New Mexico Football: Danny Gonzales’ First Recruiting Class Turns Heads And Keeps Promises

The New Mexico Lobos 2020 Recruiting Class Is Complete With 24 Signings. Class is complete with a high school focus and southwest feel. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Danny Gonzales completes his first recruiting class in Albuquerque, and …

Total New Additions: 30

  • Link to the UNM golobos website with highlight videos of all 24 signees.
  • Those without a highlight reel provided by UNM have their huddle link below.

The Offensive Line: 4

Leke Asenuga, 6-2 306 | Richmond, TX| George Bush High School

Jer’Marques Bailey, 6-6 320 | Humble, TX| Atascocita High School

Greg Brown II, 6-1 283 | Pearland, TX| Shadow Creek High School

Isaak Gutierrez, 6-2 317 | Chico, CA| Butte College (JC)

The Receiving Corps: 5

Conner Kinslow, 6-4 226 (TE) | Fulshear, TX| Obra D. Tompkins High School

Connor Witthoft, 6-3 212 (TE) | Tuscon, AZ| Salpointe Catholic High School

Elijah Queen, 6-5 191 (WR) | Carson, CA| Narbonne High School

Jace Taylor, 6-5 197 (WR) | Lake Havasu, AZ| Lake Havasu High School

Bobby Wooden, 5-11 179 (WR) | Pearland, TX| Dawson High School

THE Running Back : 1

Nathaniel Jones, 5-11 205 | Bellflower, CA| St. John Bosco High School

The Defensive Line: 3

OJ Bartley, 6-2 275 | Stockton, CA| Edison High School

Bryce Santana, 6-3 260 | Los Lunas, NM| Los Lunas High School

Ian Shewell, 6-3 236 | Gilbert, AZ| Williams Field High School

The Linebackers: 5

Elijah Lash, 6-3 253 | Walnut Creek, CA| Las Lomas High School

Ray Leutele, 5-11 215 | Anaheim, CA| Mater Dei High School

Semaj Sims, 6-1 211 | Oakland, CA| McClymonds High School

Dion Hunter, 6-2 220 | Rio Rancho, NM| Cleveland High School

Syaire Riley, 6-0 235 | Inglewood, CA | Palisades High School

Defensive Backs: 4

Donald Jones, 6-0 163 (CB) | Baton Rouge, LA| Broadmoor High School

AJ Odums II, 5-11 150 (CB) | Houston, TX| Westfield High School

Tavian Combs, 6-2 190 (S) | Amarillo, TX| Randall High School

Quinn Potts, 6-0 208 (S) | Compton, CA| Dominguez High School

The Athlete Addition: 1

Darius MCray, 5-11 180 | Fresno, CA| Washington Union High School

Division One Transfers: 2

Ben Davis, 6-3 317 (OL) | Elk Grove, CA| Minnesota (Big Ten)

Josh Foley, 5-10 200 (RB) | Rio Rancho, NM| New Mexico State (FBS Ind.)

*Now a group that should be watched closely is the walk-ons brought into the program. Especially with Gonzales’ history as a player and the culture at New Mexico. These guys won’t show up on any recruiting website but the list of guys brought into the program through this avenue is listed below.

Preferred Walk-on Additions: 5

Keith Alvarado, 6-1 240 DL, Albuquerque, NM | Eldorado High School | Huddle

Ryan Cosper, 6-3 200 WR | Albuquerque, NM | Hope Christian High School | Huddle

Isaiah Chavez, 6-0 175 ATH | Rio Rancho, NM|Rio Rancho High School | Huddle

Isaac chavez, 5-10 175 RB |Albuquerque, NM| Volcano Vista High School |Huddle

Cody Moon, 6-4 185, DE | Albuquerque, NM |Volcano Vista High School | Huddle

Local Guys With PWO offers but no word yet, 

Zion Hall, 6-0 175 | Albuquerque, NM| Manzano High School | Huddle

Dawson Burton, 6-1 205 (DB) | Albuquerque, NM| La Cueva High School | Huddle

Caleb Marra, 6-4 200 (DE) | Albuquerque, NM| La Cueva High School | Huddle

Dominic Camacho, Not listed (K) | Albuquerque, NM| La Cueva High School | Huddle

Positions with no signing: QB

Things of Note:

The Lobos checked off some boxes on Wednesday night, adding depth to the offensive line with three guys (Davis, Gutierrez and Brown II) already enrolled for the Spring semester. Also adding some some size to the receiving corps with Elijah Queen and Jace Taylor both standing six foot five as well as two tight ends both named Connor (one spells it Conner) standing six foot four.

Maybe the most exciting signing of the day was four star running back Nathaniel Jones of St. John Boscoe in Bellflower, CA, who decommitted from UCLA and chose the Lobos over offers from Georgia, Oregon and Arizona State. He’s now listed as the third highest recruit to ever sign with the Lobos (per 247 sports) in the modern recruiting ranking era.

The home state guys,

Gonzales and his staff kept their promise of bringing local guys into the program. Though they were primarily brought in through walk-on means, which has shown success in Albuquerque in the past (i.e. Ryan Cook, Jarrod Baxter, etc.) and helps keep his promise so far. And he’s not done yet, extending an offer to Goddard junior lineman Larry Luna (6-5, 260) to get a jump on the class of 2021 and attempt to keep division-I caliber players from that class home. He was a bit late to the party on New Mexico’s other top prospects as Connor O’Toole (Utah), Philip Blidi (Texas Tech), Bryce Cabeldue (Kansas) and Dorian Lewis (Coffeyville C.C.) committed elsewhere.

They were able to bring in Dion Hunter from Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho who like current tight end Marcus Williams did before grayshirted this fall to prolong his eligibility clock from starting. Along with Hunter, the Lobos signed local two sport athlete Bryce Santana of Los Lunas. who pledged before signing day. A familiar face for metro area fans in former Rio Rancho Ram Josh Foley also committed to the Lobos after spending his first two years of college down south at New Mexico State. He joins his former high school head coach in Albuquerque.

Twitter Presence,

Gonzales and his staff have heavily taken to Twitter which has become a new outlet for recruits to showcase offers, highlight tapes and communicate with other recruits. Hashtags like #Jointhehunt and #Packmentality are being spread by assistants across their twitter feeds and recruits are buying in.

The connection to local coaching staffs which can help keep high rated players in state has been key for the Lobos this signing period as well. As several high school coaches from around the state of New Mexico have taken to Twitter to praise Lobo coaches showing up to their schools as of late. Heck, Gonzales even put one on the payroll to coach linebackers (David Howes, formerly the head man at Rio Rancho HS).

This is all paying off so far as a connection to the community was deeply lacking under the last two coaching staffs and left Dreamstyle stadium dreadfully empty at times. It was also reported by the Albuquerque Journal that a signing day meet-n-greet hosted by the UNM football coaching staff at BJs restaurant in Albuquerque Wednesday night drew a big crowd and over seventy season ticket deposits were taken in relation to the event.

More additions are possible in the coming days, especially further transfers or preferred walk-on announcements. But still, this haul feels good. And with that, the city of Albuquerque and the state of New Mexico look forward. Forward to spring practice and even further out to the first game against Idaho State on August 29th in Dreamstyle Stadium.

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