Recruiting: 2024 Centennial LB talks decision to sign with Lobos

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shortly after Bronco Mendenhall was introduced as New Mexico's new head football coach on Dec. 7, one of his new assistant coaches called 2024 Centennial outside linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='274702' first='John' last='Sierra'], who had been offered last spring by the previous Lobos coaching staff.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whatever that coach said to Sierra, he was impressed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sierra signed with New Mexico on Wednesday to become the first player in the state to sign a letter of intent for the 2024 recruiting cycle. He told Prep Redzone New Mexico that the UNM coaches' vision for the Lobos program along with the opportunity to stay close to home were important factors in his decision.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“The factors that convinced me that UNM was my best choice was definitely the new coaching staff and also that I'm staying close to home,” Sierra said. “I do sense a new level of excitement within the program since the new coaching staff got there. I truly believe they will win.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sierra said he was recruited as a linebacker by the new Lobo coaching staff but switching to EDGE rusher in the future is a possibility.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sierra's signing capped a remarkable three years with the Centennial varsity. He quickly earned a reputation as one of the state's top linebackers and sustained a high level of performance since he was a sophomore in 2021. He was named All-State for three straight seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I was truly blessed to be a part of a great program at Centennial and was blessed to be coached by wonderful coaches and build a special brotherhood with all my teammates,” Sierra said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/johnsierra2024/status/1711576254066147739?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/johnsierra2024/status/1711576254066147739?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/johnsierra2024/status/1637887378852581376?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/johnsierra2024/status/1637887378852581376?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->