We have been reviewing recruiting pipelines for each team since 2020. Here is that original post for reference. In the past few years, we have analyzed how teams recruit in relation to their pipelines.
Recruiting is the lifeblood of a college program. Successful recruiting can be due to many factors, including winning tradition, top facilities, and player development. Perhaps the most crucial factor of all, however, is relationships.
Coaches build relationships with players and sell them on becoming
better players and on winning seasons. College coaches also build relationships with high school coaches, which can serve several purposes. High school coaches can serve as a middle ground between a recruit and a college coach; the recruit already has trust established with his high school coach, and if that coach trusts the college coach, the chance of the recruit trusting the college coach increases. There is also a long-term benefit, as high school coaches can tell their current players which college programs may develop them based on past experiences and steer them to programs where they will succeed. Similarly, high school coaches can be honest with college coaches about how good a player is or how hard they will work. Bottom line: it pays to foster those relationships.
When college programs find sustained success in a particular state, it’s described using the term “recruiting pipeline.” Likewise, college teams can also have pipelines in specific cities or areas of a state or even specific high school programs. This article will examine each of the twelve Mountain West Conference teams’ rosters, looking at the pipelines they may or may not have in various states.
A pipeline is defined here as any state with three or more players on the roster. A new pipeline may be created from the current class if a team signs three or more players from the same state (those will be bolded). Unfortunately, we eliminated city pipelines this year because it became too challenging to maintain them.
It’s important to note that the number of pipelines, or even a school having recruiting pipelines, isn’t necessarily an indicator of recruiting success, though it does help. Some schools return to the same states and cities year after year, while others recruit more broadly or simply wherever they can find the best talent. None of these approaches is necessarily better than the other. See below for how each team steered into or away from their established pipelines.
Note: Rosters are current as of 8-21-25. Obviously, players have changed since then.
Air Force
State Pipelines:
Texas: 24
Colorado: 12
California: 10
Georgia: 10
Arizona: 9
Minnesota: 6
Ohio: 6
Florida: 5
Oklahoma: 5
Washington: 5
Kansas: 3
Louisiana: 3
The Falcons don’t rely on traditional pipelines because they tend to have a national recruiting reach, evidenced by 12 different pipelines listed above. That being said, they have been doing a lot of work in Texas, California, Georgia, and their home state of Colorado. Air Force also has some of the more unique state pipelines on this list, such as Minnesota, Kansas, and Louisiana.
States pipelines in the 2026 Class: Texas (12), California (6), Florida (6), Arizona (5), Georgia (3), Colorado (2), Minnesota (1), Ohio (1), Oklahoma (1), Washington (1)
Bottom Line: With a large class, the commits are spread through a number of states. Once again, the Falcons did a lot of work in Texas and California, but they also found many players in Arizona and Georgia, while more than doubling the number of players from Florida. Air Force has recruiting pipelines, but it’s within the context of casting a wide net.
Boise State
State pipelines:
Calif. 35
Idaho 14
Texas 13
Washington 12
International 7
Utah 7
Oregon 6
Arizona 4
Florida 3
For years, the Broncos have done the majority of their work in California, but have also built up Idaho and Texas in recent cycles. This coaching staff has made the Pacific Northwest a priority, which is why there have been increases in Washington and Oregon. On a more interesting note, Boise State has found success recruiting international players as of late.
States pipelines in the 2026 Class: California (10), Idaho (3), Texas (3), Arizona (2), Oregon (2), Hawaii (1), International (1), Washington (1)
Bottom Line: The Broncos spread things around in this class more than usual, and it paid off, as they signed a top class. The bulk of their work continues to be in California, and Texas is a bit down this year, but remains proportional with their work locally in Idaho. Washington was down a bit in 2026, but Oregon held steady, as did Arizona and the international market. Boise State has increased their pipelines in recent years and things continue to pay off for them.
Colorado State
State pipelines:
California: 31
Colorado: 22
Texas: 13
Arizona: 4
Georgia: 4
Nevada: 4
Kansas: 3
Washington: 3
The Rams have accumulated much of their roster from talent-rich California, as well as in-state talent in Colorado. Texas has also proven to be fruitful for them, and then they spread other resources around to traditional Western states like Arizona, Nevada, and Washington. Georgia is an interesting area for Colorado State, and it will be just as interesting to see where new coach Jim Mora may create inroads as he takes over the program.
States pipelines in the 2026 Class: California (5), Texas (4), Colorado (2), Georgia (2), Arizona (1)
Bottom Line: The Rams added to their top five pipelines this time around, although not quite straight down the line. California continues to be their main state, but Texas was right behind them, seeing an increase. They didn’t get as many signees from their home state this cycle, and then once again used Georgia and Arizona to supplement their class. Colorado State could be in for some pipeline changes with a new coach, and one question will be how much the state of Colorado is prioritized.
