Signing Day Aftermath: WNMU Widens Reach In New Mexico

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A year ago, Western New Mexico signed five New Mexico prospects, four from the city of Rio Rancho.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This year, that cumulative number increased to eight. In doing so, WNMU widened their reach in the Albuquerque Metro Region, signing players from five different high schools in the area – Albuquerque High, Cibola, Cleveland, Valencia and Volcano Vista.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And they signed a prospect from Southeast New Mexico, a football rich region filled with next level talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Credit WNMU defense line coach David Delgado, who primary recruiting areas are New Mexico and El Paso, for the Mustangs' success in the Land of Enchantment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Coach Delgado has recruited most of New Mexico,” WNMU head coach Billy Hickman told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “He runs around this big state and hustles his butt off. He does a good job. He has made some very good inroads here. We always want to recruit New Mexico. The kids from New Mexico are good people. We want New Mexico guys to be at the heart of what we're doing.” &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Three of WNMU's eight 2026 New Mexico signees were offensive linemen: 6-foot-2, 300-pound <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1266460' first='Diego' last='Baeza']</strong> (Valencia), 6-foot-2, 298-pound <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600926' first='Samuel' last='Chavez']</strong> (Volcano Vista) and Goddard standout <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1716167' first='Desmond' last='Sicre']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We saw Samuel at one of our camps and really liked his build and his ability,” Hickman said. “Diego was also at one of our camps. I spoke with somebody here at WNMU who had worked at Valencia High and she had so many good things to say about him. When he came on his visit, we connected well. He's a big kid. Desmond visited in January. He has a good build and he's very athletic. I was impressed.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sicre is the latest of a handful of players signed by WMNU from the southeast region, where most of the state's Friday Night Lights towns are located.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“The kids from there are well coached,” Hickman said. “They are sharp and ready to go. They work hard. They're more polished as football players. They're more grown up. They're more mature. They're better weight lifters.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>WNMU signed two prospects from Cleveland in 2025 and inked two more this year: 6-foot-4, 235 pound TE <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142637' first='Noah' last='Escudero']</strong> and DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853709' first='Connor' last='Steele']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We expect Noah and Connor to keep growing and developing,” Hickman said. “They've been well coached. The ceiling on Noah is very high. Connor has a great demeanor. He's a very instinctive football player based on how he moves around and attacks the football. He always seems to be in good playmaking spaces.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cibola CB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267176' first='Jalil' last='Dixon']</strong> and Albuquerque High LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1266542' first='Sergio' last='Cisneros']</strong> are two more back seven defensive players sign by WNMU.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Both came to our camp multiple times,” Hickman said. “Jalil is very athletic. He definitely looks the part. He might be one of the most athletic skill kids from New Mexico that we've signed since I've been here. I'm excited about him. Sergio is a lot like Connor. He finds a way to make a lot of plays. He's &nbsp;always around the ball and he tackles well. He gets people down&nbsp; on the ground, which is something we've struggled with. He's a good fit for us for what we're looking for.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dynamic WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1245683' first='Ismael' last='Mendez']</strong> – nicknamed ‘Taco' – is another Volcano Vista prospect signed by the Mustangs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Taco is a wonderful person and a really outstanding student,” Hickman said. “He comes from a good family. He's undersized, but he makes a lot of plays. He did a lot for Volcano Vista on both sides of the ball and on special teams. For us, he fits best as a receiver. He's quick.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In addition to the eight aforementioned signees, WNMU also signed midyear transfer <strong>Isaiah Abeyta</strong>, a former Centennial standout wide receiver who initially signed with hometown New Mexico State in 2024 before transferring to NMMI in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Isaiah is going to play right away,” Hickman said. “He's a big strong kid. He's more grown up now that he's been at a couple of spots.” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congrats to <a href="https://twitter.com/DiegoBaeza64670?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DiegoBaeza64670</a> on his commitment to play for WNMU! 🐆 ➡️ 🐎 <a href="https://t.co/qV1jQJlJN8">pic.twitter.com/qV1jQJlJN8</a></p>&mdash; VHS Jaguars Football (@VHSJagFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/VHSJagFootball/status/2021737044033384503?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I am incredibly grateful and blessed for this opportunity. Thankful to everyone who has supported me through my first four years, and excited for what the next four years hold. Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/WNMUFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WNMUFootball</a> <br>and <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachD_Delgado?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachD_Delgado</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachSitdikov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachSitdikov</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jakebulling?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jakebulling</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/vvhsfootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@vvhsfootball</a> <a href="https://t.co/pS01o9UHb1">pic.twitter.com/pS01o9UHb1</a></p>&mdash; Samuel_chavez (@sam_chavez76) <a href="https://twitter.com/sam_chavez76/status/2019052103508115922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Go stangs!!! Definitely a good visit with <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachD_Delgado?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachD_Delgado</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/coach_bhickman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coach_bhickman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachDempsey8?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachDempsey8</a> <a href="https://t.co/OO1GisRaJ4">pic.twitter.com/OO1GisRaJ4</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1267176' first='Jalil' last='Dixon'] (@Jalil_Dixon_6) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jalil_Dixon_6/status/2017985191768113280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">𝙍𝙞𝙤 𝙍𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙤 👉 𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙞𝙩𝙮<br> Welcome to 575, [player_tooltip player_id='853709' first='Connor' last='Steele']! 🐎<br><br> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RareBreed?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RareBreed</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NSD26?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NSD26</a> <a href="https://t.co/uxtNNLP8FR">pic.twitter.com/uxtNNLP8FR</a></p>&mdash; WNMU Mustang Football (@WNMUFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/WNMUFootball/status/2019066992242692593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">𝟱𝟬𝟱 🔜 𝟱𝟳𝟱<br> <br> Welcome home, [player_tooltip player_id='1245683' first='Ismael' last='Mendez']! 🐎<br><br> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RareBreed?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RareBreed</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NSD26?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NSD26</a> <a href="https://t.co/Odlo3P6MmW">pic.twitter.com/Odlo3P6MmW</a></p>&mdash; WNMU Mustang Football (@WNMUFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/WNMUFootball/status/2019108375695655135?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->