RENO, Nev. - Fifth-year cornerback
Michael Coats Jr., second in the country with 17 passes defended, was named to the All-Mountain West First Team to headline six Nevada all-conference selections.
Coats' breakout 2024 campaign saw him end the regular season tied for fifth in the country with four interceptions, and tied for third with 13 pass breakups, adding up to his 17 passes defended. Only Miami's Raion Strader, with 19 passes defended (two interceptions, 17 PBUs), ranks ahead of Coats.
Coats' season was highlighted by his performance in Nevada's 42-37 win over Oregon State on Oct. 12. In that win, he picked off two passes and broke up an additional five, making for seven passes defended in a single contest. From that point on, Coats was rarely challenged by opposing passers, adding one more interception Oct. 26 at Hawai'i. In fact, 11 of his 13 pass breakups and three of his four interceptions came over the team's first seven games, as Coats quickly established himself as a lockdown corner.
He paced a secondary which ranks second in the Mountain West and 39th in the country in passing defense, allowing just 198.6 yards a game. That's a stark improvement from the 2023 campaign, in which the Wolf Pack defense gave up 254.1 passing yards a game, ranking dead last in the Mountain West and 112th in FBS.
Joining Coats on the All-Mountain West list were five honorable mentions in quarterback
Brendon Lewis, wide receivers
Cortez Braham Jr. and
Jaden Smith, offensive tackle
Isaiah World, and safety
Kitan Crawford. While World earned his second-straight All-Mountain West Honorable Mention, the recognition was the first in the careers of Lewis, Braham Jr., Smith, and Crawford.
Lewis turned in a career year in 2024, ranking among the most productive and dynamic quarterbacks in the Mountain West. The second-year Wolf Pack starter ranked among the conference's top quarterbacks in total offense (3,065 yards; second), completion percentage (67.63; second), rushing yards (775; second), rushing touchdowns (eight; third), total offense per game (255.42 yards per game; fourth), and passing efficiency (141.72; fourth).
The Wolf Pack signal-caller led the team in most major offensive categories besides passing stats—Lewis led the Pack in rushing yards and shared the lead in rushing touchdowns. He passed for a career-best 2,290 yards and 16 touchdowns, and twice posted 100-yard rushing games, among those a career-best 151 against Oregon State.
One of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the Mountain West, Lewis also posted five games in 2024 in which he accounted for both a passing and rushing touchdown. Overall, he has a hand in over half of Nevada's touchdowns, accounting for 24 (16 passing, eight rushing) of the Pack's 41 in 2024.
Two of Lewis' top targets on the year, Braham Jr. and Smith used their final seasons of college football to vastly improve the Wolf Pack's passing attack. Together, the pair combined for 118 receptions for 1,573 yards and 11 of the team's 19 touchdown receptions on the season.
Smith captured the Pack's receiving triple crown with 62 catches for 849 yards and seven touchdowns. Each of those figures ranks fifth in the Mountain West, while he is seventh in receptions per game (4.77) and receiving yards per game (65.31). On the year, he posted two 100-yard receiving games, highlighted by a 134-yard effort on nine catches against Fresno State, and caught a touchdown in six different contests.
Braham Jr. was also among the top-10 conference receivers on the year, finishing with 56 catches for 724 yards and four touchdowns. The transfer from West Virginia led the Wolf Pack with three 100-yard receiving games on the year, topped by 141 yards on nine catches against Colorado State Nov. 2. At the end of the regular season, Braham ranked eighth in the Mountain West in receptions, 10th in receiving yards, and tied for fifth with his three 100-yard performances, just two off the conference leaders.
For the second season in a row, not only did World earn All-Mountain West Honorable Mention but he also started every single game for the Wolf Pack at left tackle. World helped anchor a Nevada offensive line which helped the Pack offense rank in the top half of the conference in total offense (4,889 yards; fifth), rushing yards (2,125; sixth), and passing yards (2,764; sixth).
Crawford, the lone Wolf Pack defender to earn honorable mention, led the team in tackles (76) while scoring the only defensive touchdowns of the season, that coming on a 52-yard interception return against Oregon State.
Spending his final season at Nevada after four years at Texas, Crawford made an immediate impact with the Wolf Pack, taking the lead in the secondary at free safety while making two interceptions and 3.0 tackles-for-loss among his team-high tackle total. Crawford never had less than four tackles in a game, and made at least seven in four contests, with a high of 11 against Air Force on Nov. 23. He proved to be one of the defense's top ballhawks, adding a fumble recovery to his haul, and totaling 75 return yards over his three takeaways. Along with
Michael Coats Jr., Crawford helped anchor a Nevada secondary which made 10 of the team's 11 interceptions and accounted for 36 of the team's 46 pass breakups, with seven coming from Crawford.