Fresno State
State pipelines:
California: 83
Arizona: 6
Illinois: 4
Washington: 3
Being in talent-rich California, the Bulldogs don’t have to go outside of their own state very often. They have dabbled in other areas, including Arizona and Washington, which are close by. The addition of Matt Entz, who has Midwest ties, has led to an intriguing development. Fresno State has created a pipeline in Illinois, and they may continue to dip into other Midwest states going forward.
States pipelines in the 2026 Class: California (18), Nebraska (3)
Bottom Line: To the surprise of no one, the Bulldogs stayed within California for the bulk of their 2026 class. The actual surprise was that they ended up developing a new pipeline in Nebraska, with no other pipeline states represented this time around. Fresno State’s new coaching staff had roots outside the West Coast, and this may not be the last new pipeline that gets created in the near future.
Hawaii
State pipelines:
Hawaii: 48
California: 21
International: 10
Nevada: 7
Texas: 5
Arizona: 4
Ohio: 3
Washington: 3
To the surprise of no one, the Hawaii football program gets the majority of their recruits from Hawaii. They have put a lot of emphasis on keeping more talent on the islands, and it’s paying off. Like most other teams, a good chunk of the roster also comes from California, and they have also prioritized the Las Vegas/Nevada pipeline, which has seen an increase as of late. The Rainbow Warriors devote time to various international areas for talent, and it will be interesting to see if they attract more players from Japan going forward.
States pipelines in the 2026 Class: Hawaii (6), Nevada (4), Arizona (3), International (3), Texas (2), California (1)
Bottom Line: Hawaii maintained their tried and true recruiting areas in this class, staying in Hawaii, going to Nevada, and filling in the cracks with California, Arizona, Texas, and going outside the States. They know what works for them and continue to invest in their philosophy. The Rainbow Warriors could do more work in California, but also don’t need to fix what doesn’t seem to be broken.
Nevada
State pipelines:
California: 37
Nevada: 18
Texas: 13
Washington: 7
Arizona: 4
Hawaii: 3
Oregon: 3
Utah: 3
While California is the Wolf Pack’s recruiting bread-and-butter, it’s clear to see that the Silver State has also been an area of emphasis under Coach Choate. In fact, he’s also had stops at Texas, Washington, and Utah State, which lines up well with the pipelines listed above. Nevada appears to focus on the Pacific Northwest more than the average MW school, which may give them an edge.
States pipelines in the 2026 Class: California (8), Nevada (8), Washington (4), Texas (2), Oregon (1)
Bottom Line: Once again, the Wolf Pack went to their heavy-hitting states of California and Nevada for a recruiting class. The Pacific Northwest has become a key area for them, and they did well there, with five total players coming from Washington and Oregon. Despite the conference increasing their activity in Arizona, Nevada actually did less there and Hawaii in 2026 compared to previous years.
New Mexico
State pipelines:
California: 21
Texas: 17
New Mexico: 13
Washington: 8
International: 7
Arizona: 6
Florida: 5
Oregon: 4
Alabama: 3
Colorado: 3
The Lobos do a lot of work in California, like everyone else, but they have spread things out a lot, too. It makes sense that the neighboring states of Texas and Arizona are priority states for them, and finding local talent in New Mexico hopefully helps the roster win on the margins. But New Mexico has some surprise states appear as well, with Florida and Alabama standing out, in addition to the international market.
States pipelines in the 2026 Class: California (8), Arizona (7), Texas (7), New Mexico (4), Oregon (1)
Bottom Line: The Lobos hit a few states hard this time around rather than going to many places. They had big gains in California, Texas, and Arizona, which are their two top pipeline states, and the latter could be on the rise. New Mexico also mined for talent in their home state, but didn’t do anything in Washington or Florida this time around.
San Diego State
State pipelines:
California: 71
Texas: 6
Arizona: 4
Michigan: 4
Nevada: 4
Washington: 3
The Aztecs have a shorter list compared to their peers, mainly because they can recruit many players from their own backyard. However, they still have developed pipelines in other states, with Texas, Nevada, and Arizona being some of their more consistent states. Michigan is an outlier for San Diego State on paper, and mainly has come via the transfer portal, but it could be a consistent recruiting state down the line.
States pipelines in the 2026 Class: California (14), Texas (3), Washington (2), Nevada (1)
Bottom Line: For another year, the Aztecs put an emphasis on players from California. They stayed within their traditional recruiting pipelines, although they added more players from Texas than usual. This is another instance where no Arizona players signed sticks out as noteworthy, but San Diego State was able to secure a strong class with the pipelines they utilized.
