Air Force Football

Air Force and UNLV are staying in the Mountain West Conference despite the Pac-12's efforts to land both schools.

The Mountain West announced that all seven remaining schools signed a memorandum to remain in the league:

pic.twitter.com/sq08C42JQP

— Mountain West (@MountainWest) September 26, 2024

Brett McMurphy of The Action Network first reported that Air Force and UNLV were expected to announce their intention to remain in the league despite recent conversations with the Pac-12.

In exchange for their loyalty, Air Force and UNLV will reportedly each receive a signing bonus worth between $25 million and $30 million, which will be drawn from the exit fees the Mountain West is expected to receive from Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State after they decided to leave the MWC for the Pac-12.

The Pac-12 essentially collapsed last year, as Oregon, Washington, USC, UCLA, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford and California all departed for other conferences.

That left Oregon State and Washington State as the only Pac-12 schools left standing, and they subsequently entered into a working relationship with the Mountain West Conference that would allow both Oregon State and Washington State to play MWC schedules in 2024 without officially joining the conference.

Despite the working relationship, the Pac-12 recently went to work on rebuilding the conference by poaching several Mountain West schools.

Per McMurphy, the Mountain West is expecting to receive $155 million in exit fees and "poaching fees" from the Pac-12 and the former MWC schools that decided to leave, but the Pac-12 has filed a lawsuit on the grounds that it should not have to pay $55 million in poaching fees.

In response, Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez released a statement in which she asserted that the Pac-12 already contractually agreed to the poaching fee stipulation:

"The Pac-12 Conference is challenging a contractual provision that it expressly agreed to and acknowledged was essential to the Mountain West Conference's willingness to enter into a scheduling agreement, all while advised by sophisticated legal counsel. The provision was put in place to protect the Mountain West Conference from this exact scenario.

"The Pac-12 has taken advantage of our willingness to help them and enter into a scheduling agreement with full acknowledgment and legal understanding of their obligations. Now that they have carried out their plan to recruit certain Mountain West schools, they want to walk back what they legally agreed to."

With Air Force and UNLV reportedly reaffirming their commitment to the Mountain West, both the Pac-12 and Mountain West Conferences currently have seven teams in place.

In order for both conferences to be recognized as official conferences by the FBS and to be eligible for the College Football Playoff, they must both get to eight teams by 2026.

Key American Athletic Conference members Memphis, Tulane, USF and UTSA all committed to the AAC earlier this week amid rumored interest from the Pac-12.

That leaves the Pac-12 and Mountain West with somewhat limited options, although they could attempt to lure teams from Conference USA or the Sun Belt Conference, or perhaps look toward some of the top FCS football programs.

After the Mountain West Conference lost four schools to the Pac-12 last week, Air Force reportedly could be next to follow.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Air Force "has emerged as a serious target to be added to the American Athletic Conference." The Falcons had been floated in conversations of additions for the AAC "in recent months."

Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports confirmed that the AAC has had "serious conversations" about adding Air Force and detailed the thought process of new commissioner Tim Pernetti last week.

"According to those with knowledge of his thinking, Pernetti is interested in pursuing Mountain West programs, such as Air Force. Pernetti already has Army and Navy in his conference," Dellenger stated. "Air Force is a sensible and attractive addition, and the AAC could offer more in distribution than the Mountain West, which is at about $5-6 million."

The Pac-12 had dwindled to two teams, Washington State and Oregon State, following a string of conference realignment. However, the conference began its rebuilding process by accepting Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State. The schools will join the league starting in the 2026 season.

Dellenger named Memphis, Tulane, UTSA, North Texas, Rice and South Florida as the AAC schools that could be attracted to joining the reimagined Pac-12. If any of them leave the conference, adding Air Force could be a suitable replacement.

For the Mountain West, Dellenger speculated that it could rebuild by giving consideration to FCS programs like Tarleton State, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Montana State and Montana.

Air Force will honor the Air Force Special Operations Command with custom jerseys for the 2024 season.

The Falcons unveiled the new jerseys on Tuesday ahead of their debut on Oct. 5 against Navy.

