New Mexico State is still working to add players from the transfer portal for its 2025 season, and coach Tony Sanchez has already secured several who will be crucial to its success.
The Aggies have signed 20 transfers from fellow NCAA programs from the winter and spring portal windows, with potentially more to come. NM State leaned on many transfers to play key roles last season, such as starters like safety Da’Marcus Crosby, running back Mike Washington and defensive tackle Naki Fahina, and will likely need to do so again in 2025.
Advertisement
See who NMSU signed in the winter: Aggies football transfer portal tracker for winter window
See who NMSU signed in the spring: 2025 Aggies football spring transfer portal tracker
Reloading after losing players to the portal is the new reality for every Group of Five team, including NM State. But there are incoming transfers to be intrigued by.
Here’s a look at five transfers that could make the biggest impact for the Aggies in 2025:
QB Logan Fife (Montana)
Having been announced as “the guy” for the Aggies’ starting quarterback position by Sanchez, Fife has the biggest impact potential of any NM State transfer.
Advertisement
Fife appeared in all 14 games and made eight starts for a Montana team that reached last season’s FCS playoffs, finishing 2024 with 1,890 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions. His most notable performance came in a 384-yard, five-touchdown game against Eastern Washington that earned him Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Fife will look to bring balance to an Aggies offense that struggled to pass last season, having played four total quarterbacks that produced Conference USA’s second-worst passing offense. Success from him can bring NM State back to bowl eligibility.
MORE AGGIES FOOTBALL: Logan Fife ready to fix New Mexico State’s quarterback problems
RB Dijon Stanley (Utah)
With both of the Aggies’ 2024 leading rushers in Seth McGowan and Mike Washington gone, Stanley will have to inherit many of their carries.
Advertisement
A native of Granada Hills, CA, Stanley is a leading candidate to start at running back after going through spring football with NM State. He’s a dynamic playmaker who can produce through the run and passing games, having led Utah in rushing and receiving yards in its 49-0 win over Southern Utah. Stanley’s 166 receiving yards against the Thunderbirds were the most from a Utes running back since 1996, and his 184 all-purpose yards in the game were the second-most by any Power Conference running back during that week.
A bright spot for the Aggies in 2024 was their rushing attack, as it ranked fourth in CUSA with 179.2 rushing yards per game. Stanley will be counted on to make it even better.
MORE AGGIES FOOTBALL: Inside the overhaul of New Mexico State’s facilities
RB Kadarius Calloway (California)
Calloway is another running back who will bring speed to NM State’s backfield.
Advertisement
Pro Football Focus tracked Calloway’s top speed at 23.1 MPH during his 2024 season with Cal. He rushed for 124 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries with the Golden Bears and 623 yards and 5 touchdowns on 88 carries for Old Dominion in 2023.
A former Alabama recruit as the No. 2 high school prospect in Mississippi in 2021, Calloway will look to tap into his potential with the Aggies. He should receive plenty of carries alongside Stanley and create a speedy duo that may prove hard to stop.
DE Gabe Peterson (Utah State)
Peterson is a familiar face in Las Cruces, having played for the Aggies from 2022-23.
Advertisement
He didn’t get much playing time at Utah State last season and is now back to help NM State’s pass rush. After many defensive end departures like Buddha Peleti, Kale Edwards and Justin Beadles, Peterson will likely be relied upon to be the Aggies’ top pass rusher in 2025.
Peterson was NM State’s sixth-leading tackler in 2023 with 55 total tackles and ranked fourth among Aggies that season with 3.5 sacks, including one in an upset win over Auburn. Now that he’s back, Peterson will look to make a similar impact.
CB Lorenzo Smith (South Alabama)
NM State stocked up on junior college recruits in its secondary. While Smith played at a junior college last season, he arrives in Las Cruces by way of an FBS program.
Advertisement
Smith’s time at South Alabama was short-lived, as he entered the portal after spring football. He played for Jones College (Mississippi) in 2024, tallying 26 tackles, seven pass breakups and one forced fumble to earn an honorable mention All-State selection from the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference.
He can play both safety and cornerback, which should help him get into the rotation at NM State.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: 5 transfers with the biggest impact potential for NMSU football
