Most college football teams are at the midway point of their seasons, so now is the perfect time to check in on how many of the best defensive players in the Mountain West are doing.
Former UNLV linebacker Jackson Woodard was named the conference’s defensive player of the year last season. That snapped a streak of five straight years that the award went to a defensive lineman or EDGE rusher, dating back to former Boise State pass rusher Curtis Weaver in 2019.
Here’s a look at five defenders who have the strongest resume to win the award through six games this season.
LB Owen Long, Colorado State
The sophomore first-year starter has been a tackling machine. He leads the country with 85 tackles and 14.2 tackles a game. Long has posted at least 11 tackles in every game this season and set career highs the past two weeks. He finished the Rams’ loss at San Diego State with 16 tackles two weeks ago and put up 17 in Colorado State’s upset of Fresno State last week.
LB John Miller, Utah State
Miller has been all over the field and emerged as a leader at Utah State, despite still being a newcomer to the program. He joined the Aggies last year after four seasons at Oregon State. The sixth-year senior leads Utah State with 53 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss, and he’s tied for No. 1 in the Mountain West with 5.5 sacks. Miller posted a season-high 16 tackles against Air Force and added 12 tackles and a sack against Vanderbilt.
DL Dylan LaBarbera, Nevada
LaBarbera might be the Mountain West’s top pass rusher. He’s tied with Miller with 5.5 sacks, leads the conference with 14 tackles for loss, and leads the Wolf Pack with 51 tackles. The 6-foot-1, 248-pound defensive end racked up a season-high 12 tackles against Fresno State two weeks ago and posted two sacks against San Diego State last week.
LB Marsel McDuffie, UNLV
McDuffie is one of the Rebels’ few holdovers from last season. He has played in 38 games since 2022 and was an honorable mention All-Mountain West pick in 2023. Despite being surrounded by transfers, many of whom came from Power Four programs, he leads UNLV with 45 tackles. He also has one sack and the first two interceptions of his career, the second of which sealed the Rebels’ 41-38 win over Miami (Ohio).
CB Chris Johnson, San Diego State
An athletic, active secondary has helped San Diego State’s defense dominate the competition so far this season. The Aztecs are giving up conference lows in points (12.2 a game) and passing yards (164 a game), and Johnson deserves a lion’s share of the credit. The senior leads San Diego State and is tied for No. 2 in the Mountain West with three interceptions. He’s one of two defensive backs in the conference who have returned two interceptions for touchdowns this season, joining UNLV’s Aamaris Brown. Johnson returned a pick 97 yards for a score in the Aztecs’ 34-0 win over California. He’s No. 2 on the team with 32 tackles.
Also considered: S Ty Benefield, Boise State; CB A’Marion McCoy, Boise State; LB Jadon Pearson, Fresno State; DL Trey White, San Diego State; LB Jordan Pollard, San Jose State.
