Hike's Peak: The Weekly Mountain West Podcast

Welcome back everyone to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! We have breaking news for you all, as the Mountain West and PAC 12 have officially reached a settlement in their legal battle over exit fees. There aren't a ton of details out on the specifics yet, but I’ll give you everything we have as well as my thoughts and predictions for the amount paid to the Mountain West conference. After that, we’ll get into the meat of the episode, which will be each football team’s MVP, X Factor, and top breakout candidate, with the battles on the gridiron only being a few months away! Lots of fun stuff this week, let’s dive in!Show Notes:Mountain West & PAC 12 agree to settlement terms: What we know, key dates to watch, & predicted realignment feesSpring Football Preview: All 12 Teams MVP, X Factor, and Top Breakout candidate for 2026Air Force: MVP: JR QB Liam SzarkaBoise State: X-Factor: SR QB Maddux MadsenColorado State: Top Breakout: SO TE Pearce Spurlin III (Georgia)Fresno State: Top Breakout: JR WR Jahlil McClainHawaii: X-Factor: SR WR Pofele AshlockNevada: X-Factor: SR RB Ky WoodsNew Mexico: Top Breakout: SO TE Cade KeithSan Diego State: X-Factor: SR QB Jayden DenegalSan Jose State: Top Breakout: JR DT Jayland McGlothern (Sacramento State, FCS)UNLV: MVP: SR RB Jai'Den "Jet" ThomasUtah State: MVP: SR S Brevin HamblinWyoming: X-Factor: SO RB Samuel "Tote" HarrisThat is it for this week’s episode of the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you so much for listening! Fingers crossed that we'll have more settlement details next week! Make sure to follow me on Twitter at JackTalksCFB and turn post notifications on so you don’t miss any Mountain West or PAC 12 movement! Also, check out the brand new transfer portal tracker, which is live on the website now. It’s complete with bios, stats, and previous stops for every player on the list, and is updated daily, so bookmark that to never miss out on transfer news! If you like the show and enjoy our coverage, leave a rating on whatever platform you’re listening on, every single one of those helps us out immensely. Follow us on twitter at MWCConnection and find all of your Mountain West news at MWCConnection.com. Thank you again for listening! Until next time, I’m Jack Thompson, and thank you for coming back to the mountain!

Welcome back everyone, to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! It’s finally time to do a deep dive into the 2026 college basketball transfer portal cycle for the Mountain West and PAC 12! With close to 100 new players joining the ranks, I’ve sorted through the names to find the very best that will be joining your favorite team next season. This is part one, featuring the point guards and shooting guards, and next week will be the second part on the forwards and big men. This week, you’ll learn about the twelve best guards entering the fold, with every kind of journey being represented. From former 5 stars to D3 transfers, head coaches discover talent anywhere and everywhere, and this episode will prove that without a doubt. No time to waste, let’s dive into the top twelve transfer guards entering the conferences in 2026.Player Breakdown by Conference:MAAC: 2Big 12: 1Summit League: 1MAC: 1WCC: 1AAC: 1Patriot League: 1SoCon: 1ASUN: 1MVC: 1SEC: 1That is it for this week’s episode of the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you so much for listening! Hopefully, you feel like this series is getting you up to speed on the always shifting rosters of college basketball! Make sure to follow me on Twitter at JackTalksCFB and turn post notifications on so you don’t miss any Mountain West or PAC 12 movement! Also, check out the brand new transfer portal tracker, which is live on the website now. It’s complete with bios, stats, and previous stops for every player on the list, and is updated daily, so bookmark that to never miss out on transfer news! If you like the show and enjoy our coverage, leave a rating on whatever platform you’re listening on, every single one of those helps us out immensely. Follow us on twitter at MWCConnection and find all of your Mountain West news at MWCConnection.com. Thank you again for listening, get ready for part two next week on the top basketball forwards and big men entering the conferences! Until next time, I’m Jack Thompson, and thank you for coming back to the mountain!

