defense, though Pro Football Focus was a little more lukewarm about his stat sheet, grading him at 54.5 overall in the season opener. New Mexico definitely looked more spry in their win over Maine on Saturday, but the Lobos offense should be a much more manageable test of whether Schramm can make bigger plays.
New Mexico — Geordon Porter, WR
The Lobos shuffled a huge number of pass catchers into the game last week against Maine, but the Arizona State transfer Porter stood out in his New Mexico debut. He caught all five of his targets for 54 yards and a touchdown, displaying a bit of yards-after-catch ability that should come in handy when the Boise State defense comes to town this Friday night.
Colorado State — Drew Kulick, LB
It came as something of a surprise when Kulick was listed ahead of veteran Cam’ron Carter ahead of the season opener against Michigan, and it remains at least a little bit so after Carter outperformed the freshman against the Wolverines. Kulick played a total of 35 snaps in Week 1, according to Pro Football Focus, and had three tackles but posted a 34.0 overall grade that is the third-worst among conference linebackers in this early going. If Carter plays well again against Middle Tennessee State, it could force a change in the starting eleven.
Utah State — Brian Cobbs, WR
Last Saturday’s contest against Alabama wasn’t pretty, but through two games the Maryland transfer has, more or less, played as well as advertised. For the moment, he’s tied for the Mountain West lead with ten receptions and ranks second with 141 receiving yards, including two catches for 33 catches against the Crimson Tide, and he’s racked up an 83.3 receiving grade from Pro Football Focus in the early going, as well. Expect big things from him against Weber State and moving forward.
Wyoming — DeVonne Harris, DE
With the departures of every major edge rusher from last year’s Cowboys roster, the onus was on Harris and his peers to step in the breach right away and he’s responded well through two games. Harris collected his first career sack last week against Tulsa and has two tackles for loss in two contests, so while health remains a concern for a defensive end unit that is precariously thin overall, he’s so far looked like a potential anchor alongside Jordan Bertagnole and Cole Godbout.
Nevada — Grant Starck, OT
Another new member of the rebuilt Union, Starck got his first career start in last year’s Quick Lane Bowl and has been tasked with holding down the left tackle role. He’s quietly been a big reason for the Wolf Pack’s strong start: After two games, he owns the sixth-best overall PFF grade of any offensive tackle in the country, 86.2.
San Diego State — Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli, G
While Ulugalu-Maseuli didn’t arrive on the Mesa with quite as much recruiting hype as Josh Simmons, the plan was always for the Mater Dei High School product to get elevated into the starting offensive line after serving as a part-time contributor in 2021. He helped the Aztecs rushing attack flash some explosiveness, though consistency was an issue in the opening loss to Arizona, though a stronger performance against Idaho State should quell the skeptics.
Air Force — Payton Zdroik, NG
A wealth of Falcons got in on the action during last week’s romp over Northern Iowa, so Zdroik getting the starting nod at a spot occupied by the mammoth Mosese Fifita not too long ago got overlooked in all of the highlights. Where Fifita was the rare Air Force cadet listed at over 300 pounds, Zdroik is listed at six feet and 265 pounds and made two tackles in the season opener.
According to Pro Football Focus, Zdroik played 24 total snaps against UNI and had the second-best grade of any interior lineman in the Mountain West, so he’ll be worth keeping an eye on against Colorado, as well.
UNLV — Preston Nichols, G
We already knew that Nichols was one of the FCS level’s best interior linemen in 2021 at Charleston Southern, but we didn’t know how that would translate to the desert. One week in, though, it looks like the Charlotte native had little trouble picking up where he left off last season, posting a PFF overall grade of 77.9, best among the conference’s guards, in the Week 0 victory over Idaho State. If he keeps that up, he could end up being one of the conference’s biggest transfer portal steals.
San Jose State — Anthony Pardue, C
We highlighted left tackle Fernando Carmona Jr. in last week’s depth chart rundown and Pardue, who started three games for the Spartans last year, is in much the same position as a new full-time starter. He was rock solid against Portland State in SJSU’s season opener, posting an overall PFF grade of 60.6 in 64 total snaps against the Viks, though this week’s contest against the Auburn Tigers — against nose tackle Jayson Jones, in particular — will be a much more difficult draw.
Hawaii — Jalen Walthall, WR
It came as a late-breaking surprise when Zion Bowens missed last week’s game against Western Kentucky with injury, but it provided the true freshman Walthall with an opportunity to build on his season debut against Vanderbilt. Through two games, the Houston native has eight catches for 114 yards on 12 targets, so it seems likely he’ll continue to be a focal point of the passing game for the foreseeable future.
Fresno State — Gavriel Lightfoot, DT
The Bulldogs came into the year stacked with veteran stars on both sides of the ball, which made the true freshman Lightfoot stand out on the defensive line. His first action against Cal Poly came with a fair bit of success as he picked up his first career sack, so while things get tougher in the next couple weeks against Oregon State and USC, head coach Jeff Tedford and defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle clearly believe they’ve found something in Lightfoot that fits right in with peers like Devo Bridges and Leonard Payne Jr.
More Week 2!
PODCAST: Week 1 Mountain West Football Recap
Colorado State, Hawaii To Face Different Michigan Quarterbacks In Weeks 1 And 2
Utah State Football: First Look At The Weber State Wildcats
