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MWC Top 50: No. 43 is San Diego State RB Donnel Pumphrey

We are counting down the top 50 players in the Mountain West this season and are currently at the No. 43 spot.

By Ben Phillips
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODA

This summer the Mountain West Connection crew is counting down the top 50 players heading into the 2014 Mountain West season. Because the criteria is objective regarding who should be considered "the best," opinions are different for each person. It naturally follows, then, that the results on this list will vary; out of the 94 players who received votes, only 17 were consensus top 50 players, receiving votes from every panel member.

The No. 43 player in our countdown is the second of three players in a row from Southern California: San Diego State running back Donnel Pumphrey. Donnel is a sophomore phenom who had a stellar freshman year. Despite being the backup running back to Adam Muema, who many expected to play in the NFL, Pumphrey rushed for 752 yards on 125 attempts (and average of just over 6 yards per attempt) and 8 touchdowns. He added 234 receiving yards and 2 TDs on 22 receptions. With Muema now removed from the picture, expect Pumphrey to have a breakout season, possibly challenging Jay Ajayi as the best running back in the conference.

Here is the updated list of our top 50 countdown with the current selection in bold:

Composite Ben Mitchum Chris Turner Chris Hondros Jeremy Mauss Matthew_K Jacob Schildgen BenPhillips27 Scott Tejerian
1.
2.
3.
4. Jake Fely, LB, SDSU
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14. Donnel Pumphrey, RB, SDSU
15.
16. Bryan Douglas, DB, Boise State
17. David Peterson, OL, San Jose St
18.
19.
20.
21. Brett Bowers, DE, New Mexico
22. Corey Bell, DB, Boise State
23. Joey Iosefa, RB, Hawaii Peni Vea, S, UNLV
24. Kyrie Wilson, LB, Fresno State
25.
26. Rykeem Yates, DT, Nevada
27. Aaron Davis, LB, Colorado State
 Kendall Brock, RB, Nevada Terry Poole, OL, San Diego State
28. Mark Nzeocha, LB, Wyoming
 Kenneth Penny, CB, UNLV Joey Iosefa, RB, Hawaii
29. Jared Roberts, K, Colorado State Donnel Pumphrey, RB, SDSU Charles Washington, S, Fresno State
30. Brett Bowers, DE, New Mexico Kivon Cartwright, TE, Colorado State Jonathan McNeal, LB, Nevada
31. Tanner Vallejo, LB, Boise State
 Bruce 'JoJo' Natson, WR/PR, Utah State Kyrie Wilson, LB, Fresno State
32. Jarrod Lawson, RB, SJSU
 Peni Vea, S, UNLV Tanner Vallejo, LB, Boise State Billy Freeman, TE, SJSU
 Kendall Brock, RB, Nevada Kivon Cartwright, TE, Colorado State
33. Nick Vigil, LB, Utah State Donnel Pumphrey, RB, SDSU

Jake Fely, LB, SDSU

 Joey Iosefa, RB, Hawaii Karl Mickelsen. LB, Fresno State
34. Joe Hill, RB, Utah State Darian Thompson, S, Boise State Bruce 'JoJo' Natson, WR/PR, Utah State Aaron Davis, LB, Colorado State
35. Donavon Lewis, LB, Fresno State
36. Sonny Puletasi, DE, Wyoming
 Jamal Price, OL, New Mexico Rykeem Yates, DT, Nevada
37. Tajh Hasson, CB, UNLV
 Kendall Brock, RB, Nevada Brett Bowers, DE, New Mexico Ben Weaver, LB, Boise State
38. Jonathan McNeal, LB, Nevada
 Don Jackson, RB, Nevada
 Jonathan McNeal, LB, Nevada
39. Jon Lee, RB, Air Force Kendall Brock, RB, Nevada
40. Kivon Cartwright, TE, Colorado State Kivon Cartwright, TE, Colorado State Broam Hart, RB, Air Force Joe Hill, RB, Utah State
 Mark Nzeocha, LB, Wyoming
41. Sonny Puletasi, DE, Wyoming Broam Hart, RB, Air Force
 Peni Vea, S, UNLV Kendall Brock, RB, Nevada
42. Tyler Horn, DT, Boise State Vince Buhagiar, LB, San Jose State Jake Fely, LB, SDSU Brandon Swindall, WR, Utah State
43. Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State Ben Weaver, LB, Boise State Joey Iosefa, RB, Hawaii
44. Jake Fely, LB, San Diego State

Jake Fely, LB, SDSU

 Kivon Cartwright, TE, Colorado State Mark Nzeocha, LB, Wyoming Donnel Pumphrey, RB, SDSU
45. Kivon Cartwright, TE, Colorado State Brett Bowers, DE, New Mexico Marcus Sullivan, WR, UNLV
 Peni Vea, S, UNLV Brandon Connette, QB, Fresno State
46. Kendall Brock, RB, Nevada
 Richy Turner, WR, Nevada Brian Douglas, DB, Boise State
 Cole Gautsche, QB, New Mexico Peni Vea, S, UNLV Dakota Cox. LB, New Mexico
47. Joey Iosefa, RB, Hawaii Jake Jones, OL, Wyoming Vince Buhagiar, LB, SJSU Brett Bowers, DE, New Mexico Sonny Puletasi, DE, Wyoming
Jarrod Lawson, RB, SJSU 
 Marteze Waller, RB, Fresno State
 Justin Northern, OL, Fresno State
48. Brett Bowers, DE, New Mexico Darian Thompson, S, Boise State Scott Harding, WR/KR, Hawaii
 Nick Vigil, LB, Utah State
 Ben Clarke, OL, Hawaii Kenneth Penny, DB, UNLV
49. Peni Vea, S, UNLV Jake Jones, OL, Wyoming Dasheon Frierson, CB, SJSU Shaquille Murray-Lawrence, RB, UNLV Kivon Cartwright, TE, Colorado State Christian Spears, S, Air Force
50. Bruce 'JoJo' Natson, WR/PR, Utah State Will Conant, K, Air Force
 Jared Roberts, K, Colorado State Vince Buhagiar, LB, SJSU Ben Weaver, LB, Boise State Jonathan McNeal, LB, Nevada Jared Roberts, K, Colorado State Darian Thompson, S, Boise State

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2014 Mountain West top 50 player countdown list

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