Mountain West Football: 5 Breakout Players To Watch in 2025

After a stellar season which saw Boise State earn the Group of Five bid in the College Football Playoff and standout Broncos’ running back Ashton Jeanty selected sixth overall in the NFL Draft, the Mountain West Conference should again be full of exciting teams in 2025.

The upcoming season will be the final campaign for the current incarnation of the league.  Five schools – Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State – will all depart the Mountain West after 2025 to join the Pac-12 Conference.

As has been the case throughout college football, there has been plenty of player movement and specifically in MWC – one of college football’s top backs is off to the NFL, which leaves room for new players to emerge.  

This feature runs down the list of five players (whether newcomers or returners) who could be on the verge of a breakouts season.

Here’s our list of five talents to keep an eye on in the Mountain West.  

1.       Scottre Humphrey: Running Back – New Mexico

A transfer from Montana State, Humphrey should be far from his ceiling with three years left to play two seasons. Humphrey was a first team All-Big Sky selection last season with 1386 yards on the ground, a top ten total in the FCS.

Humphrey also joins a team that Montana State beat in 2024, a game in which Humphrey rushed for 140 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown.

2.       E.J. Warner: Quarterback – Fresno State

Warner, the son of NFL Hall-of-Famer Kurt Warner, joins his third team after stops as the starter at Rice and Temple. He's played 32 games in college so far with 8814 passing yards, 58 touchdowns, and 37 interceptions.

Under the direction of former North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz, Warner can start a new era for the Bulldogs in 2025.

3.       Nate Burleson II: Wide Receiver – Nevada

Burleseon, the son of 11-year NFL vet Nate Burleson, has high potential that hasn't been tapped just yet. However, the 6'2" wideout needs to be a bigger part of the Wolf Pack offense in 2025.

4.       Chubba Purdy: Quarterback – Nevada

Following the departure of Brendon Lewis for Memphis, Purdy has the chance to be the guy after limited action over the previous five seasons, which included stops at Florida State and Nebraska. The former No. 6 dual-threat quarterback in the nation looks to help elevate a Jeff Choate-coached team that won three games last year.

5.       Colton Boomer: Kicker – Boise State

Boomer can help Boise State fill an important need at kicker with Jonah Dalmas pursuing a pro career. Boomer was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention at UCF at 2023, hitting 48 of 50 extra point attempts. He wasn't the most consistent on field goal attempts over the last two seasons, but has shown he has the leg to make quicks of 45+ yards in high pressure situations - including two 50-yard attempts against Boise State in 2023.

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