There are new faces across the Mountain West who emerged from the junior college ranks and could influence the race to the top this fall.
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Unfamiliar names could join the big time.
The 2022 Mountain West football season is nearly upon us at this point, fall camps are at or near their conclusion, and live action will get underway next week. There’s a sense of who the stars are across the conference that will drive most of the competition and conversation throughout the next several months, and how transfers from elsewhere across the FBS landscape will impact the race to the top.
What about their junior college counterparts, though? In recent years, we’ve seen players like Tristan Nichols, Derek Wright, Joey Noble, and Keric Wheatfall have played key roles on their respective teams after coming into the conference without a great deal of attention. With the 2022 juco recruits now taking part in on-field activities, here’s a look at a handful of players who could play major roles in the season to come.
Jeffrey Weimer, WR, UNLV
Much of the Rebels’ progress in 2022 will depend on their offense taking a step forward, but with Charles Williams gone it won’t revolve so much around just one star this fall and will demand whoever starts at quarterback to make more plays.
Enter Weimer, who helped the City College of San Francisco win the California junior college title last year as its lead pass catcher with 77 catches for 1,268 yards and 17 touchdowns. Given that he’s already received praise in fall camp for his work ethic, he could be the much-needed complement to Kyle Williams that will make the UNLV passing game that much more dangerous.
D’Andre Greeley, DB, Colorado State
Another product of the CCSF football program, Greeley played just as big as role as Weimer in the team’s run to the title… if not bigger. After all, the last of his ten interceptions came with less than two minutes left in the championship contest against Riverside and stymied a scoring threat in the red zone. If he plays a major role in replacing the likes of Rashad Ajayi and Marshaun Cameron, don’t be surprised.
Cortez Hogans, DL, Boise State
The Broncos will look for more out of their pass rush than they got in 2021, and Hogans could be part of that rebound. He spent 2021 at Utah’s Snow College after three years at Northern Illinois and thrived, registering 26 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, and three sacks, so he…