Welcome back everyone to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! It’s that time of year again, this is the 3rd annual NFL draft special! Although the Mountain West won’t have anyone picked in the top 10 like last year with Ashton Jeanty, there are still lots of amazing prospects that we have to talk about. From DPOY Chris Johnson to the Tokyo Toe, Kansei Matsuzawa, we’re going to go through my top five draft prospects from the conference, complete with testing data, stats, and possible landing spots. Then, we’ll go over all 12 teams’ top draft eligible player, along with their draft profile and odds of hearing their names called. No time to waste, let’s dive in!Show Notes:Top Five Mountain West NFL Draft prospectsChris Johnson, CB, San Diego State???John Michael Gyllenborg, TE, Wyoming??????All 12 MW team's top draft eligible playerAir Force: Payton Zdroik, DTBoise State: ???Colorado State: ???Fresno State: Al'Zillion Hamilton, CBHawaii: Kansei Matsuzawa, KickerNevada: ???New Mexico: Keyshawn James-Newby, DESan Diego State: ???San Jose State: ???UNLV: ???Utah State: Ike Larsen, SafetyWyoming: ???That is it for this week’s episode of the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you so much for listening! I know we skipped the transfer portal talk for a week, to catch up on the latest there, make sure to follow me on Twitter at JackTalksCFB and turn post notifications on so you don’t miss any Mountain West or PAC 12 movement! Also, check out the brand new transfer portal tracker, which is live on the website now. It’s complete with bios, stats, and previous stops for every player on the list, and is updated daily, so bookmark that to never miss out on transfer news! If you like the show and enjoy our coverage, leave a rating on whatever platform you’re listening on, every single one of those helps us out immensely. Follow us on twitter at MWCConnection and find all of your Mountain West news at MWCConnection.com. Thank you again for listening, enjoy the draft and keep your fingers crossed for all of our conference alumni hoping to realize their dreams! Until next time, I’m Jack Thompson, and thank you for coming back to the mountain!

Welcome back everyone, to the Hike’s Peak Podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! Transfer portal season is back, with the gates officially opening on the day this releases! Obviously, we all know there’s been lots of movement already, so we’re spending this week going over every team’s offseason outlook and goals! I’ll tell you each team’s biggest portal losses, most important retentions, and how I feel about their roster going into 2027. Fun episode this week, let’s dive in!Quick plug: The transfer portal tracker is officially live! Complete with all 77 players currently in the portal from the Mountain West and PAC 12, this is the best resource for fans to see who’s leaving and who’s staying from their favorite team, as well as their rivals. Check it out whenever you can, as it’s updated daily whenever news drops.Show Notes:Opinion: Transfer Portal = College Basketball Free Agency (and how to deal with it as a fan)Portal Report for all 11 '25-'26 Mountain West teams (Air Force not included)Most impactful retentions/departuresOutlook for 2027 roster, key players to watchThat is it for this week’s episode of the Hike’s Peak Podcast, thank you so much for listening! With transfer portal season back in full swing, make sure to follow me on Twitter @JackTalksCFB and turn post notifications on so you don’t miss any Mountain West or PAC 12 movement! If you like the show and enjoy our coverage, leave a rating on whatever platform you’re listening on, every single one of those helps us out immensely. Follow us on twitter at MWCConnection and find all of your Mountain West news at MWCConnection.com. Also, check out the brand new transfer portal tracker, which is live on the website now. It’s complete with bios, stats, and previous stops for every player on the list, and is updated daily, so bookmark that to never miss out on transfer news! Thank you again for listening, being able to do this every week is a dream come true! Until next time, I’m Jack Thompson, and thank you for coming back to the mountain!

