Recruiting: National Signing Day Eve

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's almost Christmas for non-Division I football programs throughout the country.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wednesday is National Signing Day for Division II, Division III, NAIA and JUCO programs, and several 2024 New Mexico prospects announced their commitments the day before they are able to sign their letters of intent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Volcano Vista running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274709' first='Alijah' last='Gonzales']</strong> committed to Eastern New Mexico, continuing the Greyhounds surge with in-state recruiting since the beginning of January.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gonzales was a workhorse for the Hawks in 2023 with 1,791 rushing yards and 17 TD on 276 carries, an impressive average of 25 per game. He also caught 15 passes. He was offered by ENMU in early December.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Portales LB/DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275478' first='Devin' last='Diaz']</strong> committed to New Mexico Highlands as the Cowboys secured one of the top linebacker/safety talents in the state. This past season, Diaz had 65 tackles and led the entire state with 12 interceptions. NMHU hopes he brings those same sharp ball-hawking skills to Las Vegas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hobbs QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='817391' first='Owen' last='Callaway']</strong> also committed to New Mexico Highlands. He committed 57.2 percent of his passes for 1,365 yards and 17 TD in 10 games for the Eagles in 2023. Callaway is listed at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, so he will bring good size to the Cowboys' QB room.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New Mexico Highlands coach Rod Hudson hinted at a commitment from a New Mexico defensive lineman, but right now it appears to be a silent pledge. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In other news, Sandia WR [player_tooltip player_id='1161076' first='Grayson' last='Frederich'] affirmed his commitment to McPherson College in Kansas. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/44_atrain/status/1754906130323788172?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/44_atrain/status/1754906130323788172?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/D3v_03/status/1754936063552811106?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/D3v_03/status/1754936063552811106?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/owencallaway4/status/1754948798885884109?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/owencallaway4/status/1754948798885884109?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/gfrederich80/status/1754937080902516912?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/gfrederich80/status/1754937080902516912?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/NMHUcoachrhud/status/1754953823754256410?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/NMHUcoachrhud/status/1754953823754256410?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->