Monthly Recruiting Update: March 2021

2024 Rio Rancho(NM) Cleveland outside linebacker <strong>Stratton Shufelt</strong> is just a freshman in high school but he already knows he won’t have to pay a dime for his college education. Shufelt, who emerged this spring as a solid starter on a dominant Storm defense, received his first scholarship offer a week ago from the University of New Mexico. Former Rio Rancho head coach David Howes, who now serves as the Lobos safeties coach and has a prominent role recruiting the Land of Enchantment, extended the offer. “I was speechless and very surprised when I got the offer,” Shufelt told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “It was an emotional time for me and my family. My conversation with Coach Howes was great. He could really relate to me as a player. He talked about my work ethic and the ability to adapt to the varsity level of football. Seeing the numbers I put up in the weight room, he was really impressed with my genetics and my growth through the offseason.” Shufelt is currently listed at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds. Considering he’s only 15 years old, he’ll likely grow a couple more inches and add some weight to his frame before he graduates. He helped lead Cleveland to a perfect 4-0 record this spring and the unofficial title of Best Team in Class 6A. “It is my goal to play Division I football, but I didn’t expect an offer this early,” Shufelt said. “It is my first offer. After my youth season of football, when I started to train for high school, my goal was to make varsity. I prepared myself physically and mentally to be able to play at the varsity level. Once the spring season hit, I had to prove that I was able to compete.” While the recruiting process is just getting started for Shufelt, it recently ended for Cleveland DL <strong>Phattboy Loveless</strong>. Loveless committed to Division II Adams State University in Colorado last week. “When I first started talking to (my Adams State coach), he had this tone in his voice that made you think, “Wow, this coach knows what he’s doing and talking about, he knows how to reassure you,” Loveless told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “My conversations with the ASU coaches before I committed were good. They were consistent. “They made sure to let me know about the program and what they have to offer. After I committed, the conversations we’ve had have dealt with the same things, but more in-depth with the football the coaches sent over the information I need to set me up for success. Loveless was recruited by Adams State as a defensive lineman. “I’m a leader that likes to have fun and get business done,” Loveless said. “I do everything I can without regret and knowing I did the task the best of my abilities.” <strong><em>NOTES</em></strong>: -- 2021 Socorro standout <strong>Nathaniel Fresquez</strong> has committed to NMMI; -- 2021 Hobbs WR <strong>Demitrius Frausto</strong> was offered by Western New Mexico and NMMI. -- Valencia OL <strong>Jonathon Crocker</strong> has received interest from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA and Oberlin College in Ohio. -- 2021 Rio Rancho RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26227" first="Zach" last="Vigil"]</strong> has drawn interest from FCS Weber State; -- 2021 La Cueva QB <strong>Aidan Nair</strong> was offered by Sterling College. -- 2021 Santa Teresa WR <strong>Elijah Archuleta</strong> was offered by Hiram College in Ohio. He has also been offered by Missouri Valley College and Bethany College. -- 2022 Raton QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26234" first="Dylan" last="Quartieri"]</strong> has drawn interest from Oberlin College and Carleton College. -- 2021 Eunice QB <strong>Hayden Dean</strong> signed with Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa. -- 2021 Cleveland RB <strong>Tyler Jenson</strong> has been offered by Chapman University in Orange County, CA. He was previously offered by University of Puget Sound. -- 2023 Cibola QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="118805" first="Aden" last="Chavez"]</strong> had a virtual visit with Colorado State. -- 2022 Jal OL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26228" first="Roger" last="Carreon"]</strong> added to his growing list of schools by being offered by Boise State and FCS Northern Arizona in March. -- 2021 La Cueva QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26220" first="Ryan" last="Cook"]</strong> received a walk-on offer from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Co. -- 2022 St. Pius X RB <strong>Marcus Ybarra</strong> has drawn recent interest from a pair of Ivy League schools: Princeton and Harvard. https://twitter.com/strat_shufelt/status/1376226835537616897 https://twitter.com/Phattboy44/status/1376353489429929984 https://twitter.com/Dfrausto44/status/1374837885183131649 https://twitter.com/AidenNair2/status/1370203304072945667 https://twitter.com/TylerJenson3/status/1372049954923896840 https://twitter.com/docampo98/status/1378432210672381952 https://twitter.com/strat_shufelt/status/1378803563288088576