Mar. 9—For New Mexico football, spring might as well be the season of change.
As UNM opens spring practice Tuesday, upwards of 30 transfers will take the field as Lobos for the first time. The program will host 15 total sessions over the next five weeks; all will be open to the public, giving fans their first opportunity to see a bevy of new players under first-year head coach Jason Eck.
Ten Lobos to watch for heading into spring practice:
QB Jack Layne
Analysis: Layne completed 99 of 154 passes for a team-high 1,477 yards, 14 touchdowns and four with Idaho last season, one that saw him miss over half the season with a collarbone injury. There’s no guarantee he’ll be UNM’s starting quarterback, but with his experience in Eck’s offense he has a clear leg up on the rest of the room entering spring practice.
RB Scottre Humphrey
Analysis: Perhaps UNM’s most notable transfer in years, Humphrey made a splash committing to the Lobos over the likes of Virginia Tech, North Carolina, West Virginia and Boise State. And for good reason: the former Montana State running back was highly coveted in the portal after rushing for 1,386 yards and 16 touchdowns last season with the Bobcats, one that ended with the 5-11, 210-pound sophomore earning FCS All-America honors.
But Humphrey is just one of a handful of mouths to feed in a running back room featuring talented transfers like Damon Bankston (Weber State), D.J. McKinney (Sam Houston State) and Deshaun Buchanan (Idaho). Be sure to look out for how carries — particularly with Humphrey — are distributed this spring.
OL Kaden Robnett
Analysis: Robnett appeared in only two games with Idaho last year before an injury cut his season short, but could factor heavily into vacancies at left guard and center. Expect the 6-2, 290-pound sophomore to pick up some reps at the latter position as the Lobos look to replace second-team All-Mountain West center McKenzie Agnello.
OL Israel Mukwiza
Analysis: An All-Southern Conference offensive lineman last season, Mukwiza allowed just two sacks for Mercer and notably finished with the Bears’ best PFF pass blocking grade in a 52-7 loss to Alabama. Like Robnett, the 6-1, 320-pound senior is a candidate for one of the Lobos’ interior offensive line spots; look for him to compete for the opening at left guard.
TE Aiden Valdez
Analysis: In a near-complete overhaul of the tight end room, Valdez joins UNM after catching 12 passes for 106 yards and three touchdowns with Campbell last season. The 6-5, 240-pound sophomore will compete with the likes of Weber State transfer Keayen Nead and Arizona transfer Dorian Thomas for reps in a tight end room that’s as wide open as any entering spring.
S Austin Brawley
Analysis: An Ohio transfer, Brawley posted 99 total tackles with three interceptions in as many seasons with the Bobcats. Perhaps most importantly, the 5-9, 180-pound junior worked with UNM defensive coordinator Spence Nowinsky in his first two seasons and could assist in the program’s transition to its third defensive scheme since 2023.
WR Keagan Johnson
Analysis: After losing an astonishing 2,616 receiving yards to the portal, Johnson represents UNM’s major pass-catching acquisition after he finished with a career-best 29 receptions for 359 yards with Kansas State last season. In fact, the 6-0, 206-pound junior will likely start spring as the Lobos’ No. 1 receiver; only two other wideouts (Shawn Miller and Michael Buckley) return with an FBS catch to their names.
DL Keyshawn James-Newby
Analysis: The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Idaho transfer was one of the most productive pass rushers in all of FCS last year, finishing with 11 sacks and 33 pressures — the seventh-best mark in the country. And that might’ve been his swan song until the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to players like James-Newby, who spent the first two years of his career at NAIA Montana Tech.
Now with UNM, James-Newby is expected to help revitalize a pass rush that’s struggled for consistency and overall effectiveness over the last couple of seasons; the Lobos finished with 11 sacks last year, the third-worst mark in FBS.
LB Jaxton Eck
Analysis: The oldest son of UNM’s head coach, Eck earned first-team All-Big Sky honors after making 111 total tackles with Idaho last season. Per PFF, the 6-1, 225-pound sophomore also finished as the league’s second-best run defender and is expected to be an immediate contributor to a linebacker room returning a pair of starters in Dimitri Johnson and Randolph Kpai.
LB Albert Nunes
Analysis: A Northern Iowa transfer, Nunes racked up 68 total tackles in his lone season with the Panthers before joining UNM. And how he was used then might be telling for how he’ll be used in Albuquerque: at 6-2, 212 pounds, the senior is an early candidate to see time at the Lobos’ star position, a hybrid linebacker-safety spot in UNM’s 4-2-5 base defense.
