RENO, Nev. – The Mountain West Conference today announces Nevada quarterback Carson Strong has been named Offensive Player of the Year. Nevada football has 15 players who earned 16 conference honors following a vote by head coaches as well as conference and media representatives. 

The Wolf Pack tied last seasons' school record with 15 players earning 16 honors including four First Team, three on Second Team, and nine Honorable Mention. A noteworthy accomplishment as 10 players including Carson Strong, Romeo Doubs, Cole Turner, Aaron Frost, Dom Peterson, Sam Hammond, Lawson Hall, Jacob Gardner, Jermaine Ledbetter, and Tyler Orsini earn All-Mountain West honors for the second time in their careers. 

Head Coach Jay Norvell on Nevada's All-Mountain West Team representatives. "I am just so very proud of all of our All-Conference players. This is a very talented group of student-athletes and they are very well-deserved of their honors."

It marks the second consecutive season that Carson Strong has earned Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year. He becomes the fifth player in conference history to earn the honor in back-to-back campaigns.

Back-to-Back MWC Offensive Player of the Year
Bradlee Van Pelt (CSU) - 2002-03
Andy Dalton (TCU) - 2009-10
Derek Carr - (FS) - 2012-13
Donnel Pumphrey (SDSU) - 2015-16
Carson Strong (NEV) - 2020-21
 
Strong leads the nation's fourth-best passing attack which helped pace the conference in points per game (36.7), passing yards (365.8), and touchdown passes (37). He was also named All-Mountain West First Team for the second straight season. 

Strong guided the Wolf Pack to an 8-4 overall regular-season record and its fourth straight bowl appearance after setting a single-season program record with 36 touchdown passes. He finished the regular season with the most passing yards in the conference (4,715), which is also second all-time in a single season at Nevada. Strong is first in the conference and 8^th in the nation with a 70.0 (212 of 303) completion percentage.

Coach Norvell on Strong's accomplishments. "So happy for Carson (Strong). He's so deserving of the Player of the Year Award. He played outstanding last year and this year he took it to another level. I think he's not only one of the best quarterbacks but also one of the best players in the country." 

Senior wide receiver Romeo Doubs was named First-Team All-Mountain West after finishing fourth in the conference in receiving yards (1,109) and tied for first in receiving touchdowns (11). Doubs recorded the second-most receiving yards per game in the Mountain West (100.8).  He was tied for second with 7.3 receptions per game. Doubs also earned All-Mountain West First Team as a punt returner after leading the conference with 14.2 yards per punt return and a long of 47 yards for 170 total return yards.

The 2021 campaign marked the second straight year that Doubs has earned All-Mountain West First Team honors as a receiver after securing the selection following the 2020 season. The Los Angeles, Calif., product earned the 2020 First-Team honor after leading the conference in receiving yards (1,002) and sharing the lead in touchdown catches (9) with teammate and 2021 Second-Team honoree TE Cole Turner.

Defensive lineman Tristan Nichols earned All-Mountain West First-Team Defensive honors after finishing the regular season first in the conference in sacks (10.0). It marked a career-high for the graduate student from Kihei, Hawai'i. The 2021 season was a break-out year for the edge rusher that included a single-game career-high three sacks against Idaho State and a season-high five tackles at Colorado State to close the regular season.

The Saint Louis High School product recorded 28 total tackles of which, 10.0 were sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss. Nichols also forced two fumbles and posted five quarterback hurries.

Tight end Cole Turner, offensive lineman Aaron Frost, and linebacker Daiyan Henley earn All-Mountain West Second Team honors. Turner led all tight ends within the conference with 10 touchdown catches. The touchdown reception mark was second among all pass-catchers in the Mountain West.

The senior from Clackamas, Ore., finished third in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in TE scoring with 5.2 points per game. Turner finished fourth amongst tight ends in the FBS in receptions (62), seventh in FBS amongst tight ends in receiving yards (677), and was invited to play in the Reese's Senior Bowl alongside teammate Romeo Doubs.

Offensive lineman Aaron Frost earned All-Mountain West Second Team honors for his work with the fourth-ranked passing offense in the country.

The senior lineman from Long Beach, Calif., allowed one sack in 718 snaps entering the final weekend of the season. His snap count included 467 pass-blocking snaps and 180 run-blocking snaps. It marks the second straight season that Frost has earned All-Mountain West Second Team honors after taking home the award following the 2020 season.

Henley was second in the conference in interceptions with four, a mark that led all linebackers in the Mountain West. He was one of eight players to return an interception for a touchdown. The senior from Los Angeles, Calif., led the Pack in tackles with 105.0 which is tied for fifth in the MWC. His 63 solo tackles are seventh in the conference and his 42 assists are eighth. Henley is third in the conference in fumble recoveries with three and his fumble return yards (56) are first.

Earning honorable mention are KR/WR Jamaal Bell, OL Gray Davis, OL Jacob Gardner, LB Lawson Hall, DL Sam Hammond, DB Jordan Lee, OL Tyler Orsini, and DL Dom Peterson.

Offensive Player of the Year – Carson Strong, Jr., QB, Nevada

2021 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
Pos.       Player                                Cl.          Team
QB          Carson Strong                   Jr.           Nevada
WR         Romeo Doubs                   Sr.          Nevada

DEFENSE
Pos.       Player                               Cl.          Team
DL          Tristan Nichols                  Sr.          Nevada
PR          Romeo Doubs                   Sr.          Nevada
 
2021 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
Pos.       Player                                Cl.          Team
TE           Cole Turner                      Sr.          Nevada
OL           Aaron Frost                      Sr.          Nevada

DEFENSE
Pos.       Player                                 Cl.          Team
LB           Daiyan Henley                   Sr.          Nevada
 
 
2021 HONORABLE MENTION
Nevada: Jamaal Bell, KR; Gray Davis, OL; Jacob Gardner, OL; Lawson Hall, LB; Sam Hammond, DL; Jermaine Ledbetter, OL; Jordan Lee, DB; Tyler Orsini, OL; Dom Peterson, DL.

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