BOISE, Idaho — Boise State and San Diego State led the way with eight representatives apiece on the Mountain West 25th Season Football Team, the conference unveiled Thursday.
Leading up to each championship game as the conference celebrates its 25th season, the Mountain West will recognize a squad of legendary student-athletes. Thursday's list of football phenoms features 25 offensive players, 25 defensive players and 10 special teams players.
The honorary team will certainly take members of Bronco Nation down memory lane and amplify the excitement leading into Saturday's title game between Boise State and UNLV at Allegiant Stadium. The Broncos and Aztecs each had four defensive selections, while Colorado had the second-most representatives overall with seven.
Boise State's eight players on the Mountain West 25th Season Football Team are featured below:
Kellen Moore (QB)
Despite only playing in the league for one year, the 2011 Mountain West Player of the Year and first team all-conference selection was one of eight quarterbacks honored on the anniversary squad. Moore set a MW record with a .743 completion percentage during the 2011 campaign, completing 326 of his 439 attempts, and threw 43 touchdowns.
Jay Ajayi (RB)
Ajayi landed on the 2013 and 2014 all-conference first team and was named a 2014 All-American. He still holds the league record for a single season with 32 touchdowns and 192 points scored and ranks second in Mountain West history with 28 rushing touchdowns – all during the 2014 season.
Brett Rypien (QB)
Rypien joins Moore in the 25th anniversary quarterback room, touting four all-conference selections and a 2018 Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year honor. Rypien set the league record for a freshman with 3,353 yards in his debut season in 2015, before finishing his Bronco career with 13,581 passing yards and 90 touchdowns.
DeMarcus Lawrence (DL)
The Dallas Cowboy standout led the Mountain West in sacks both in 2012 (9.5) and 2013 (10.5), and landed on the all-conference first team both seasons. He received second team All-America honors in 2013 prior to being picked 34th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Darian Thompson (DB)
Thompson set the Mountain West record for career interceptions, grabbing 19 picks from 2012 to 2015. He earned second team All-American honors in 2014 and 2015 and was on the all-conference first team both seasons.
Leighton Vander Esch (LB)
The pride of Riggins collected 141 total tackles on his way to first team all-conference honors and being named the 2017 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year. Vander Esch joined Lawrence in Dallas after being selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft (19th overall).
Curtis Weaver (DL)
Weaver was recognized as the 2019 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year after leading the conference in sacks (13.5) and sacks registered against league opponents (6.5). He stills holds the league record with 34.0 career sacks and ranks third in MW history with 46.5 tackles-for-loss between 2017 and 2019.
Avery Williams (KR/PR)
The 2021 fifth-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons was honored as the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year both in 2019 and 2020. Williams also claimed a spot on the all-conference first team in 2019 after earning league honors in 2017 and 2018. He holds the MW career record with six punt returns and was a 2020 Consensus All-American.
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