Air Force: New Starters Gel
Air Force has been a consistent bowl team since Head Coach Troy Calhoun took over the program all the way back in 2006. This season will be one of Troy’s most challenging seasons yet with only 25% of the roster returning from last year’s squad. But Troy Calhoun has consistently done more with less and 2024 is no different.
The triple option offense is extremely difficult to prepare against for most teams and has been the primary engine to the Falcons success over the years. It will be up to the new starters to continue what Air Force has done for the better part of nearly two decades and produce more results with limited talent.
If the new starters can gel quicker than expected, the Falcons will once again be a formidable force in the Mountain West
Colorado State: Jay Norvell Completes The Rebuild
Head Coach Jay Norvell’s short stint in Fort Collins thus far hasn’t been what the Rams brass was hoping for. An 8-16 record over the last 2 seasons after his impressive rebuild in Nevada is definitely underwhelming. But the third time could be the Christmas charm Colorado State has been looking for. With a healthy 64% of last year’s production, the Rams could break through and make a bowl in 2024.
Quarterback Brandon Fowler-Nicolosi seeks to improve upon an up and down freshman campaign where he threw 22 Touchdowns to 16 interceptions. Star Wide Receiver Tory Horton is one of the best players in college football and will look to terrorize defenses once again. Alongside Tory Horton, Cincinnati transfer Wide Receiver Donovan Ollie and Dylan Goffney will look to step up as the #2 and #3 options respectively. Starting Running Back Justin Marshall will look to give the Rams consistent traction for a running game that heavily struggled last season.
Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and 2024 5th round pick Mohammad Kamara will be severely missed, but stud Safety Henry Blackburn returns, along with getting underrated Navy transfer Cornerback in Elias Larry.
The Rams will need to find more consistency on a game to game basis if they want to go bowling, but the current roster is definitely capable of doing so.
Hawaii: Offense Sparks The Fireworks
Head Coach and former Hawaii Star Quarterback Timmy Chang was dealt a horrible hand the moment he arrived at his alma mater. After the fiasco that had former Head Coach Todd Graham abusing his players, on top of Aloha stadium having to be shut down after a major termite infestation, Timmy Chang had nothing to work with but lumps of coal.
However, 2024 could prove to be the breakthrough year for the Rainbow Warriors. A whopping 81% of last year’s production returns and look to take the next step towards bowl eligibility.
The aerial attack is one of deadlier units in the nation with emerging Quarterback Brayden Schager looking to improve on a season where he threw 26 touchdowns to 14 interceptions. Steven McBride and Pofele Ashlock are one of the nations most underrated tandems at wide receiver. If the offense wants to be even stronger though, they have to gain traction on the ground, which was a major achilles heel last fall, with no Running Back reaching 300 rushing yards.
New Defensive Coordinator Dennis Thurman looks to fix a defense that needs to improve on all levels as they ranked poorly in most categories. Standout Safety Peter Manuma is a good player to build around, but the rest of the starters will have to step up. With most of the starters returning from last season, it will be critical they take the next step.
It’s still an uphill battle in Honolulu, but this year could be a breakthrough year for the Rainbow Warriors with so much production returning that has room to grow.
Nevada: Form An Identity
New Head Coach Ken Wilson has a tough task ahead of him in resurrecting a Nevada Wolfpack program that has only won 4 games the past 2 seasons. It will be an uphill battle for Jeff and company but there is some promise.
Jeff Choate has experience building a program when he was the sideline boss at Montana State from 2016-2019. During his stint as the Bobcats Head Coach, Jeff Choate helped improve the team each season, going from 4-7 to 5-6 to 8-5 to 11-4. He went 28-22 in 4 seasons which landed him the job as Co Defensive Coordinator at Texas. He did a great job as the Co Defensive Coordinator of the Texas Longhorns this past season, helping them rank 34th in total defense.
The coaching staff looked to the transfer portal to inject more talent and they got some nice grabs. The most notable players include 4 star Nebraska Quarterback Chubba Purdy, 4 star Texas Safety Kitan Crawford, 4 star Wisconsin Edge Rusher Kaden Johnson, 3 star West Virginia Wide Receiver Cortez Braham and 3 star Florida Tight End Andrew Savaiinaea. All of them could develop into good contributors on a Nevada roster that doesn’t have a ton of proven players.
Both sides of the ball need a colossal improvement as both the offense and defense were a catastrophe last year and ranked bottom 20 in the country in most metrics. With a new coaching staff and a lot of new players entering the fold, the goal for the Wolfpack this season will be to see what sticks and build off of it.
New Mexico: Building A Winning Culture
New Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall was one of the best hires of the 2024 coaching cycle but will be facing a colossal challenge in turning a lifeless New Mexico Lobos program into a winner. If anyone can handle such a gargantuan task, it would be Bronco Mendenhall. He is no stranger in taking over anemic programs and turning their fortunes around.
In 2006 when he was hired by BYU, he took over a team coming off 3 straight losing seasons and turned them into a consistent winner, going 99-43, winning 2 Mountain West Championships and 4 top 25 finishes over his 11 years there. His time at Virginia was a similar story. After a horrible first season in 2015 that finished with a 2-10 record, the Cavaliers would go a respectable 34-28 over the next 6 seasons, including an ACC Championship berth in 2019.
Bronco Mendenhall will look to do the same in Las Cruces and I 100% believe he can get the job done, but it won’t come without growing pains. Only 41% of production returns from last year, which only adds more challenges to overcome. The coaching staff heavily criticized invested into the transfer portal and got some decent grabs, many of whom project to start, including Campbell Tackle Baraka Beckett, FAU Guard Wallace Unamba, Grambling State Center Jawaun Singletary, East Carolina Guard Richard Pearce, Texas A&M Commerce Tackle McKenzie Agnello, Old Dominion Defensive End Devin Brandt, USC Nose Tackle De’Jon Benton, Weber State Defensive End Okiki Olorunfumi, and San Diego State Cornerback Noah Avinger.
If the coaching staff can get production out of the new transfer players, the Lobos could be more competitive than people anticipate. It’s very unlikely the Lobos can reach a bowl with a new coaching staff and a roster with a lot of players looking to prove themselves, but Bronco Mendenhall as I’ve state before has defied the odds before. Who says he can’t do it again?
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