2024 All-Mountain West Teams
Offense
First Team
QB Devon Dampier So. New Mexico
WR Mac Dalena Sr. Fresno State
WR Nick Nash Sr. San José State
WR Ricky White III* Sr. UNLV
RB Ashton Jeanty*# Jr. Boise State
RB Marquez Cooper Sr. San Diego State
TE Matt Lauter Jr. Boise State
OL Kage Casey So. Boise State
OL Ben Dooley Sr. Boise State
OL Jacob Gardner Gr. Colorado State
OL Baraka Beckett Sr. New Mexico
OL Tiger Shanks* Sr. UNLV
PK Caden Chittenden Fr. UNLV
KR Tyler King So. Wyoming
Second Team
QB Hajj-Malik Williams Sr. UNLV
WR Luke Wysong Jr. New Mexico
WR Justin Lockhart Sr. San José State
WR Jalen Royals Sr. Utah State
RB Jai'Den Thomas So. UNLV
RB Rahsul Faison Sr. Utah State
TE John Michael Gyllenborg Jr. Wyoming
OL Alex Moore Sr. Air Force
OL Drew Moss Sr. Colorado State
OL McKenzie Agnello Jr. New Mexico
OL Jalen St. John Sr. UNLV
OL Jack Walsh Jr. Wyoming
PK Gabe Plascencia Jr. San Diego State
KR Jacob De Jesus Sr. UNLV
Defense
First Team
DL Ahmed Hassanein* Sr. Boise State
DL Jayden Virgin-Morgan So. Boise State
DL Trey White So. San Diego State
DL Soane Toia Sr. San José State
LB Marco Notarainni Jr. Boise State
LB Tuasivi Nomura Sr. Fresno State
LB Jordan Pollard Jr. San José State
LB Jackson Woodard* Sr. UNLV
DB Cam Lockridge Sr. Fresno State
DB Cam Stone Sr. Hawai'i
DB Michael Coats Jr. Sr. Nevada
DB Jalen Catalon Gr. UNLV
P Tyler Pastula Sr. San Diego State
PR Jacob De Jesus* Sr. UNLV
Second Team
DL Braxton Fely Jr. Boise State
DL Devo Bridges* Sr. Fresno State
DL Antonio Doyle Sr. UNLV
DL Cian Slone Sr. Utah State
LB Buom Jock So. Colorado State
LB Chase Wilson* So. Colorado State
LB Malachi Langley Sr. Fresno State
LB Shae Suiaunoa Gr. Wyoming
DB Seyi Oladipo Sr. Boise State
DB DJ Harvey Jr. San José State
DB Robert "Rocket" Rahimi Sr. San José State
DB Johnathan Baldwin Sr. UNLV
P Luke Freer Jr. Air Force
PR Jalen Moss So. Fresno State
Honorable Mention
Air Force: Osaro Aihie, LB; Jemari Bellamy, DB; Costen Cooley, C; Matthew Dapore, PK; Camby Goff, DB
Boise State: Ty Benefield, S; Cameron Camper, WR; Jonah Dalmas, PK; Maddux Madsen, QB; Alexander Teubner, S
Colorado State: Henry Blackburn, DB; Dom Jones, CB; Aaron Karas, OT; Gabe Kirschke, DE; Avery Morrow, RB
Fresno State: Dean Clark, DB; Al'zillion Hamilton, DB; Mikey Keene, QB; Raylen Sharpe, WR; Mose Vavao, OL
Hawai'i: Lucas Borrow, P; Kaena Decambra, OT; Peter Manuma, S; Elijah Palmer, DB; Elijah Robinson, DE
Nevada: Cortez Braham Jr., WR;
Kitan Crawford, S;
Brendon Lewis, QB;
Jaden Smith, WR;
Isaiah World, OT
New Mexico: Noah Avinger, DB; Trace Bruckler, TE; Christian Ellis, S; Eli Sanders, RB; Bryce Santana, DL
San Diego State: Eric Butler, S; Chris Johnson, CB; Tano Letuli, LB; Jordan Napier, WR; Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli, OG
San José State: Gafa Faga, DL; Taniela Latu, LB; Isiah Revis, S; Marist Talavou, OL; John Ward, DL
UNLV: Jett Elad, DB; Jack Hasz, OL; Marshall Nichols, P; Cameron Oliver, DB; Alexander Whitmore, DL
Utah State: Teague Andersen, OL; Gabriel Iniguez Jr., DL ; DJ Graham II, CB; Spencer Petras, QB; Jordan Vincent, S
Wyoming: Wrook Brown, DB; Sabastian Harsh, DE; John Hoyland, PK; Jaylen Sargent, WR; Nofoafia Tulafono, C
