Austin Ajiake named Mountain West Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, signs with Denver Broncos

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Former UNLV linebacker Austin Ajiake is adding another honor to his resume.

On Thursday, the Mountain West conference named him the Mountain West Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. According to conference officials, the award is given to student-athletes who demonstrate athletic achievement, have a minimum 3.5 grade point average, demonstrate leadership, and have good character and conduct on and off the field.

"It's a blessing to be able to represent not only the conference, not only the school but also the community of Las Vegas," Ajiake said. "I don't take it for granted. I appreciate the fact that my leadership has been recognized and this lets me know what I'm doing is for a purpose and that I'm on the right track in life."

Over five years, Ajiake played in 48 games. In his last season, he led the conference in tackles with 132, which also tied him for fourth for most in a single-season by a UNLV player.

Ajiake earned his bachelor's degree in urban studies in May 2022 and is pursuing a master's in urban leadership.

For now, Ajiake is continuing his football career. On Thursday, the Denver Broncos announced they signed Ajiake. Head coach Sean Payton said a big factor was Ajiake's skills on speical teams.

"We liked him," Payton said. "We felt like he had good athletic traits. We felt like he could help us in the kicking game. So we brought him back for a workout with a few other guys and we thought he did pretty well."

The Broncos will be without veteran linebacker Jonas Griffith all season due to an ACL injury that happened when he stepped on another player's foot during a special teams play on Tuesday.

The Las Vegas Raiders will travel to face the Denver Broncos for Week 1. That game is scheduled for Sept. 10.