by staff–10 Jul ’24
The Mountain West Conference released on Wednesday its 2024 Preseason Predicted Order of Finish and Preseason All-Conference Team as selected by Mountain West media members. Wyoming was picked to finish sixth in the 12-team Mountain West Conference and three Cowboys were named to the Preseason MW team. Mountain West Media Days being held at the Circa Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.
Wyoming had two players earn Frist team All-MW honors on the offensive side of the ball with tight end John Michael Gyllenborg and offensive guard Jack Walsh garnering the honor. Defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole was named to the defensive team for the second straight season.
Bertagnole started all 13 games en route to being named second-team All-Mountain West Conference. He was also named first team All-MW by Phil Steele. He ranked fifth on the squad with 60 tackles. Bertagnole added a team-best 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Bertagnole forced one fumble, had six quarterback hurries and two pass break-ups. He recorded multiple tackles in each game save for one. Bertagnole enjoyed a season-high nine tackles at UNLV, while adding eight and seven tackles against Appalachian State and Portland State, respectively. He registered back-to-back contests with a pair of tackles for loss against Hawaii and at Nevada.
Gyllenborg participated in all 13 games with four starts, three of which were the final three contests of the season. He pulled in 23 passes for 360 yards with three touchdowns. Gyllenborg reeled in a career-long 89-yard touchdown pass against Hawaii, which also happened to be the longest passing touchdown of Wyoming’s season. He ended the game against the Rainbow Warriors with a career-high 128 yards receiving. Gyllenborg logged a career-high five receptions against Texas Tech, including the game-leveling touchdown pass on fourth down in overtime.
Walsh started all 13 games. Walsh was named All-MW by Pro Football Focus earning first team honors. He was also named third team All-MW by Phil Steele. He helped pave the way for Harrison Waylee to rush for north of 100 yards on four different occasions with the high-water mark being 191 yards against New Mexico. Walsh also helped protect Andrew Peasley who threw for at least 140 yards nine different times with a season-high 319 coming against Hawaii. Walsh played a role in Wyoming ranking top-15 nationally in fourth-down conversion percentage at 66.7. The Cowboys were named to the Mid-season Watch List for the Joe Moore Award going to the top offensive line unit in the nation.
Wednesday’s Mountain West Media Day schedule will feature two football student-athletes from each Mountain West school being interviewed by MW television partners CBS Sports Network, FOX Sports, TNT Sports and the Mountain West Network, as well as media members from around the conference. On Thursday, all 12 head coaches from each Mountain West school will take center stage.
Wyoming is being represented by head coach Jay Sawvel, Bertagnole and running back Harrison Waylee.
2024 Mountain West Predicted Order of Finish
Rank Team (first-place votes) Points
1. Boise State (38) 543
2. UNLV (4) 471
3. Fresno State (4) 460
4. Air Force 384
5. Colorado State 337
6. Wyoming 296
7. Utah State 285
8. San Diego State 251
9. Hawai’i 214
10. San José State 185
11. New Mexico 85
12. Nevada 77
2024 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
QB Mikey Keene Jr. Fresno State
WR Tory Horton* Gr. Colorado State
WR Ricky White III* Sr. UNLV
WR Jalen Royals* Sr. Utah State
RB Ashton Jeanty* Jr. Boise State
RB Malik Sherrod Sr. Fresno State
OL Kage Casey** So. Boise State
OL Jacob Gardner** Gr. Colorado State
OL Mose Vavao** Sr. Fresno State
OL Tiger Shanks* Sr. UNLV
OL Jack Walsh Jr. Wyoming
TE John Michael Gyllenborg Jr. Wyoming
Defense
DL Ahmed Hassanein* Sr. Boise State
DL Devo Bridges** Sr. Fresno State
DL Soane Toia** Sr. San José State
DL Jordan Bertagnole** Gr. Wyoming
LB Andrew Simpson** Jr. Boise State
LB Chase Wilson** Sr. Colorado State
LB Jordan Pollard Jr. San José State
LB Jackson Woodard* Sr. UNLV
DB A’Marion McCoy Sr. Boise State
DB Jack Howell* Sr. Colorado State
DB Cameron Oliver** Sr. UNLV
DB Ike Larsen* Jr. Utah State
Specialists
P James Ferguson-Reynolds* Jr. Boise State
PK Jonah Dalmas** Gr. Boise State
PR Jacob De Jesus* Sr. UNLV
KR Jacob De Jesus* Sr. UNLV
Offensive Player of the Year: Ashton Jeanty, Jr., RB, Boise State
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Ahmed Hassanein, Sr., DL, Boise State
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Jackson Woodard, Sr., LB, UNLV
Special Teams Player of the Year: Jacob De Jesus, Sr., PR/KR, UNLV
* – member of the 2023 All-Mountain West first team
** – member of the 2023 All-Mountain West second team