San Jose State
State pipelines:
California: 80
Hawaii: 5
Utah: 5
Nevada: 3
Washington: 3
The Spartans rarely leave California, considering they are in a talent-rich area, but they have amassed a few other supplemental pipelines over the years. Hawaii has been kind to the program in some of their recruiting classes, as has Utah and Nevada. San Jose State may not have a long list, but it doesn’t mean they haven’t established deep pipelines in the states they do recruit in.
States pipelines in the 2026 Class: California (12), Hawaii (1)
Bottom Line: The Spartans stuck to the script and then some during this cycle, only going outside of California for one player in Hawaii. It’s not surprising that they signed 12 players out of their home state, but because they had a small high school class, the cuts had to come from somewhere. San Jose State only benefited from two of their five established pipelines in 2026.
UNLV
State pipelines
California: 21
Texas: 19
Nevada: 14
Florida: 10
Georgia: 7
Louisiana: 5
Hawaii: 4
North Carolina: 4
Arizona: 3
Missouri: 3
Oklahoma: 3
Washington: 3
The Rebels have built up an expansive list of state pipelines over the years. This is due to incoming transfers following roster turnover, plus two coaches with roots in southern states while still recruiting in traditional western regions. All of that means that UNLV casts wide nets, doing a lot of work in California, Texas, and their home state of Nevada, plus states like Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana. It’s worth watching to see what continues or not going forward.
States pipelines in the 2026 Class: California (10), Georgia (3), Nevada (3), Texas (3), Florida (2), Washington (1)
Bottom Line: The Rebels went to California for most of this class, and then sprinkled a few other states to complete it. Local Nevada accounted for a few players, as did Texas. Coach Mullen put his stamp on the class as he focused on players in Georgia and Florida. Those two states could be bigger pipelines for UNLV in future classes.
Utah State
State pipelines:
Utah: 45
California: 12
Arizona: 7
Washington: 6
Texas: 5
Hawaii: 4
Colorado: 3
Tennessee: 3
Virginia: 3
As expected, the Aggies pick up most of their talent from in-state Utah, which is a fertile recruiting state. Along with every other MW school, they find many players in California, and then supplement their classes in areas like Arizona, Washington, and Texas. Tennessee and Virginia may not have staying power for Utah State, but Colorado and Hawaii might be utilized to fill up their future classes.
States pipelines in the 2026 Class: Utah (9), California (3), Texas (2), Arizona (1), Colorado (1), Hawaii (1)
Bottom Line: The Aggies used Utah as their main recruiting pipeline, taking advantage of local talent. Then, they filled in the rest of their class with a few different state pipelines, nabbing athletes from California in addition to four other established pipelines. It’s interesting to see Washington missed from the 2026 class, but Tennessee and Virginia aren’t surprising omissions. Utah State will likely stay out west going forward, but anything is possible.
Wyoming
State pipelines:
Texas: 22
Colorado: 18
California: 12
Wyoming: 11
Missouri: 7
Nebraska: 7
Illinois: 6
Iowa: 3
Kansas: 3
Minnesota: 3
Wisconsin: 3
Wyoming has some of the most non-traditional pipeline states compared to the rest of the Mountain West, often choosing to go east in addition to west. They use Texas and Colorado as their primary areas, with healthy doses of California and local Wyoming recruits mixed in. But few conference mates recruit Missouri, Nebraska, Illinois, or other Midwest/Plains states as well or as frequently as the Cowboys do.
States pipelines in the 2026 Class: Texas (5), Missouri (4), Colorado (2), Illinois (2), Wyoming (2), California (1), Nebraska (1)
Bottom Line: The Cowboys have a large number of state pipelines and then used many of them in 2026. They did quality work in Texas and Missouri while making gains in Colorado, Illinois, Wyoming, and other states. They were one of the lightest programs recruiting California this year, and even though they only signed one player from Nebraska, they kept the pipeline going. Wyoming has more Midwest pipelines that weren’t used this time around, but may go back to them next cycle.
Conclusion:
As people may have noticed while reading, only one new pipeline was created among the 12 teams: Fresno State’s Nebraska. It may mean nothing, it may mean pipelines have stabilized for now, or it may mean traditional recruiting pipelines are being impacted by the increase of the transfer portal. The reason is unknown for now, but it’s worth monitoring going forward.
Regardless, it’s interesting to see how programs recruit the same states season after season, or in some cases, dip in and out of states. It’s hard to account for different factors, such as coaching changes, missing out on a recruit in a given state, or diverting resources elsewhere. But tracking pipelines each cycle provides a point of comparison to measure a team’s recruiting class in more ways than just a ranking number.
