Seven San Diego State players received a unique honor, being named to a milestone squad, the Mountain West 25th Season Football Team.
The Aztecs include stars who reached the NFL – Donnel Pumphrey, the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher with 6,405 yards, and Rashaad Penny, the only player to make the team at two positions, running back and kick returner.
The conference named the all-time team in honor of its 25th anniversary, and will do so throughout the coming academic year in advance of championship games in various sports.
The team is comprised of 25 players each on offense and defense and 10 on special teams. Members of the MW 25th Season committee determined honorees for the league, which began play in 1999.
The Aztecs’ total of eight spots on the team – including two offensive players, four defensive players and two on special teams – tied with Boise State for the most selections.
The others from SDSU who made the team are Damontae Kazee, Leon McFadden, Kirk Morrison, Cameron Thomas and Matt Araiza.
The honorees:
Pumphrey (2013-16), in addition to his NCAA record, also ranks fifth in all-purpose yards (7,515), ties for eighth in overall touchdowns (67) and ninth in rushing touchdowns (62). Pumphrey was a two-time MW Offensive Player of the Year (2015-16), three-time MW first-team selection (2014-16) and six-time MW Offensive Player of the Week. He had stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Detroit Lions.
Penny (2014-17) finished his career tied for the most career kick return touchdowns (7) and return (KR/PR) touchdowns (8) in NCAA FBS history. Penny was a three-time MW Special Teams Player of the Year (2015-17), the 2017 MW Offensive Player of the Year (the first and only time a player has won both awards in a season). He shattered records as a senior in 2017, ranking fifth in NCAA FBS history in rushing yards (2,248) and all-purpose yards (2,974), and setting a NCAA record with a 7.78 rush average. The 2,248 yards were a school record. He plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kazee, a cornerback (2013-16), finished his career at SDSU ranked first in interceptions (17), sixth in pass breakups (30), tied for sixth in forced fumbles (6) and seventh in interception yards (214). Kazee was a back-to-back MW Defensive Player of the Year (2015-16), becoming the first cornerback in the conference to win the award twice. He is a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
McFadden (2009-12) had 186 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, eight interceptions and a school-record 39 pass breakups with the Aztecs. The cornerback was a three-time first-team all-MW selection (2010-12), then the fifth player in program history to earn first-team all-conference honors in three straight seasons. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns.
Morrison (2001-04) was a two-time MW Defensive Player of the Year (2003-04), the first Aztec to win a conference player-of-the-year award twice, a three-time all-MW first-team selection (2002-04) and a three-time MW Defensive Player of the Week honoree. A linebacker, Morrison is currently San Diego State’s career leader in solo tackles (241) and fumble recoveries (10), and ranks second in total tackles (396). He had stints with Oakland, Jacksonville and Buffalo in the NFL.
Cameron Thomas (2019-21) was named the MW Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and was a three-time first-team pick (2019-21). He ranks fourth all-time at SDSU with 21 sacks, despite only playing on the defense line for three seasons (he played one game on special teams as a true freshman in 2018). He also was the first semifinalist for the Bednarik Award (outstanding defensive player of the year) in program history. He plays for the Arizona Cardinals.
Araiza (2019-21) was the 2021 MW Special Teams Player of the Year, a first-team all-MW selection as a punter in 2021 and a three-time all-conference pick as a kicker (second team in 2021, honorable mention in 2019-20), while being named the MW Special Teams Player of the Week on five occasions. Araiza broke out his junior season in 2021, winning the Ray Guy Award for the most outstanding punter, the first Aztec to win a major postseason award in program history. He had a brief stint with the Buffalo Bills.
