Aggie transfers will have to be patient
Newcomers expected to make fall impact
LAS CRUCES — New Mexico State head football coach Doug Martin concluded the first day of practice in January by introducing a handful of transfers to the rest of the team.
It was the first time some of their teammates had laid eyes on some of them.
Such is life during the pandemic that wiped out the Aggies’ 2020 season.
“That was the first team segment when we have all been together since August,” Aggies linebackers coach Oliver Soukup said. “You have two recruiting cycles. It’s actually a great problem to be honest. You have new guys, but still a good group of older guys to lead them and show them the way.”
While the players who signed early are not able to play in the three games this spring, they have already showed up in practice and will need to contribute in the regular 2021 season.
One of those players Martin introduced to the team following practice was Ole Miss transfer center Eli Johnson. Johnson, junior college tight end Thomaz Whitford and junior college transfer linebacker Dalton Bowles were among the midyear transfers the Aggies signed who will need to play an immediate role.
“The first thing that jumps out to you (about Johnson) is his maturity,” Aggies offensive line coach Cory White said. “The next thing is when he starts talking football, he’s X’s and O’s smart and very knowledgeable of what adjustments to make, as well as technique. I sent him the playbook ahead of time, and he had it down so when he came, he could start doing what we need him to do.”
Johnson will anchor an Aggies offensive line that will likely consist of four new starters as the status of center Max Wilhite and right tackle Jalen Guerrero is unknown after both players opted out.
Stephen Townsend, a junior college teammate of quarterback Jonah Johnson, is slated to start at left guard next to returning left tackle Sage Doxtater.
“I think we have a very high ceiling with a lot of capability that we have shown in flashes,” White said. “There will be hiccups with getting guys to work together. Even though they have been here, we hadn’t been able to practice with equipment. They did a nice job in the weight room, but it’s not the same as working double teams and blitz pickups.”
An extension of the offensive line that Martin wants to reimplement is the tight end position. The Aggies signed Grant Oberheu from Ruidoso High, but Monroe College transfer Thomaz Whitford is a more experienced option.
“In (junior college) I was a big part of the run game,” said Whitford, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds. “We had really good receivers so I was not targeted as much. I had some catches in junior college, but we also had some good days in the running game.
“I feel like I have to make the most out of every opportunity and every chance they give us to show what we can do, and I can’t take that for granted.”
Whitford had four catches for 29 yards last year. He was ranked the No. 67 junior college prospect by 247sports.com.
“(NMSU tight ends coach Chili Davis) needs us as tight ends to improve the run game and the pass game and he felt like I could be a guy that would be able to help do that,” Whitford said.
Bowles is competing for snaps at strong side linebacker with redshirt freshman Taylor Milton.
Bowles is currently undersized, but after playing quarterback at Roswell Goddard, and safety at New Mexico Military Institute, his football IQ and skill set intrigued Soukup.
“The ‘Sam’ is kind of a jack of all trades and someone who can cover guys and come in and play in the box and play manto-man and blitz,” Soukup said. “(Bowles’s) intelligence is big. I like former quarterbacks on defense and if they are physical, it can be a positive. For him, playing safety translates to playing man, and his quarterback acumen helps him understand what the offense is trying to do.”
Soukup recruited Bowles in high school, but the Aggies were full at linebacker and Bowles didn’t play defense full time until he was recruited as a defensive back at NMMI. But it didn’t take long for NMMI head coach Joe Forchtner to sell Bowles once he moved to defense full time.
“It’s an adjustment, but I’m starting to get the hang of things in every practice,” Bowles said. “I’m in the box much more than NMMI, when I would roll into the box, so that has helped. We played a decent amount of man coverage so that is helping.”
Weak side linebacker Devin Richardson and safety Jason Simmons are the only returning starters on defense, so there will be plenty for players to play for throughout the next month.
“I think everyone has an even playing field out there,” Bowles said. “They are giving most people reps so everyone is getting a gauge on how they look.”
SOCCER: Former AC Milan star Pato signed a one-year contract with Major League Soccer’s Orlando City. The team said Saturday that the 31-year-old Brazilian forward will join the team after receiving a U.S. visa and an international transfer certificate. Pato scored 10 goals in 27 appearances for Brazil from 2008-13, including at the 2011 Copa America.
BOXING: In Las Vegas, Nevada, California boxer Adam Lopez defeated Albuquerque’s Jason Sanchez by majority decision Saturday night in a featherweight fight. Lopez (152, six knockouts) retained his NABF 126-pound title. Sanchez is 15-3 with eight KOs. One judge scored the bout even at 95-95. The decisive scorecards read 96-94 and 97-93 for Lopez.