Jaxton and Jason Eck, the star linebacker and coach at New Mexico respectively, shook up the Mountain West last season with their arrival from Idaho, and now more is expected in year 2 at UNM as Jaxton Eck enters 2026 as the clear consensus as the best defensive player in the league.
The Mountain West has historically been known as a strong defensive league, those the primary architects of that, San Diego State and Boise State, are off to the Pac-12 so the MWC could be in a bit of transition.
One of the replacements, North Dakota State, brings a strong tradition of its own on the defensive side of the ball. Here is a ranking of the top defensive players in the Mountain West.
1. Jaxton Eck, Sr., New Mexico, linebacker
The son of UNM head coach Jason Eck was the Mountain West co-defensive player of the year last season when he had 126 tackles, and he starts this season as the preseason defensive player of the year.
2. Blake Fletcher, Sr., Air Force, linebacker
A second-team all-conference selection last year, he had 108 total tackles, which was the most by an Air Force player in 12 years.
3. Dylan Labarbera, Sr., Nevada, defensive end
The top defensive lineman in the league had 87 tackles last year with 6 1/2 sacks and 17 tackles for loss.
4. Elijah Palmer, Sr., Hawaii, cornerback
Palmer was second in the Mountain West last year with 10 pass breakups when he earned all-conference honorable mention. He had two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
5. Keenan Wilson, Jr., North Dakota State, defensive tackle
A consensus second-team All-American in the FCS last year, he had four sacks and an interception while anchoring the middle of the Bison defense.
Top UTEP defensive players
Jayden Wilson, Sr., linebacker
The transfer from New Mexico had a breakout season in 2025, when he broke into the starting lineup in Week 4 and ended up second on the team with 92 tackles. He also tied for the Conference USA lead with three fumbles forced while becoming the anchor of the UTEP defense.
Xavier Smith, Sr., defensive back
Smith will be a third-year starter for UTEP this season after beginning his career at Austin Peay. Last season he had seven tackles and an interception against Texas on the way to finishing the year with 60 tackles.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: ‘Climb Higher’: Ranking the top defensive players in the Mountain West
Reporting by Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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By Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
