Trey White and Gabe Plascencia Named Mountain West Preseason Players of the Year

LAS VEGAS -- San Diego State football players Trey White and Gabe Plascencia were each named Mountain West preseason players of the year, the league announced Wednesday morning. White was chosen as the preseason MW defensive player of the year, while Plascencia was selected as the special teams player of the year.

Tano Letuli joined White and Plascencia on the all-conference team. The preseason poll and all-conference team are voted on by media representatives who cover the conference.

White, who plays the EDGE position in the Aztecs’ 4-2-5 defense, was a first-team all-MW performer last year after totaling 60 tackles (40 solo), 18.5 tackles for loss (No. 1 in MW, No. 7 (tied) in FBS), 12.5 sacks (No. 1 in MW, No. 5 (tied) in FBS), two pass breakups and a forced fumble. White’s 12.5 sacks were tied for the third most in SDSU single-season history.

White is the first San Diego State defensive lineman to be named the MW preseason defensive player of the year and the fourth defensive player overall, joining cornerback Leon McFadden in 2012, cornerback Damontae Kazee in 2016 and safety Patrick McMorris in 2022. The Aztecs, who return seven of their nine all-conference performers from a year ago, have all 11 starters back on defense this season (note that returning Teivis Tuioti and departing Tupu Alualu each had six starts at defensive tackle, and are counted as co-starters).

Plascencia, meanwhile, became SDSU’s third MW preseason special teams player of the year over the last four seasons (also KR/PR Jordan Byrd in 2022 and P/K Jack Browning in 2023). Plascencia made 13 of 14 field goals last year for the best field goal percentage (.929) in program history. The left-footed kicker has made 12 consecutive field goals entering 2025, tied for the sixth-longest active streak in the country and the second longest by an Aztec since at least the 1996 season.

Plascencia, who was a second-team all-MW selection last year, is the third SDSU kicker to make an all-MW team, all since 2015 (also Donny Hageman in 2015 and John Baron II in 2017).

Letuli, a team captain in 2024 - along with Trey White the first underclassmen captains at San Diego State since Kevin O’Connell in 2005 - led the Aztecs last season with 70 tackles, despite missing two games with a broken hand. Letuli, an honorable mention pick in 2024, had at least eight tackles in five games and seven in another two. A SDSU linebacker has now made the preseason all-league team in four of the last five seasons.

San Diego State was also picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll with 202 points, just 11 behind Hawai’i in seventh and 37 clear of Utah State in ninth. Defending champion Boise State is predicted to win the league with 464 points, totaling 35 of the 39 first-place votes. UNLV is second with 415 points and the other four first-place votes. San José State is third with 359 points, followed by Colorado State (326), Fresno State (301), Air Force (280), Hawai’i (213), the Aztecs (202), Utah State (165), Wyoming (150), New Mexico (84) and Nevada (83).

SDSU kicks off its season on Thursday, Aug. 28 at Snapdragon Stadium against Stony Brook at a time still to be determined. San Diego State also has home games vs. California (Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. PT), Colorado State (Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. PT), Wyoming (Nov. 1 at 4 p.m. PT), Boise State (Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. PT) and San Jose State (Nov. 22, time TBA).

Season tickets for the 2025 campaign start at just $200 ($175 plus $25 Aztec Club Membership), only $33.33 per game. Fans are encouraged to purchase season tickets with benefits featuring interest-free payment plans, pre-sale access for most third-party events, and discounts on merchandise at the team store, additional single-game tickets and food/beverage. Additionally, season-ticket members will have the ability to purchase discounted season parking, access to a personal account representative and the ability to transfer and resell tickets digitally.

To purchase, or renew, your season tickets, visit goaztecs.com/sports/football-tickets.

