Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders could be the first player selected in the 2025 NFL Draft but was not the best player on his own team or, arguably, the best quarterback in the region.
In fact, he might not have been one of the three or four top players in the western third of the country.
That’s no knock on Sanders, who was sensational.
Rather, it’s a reflection of the depth of high-end talent across the region, from Colorado receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and Boise State tailback Ashton Jeanty to Arizona State tailback Cam Skattebo, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
The Hotline attempted to corral that talent and craft the first annual Best of the West all-region team.
We couldn’t pack the deserving players into one lineup, so we created a second team.
First team
Offense
QB: Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel
RB: Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo
RB: Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty
WR: Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan
WR: Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson
WR: San Jose State’s Nick Nash
TE: Boise State’s Matt Lauter
OL: Oregon’s Josh Conerly
OL: Oregon State’s Joshua Gray
OL: Arizona State’s Leif Fautanu
OL: Utah’s Spencer Fano
OL: Oregon’s Ajani Cornelius
AP: Oregon’s Tez Johnson
Defense
DL: UCLA’s Jay Toia
DL: Colorado’s BJ Green II
DL: Oregon’s Derrick Harmon
DL: Boise State’s Ahmed Hassanein
Edge: San Diego State’s Trey White
LB: UCLA’s Carson Schwesinger
LB: UNLV’s Jackson Woodard
LB: Oregon’s Bryce Boettcher
DB: Colorado’s Travis Hunter
DB: Cal’s Nohl Williams
DB: Arizona’s Tacario Davis
DB: Washington’s Thaddeus Dixon
Special teams
K: Brigham Young’s Will Ferrin
P: Cal’s Lachlan Wilson
RS: Brigham Young’s Keelan Marion
Second team
Offense
QB: Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders
RB: Oregon’s Jordan James
RB: USC’s Woody Marks
WR: Colorado’s Travis Hunter
WR: Washington State’s Kyle Williams
WR: UNLV’s Ricky White
TE: Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson
OL: USC’s Jonah Monheim
OL: Brigham Young’s Caleb Etienne
OL: Arizona’s Jonah Savaiinaea
OL: UNLV’s Tiger Shanks
OL: Boise State’s Ben Dooley
AP: USC’s Makai Lemon
Defense
DL: Oregon’s Jordan Burch
DL: Brigham Young’s Tyler Batty
DL: Arizona State’s C.J. Fite
DL: Oregon’s Matayo Uiagalelei
Edge: Boise State’s Jayden Virgin-Morgan
LB: Washington’s Carson Bruener
LB: Cal’s Teddye Buchanan
LB: Arizona State’s Caleb McCullough
DB: Oregon’s Jabbar Muhammad
DB: Arizona State’s Xavion Alford
DB: Oregon’s Nikko Reed
DB: Washington State’s Ethan O’Connor
Special teams
K: Oregon’s Atticus Sappington
P: Utah’s Jack Bouwmeester
RS: Fresno State’s Jalen Moss
Related Articles
Final CFB power rankings: Oregon, ASU, Boise St. are best of the west
Winners and losers from CFP, bowl selections: The Big Ten’s smooth ride, SEC angst, cold-weather dreams, letdowns for UW, USC and more
College Football Playoff field set: SMU’s in, Alabama’s out and there could be consequences
College Football Playoff preview: Clemson’s win sets up controversy with Alabama, SMU dueling for the final spot
Arizona State, Boise State clinch CFP bids as clarity emerges in Pac-12 bowl selection process
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