By J.J. Buck
Coaching Moves
One of the things that pushed college sports towards immediate eligibility for players after a transfer was coaching moves, specifically head coaches. Before the words ‘transfer portal’ took the world by storm players had to sit out a year after leaving their previous school.
We knew that there would be a lot of moves at New Mexico State following the departure of Jerry Kill after two years and two bowl appearances. But what Aggies fans didn’t anticipate was a constant stream of coaches leaving after being promoted on the NMSU staff. Kill will serve as chief consultant to the head coach and senior offensive analyst at Vanderbilt. That move came after the Aggies offensive coordinator, Tim Beck, took the same position with the Commodores. The moves have been fast and furious since then as new NMSU head coach Tony Sanchez has a roster and coaching staff to fill.
-20 days after Sanchez promoted Ghaali Muhammad-Lankford to offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, Muhammad-Lankford left NMSU to join Vanderbilt as their next run game coordinator and running backs coach.
-Safeties coach Melvin Rice took the same position at Vanderbilt.
-One week after naming Nate Dreiling associate head coach he took the same role at Utah State. Cornerbacks coach Jalen Ortiz reportedly went to USU as well.
Shocker
Breaking on the ‘X’, Rivals is reporting that New Mexico running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt has entered the transfer portal. It is massive news for the Lobos who looked to have the best returning RB in the league coming off 1,190 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. Keep an eye on the Arizona Wildcats getting in the mix after former Lobo head coach Danny Gonzales was hired by new head coach Brent Brennan to coach linebackers and special teams.
Former 5-Star
After adding USC transfer quarterback Malachi Nelson Boise State landed another high-profile skill position player. Wide receiver Chris Marshall was a part of the 2022 recruiting class and committed to Texas A&M. Marshall was given a 98 rating by 247sports coming out of Fort Bend High in Missouri City, Texas. Marshall was suspended twice during his freshman season and transferred at the end of the year. He caught 11 passes for 108 yards with the Aggies. He then found his way to Ole Miss but wasn’t there long. Marshall was dismissed from the team in May of 2023 because of what the program called a violation of team rules. The wide out went to Kilgore and finally was able to get on the field where he caught 21 passes for 449-yards and five touchdowns this past year. That earned him another ranking from 247sports as the number one junior college prospect in the nation.
The Other Purdy
Speaking of coaching moves, San Jose State lost a commitment from transfer Chubba Purdy after Brent Brennan was hired at Arizona. The former Nebraska quarterback flipped his commitment to Nevada. This will be the quarterbacks third stop after two years at Florida State and the last to with the Cornhuskers. He has appeared in 16 career games with five starts accumulating 46 yards, six touchdowns, and seven interceptions while completing 52% of his passes (85-162). Purdy played high school football at Perry (AZ) where he was a four-star prospect. The Wolf Pack are looking for any boost they can get with Jeff Choate taking over a team that was 2-10 overall and 2-6 in Mountain West play last year.
Chubba’s brother, Brock, will be playing his second straight NFC Championship game this weekend for the San Francisco 49ers.
Number 20
New Mexico’s first year head coach Bronco Mendenhall added his 20th player to UNM’s roster with the announcement of defensive lineman Devin Brandt-Epps. While some of the other additions on the defensive front are players looking for their first extended run Brandt-Epps has a resume of plays the previous three years at Old Dominion. He recorded 10.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and 84 total tackles. This will be his fifth and final year playing college football. As a freshman he played at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.
