Signing Day Aftermath: UNM Lobos Sign Four 2026 NM Prospects

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Since arriving at New Mexico last winter, Lobos head coach Jason Eck has fulfilled his promise to recruit the best players in the Land of Enchantment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last week the Lobos announced the signing of four in-state players&nbsp; three from the Albuquerque Metro Region, as part of the 2026 class: 6-foot-5, 275-pound Eldorado OL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672549' first='Matheu' last='Alderman']</strong>, Cibola LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854199' first='Hayes' last='Baum']</strong>, Hobbs WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1599800' first='Justice' last='French']</strong> and Cleveland WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='851903' first='Jacob' last='Maldonado']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We represent the entire state of New Mexico,” Eck said earlier this week at a press conference. “We want to find the best players in the state. We don't want to miss guys who are close to home. I saw some good prospects out there. Hopefully, we can build on that.” &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alderman earned First-Team All-State honors for the Eagles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Alderman is impressive,” Eck said. “We saw him play live a couple of times and I saw him work out at the school last spring. He has good size and a lot of upside that we can develop.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Baum graduated early from Cibola in December and has already joined the Lobos program for winter conditioning and then spring practice in March and April. Baum made nearly 300 tackles, 36.0 TFL and 5 INT during his career for the Cougars.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Hayes is already doing a great job,” Eck said. “He has a great future.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6-foot-2 French registered 77 receptions for 1,136 yards and 12 TD over the past two seasons at Hobbs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“French is a very athletic guy that's a little raw,” Eck said. “We have to develop him. He played receiver at Hobbs but we're going to look at him on defense.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maldonado was a dynamic WR for Cleveland widely admired for his keen ability at making acrobatic catches. His gymnastics background gets some of the credit for his exquisite body control. Maldonado caught 53 passes for 800 yards and 9 TD as a senior, helping the Storm go back-to-back as Class 6A state champions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Cleveland is the top high school program in the state,” Eck said. “They are very well run and very structured. He will be well prepared to come into a college system and do a great job. With his gymnastics background, Jacob has great body control. That will help him make those acrobatic catches for us.” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In addition, UNM signed 6-foot-3, 285-pound Western New Mexico DL transfer <strong>Deven Dyer</strong>, a former La Cueva standout and older brother to former state championship winning Bears QB Cameron Dyer, who is currently at Arizona State. Devon signed with New Mexico State in 2022 and played two years there for transferring to WNMU for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eck described the Dyer signing as “a big add” and an “exciting add,” especially since he grew up in Albuquerque. Dyer made 30 tackles, 3.0 TFL and 1 sack for the Mustangs in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Spring Practice for the Lobos begins March 27. The annual spring game is set for Saturday, April 25.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Welcome to Albuquerque <br><br>Speed. Instincts. Ball hawks.<br><br>Defensive skill freshmen are officially Lobos<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoLobos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoLobos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RealOnes26?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RealOnes26</a> <a href="https://t.co/SbkuxJJtTW">pic.twitter.com/SbkuxJJtTW</a></p>&mdash; New Mexico Football (@UNMLoboFB) <a href="https://twitter.com/UNMLoboFB/status/2019093998028099681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Welcome to Albuquerque.<br><br>Walk-ons aren't just here to watch — <br><br>They're here to work, compete, and prove. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoLobos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoLobos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RealOnes26?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RealOnes26</a> <a href="https://t.co/yXRwjCK1EM">pic.twitter.com/yXRwjCK1EM</a></p>&mdash; New Mexico Football (@UNMLoboFB) <a href="https://twitter.com/UNMLoboFB/status/2019154110843695314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pressure starts up front.<br><br>Relentless. Motivated. Hungry.<br><br>Welcome to the 505<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoLobos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoLobos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RealOnes26?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RealOnes26</a> <a href="https://t.co/XvLgAtXvvp">pic.twitter.com/XvLgAtXvvp</a></p>&mdash; New Mexico Football (@UNMLoboFB) <a href="https://twitter.com/UNMLoboFB/status/2019485382656827728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>    </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->