Recruiting: NMHU Gains Two More Commitments From NM Prospects

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New Mexico Highlands continues to dominate in-state recruiting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Head coach Kurt Taufa'asau and the Cowboys secured two more commitments from 2026 New Mexico prospects earlier this week: Artesia DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1266504' first='Edel' last='Villa']</strong> and Volcano Vista OLB/DE <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1224569' first='Kaleb' last='Vander Wilt']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They join a growing list of &nbsp;New Mexico prospects headed to Las Vegas to play their college football. Three major contributors to the Las Cruces Bulldawgs for the past couple of years recently committed to the Cowboys: RB [player_tooltip player_id='1137388' first='Daniel' last='Amaro'], WR [player_tooltip player_id='1142363' first='Francisco' last='Winnikoff'] and DB [player_tooltip player_id='1266523' first='Isaac' last='Gomez'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Villa was one of the anchors of Artesia's defense in 2025, finishing with 60 tackles, 2 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles. He made six tackles and intercepted a pass in the Bulldogs' dramatic Class 5A championship game victory over rival Roswell.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For his career, Villa had 112 tackles and 6 interceptions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Vander Wilt finished his senior season with 51 tackles, 14.0 TFL, a team-high 6.0 sacks, 4 QB hurries and 6 passes defended. Vander Wilt amassed 22 TFL and 11 sacks over the past two seasons, showcasing his speed, quickness and ability to penetrate opposing backfields.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Villa and Vander Wilt are joining the NMHU football program at a good time. The Cowboys finished 6-5 in 2025, their first winning season since 2012, generating plenty of enthusiasm for the future . NMHU beat in-state rivals Eastern New Mexico (first win over the Greyhounds since 2013) and Western New Mexico.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cowboys were the No. 1 rushing team in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AGTG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AGTG</a> I'm blessed to announce my commitment to <a href="https://twitter.com/NMHUFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NMHUFootball</a>. Thank you to my family for believing in me and always being there for me. To my coaches I'm grateful for everything and extremely blessed for this opportunity. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cowboytough?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cowboytough</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jeremy_maupin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jeremy_maupin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachTwelveGage?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachTwelveGage</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ArtesiaF32?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArtesiaF32</a> <a href="https://t.co/gjveMDzAMc">pic.twitter.com/gjveMDzAMc</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1266504' first='Edel' last='Villa'] (@Edelvilla_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Edelvilla_/status/2014175506674135093?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I am beyond blessed to announce my commitment to <a href="https://twitter.com/NMHUFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NMHUFootball</a>! I want to thank my coaches, my family, my teammates, and everyone who has helped me on along this journey! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CowboyTough?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CowboyTough</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachTaufaasau?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachTaufaasau</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachTwelveGage?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachTwelveGage</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachWallin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachWallin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/coachList13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coachList13</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachSitdikov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachSitdikov</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/vvhsfootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@vvhsfootball</a> <a href="https://t.co/F6TaaTYd0j">pic.twitter.com/F6TaaTYd0j</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1224569' first='Kaleb' last='Vander Wilt'] (@Kaleb_vw) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kaleb_vw/status/2014119180778574081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->