NM State Junior Day: Who Was There?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New Mexico State hosted its spring Junior Day this past weekend at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces. Based on social media posts, numerous prospects were there, including some of the top players in the 2027 class:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605059' first='Bryson' last='Bloom'], Alamogordo</strong>: Speed is Bloom's greatest asset. As a New Mexico State coach tweeted in reply to Bloom, a 4.4 laser timed 40 is ‘special.' That speed is also why a FBS program like Coastal Carolina has offered. Bloom is an outstanding athlete. Last season he rushed for over 1,000 yards and made 64 tackle son defense. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154948' first='Isaiah' last='Carpenter'], St. Pius X</strong>: Arguably the top quarterback in the Albuquerque Metro Region for 2026. His 6-foot-5, 215-pound frame allows Carpenter to bring great size to the position, something most college coaches crave. Threw for 2,467 yards and 28 TD in 2025, earning him First-Team All-State honors. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853757' first='Ulisses' last='Castro'], Bernalillo</strong>: You don't often see a player both lining up at quarterback and playing DE/OLB on defense. Castro, though, is such a phenomenal athlete that he took the QB reins for the Spartans when the starter was injured. Defense, though, might be his best position at the next level. Made 55 tackles, 13.0 TFL and 8 sacks. Wreaks havoc. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154956' first='Cayl' last='Cox-Liggins'], St. Pius</strong>: &nbsp;Probably the most freakish athlete in the 2027 class, Cox-Liggins brings length (6-4), speed and leaping ability to the WR position. He simply jumps over defensive backs to make catches. Made 65 receptions for 1,161 yards&nbsp; and 14 TD in 2025. Recorded 64+ receptions and 1,100+ receiving yards for two straight seasons. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Curtis Flakes III, St. Pius X</strong>: While Flakes excels as a two-way player for the Sartans, defensive back is his best position and most likely that's where he'll end up at the next level. Fantastic speed. Runs the 40 in under 4.5 seconds. Made First-Team All-State honors as a DB.      </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594010' first='Jahleel' last='Lewis'], Sandia</strong>: Another big, strong-armed QB attracting interest from FBS level schools. He's 6-foot-3, 225 pounds with a cannon arm. He can make all the throws, as he has demonstrated at multiple Prep Redone camps. Threw for over 2,000 yards and 22 TD in 2025. But he has excellent mobility too as seen from his 385 rushing yards and 7 rushing TD. He can make defenses pay if they focus too much on stopping the pass. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1679931' first='Dock' last='Love'], La Cueva</strong>: One of the top rising senior defensive ends/edge rushers in the state for 2026. Good size at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds. As a junior, he made 54 tackles with 8 TFL, 7 sacks and 1 forced fumble. New Mexico State is clearly interested as Aggie coaches visited Love at LCHS in January. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154954' first='Hershul' last='Olloway'], St. Pius X</strong>: The fastest player in the state for 2026. Olloway recently blazed 100 meters in 10.72 seconds at a recent track meet. His incredible speed leads to eye-popping productivity on the gridiron, Last season he rushed for 1,930 yards and 28 TD and totaled 2,222 all-purpose yards. New Mexico, New Mexico State and UTEP have offered. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2153523' first='Ifeoluwa' last='Samuel Abiodun'], La Cueva</strong>: Most likely, a new name for most NM high school football fans. The 6-foot-2, 285 pound Abiodun plays defensive tackle for the Bears. He has excellent strength, speed and mobility. Also an elite wrestler, finishing fifth at the state tournament. Emerging as one of the top interior defensive linemen in the state. The La Cueva defense could be nasty in 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I had a great time <a href="https://twitter.com/NMStateFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NMStateFootball</a>, also had great talks with <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachSiddiq?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachSiddiq</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jbmorriscoach?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jbmorriscoach</a> . Thank you to <a href="https://twitter.com/mjgaynor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mjgaynor</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ash_dazzle?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ash_dazzle</a> for inviting and hosting me.‼️‼️‼️<a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/LaCuevaFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaCuevaFootball</a> <a href="https://t.co/2hRSYEkzOz">pic.twitter.com/2hRSYEkzOz</a></p>&mdash; Dock (@dockmileslove1) <a href="https://twitter.com/dockmileslove1/status/2038308788030333261?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/NMStateFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NMStateFootball</a> for a great junior day! I had a great time connecting and learning more about the program!! <a href="https://twitter.com/ash_dazzle?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ash_dazzle</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachHen_1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachHen_1</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DCobb27?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DCobb27</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/thecoachflakes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thecoachflakes</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CouchPSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CouchPSports</a> <a href="https://t.co/0TMZxvNQdr">pic.twitter.com/0TMZxvNQdr</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1250361' first='Hershul' last='Olloway Jr'] (@Hersh_Olloway2) <a href="https://twitter.com/Hersh_Olloway2/status/2038331509032300589?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Had a great day <a href="https://twitter.com/NMStateFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NMStateFootball</a> junior day touring the facilities and watching a spring practice! Had a great conversation with <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachHFernandez?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachHFernandez</a> and appreciate the love from the whole staff!<a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachCiscoAHS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachCiscoAHS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachKyleShoot?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachKyleShoot</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottSing82?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ScottSing82</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronCisco4?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AaronCisco4</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/cjrecruiting2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cjrecruiting2</a> <a href="https://t.co/uvOfwlzrzN">pic.twitter.com/uvOfwlzrzN</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1605059' first='Bryson' last='Bloom'] (@BrysonBloom) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrysonBloom/status/2037994657075142984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thanks you <a href="https://twitter.com/mjgaynor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mjgaynor</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_TSanchez?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Coach_TSanchez</a> for the junior day invite, and <a href="https://twitter.com/ash_dazzle?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ash_dazzle</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachSiddiq?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachSiddiq</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jbmorriscoach?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jbmorriscoach</a> for taking time to speak with me, really enjoyed my time at <a href="https://twitter.com/NMStateFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NMStateFootball</a>, excited for what's ahead‼️<a href="https://twitter.com/LaCuevaFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaCuevaFootball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CouchPSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CouchPSports</a> <a href="https://t.co/QK4uyJTPoL">pic.twitter.com/QK4uyJTPoL</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='2153523' first='Ifeoluwa' last='Samuel Abiodun'] (@samuel51abiodun) <a href="https://twitter.com/samuel51abiodun/status/2038336247320789098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/mjgaynor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mjgaynor</a> for the Junior Day invite. I had a great time down south. I'm super grateful to learn some things about the program. <a href="https://twitter.com/TaylorMazzone1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TaylorMazzone1</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/j2cobos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@j2cobos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jarmaine94?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jarmaine94</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/theblakemiller7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@theblakemiller7</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BernalilloF?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BernalilloF</a> <a href="https://t.co/rKrY9u3MeQ">pic.twitter.com/rKrY9u3MeQ</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='853757' first='Ulisses' last='Castro'] (@UlissesCas09) <a href="https://twitter.com/UlissesCas09/status/2038413218524389524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->