2025 Mountain West Football Preseason Players of the Year
Offensive Player of the Year: Maddux Madsen, Jr., QB, Boise State
Defensive Player of the Year: Trey White, Jr., EDGE, San Diego State
Special Teams Player of the Year: Gabe Plascencia, Sr., K, San Diego State

2025 Mountain West Football Preseason All-Conference Team
Offense
QB Maddux Madsen, Jr., Boise State
WR Latrell Caples, Gr., Boise State
WR Pofele Ashlock, Jr., Hawai‘i
WR Nick Cenacle, Sr., Hawai‘i
RB Scottre Humphrey, Jr., New Mexico
RB Jai’Den Thomas, Jr.,  UNLV
OL Kage Casey, Jr., Boise State
OL Mason Randolph, Sr., Boise State
OL Peseti Lapuaho, Sr., San José State
OL Caden Barnett, Sr., Wyoming
OL Jack Walsh, Sr., Wyoming
TE Matt Lauter, Sr., Boise State

Defense
DL Braxton Fely, Sr., Boise State
DL Jayden Virgin-Morgan, Jr., Boise State
DL Trey White, Jr., San Diego State
DL Gafa Faga, Sr., San José State
LB Marco Notarainni, Sr., Boise State
LB Tano Letuli, Jr., San Diego State
LB Jordan Pollard, Sr., San José State
LB Marsel McDuffie, Sr., UNLV
DB Ty Benefield, Jr., Boise State
DB A'Marion McCoy, Gr., Boise State
DB Al'zillion Hamilton, Sr., Fresno State
DB Ike Larsen, Sr., Utah State

Specialists
P Luke Freer, Sr., Air Force
PK Gabe Plascencia, Sr., San Diego State
PR Marcus Bellon, Sr., Nevada
KR Abraham Williams, Sr., New Mexico

Preseason All-Conference Team Notes: San Diego State has multiple preseason players of the year for the second time in the last four years (also 2022 when Patrick McMorris was the defensive player of the year and Jordan Byrd was the special teams player of the year) … This is the third time since 2016 that SDSU has had multiple preseason players of the year (2016, 2022 and 2025) … After having just one preseason player of the year in the first 17 seasons of the Mountain West (Leon McFadden, defensive player of the year in 2012), San Diego State has nine preseason players of the year over the last 10 seasons … This is the fourth time the Aztecs have had a preseason defensive player of the year (all since 2012), including CB Leon McFadden in 2012, CB Damontae Kazee in 2016, S Patrick McMorris in 2022 and EDGE Trey White in 2025 … SDSU has had three of the last four special teams preseason players of the year in KR/PR Jordan Byrd in 2022, P/K Jack Browning in 2023 and K Gabe Plascencia in 2025 …  A San Diego State linebacker has now made the preseason all-Mountain West team in four of the last five seasons … Gabe Plascencia is the third Aztec kicker to make an all-MW team, all since 2015 (also Donny Hageman in 2015 and John Baron II in 2017) …  SDSU does not have a preseason all-league offensive player in consecutive seasons for the first time since a three-year stretch from 2006-08.

2025 Mountain West Preseason Poll
Team (first-place votes)--Points
1. Boise State (35)--464
2. UNLV (4)--415
3. San José State--359
4. Colorado State--326
5. Fresno State--301
6. Air Force--280
7. Hawai’i--213
8. San Diego State--202
9. Utah State 165
10. Wyoming 150
11. New Mexico 84
12. Nevada 83

Preseason All-Conference Notes: This is the third Mountain West preseason poll without divisions since 2012 when the Aztecs were picked fifth and captured the league title along with Boise State and Fresno State … SDSU is picked eighth for a second straight season … The eighth-place prediction matches its lowest preseason ranking (fifth time overall) in league history (note that from 2013-22 the league was split in divisions and out of just six teams, although San Diego State never was picked worse than third) … The first three times the Aztecs were picked eighth there were only nine teams in the league (2005, 2007 and 2009), while the last two times there are 12 teams in the league (2024 and 2025) … SDSU, which averaged a predicted finish of 6.5 from 2005-12, has ended up at or better than its predicted finish in 10 of the last 15 seasons and 13 times over the past 20 years … San Diego State has won two of the last 10 MW titles (2015 and 2016) and three of the past 13 (also 2012).