NSD Aftermath: Analyzing ENMU's New Mexico Signees (Part 3)

<p><strong>Part 3 of a series analyzing the New Mexico prospects signed by the Eastern New Mexico football program</strong></p>   <p>When it came to recruiting deserving New Mexico prospects, Eastern New Mexico and head coach Kelley Lee were on an impressive roll in January and early February.</p>   <p>Last Wednesday, the Greyhounds signed 25 high school prospects and 1 JUCO prospect from the Land of Enchantment, arguably the best single day tally in recent memory. The group includes nine defensive players. Here is a look at each of those players:</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1103708' first='Ryan' last='Brown'], Rio Rancho</strong>: Brown is incredibly strong (550 pound deadlift) yet possesses the speed and mobility required to play linebacker at the next level. Made 83 tackles, 5 TFL, 8 QB hurries and 9 passes defended for the Rams in 2023.</p>   <p>“We got to know Ryan at our camp last summer,” Lee said on ENMU's Signing Day Show. “He can run. Good coverage guy. Physical in the box. We've been recruiting for a while and we were excited when he wanted to be a Greyhound.”      </p>   <p><strong>A.J. Flores, Deming</strong>: One of the top defensive backs in the state this past season with 76 tackles and 3 INT to help Deming reach the semifinals of the 5A playoffs for the second consecutive season.</p>   <p>“He's a rangy guy that can cover a lot of ground,” Lee said. “He'll come up and hit you too. We feel if we put a little weight on AJ that he's going to be a tough nosed safeties that people won't want to come across the middle.”</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='817417' first='Andrew' last='Gustafson'], Rio Rancho</strong>: One of the most underrated linebackers in the state. Led the Rams with 114 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 8 QB hurries and 9 passes defended. Hidden gem.  </p>   <p>“He's a hybrid outside linebacker-strong safety guy,” Lee said. “He'll probably play BUCK in our system. He'll be great on special teams too. He was phenomenal on special teams at Rio Rancho. He plays with reckless abandon. Tough kid. He really blossomed as a senior. I'm excited to see how he develops.”   </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275565' first='Isaac' last='Medrano'], Cleveland</strong>: Although he often played in Strat Shufelt's shadow at Cleveland but Medrano is a very good player in his own right. Made over 70 tackles with nearly 10 TFL this past season. Also a state champion in the javelin.</p>   <p>“You put on the tape and both Isaac and Strat were pretty good,” Lee said. “It was sometimes hard to tell who's going to UTEP and who's coming to Eastern New Mexico. We really like Isaac. He's going to challenge for playing time as a freshman. We're thrilled to get him.”    </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1236885' first='Tilmon' last='Richards'], Portales</strong>: Another unheralded local player who impressed the ENMU coaches on film.</p>   <p>“Portales had a great pair of corners and Tilmon was a big part of their secondary,” Lee said. “He's very appreciative, humble and excited about the opportunity to continue his career. I'm excited to see how he does against higher competition and what he looks like. Not many people threw on him this season. That forced the ball inside and allowed other guys to rush the passer or get interceptions. He was a lockdown corner.”    </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1103199' first='Chuka' last='Tutman'], Cleveland</strong>: Even though Tutman is fairly new to football, he emerged this past season as one of the top defensive ends in New Mexico. He weighs 225 pounds but has great speed and quickness. Made 66 tackles with 10.0 TFL and 6.5 sacks for the Storm.</p>   <p>“Chuka has played football for only a couple of years,” Lee said. “He's still learning the game but he's a very good player. Long arms. He usually played with his hand on the ground at Cleveland but we'll make him a SAM linebacker. He has a lot of upside. He was a good player for Cleveland.” </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='592401' first='Kian' last='Vander Wilt'], Volcano Vista</strong>: Vander Wilt's size and speed stand out. He's 6-foot-2, 230 pounds yet runs the 40 in 4.53 seconds. That speed helped him make 100 tackles with 9.5 TFL and 6 QB hurries in 2023.</p>   <p>“Albuquerque was loaded with inside linebackers this year and Kian is as good as any of them,” Lee said. “He's physical. He can cover. He plays sideline-to-sideline. He was rated by us as highly as anybody in Albuquerque.”</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275045' first='Brody' last='Whitaker'], Albuquerque Academy</strong>: Whitaker started his prep career as a linemen on both sides but moved to LB and was exceptional for the Chargers. He made 112 tackles with 15+ TFL and 6 sacks in 2023. He also blocked three FGA, a sign of his speed and agility.</p>   <p>“Brody can play inside or outside linebacker, or even center if we needed him to,” Lee said. “He's very physical. He played great at that All-Star Game in Dallas. Great GPA. He loves to hunt and fish, so he's going to fit right in here in Portales and our program.”     </p>   <p><strong>Dathan Yeary, Melrose</strong>: Melrose plays 8-man football, so Yeary didn't get a lot of attention during his career, but he's 6-foot-2, 225 pounds. Melrose is just a short drive from Portales so Yeary will play close to home.</p>   <p>“He's one of the best young men I've been around,” Lee said. “He leads the prayer at Melrose every day. When we did a 185-pound bench press at our lineman challenge this year, he repped it 44 times. He's in the weight room  every day at 6 a.m. He could play tight end but we're going to start him as an inside linebacker because he's so physical.”     </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ENMUFootball/status/1755303786040451269?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ENMUFootball/status/1755378029763633658?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ENMUFootball/status/1755383784516575640?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ENMUFootball/status/1755390255732056446?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ENMUFootball/status/1755438379745833413?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ENMUFootball/status/1755447037154201737?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ENMUFootball/status/1755471091399864469?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ENMUFootball/status/1755821065069044084?s=20 </div></figure>

Part 3 of a series analyzing the New Mexico prospects signed by the Eastern New Mexico football program