𝐀𝐍𝐘 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄. 𝐀𝐍𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄. 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄.

𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐃 pic.twitter.com/yx03NefHrz

— Air Force Football (@AF_Football) August 13, 2024

👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/A5wbT2d7DC

— Air Force Football (@AF_Football) August 13, 2024

Per the Falcons' official website, the AFSOC is a special operations component of the Air Force that "is always ready to answer our nation's call and provide forces for worldwide deployment."

The helmet features the official AFSOC emblem, with the back bumper featuring the official motto: "Any Place, Any Time, Anywhere."

Per the AFSOC website, the motto was coined during the Burma operations in World War II.

Details on the jersey include a nameplate on the right chest featuring the player's name; an American flag on the right sleeve; and one of three different badges representing the Air Force Special Tactics on the left sleeve.

The Nike swoosh on the pants will be red as a "tip of the cap to the scarlet beret worn by Special Tactics Combat Controllers." Other details of the jersey include a dagger on the right pant leg to symbolize the special operations and the Special Tactics Combat Control "First There" motto on the left leg.

Air Force will host Navy at Falcon Stadium on Oct. 5 in the first game for the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy for both teams this season. The Falcons have won four straight games in the rivalry dating back to 2020.

Navy hasn't won at Falcon Stadium since 2012.

HEIGHT: 6'0½"

WEIGHT: 213

HAND: 9¼"

ARM: 31¾"

WINGSPAN: 76½"

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40-YARD DASH: 4.59

3-CONE: 6.90

SHUTTLE: 4.13

VERTICAL: 37.5"

BROAD: 10'3"

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POSITIVES

— High-IQ player with a good feel for the play, especially in the run game. Works well close to the line of scrimmage.

— Good physicality in the run game. Comes downhill quickly with good leverage. Sorts through trash well to get to the ball.

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NEGATIVES

— Poor eye discipline in coverage. Has tunnel vision when deep and lacks special awareness.

— Hip tightness shows up in space, leading to his difficulty in man coverage.

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2023 STATISTICS

— 13 G, 74 TOT, 5 TFL, 0.5 SK, 3 INT, 4 PD

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NOTES

— Born Jan. 30, 2001

— 36 career starts

— 3-star recruit in the 2019 class, per 247Sports

— Won 2023 Jim Thorpe Award

— 2023 first-team All-Mountain West

— Cousin of Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed

— East-West Shrine Invite

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OVERALL

Trey Taylor is an interesting prospect from the Air Force Academy. The 2023 Jim Thorpe Award winner is fresh off a season with a career-high 74 tackles, five tackles for loss and three interceptions.

Taylor does his best work as a run defender. He quickly triggers to what he sees, closing ground on ball-carriers with the proper leverage. Although he tracks the ball well, he loses his angle at times and struggles with open-field tackling.

At the point of contact, Taylor does a good job of wrapping up and running his feet through ball-carriers. When taking on blocks, he comes up but lacks the physicality and strength to shock and shed.

When playing in coverage, Taylor gets his head around to track the ball and has good ball skills. He leaves more to be desired when in zone coverage, though, as he reacts slowly to his threats coming in and out of his zones. When deep, he's also slow to anticipate, and he tends to wait for the ball in the air before reacting.

Taylor has the high-character makeup that NFL teams are looking at safety. Though he may be a great leader on and off the field, his high football IQ isn't enough to make up for the negatives in his game. Taylor likely will have to work his way on special teams to stick around in the NFL.

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GRADE: 5.6 (Backup/Draftable — 6th-7th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 223

POSITION RANK: S20

PRO COMPARISON: James Wiggins

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings

Visit B/R's NFL Scouting Department hub for scouting reports on all of the top prospects.

Air Force Falcons offensive lineman Hunter Brown died Monday morning following a medical emergency, the school announced. He was 21.

First responders were called to Brown's dorm, but life-saving measures were unsuccessful.

No cause of death has been reported. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the El Paso County Sheriff's Office are performing an investigation.