Welcome back everyone, to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! What an insane week it has been for Utah State fans, as you can imagine, we have a lot of Aggie talk ahead of us. Starting with the good in Utah State’s run in the Big Dance, we’ll break down the Aggies hard-fought Round of 64 win over Villanova, and then we’ll go over their admirable effort against one seed Arizona that did ultimately fall short. After talking about all the madness that March brought to Logan, we’ll switch gears to the other shoe that dropped, which was head coach Jerrod Calhoun officially taking the Cincinnati job. Lots to go over there as well, from candidates to watch, top players at risk of jumping into the portal, the Aggies coaching curse continuing, and my thoughts on the awkward timing of this whole situation. To end the show, we’ll recap how the Mountain West has been doing in the NIT, with two teams still standing as the quarterfinals get underway. Big time show this week, let’s dive in!Show Notes:Utah State outlasts Villanova in Round of 64, Jerrod Calhoun secures first NCAAT winAggies give one seed Arizona a scare, but ultimately fall shortJerrod Calhoun officially leaving for CincinnatiThoughts on the awkward timingHead Coach Curse Continues in LoganTop Replacement Candidates to look forAggie's most important players to retainNIT Recap: Two Mountain West teams reach the quarterfinalsIf you enjoy the episode, consider rating it 5 stars, leaving a review on Apple Podcast/Spotify, or sharing the podcast with one friend who you think would enjoy it! It would help us immensely if you took the time out of your day to help the show! Our CFB transfer portal tracker is now LIVE, find that here and keep an eye out for daily updates (North Dakota State is now included!). Make sure to check out the depth chart tracker for football and basketball, available to all for free and updated as soon as news breaks! Additionally, check out my first ever YouTube video, diving into Boise State's 2026 transfer class! Thank you for coming back to the mountain, and we hope you’ll make the trek back up here for the entire offseason marathon!

Welcome back everyone, to the Hike’s peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! Like always in the Mountain West, the final week of the regular season was crazy, but when the dust settled, Utah State emerged as the undisputed champions. With that squared away, everyone’s attentions now shift to the conference tournament in Las Vegas, where one guaranteed spot in March Madness awaits. We’re going to go over how all 12 teams are doing as they enter this do-or-die week, complete with their path to the championship game. Once we’ve gone over that, I’ll tell you guys my official bracket for the tournament, complete with everything you need to know. No time to waste, let’s dive right in!Show notes:Utah State takes the regular season titleOutlook for all 12 teams entering MW Tournament (includes path to title game)Predictions for each game + predicted championIf you enjoy the episode, consider rating it 5 stars, leaving a review on Apple Podcast/Spotify, or sharing the podcast with one friend who you think would enjoy it! It would help us immensely if you took the time out of your day to help the show! Our CFB transfer portal tracker is now LIVE, find that here and keep an eye out for daily updates (North Dakota State is now included!). Make sure to check out the depth chart tracker for football and basketball, available to all for free and updated as soon as news breaks! Additionally, check out my first ever YouTube video, diving into Boise State's 2026 transfer class! Thank you for coming back to the mountain, and we hope you’ll make the trek back up here for the rest of the football offseason and home stretch for basketball!

Welcome back, everyone, to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! This past week of Mountain West basketball has to be the most unexpected and consequential of the year. We had a bunch of upsets, photo finishes, and after the dust settled, the conference has punched itself into the danger zone. Find out in this episode how the last few days of chaos on the court has put the Mountain West in danger of being a one-bid league for the first time in almost a decade. After we go through all of those twists and turns, we’ll run through the top five teams in the standings to talk about their final four games and what’s still at stake for them. Let’s dive in, shall we?Show notes:Before the week: 2 teams safely in the field, 3 teams on the bubbleTuesday: Grand Canyon completes sweep of San Diego State, Nevada's resume collapses after loss to San Jose StateSaturday: Nevada STUNS Utah State, Grand Canyon AND San Diego State loseAftermath: Who's still in the at-large hunt? Can the Wolf Pack, Aztecs, and Lopes recover in time for March? (complete w/ Top 5 Teams last four games + what's at stake)If you enjoy the episode, consider rating it 5 stars, leaving a review on Apple Podcast/Spotify, or sharing the podcast with one friend who you think would enjoy it! It would help us immensely if you took the time out of your day to help the show! Our CFB transfer portal tracker is now LIVE, find that here and keep an eye out for daily updates (North Dakota State is now included!). Make sure to check out the depth chart tracker for football and basketball, available to all for free and updated as soon as news breaks! Thank you for coming back to the mountain, and we hope you’ll make the trek back up here for the rest of the football offseason and home stretch for basketball!

