Jan. 7—New Mexico announced three new coaches on Tuesday, bringing the Lobos’ total number of on-field assistants under head coach Jason Eck to six.
Of the announced coaches, all three have previously worked under or with Eck, hired by UNM on Dec. 14. The Lobos are notably still looking for a linebackers, wide receivers and tight ends coach, and a new defensive coordinator after Dan Jackson left to become the head coach at South Dakota State.
UNM’s three new hires, with information on their backgrounds:
Daniel Da Prato
Position: Associate head coach and special teams coordinator
Summary: A 20-year coaching veteran, Da Prato spent the last two seasons as Texas State’s associate head coach and special teams coordinator. Before that, Da Prato served as South Florida’s interim head coach in 2022 after Jeff Scott was fired with three games remaining; he had been on staff as the Bulls’ special teams coordinator since 2020.
Da Prato, 43, previously coached special teams at Arkansas (2019) and Montana State (2013-15), where he overlapped with Eck for one season. He also served as a wide receivers coach at Sacramento State (2007-12) and an offensive quality control coach at Colorado (2016-18) before joining the Razorbacks.
A former quarterback, Da Prato started his playing career at New Mexico Highlands before transferring to Chabot (Calif.) College and finishing at Louisiana-Monroe. After graduation, he joined the Warhawks’ staff as a graduate assistant in 2004 and was promoted to director of football operations in 2006.
John Johnson
Position: Running backs coach
Summary: Johnson joins the Lobos after spending the last three seasons as Sam Houston State’s running backs coach; in 2024, he added associate head coach responsibilities. Under Johnson, the Bearkats rushed for 179.8 yards per game (fourth in Conference USA) as running back Jay Ducker (745 yards, seven touchdowns) earned honorable mention All-CUSA marks.
Johnson joined Sam Houston State after spending 2021 as a prospect analyst at Oklahoma State following the second of two stints as South Dakota State’s running backs coach. Under his guidance, the Jackrabbits rushed for a Missouri Valley Conference-best 235.8 yards per game in 2020 and advanced to the 2021 FCS national title game.
Johnson served in the same role at South Dakota State from 2016-17, coaching running back Brady Mengarelli to All-MVFC honors in both seasons. He overlapped with Eck in each of his stints in Brookings, South Dakota; UNM’s head coach previously served as the Jackrabbits’ offensive line coach and offensive coordinator from 2016-21.
Johnson also served as a running backs coach for the Atlanta Legends, one of eight teams in the short-lived Alliance of American Football. The team, and league, folded in 2019.
An El Dorado, Arkansas native, Johnson played running back at Oklahoma State and Ouachita Baptist (Arkansas) University. He started his coaching career with the Tigers in 2009 and later worked with Oklahoma Baptist University, Tulsa and the Kansas City Chiefs as part of a summer internship in 2014.
Malik Whitehead
Position: Assistant strength coach
Summary: Whitehead joins UNM after spending two seasons as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant at Idaho. He joined the Vandals after spending six months as assistant strength coach at D1 Fox Valley, a private gym in Aurora, Illinois.
Before that, the Steamwood, Illinois native worked as a strength and conditioning intern at Northwestern University and Aurora (Illinois) University, where he played football and ran track and field.
Transfer additions
UNM announced or landed commitments from three transfers on Tuesday: — DL Keyshawn James-Newby (Idaho): The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Helena, Montana native came up with a team high 14.5 tackles for loss (10.5 sacks) and 65 total tackles last season with the Vandals. James-Newby was named an AFCA first team All-American in light of those efforts; he has one year of eligibility remaining. — Edge Darren Agu (Vanderbilt): The 6-6, 242-pound London native appeared in two games for the Commodores last season, but did not register a statistic. Agu made five starts in 2023; he has two years of eligibility remaining. — OL Tyler Lawrence (Air Force): The 6-5, 296-pound Puyallup, Washington native made five starts at tackle for the Falcons last season. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
