San Diego State‘s defending Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year Jack Browning has been named a 2023 preseason MW Player of the Year.
The league made the announcement last week, with Browning topping the list of four preseason all-conference selections for the Aztecs.
The team was picked to finish fourth – behind Boise State, Air Force and Fresno State – in the first one-division preseason poll since 2012.
Browning, who also made the preseason all-conference team at punter, was joined on the team by tight end Mark Redman, offensive guard Cade Bennett and linebacker Cody Moon.
SDSU’s four preseason all-league selections only trailed Wyoming , with five, for the most in the MW.
The all-conference team and preseason poll are voted on by media representatives who cover the conference.
Browning took over for 2021 Ray Guy Award winner Matt Araiza, following him by handling all three kicking duties (punting, field goals/PATs, kickoffs). He punted 68 times for 3,135 yards (46.1 avg.) with a long of 63 yards.
Browning, who was named a second-team Pro Football Focus All-American and an honorable-mention College Football Network All-American at punter, also made 20 of 25 field goal attempts (80.0 pct.) with a long of 52 yards and all 30 PATs.
Among national leaders, Browning tied for the FBS lead in PAT percentage, with a perfect mark, and was sixth in punt average (46.1, 1st in MW) and tied for sixth in punts inside the 20-yard line (28, 1st in MW), eighth in kickoff average (64.14, 1st in MW) and total punt yards (3,145, 3rd in MW).
Redman, meanwhile, had a solid first season with the Aztecs in 2022, making 21 catches for 233 yards (11.1 avg.) with two touchdowns on the season in 12 starts (13 games played) with a long catch of 28 yards. Among Mountain West tight ends, Redman ranked second in yards per reception (11.1, min. 20 rec.), third in yards (233), and tied for fourth in receptions (21) and touchdowns (2).
Bennett also is coming off a good first year with SDSU, earning second-team all-MW accolades from the league’s coaches and media. An Oklahoma State transfer, Bennett started and played the first 12 games of the season (748 of the team’s first 755 offensive snaps before an injury), allowing only six quarterback pressures (no sacks) in 367 passing opportunities.
According to Pro Football Focus, his 82.4 pass block rating was the second highest in the MW among offensive linemen and first among MW guards (min. 300 pass opportunities).
A new Aztec, Moon made the preseason all-MW team after earning honorable-mention accolades while with New Mexico last season. The former walk-on logged team highs of 105 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks with the Lobos a year ago after making 44 stops, 0.5 sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss, an interception, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery as a redshirt freshman in 2021.
Moon had 21 tackles in two games against San Diego State, including 13 last year.
The Aztecs, meanwhile, picked up 338 points and one first-plate vote in the preseason poll voted on by 36 media members. Boise State was nearly overwhelmingly picked to win the league, with 433 points and 28 first-place votes. Fresno State with 351 points, picked up the next highest number of first-place votes, five.
A team from the former West Division (San Diego State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, UNLV and San José State) has won five of the past eight MW Championships, including the Aztecs in 2015 and 2016.
SDSU finished 2022 with a 7-6 record. The Aztecs open the season on Aug. 26 at home vs. Ohio.