Welcome back everyone to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! We have to take a quick break from talking basketball, as the Mountain West has officially welcomed their 10th member for the 2026 football season, which is none other than the giant killers themselves North Dakota State! We’ll break down how this agreement came to be, complete with financials and the specifics of when the Bison will be eligible for postseason play, and then we’ll dive into the story of how North Dakota State got so dominant, that the Mountain West had to make them their first ever FCS call-up. It’s a story of stardom, familiar faces, and most importantly, a whole lot of winning, and after giving the program their flowers, we’ll finish the show with the pros and cons of this addition from the conference’s perspective, as well as discussing what this means for the next round of expansion. Massive episode this week, let’s dive right in!Show Notes:How the deal was reached: Financials, transition period, no postseason w/o waiver until 2028North Dakota State: How the Bison took over the FCS for two decadesIntroducing NDSU head coach Tim PolasekPros & Cons of NDSU addition from the Mountain West's perspective (w/ likely targets for next round of expansion)If you enjoy the episode, consider rating it 5 stars, leaving a review on Apple Podcast/Spotify, or sharing the podcast with one friend who you think would enjoy it! It would help us immensely if you took the time out of your day to help the show! Our CFB transfer portal tracker is now LIVE, find that here and keep an eye out for daily updates (North Dakota State will be added later this week). Make sure to check out the depth chart tracker for football and basketball, available to all for free and updated as soon as news breaks! Thank you for coming back to the mountain, and we hope you’ll make the trek back up here for the rest of the football offseason and home stretch for basketball!

Welcome back, hikers, to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! Mountain West basketball continues to deliver constant madness, as we have plenty to go over this week. Grand Canyon continues to roll, handing San Diego State their first in-conference loss in a controversial finish, while Utah State drops a second straight game at home to UNLV and just scrapes by Colorado State. New Mexico also notches another key victory over Nevada, staying undefeated at The Pit. We’ll also take a look back at our top five incoming and outgoing transfers from the preseasons, and see how our highest ranked players have performed so far in 2026. Fun episode this week, let’s dive in!Show Notes:Grand Canyon beats San Diego State in controversial finishUtah State drops second straight to UNLV, scrapes by Colorado StateNew Mexico bests Nevada to stay undefeated at The PitRevisiting the Top 5 Transfers from the preseasonOutgoing: Donovan Dent, Dedan Thomas Jr, Obi Agbim, Nick Davidson, & Nick BoydIncoming: Kimani Hamilton, Deyton Albury, Garry Clark, Jake Heidbreder, & Howie Fleming JrIf you enjoy the episode, consider rating it 5 stars, leaving a review on Apple Podcast/Spotify, or sharing the podcast with one friend who you think would enjoy it! It would help us immensely if you took the time out of your day to help the show! Our CFB transfer portal tracker is now LIVE, find that here and keep an eye out for daily updates. Make sure to check out the depth chart tracker for football and basketball, available to all for free and updated as soon as news breaks! Thank you for coming back to the mountain, and we hope you’ll make the trek back up here for the rest of the football offseason and home stretch for basketball!

Welcome back everyone to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! We’re finally switching over to basketball, as Mountain West play is kicking into high gear. It’s been a few weeks since we last discussed the contenders that were emerging, so let’s now go over who’s hot and who’s not? Some teams, like Utah State, are off to historically fast starts, while others, like Boise State, are about to hit the panic button. I’ve identified the three hottest squads in the conference, as well as three that have trouble brewing under the surface, complete with all the information you’ll need if you’re just catching up with Mountain West basketball now. No time to waste hikers, let’s dive right in!Show notes:Who's Hot?Utah StateSan Diego StateNew MexicoWho's Not?Boise StateColorado StateWyomingIf you enjoy the episode, consider rating it 5 stars, leaving a review on Apple Podcast/Spotify, or sharing the podcast with one friend who you think would enjoy it! It would help us immensely if you took the time out of your day to help the show! Our CFB transfer portal tracker is now LIVE, find that here and keep an eye out for daily updates. Make sure to check out the depth chart tracker for football and basketball, available to all for free and updated as soon as news breaks! Thank you for coming back to the mountain, and we hope you’ll make the trek back up here for the rest of the football offseason and home stretch for basketball!