U.S. Air Force Academy superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark said in a statement:

"Hunter was a standout offensive lineman on the Falcon football team and was well-respected in his squadron. The entire U.S. Air Force Academy mourns his loss, and our hearts and condolences are with his family, his squadron, and all who were touched by this incredible young man."

With heavy hearts we share the loss of a cadet.
C3C Hunter Brown died Monday after suffering a medical emergency while on his way to class.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends, teammates and fellow cadets.#NeverForgotten pic.twitter.com/amPlznZqTC

— U.S. Air Force Academy (@af_academy) January 10, 2023

Brown was a member of the Air Force football teams that went 10-3 in each of the last two seasons. Falcons head coach Troy Calhoun said in a statement:

"Our players, staff and entire Academy have been so blessed and fortunate to have Hunter as a part of our lives. He was a pure joy to coach and have as a teammate. He was tough, a great worker, and no one unselfishly pulled harder for others than Hunter. His mom and dad, Candyce and Dustin, raised a wonderful son who made each of us a better person. We love our great brother, and our thoughts and prayers are with Hunter's incredible soul and his family."

Brown, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School in May 2021, was assigned to Cadet Squadron 16. He was pursuing a degree in management with a minor in French.

Air Force polished off its best season in 21 years with a 31-21 victory over Washington State at the Cheez-It Bowl at Chase Field in Phoenix on Friday.

The Falcons ran for 371 yards, including 178 from Kadin Remsberg. The 5'9" junior running back provided the play of the day after withstanding a crushing hit and extending the ball to score a touchdown that gave the Falcons a 30-21 edge with 3:50 remaining.

Taven Birdow added 108 yards and one touchdown for Air Force, which finished its year with 11 victories. That mark is one shy of the school record set in 1985 and matched in 1998.

The Falcons ended on an eight-game win streak, with their only losses occurring against No. 19 Boise State and No. 23 Navy.

Washington State wideout Brandon Arconado had 11 catches for 167 yards and touchdown for the 6-7 Cougars, whose four-year streak of winning seasons ended.

                     

Notable Performances

Air Force RB Kadin Remsberg: 26 carries, 178 yards, 1 TD

Air Force QB Donald Hammond III: 15 carries, 62 yards, 2 TD; 4-of-12, 30 yards, 1 INT

Air Force FB Taven Birdow: 20 carries, 108 yards, 1 TD

Washington State QB Anthony Gordon: 28-of-42, 351 yards, 3 TD

Washington State WR Brandon Arconado: 11 catches, 167 yards, 1 TD

                          

Air Force's Triple Option Bests Washington State's Air Raid Attack

Air Force entered Friday ranking third in the FBS with 292.5 rushing yards per game.

Washington State began the day first in the FBS with 444.3 passing yards per matchup, or 57.5 more yards than second-place LSU.

While neither offense is the most efficient (the rushing and passing honors go to Clemson and Oklahoma, respectively), it's clear how these two teams like to operate.

The question was which offense would win in a clash of disparate styles, and the answer was Air Force thanks to 373 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 67 attempts.

The Falcons made an immediate statement by going 98 yards in 20 plays and taking up 12:23 of the clock en route to a Donald Hammond III one-yard touchdown run.

Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu was a fan of the rushing attack:

Air Force run game is fun to watch. #AFvsWSU

— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) December 28, 2019

That drive helped Air Force dominate time of possession, with the Falcons holding the ball for 43:24. Air Force also mounted three other scoring drives of six minutes or longer.

As for Washington State, the Cougars offense didn't have much trouble moving the ball down the field en route to 366 scrimmage yards. The problem was that they didn't have much to show for it.

A game-opening 71-yard drive ended at the Air Force 2-yard line when a 4th-and-goal conversion attempt proved unsuccessful. A 75-yard drive in the third quarter down to the Air Force 5-yard line finished with WSU getting stuffed on a 4th-and-2 run.

The Cougars did mount scoring drives that combined for 180 yards, with Anthony Gordon tossing touchdown passes to end each one. The final TD was a 13-yard pass to Brandon Arconado, the leading receiver on the night:

Gordon's go-to guy finally gets his TD. ☑️@Brandonkainalu has 160 receiving yards tonight and hauled in this 13-yard pass to bring @WSUCougarFB back within three.

