LAS VEGAS — The Mountain West Conference released its 2024 preseason predicted order of finish and preseason All-Conference team on Wednesday, as selected by Mountain West media members. Wyoming was picked to finish sixth in the 12-team conference, and three Cowboys were named to the preseason team. The Mountain West Media Days are being held at the Circa Resort and Casino in Las Vegas until the end of the day.
Wyoming had two players earn first-team All-Mountain West honors on offense: tight end John Michael Gyllenborg and offensive guard Jack Walsh. Defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole was named to the defensive team for the second straight season.
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Bertagnole started all 13 games last season and was named second-team All-Mountain West Conference. He was also named first-team All-MW by Phil Steele. He ranked fifth on the squad with 60 tackles and added a team-best 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Bertagnole forced one fumble, had six quarterback hurries, and two pass breakups. He recorded multiple tackles in every game except one, including a season-high nine tackles at UNLV and eight and seven tackles against Appalachian State and Portland State, respectively. He registered back-to-back games with a pair of tackles for loss against Hawaii and at Nevada.
Gyllenborg participated in all 13 games with four starts, including the final three contests of the season. He pulled in 23 passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns. Gyllenborg caught a career-long 89-yard touchdown pass against Hawaii, which was also Wyoming’s longest passing touchdown of the season. He ended the game against the Rainbow Warriors with a career-high 128 receiving yards. Gyllenborg logged a career-high five receptions against Texas Tech, including the game-tying touchdown pass on fourth down in overtime.
Walsh started all 13 games and was named first-team All-MW by Pro Football Focus and third-team All-MW by Phil Steele. He helped pave the way for Harrison Waylee to rush for over 100 yards on four occasions, with a high of 191 yards against New Mexico. Walsh also helped protect Andrew Peasley, who threw for at least 140 yards in nine games, with a season-high 319 yards against Hawaii. Walsh contributed to Wyoming’s ranking in the top 15 nationally in fourth-down conversion percentage at 66.7%. The Cowboys were named to the midseason watch list for the Joe Moore Award, given to the nation’s top offensive line unit.
At the event, Wyoming is represented by head coach Jay Sawvel, Bertagnole, and running back Harrison Waylee.
2024 Mountain West Predicted Order of Finish
| Rank | Team (first-place votes) | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Boise State (38) | 543 |
| 2. | UNLV (4) | 471 |
| 3. | Fresno State (4) | 460 |
| 4. | Air Force | 384 |
| 5. | Colorado State | 337 |
| 6. | Wyoming | 296 |
| 7. | Utah State | 285 |
| 8. | San Diego State | 251 |
| 9. | Hawai’i | 214 |
| 10. | San José State | 185 |
| 11. | New Mexico | 85 |
| 12. | Nevada | 77 |
2024 Mountain West Football Preseason All-Conference Team
Offense
- QB: Mikey Keene, Jr., Fresno State
- WR: Tory Horton, Gr., Colorado State
- WR: Ricky White III, Sr., UNLV
- WR: Jalen Royals, Sr., Utah State
- RB: Ashton Jeanty, Jr., Boise State
- RB: Malik Sherrod, Sr., Fresno State
- OL: Kage Casey, So., Boise State
- OL: Jacob Gardner, Gr., Colorado State
- OL: Mose Vavao, Sr., Fresno State
- OL: Tiger Shanks, Sr., UNLV
- OL: Jack Walsh, Jr., Wyoming
- TE: John Michael Gyllenborg, Jr., Wyoming
Defense
- DL: Ahmed Hassanein, Sr., Boise State
- DL: Devo Bridges, Sr., Fresno State
- DL: Soane Toia, Sr., San José State
- DL: Jordan Bertagnole, Gr., Wyoming
- LB: Andrew Simpson, Jr., Boise State
- LB: Chase Wilson, Sr., Colorado State
- LB: Jordan Pollard, Jr., San José State
- LB: Jackson Woodard, Sr., UNLV
- DB: A’Marion McCoy, Sr., Boise State
- DB: Jack Howell, Sr., Colorado State
- DB: Cameron Oliver, Sr., UNLV
- DB: Ike Larsen, Jr., Utah State
Specialists
- P: James Ferguson-Reynolds, Jr., Boise State
- PK: Jonah Dalmas, Gr., Boise State
- PR: Jacob De Jesus, Sr., UNLV
- KR: Jacob De Jesus, Sr., UNLV
Offensive Player of the Year: Ashton Jeanty, Jr., RB, Boise State
Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Ahmed Hassanein, Sr., DL, Boise State; Jackson Woodard, Sr., LB, UNLV
Special Teams Player of the Year: Jacob De Jesus, Sr., PR/KR, UNLV