Welcome back everyone, to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! We’ve reached the end of the Mountain West’s 2025 football season, with the final five bowl games going down over the past week. We’ll go over the positives, with Hawaii pulling off a miraculous comeback to beat Cal in the Hawaii Bowl and Fresno State thumping Miami of Ohio to win the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl, as well as the negatives, with New Mexico and San Diego State coming up just short in their bowl games, and UNLV falling flat against Ohio in the Frisco Bowl. After recapping all of the bowl games, we’ll dive into the latest news from the transfer portal, which is absolutely on fire! You’ll hear the top names to announce their departures in the past few days, along with some trends that I’ve discovered as this portal cycle has gotten underway. No time to waste, let’s dive right in!Show Notes:Hawaii completes improbable 21 point comeback to beat Cal in Hawaii Bowl, 35-31Fresno State's defense shines, Matt Entz secures first bowl win in Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl, beating Miami (OH) 18-3San Diego State shows life offensively, but can't stop North Texas' top ranked offense, falls 49-47New Mexico battles Minnesota for five quarters, loses 20-17 in heartbreaking fashion UNLV's offense no-shows the Frisco Bowl, dropped by Ohio 17-10PORTAL MADNESS: Anthony Colandrea shockingly enters, along with three other 1st team members. Startling trend beginning to emerge this cycle...If you enjoy the episode, consider rating it 5 stars, leaving a review on Apple Podcast/Spotify, or sharing the podcast with one friend who you think would enjoy it! It would help us immensely if you took the time out of your day to help the show! Our CFB transfer portal tracker is now LIVE, find that here and keep an eye out for daily updates. Make sure to check out the depth chart tracker for football and basketball, available to all for free and updated as soon as news breaks! Thank you for coming back to the mountain, and we hope you’ll make the trek back up here for the rest of the football offseason and home stretch for basketball!

Welcome back, everyone, to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! We had our first bowl game of the year go down, with Boise State getting knocked around by Washington in the LA Bowl. We’ll talk about what went wrong for the Broncos, and what this showing tells us about their 2026 prospects, and then we’ll shift to the hardwood for another Mountain West basketball update! We’ll go over the seven teams that have set themselves apart from the rest of the pack as contenders to watch as conference play begins, complete with their best players and wins so far. After that, we’ll talk about the most notable stories surrounding the transfer portal, and then we’ll end the show with a preview and prediction for the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, with Bryson Barnes and Utah State taking on Washington State on the blue turf in Boise. Lots of show to get through this week, let’s dive right in!Quick plug before we get started, last week I released my transfer portal team of the year! It featured 78 players across all three teams, each of them getting a write-up on their journey to the Mountain West, along with an honorable mention section and overall trends that I found during the process. In total, it spans four parts and over 20,000 words, so don’t feel like you have to read all of it, but maybe scroll through and look at the stories of some of your favorite players from 2025! Did you know that New Mexico star edge rusher Keyshawn James-Newby was originally more focused on his engineering degree than his football career? Or that Fresno State linebacker Jadon Pearson played for five different schools and 25% of the Mountain West? There’s a million fun facts like that throughout the series, so please check that out!Show Notes:Boise State no match for Washington in LA Bowl: What went wrong, & what's the QB plan for 2026?MW Basketball: Top 7 Contenders, complete w/ top players and winsTop 3 Portal Stories of the week: Wide receivers, Rams exodus, and UNLV locking inFamous Idaho Potato Bowl (Washington State vs. Utah State) Preview/PredictionIf you enjoy the episode, consider rating it 5 stars, leaving a review on Apple Podcast/Spotify, or sharing the podcast with one friend who you think would enjoy it! It would help us immensely if you took the time out of your day to help the show! Our CFB transfer portal tracker is now LIVE, find that here and keep an eye out for daily updates. Make sure to check out the depth chart tracker for football and basketball, available to all for free and updated as soon as news breaks! Thank you for coming back to the mountain, and we hope you’ll make the trek back up here for the entire 2025 football season!

Welcome to episode 49.5 (episode 50 needs one more week to be perfect)! We have a mountain of portal news to cover, with new landing spots for stars like Lamont Butler and Rytis Petraitis, to the John Tonje chronicles! We also hit you with the most important updates from the CFB spring transfer window, and we end the show by going over both of the players from the Mountain West that got drafted into the NFL, along with all of the players who have been signed as undrafted free agents! Enjoy, and make sure to tune in for an awesome episode 50!