Recruiting Update: Traditional Signing Day Edition

University of New Mexico head coach Danny Gonzales vowed to escalate the Lobos’ recruiting within the state, and those efforts paid dividends during December’s early signing period when four local prospects signed letters of intent. Now Gonzales has added two more commitments to the in-state tally: Manzano defensive end <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26181" first="Jaxon" last="Powell"]</strong> and Albuquerque High offensive lineman <strong>Carlos Lovato</strong>. However, the commitments come with a catch: Both players intend to grayshirt this fall and join the UNM program in January. “My parents and talked it over for hours,” Lovato told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “Playing for UNM has been a dream of mine since I was a kid. It was always the goal to go there whether as a walk-on or scholarship. I was all for it, mostly for the business school there and the law school. Grayshirting occurs when a player waits an extra semester to become a full-time student and part of the team. Essentially, an incoming college freshman postpones his enrollment in classes until the second term of his freshman year. This means Lovato and Powell won’t take classes until January. Both will still have five years to play four, allowing for a redshirt season. “As of right now, the time frame (for joining UNM) is spring of 2022,” Lovato said. “But if there is space, then I’ll go this fall. So, as of right now, there is no official paperwork for me to sign. But I will have a celebration on Wednesday to celebrate my success in achieving my dream of playing for UNM.” Powell had a simple explanation for committing to UNM: “I chose UNM because I want to represent my hometown.” In terms of sheer number of prospects, the big winner on Wednesday will likely be Eastern New Mexico. The Greyhounds have received commitments from seven talented in-state players in the past couple of weeks: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26219" first="Ernesto" last="Acuna"]</strong> (Clovis); <strong>Devon Bailey</strong> (Melrose), <strong>Ja’Calvin Newsom</strong> (West Mesa), <strong>Joseph Thompson</strong> (West Mesa), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26160" first="Marcos" last="Lopez"]</strong> (Las Cruces), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26170" first="Fernando" last="Rubio"]</strong> (Goddard) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26169" first="Nathaniel" last="Stone"]</strong> (Goddard). “The coaches and staff seem like the right fit for me,” Thompson told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “They want me to play running back. They saw my footwork and power and speed on film and that’s what they want from me.” Stone is one of the top two-way players in the state and ENMU eyes him playing wide receiver. Newsom will play slot receiver or running back.  Rubio is joining the ENMU program as a defensive end. Lopez is arguably the top dual threat quarterback in the state and that’s the position he’ll be playing for the Greyhounds. Western New Mexico in Silver City, NM picked up a huge in-state commitment this week when Clovis offensive linemen <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26203" first="Johnny" last="Jimenez"]</strong> committed to the Mustangs. He will play guard. “They are building something truly special,” Jimenez told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “They are rebuilding the program to be something great within the next couple of years. They are renovating the facilities and making changes to the university, and Silver City is a very beautiful town.” Fort Lewis College in Durango secured commitments from Bernalillo LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26210" first="Ayden" last="Madrid"]</strong>, who holds the state record for most tackles in a single season (172 in 2019) and Grants LB <strong>Cyler Aragon</strong>. “I made the decision to attend Fort Lewis largely because of the location,” Madrid told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “I actually got to visit the school. It really just felt like the place where I needed to be and they offered my field of study. My visit was actually eye opening. And I really made a connection with the linebackers coach.” <strong>COMMITMENTS</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id="26181" first="Jaxon" last="Powell"], Manzano – New Mexico (Grayshirt) Carlos Lovato, Albuquerque HS – New Mexico (Grayshirt) [player_tooltip player_id="26219" first="Ernesto" last="Acuna"], Clovis – Eastern New Mexico [player_tooltip player_id="26203" first="Johnny" last="Jimenez"], Clovis – Western New Mexico Devon Bailey, Melrose – Eastern New Mexico Ja’Calvin Newsom, West Mesa – Eastern New Mexico Cyler Aragon, Grants – Fort Lewis College Joseph Thompson, West Mesa – Eastern New Mexico [player_tooltip player_id="26210" first="Ayden" last="Madrid"], Bernalillo – Fort Lewis College [player_tooltip player_id="26160" first="Marcos" last="Lopez"], Las Cruces – Eastern New Mexico <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26193" first="Aaron" last="Deller"]</strong> – St. Ambrose [player_tooltip player_id="26170" first="Fernando" last="Rubio"], Goddard – Eastern New Mexico <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26179" first="Chris" last="Rios"]</strong>, Atrisco Heritage – Bethel University [player_tooltip player_id="26169" first="Nathaniel" last="Stone"], Goddard – Eastern New Mexico <strong>OFFERS</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26173" first="Trevon" last="Dennard"]</strong>, Cleveland – Ottawa University, Salt Lake Scorpions (JUCO) <strong>Bryan Hernandez</strong>, Grants – Papago Pumas JC <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26185" first="Jeff" last="Davison"]</strong>, Cleveland – Salt Lake City Scorpions (JUCO) <strong>Zach Bennett</strong>, Rio Rancho – Arizona Christian <strong>Cuentin Romero</strong>, Bernalillo – Ottawa University <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26220" first="Ryan" last="Cook"]</strong>, La Cueva – Trine University <strong>Adrian Dominguez</strong>, Bernalillo – Ottawa University, Sale River Scorpions (JUCO), Fort Lewis College <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26198" first="Joey" last="Cave"]</strong>, Rio Rancho – Ottawa University <strong>David Murphy</strong>, Cleveland – Butte College <strong>Hayden Dean</strong>, Eunice – Clarke University <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26196" first="Tommy" last="Lujan"]</strong>, Rio Rancho – Eastern New Mexico <strong>NOTES</strong>: -- Grants WR Bryan Hernandez told Prep Redzone New Mexico that he will wait to see how the spring season unfolds before signing with a school. He currently has offers from Papago Pumas JC, University of Jamestown, University of La Verne and Luther College. -- Another rising prospect willing to wait is Capital RB [player_tooltip player_id="26186" first="Luke" last="Padilla"]. He recently visited Fort Lewis College (Durango, CO) and Oklahoma Panhandle State University. “The visits went really well,” Padilla told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “They definitely narrowed my selection. But no, I will not be signing just yet. My family and I still need a little more time to make our final decision.” https://twitter.com/jzpowell14/status/1355609267257049091 https://twitter.com/rarestpook/status/1355231867654430722