UNLV Football: Jose Pizano Is MWwire’s 2023 Special Teams Player Of The Year
The Rebels kicker replaced a program great with ease and won the nod as Mountain West football’s best specialist.
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A key leg up on the competition.
Mountain West Wire’s 2023 postseason honors:
All-Conference Teams | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Special Teams Player of the Year | Freshman of the Year | Newcomer of the Year | Coach of the Year | Coordinator of the Year
Mountain West football was once again flush with reliable special teams contributors in 2023, but UNLV kicker Jose Pizano comfortably thrived in what might have been a difficult situation and earned the right to be named as our staff’s pick as the conference’s top specialist.
Pizano transferred to the Rebels last off-season from Missouri State, where he’d twice earned all-Missouri Valley Conference honors before being tasked to replace Daniel Gutierrez in Las Vegas this season. Despite the big shoes to fill, the Lehi, Utah native thrived and connected on 23-of-25 field goals and 50-of-50 extra points, posting 119 points in all. For his efforts, he was also recently named a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, though the scarlet and gray faithful may already claim him as the best kicker in the country.
.@Jp_kicker38 FOR PRESIDENT! 🔥
Pizano’s 6️⃣th field goal of the game breaks the single-game record AND earns the Rebel win! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/NpvW5wBo7B
— UNLV Football (@unlvfootball) October 22, 2023
Also received votes: Jack Browning, P/K, San Diego State; Jonah Dalmas, K, Boise State; James Ferguson-Reynolds, P, Boise State; Jacob De Jesus, KR/PR, UNLV; Tory Horton, PR, Colorado State; Marshall Nichols, P, UNLV
