Hike's Peak: The Weekly Mountain West Podcast

Mountain West & PAC 12 Agree to Settlement! Details, dates, & prediction$! Spring Football Preview: MVP, X-Factor, & Breakout picks for all 12 teams!

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: 1. Mountain West & PAC 12 agree to settlement terms: What we know, key dates to watch, & predicted realignment fees 2. Spring Football Preview: All 12 Teams MVP, X Factor, and Top Breakout candidate for 2026 1. Air Force: MVP: JR QB Liam Szarka 2. Boise State: X-Factor: SR QB Maddux Madsen 3. Colorado State: Top Breakout: SO TE Pearce Spurlin III (Georgia) 4. Fresno State: Top Breakout: JR WR Jahlil McClain 5. Hawaii: X-Factor: SR WR Pofele Ashlock 6. Nevada: X-Factor: SR RB Ky Woods 7. New Mexico: Top Breakout: SO TE Cade Keith 8. San Diego State: X-Factor: SR QB Jayden Denegal 9. San Jose State: Top Breakout: JR DT Jayland McGlothern (Sacramento State, FCS) 10. UNLV: MVP: SR RB Jai'Den "Jet" Thomas 11. Utah State: MVP: SR S Brevin Hamblin 12. Wyoming: X-Factor: SO RB Samuel "Tote" Harris That 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 [https://x.com/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 [https://www.mwcconnection.com/transfer-portal/83991/mountain-west-transfer-portal-tracker-2026-cbk-pac-12-rankings-updated-utep-hawaii-uc-davis-gonzaga-washington-state], 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!

Transfer Spotlight Special Part TWO! Top 12 Forwards/Big Men entering the MW/PAC! Complete scouting reports, projections, & more! HP's Highest Rated Transfer EVER!

Welcome back everyone, to the Hike’s Peak Podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! Last week, we went over the top 12 incoming transfer guards entering the Mountain West and PAC 12, and this time around, we’re talking about the forwards and big men. Like part one, this episode will have players coming from everywhere, from JUCO journeyman to Top 10 recruits. I’ve picked out the twelve best of the bunch, complete with scouting reports, bios, and analysis, and we’re working backwards so make sure to stay until the end to find out who my highest graded transfer ever is! No time to waste, let’s dive right into our second top twelve transfers list! Player breakdown by conference: 1. ACC: 2 2. Big West: 2 3. Big Sky: 2 4. SEC: 1 5. Big 12: 1 6. WCC: 1 7. SWAC: 1 8. OVC: 1 9. Southland: 1 That 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 [https://x.com/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 [https://www.mwcconnection.com/transfer-portal/83991/mountain-west-transfer-portal-tracker-2026-cbk-pac-12-rankings-updated-utep-hawaii-uc-davis-gonzaga-washington-state], 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!

Transfer Spotlight Special Part One! Top 12 Guards entering the MW/PAC! Scouting reports, projections, bios, & more!

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: 1. MAAC: 2 2. Big 12: 1 3. Summit League: 1 4. MAC: 1 5. WCC: 1 6. AAC: 1 7. Patriot League: 1 8. SoCon: 1 9. ASUN: 1 10. MVC: 1 11. SEC: 1 That 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 [https://x.com/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 [https://www.mwcconnection.com/transfer-portal/83991/mountain-west-transfer-portal-tracker-2026-cbk-pac-12-rankings-updated-utep-hawaii-uc-davis-gonzaga-washington-state], 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!

Three Mountain West Players Selected in NFL Draft! Chris Johnson goes in the 1st Round! Top UDFA from All 12 Teams! Overall MW draft trends!

Welcome back everyone to the Hike’s Peak Podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! The 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, and we have lots of Mountain West players officially starting their professional journeys. We’ll start by going over the three alumni who heard their names called during the event, including San Diego State’s Chris Johnson going 27th overall to the Dolphins, along with the two North Dakota State players that were picked. Then, we’ll talk about some overall trends regarding the Mountain West in the NFL Draft, and how I expect those numbers to move in the years ahead. Finally, we’ll end the show by spotlighting some players that are starting their NFL dreams as undrafted free agents, going through one player from each team. Lots of fun stuff to talk about this week, let’s dive right in! Show Notes: 1. Rundown on players drafted 1. CB Chris Johnson, San Diego State (R1-P27, Miami Dolphins) 2. OL Kage Casey, Boise State (R4-P111, Denver Broncos) 3. WR Bryce Lance, North Dakota State (R4-P136, New Orleans Saints) 4. QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State (R5-P178, Philadelphia Eagles) 5. DE Keyshawn James-Newby, New Mexico (R7-P252, Philadelphia Eagles) 2. 2026 NFL Draft trends for the Mountain West 3. Each Team's top UDFA/Mini Camp Invite That is it for this week’s episode of the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you so much for listening! Congratulations to all of the phenomenal athletes that got to realize their dreams this past week, hopefully this is just the start of an incredible career at the next level! Make sure to follow me on Twitter at JackTalksCFB [https://x.com/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 [https://www.mwcconnection.com/transfer-portal/83991/mountain-west-transfer-portal-tracker-2026-cbk-pac-12-rankings-updated-utep-hawaii-uc-davis-gonzaga-washington-state], 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 a special episode next week on the top basketball transfers entering the conferences! Until next time, I’m Jack Thompson, and thank you for coming back to the mountain!

3rd Annual NFL Draft Special! Top 5 Mountain West Prospects! Each Team's Best Eligible Player! Complete w/ scouting, landing spots, & more!

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: 1. Top Five Mountain West NFL Draft prospects 1. Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State 2. ??? 3. John Michael Gyllenborg, TE, Wyoming 4. ??? 5. ??? 2. All 12 MW team's top draft eligible player 1. Air Force: Payton Zdroik, DT 2. Boise State: ??? 3. Colorado State: ??? 4. Fresno State: Al'Zillion Hamilton, CB 5. Hawaii: Kansei Matsuzawa, Kicker 6. Nevada: ??? 7. New Mexico: Keyshawn James-Newby, DE 8. San Diego State: ??? 9. San Jose State: ??? 10. UNLV: ??? 11. Utah State: Ike Larsen, Safety 12. Wyoming: ??? 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 [https://x.com/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 [https://www.mwcconnection.com/transfer-portal/83991/mountain-west-transfer-portal-tracker-2026-cbk-pac-12-rankings-updated-utep-hawaii-uc-davis-gonzaga-washington-state], 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!