📺 ESPN | #CheezItBowl pic.twitter.com/by4PhfDb1o

— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) December 28, 2019

However, Air Force responded with Remsberg's score on 4th-and-goal to take a two-score lead. Washington State couldn't score on its final drive, and Air Force ended the game in victory formation.

A prank by the West Point Army cadets that went awry could result in the Air Force Falcons' mascot being euthanized.

Per Brent Briggeman and Tom Roeder of the Gazette, some cadets reportedly took Aurora, a white gyrfalcon, from an Army colonel's home as part of the annual pranks pulled leading up to the Army-Air Force game.

However, both of Aurora's wings were injured while she was with the Army members. The bird is 22 years old and may need to be put down as a result of its advanced age and injuries.

"USAFA mascot Aurora was injured over the weekend and is being transported back to Colorado," academy spokesman Lt. Col Tracy Bunko said. "We have specialists at the academy who have the best training and facilities for her care. She is part of our academy family and we are all hoping for her full and speedy recovery."

One source told Briggeman and Roeder cadets would need "more than a tetanus shot to fix" any injuries because of Aurora's two-inch talons.

The Air Force Academy announced Saturday that it will no longer provide waivers that would allow athletes to bypass the two-year requirement of active duty in order to play professional sports immediately.

Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post tweeted the following statement from Air Force regarding the matter:

Statement from Air Force: pic.twitter.com/mEvtIK34QY

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 29, 2017

Air Force wide receiver Jalen Robinette was a candidate to be selected on Day 3 of the 2017 NFL draft Saturday prior to the ruling.

When asked about his situation by Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today in February, Robinette declared his loyalty to the Air Force regardless of what decision was made: "I'm under the mindset that, when I graduate, I'm a lieutenant first. Whatever my assignment is, whatever I need to do, I'm going to go do it until I hear otherwise and I'm told that I can go play. At the end of the day, I'm a cadet first, and when I graduate, I'm going to be serving until I'm allowed to play."

There was hope for Robinette to enter the NFL immediately since a 2016 change in the Department of Defense policy allowed for active military personnel to serve in the reserves when signed to a professional sports league.

That was the case with Navy quarterback-turned-receiver Keenan Reynolds, who was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens last year.

Per Jhabvala, the Air Force decided to go against the policy change late in the draft process:

Per new 2016 policy Robinette spent a year prepping for draft. And right before he's told he won't be able to go pro iimmediately. Cold.

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 29, 2017

Robinette enjoyed a huge 2016 campaign for the Falcons, registering 35 receptions for 959 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged a whopping 27.4 yards per catch.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranked Robinette as the No. 23 available receiver entering Day 3 and projected him to go undrafted in his Day 3 mock.

ICYMI... Today's threads 🔥🔥 #SharkWeek pic.twitter.com/dEzWMtNyat

— Air Force Equipment (@AF_EQUIP) September 10, 2016

In the immortal words of Tracy Jordan, "Live every week like it's Shark Week." The Air Force Falcons will honor those wishes on Saturday by donning shark-themed uniforms against the Georgia State Panthers.

The helmets—with shark eyes and teeth—will make the Falcons look like vicious predators on the prowl. But as the Colorado Springs Gazette's Brent Briggeman explained, it's more than a fun nod to the massive ocean animal:

If you hadn't heard, Air Force—led by equipment manager Scott Richardson and director of video operations Chris Miller—created a helmet design with a shark's open mouth that mimics the nose design on fighter planes dating back to the Flying Tigers in World War II and still in use today. In fact, four A-10s from the 47th Fighter Squadron out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., bearing the sharktooth design will perform the flyover 30 seconds before kickoff.

In addition to honoring history, the uniforms are also a big hit with the players.

"I think they're pretty sweet," fullback Shayne Davern told Briggeman. "I think everyone's real excited about them. The team's real excited about them. But we've just got to go play football."

The 1-0 Falcons will play the 0-1 Panthers at 2 p.m. ET at the United States Air Force Academy.

[Twitter]