Mountaintop View 8-16-23. Godbout rebound, Green developing, Woodward leadership, Conference Realignment, Watchlist

We are now in football preseason, and updates are happening daily. We have made it to the start of the college football season once again. Through it all, we have you covered. Take a look at today’s links, plus the content coming your way on our site.

Godbout looking to finish off his career on a strong note.

After missing most of last season due to injury, Cole Godbout is back with a renewed outlook. Sitting out last year was tough for him, but this year he knows the Wyoming defense is good enough to stop most teams. He is noticing the energy is different this season during fall camp and personally, he is doing some different things to prepare his body to get back to his 2021 form.

Green working on developing in the pocket.

Taylen Green burst onto the scene last year and though his talent is evident, there is still a lot of development left to go. New OC Bush Hamdan is trying to do his part in that development this off-season by trying to polish his skills without taking away what has made Green good in the first place. But the two main points of development have been not relying too heavily on his running ability and learning to become more comfortable in the pocket. However, at the end of the day, Hamdan wants Green to play freely and not be a robot once he gets on the field.

Woodward is all about football.

For linebacker Jackson Woodward, football is a lifestyle. That’s how it is growing up in Arkansas and playing at the university for a few years, being transferring to UNLV this year. A former walk-on, Woodward brings the determination. and tenacity to the Rebels this off-season, leading the new team by example in the weight room and on the field. He’s already made an impact to the team and the season hasn’t even started yet.

Murray Mailbag.

In this week’s edition, Chris Murray discusses who is on his Mount Rushmore of Mountain West coaches (in any sport), as well as Craig Thompson’s legacy by getting 75% of the school presidents to agree on an exit fee. He offers his thoughts on the next conference media deal, conference realignment (of course) and his ranking of MW teams by value. It is interesting to hear his thoughts on why a merger with the PAC4 may not make sense. He also provides his rankings for top mid-major teams entering the season.

Manning Award Watchlist

On the horizon:

• Later today: Peak Perspective: Ranking the 2023 Mountain West Defenses
• Later today: 2023 Wyoming Season Preview
• Coming Thursday: Boise State Top Players #2
• Coming Thursday: 2023 Colorado State Season Preview
• Coming Friday: The MWCConnection Roundtable: What Mountain West team will have the best defense in 2023?
• Coming Friday: 2023 UNLV Season Preview
• Coming Friday: Reacts Results