LAS VEGAS • The preseason accolades continued to roll in Thursday for an Air Force football team unaccustomed to such honors.
Three Falcons — offensive lineman Isaac Cochran, running back Brad Roberts and linebacker Vince Sanford — were named first-team preseason All-Mountain West.
The three first-teamers tie for the most for Air Force since they had four in 2011, and Roberts was the first offensive skill-position player to earn the honor since Jared Tew before the 2010 season.
Since the creation of the Mountain West in 1999, Air Force has been shut out of the preseason all-conference team seven times and had five other years with just one selection.
“A lot of times, Air Force is ruled out on some of the things,” said Roberts, who was a first-team Mountain West selection following a 2021 season that saw him lead the conference with 1,352 rushing yards. “I think we have a really tough and gritty team, and it shows that we’re starting to get recognized.”
Cochran joins Nolan Laufenberg and Parker Ferguson — both now in the NFL — as the only Falcons offensive linemen to earn the preseason honor since 2011.
Sanford appears on the team after making 17 tackles for loss that accounted for 118 yards last season in a breakout junior campaign.
This comes a day after Air Force — 10-3 a year ago — was picked second in the Mountain West Mountain Division, matching its top preseason selection since the conference was formed.
Mountain West Preseason Offensive Player of the Year honors went to Jake Haener, Fresno State’s senior quarterback. San Diego State senior defensive back Patrick McMorris and San Jose State senior defensive lineman Cade Hall shared the Preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year award and Aztecs senior punt/kick returner Jordan Byrd was tabbed as Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year.
San Diego State led the conference with eight first-team selections, followed by Fresno State with five. Boise State had four.
Colorado State’s lone representative was redshirt freshman tight end Tanner Arkin.
Preseason All-Mountain West Team
Offense
QB Jake Haener, sr., Fresno State
WR Jalen Cropper, sr., Fresno State
WR Jesse Matthews, sr., San Diego State
RB Brad Roberts, sr., Air Force
RB Jordan Mims, sr., Fresno State
OL Isaac Cochran, sr., Air Force
OL John Ojukwu, sr., Boise State
OL Dontae Bull, sr., Fresno State
OL Aaron Frost, sr., Nevada
OL Alama Uluave, sr., San Diego State
TE Tanner Arkin, RS-Fr., Colorado State
Defense
DL Scott Matlock, sr., Boise State
DL Keshawn Banks, sr., San Diego State
DL Jonah Tavai, sr., San Diego State
DL Viliami Fehoko, sr., San Jose State
DL Cade Hall, sr., San Jose State
LB Vince Sanford, sr., Air Force
LB Caden McDonald, sr., San Diego State
LB Kyle Harmon, sr., San Jose State
DB JL Skinner, sr., Boise State
DB Evan Williams, sr., Fresno State
DB Jerrick Reed II, sr., New Mexico
DB Patrick McMorris, sr., San Diego State
Special Teams
P Aaron Rodriguez, jr., New Mexico
PK Jonah Dalmas, jr., Boise State
PR Jordan Byrd, sr., San Diego State
KR Jordan Byrd, sr., San Diego State
Offensive Player of the Year: Jake Haener, sr., QB, Fresno State
Defensive Player of the Year: Patrick McMorris, sr., DB, San Diego State and Cade Hall, sr., DL, San Jose State
Special Teams Player of the Year: Jordan Byrd, sr., PR/KR, San Diego State