First Look At New Mexico’s Offense This Spring
New coaches and a new quarterback
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Lobos looking for some juice
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We checked in with the New Mexico Lobos spring practice in Albuquerque to see what this year’s Lobo football team was about.
Coach Danny Gonzales enters his fourth year as UNM Head Lobo coach 4th-year coach and has made dramatic changes in his staff for the up-and-coming season.
Talk about flipping a script for UNM Lobo football; this is what Danny Gonzales has done for this year’s squad in his player acquisition.
The Lobos signed 34 players, 12 transfers, 11 JUCO, and 11 high school players. This is a good balance for short-term production and long-term development.
Overall, the Lobos have picked up 18 new players on offense (eight receivers, four quarterbacks, two offensive linemen, two tight ends, and two running backs) and 11 on defense. (six safeties (some of whom can play corner), three linebackers, and two defensive linemen).
Danny Gonzales said getting players via the portal can help them instantly.
“Adding transfers from winning programs like TCU and UAB will benefit us, and having 23 new players enrolled and in school getting the benefit of spring practice will jump-start us for 2023,” he said. “We have already seen their work ethic in lifting, running and meetings, and I’m excited to get on the field with them.”
With the transfer portal here to stay with some adjustments by NCAA along the way, the days of developing mostly high school players and getting them bigger, faster and stronger to compete at the D1 Level are gone.
You can hardly blame coaches for getting players who are game ready but just not happy with their current role on another team and them being able to play right away (given their performance on the spring ball)
Gonzales fired his entire offensive coaching staff except for quarterbacks coach and former local Cleveland High School coach Heath Ridenhour.