Crushin’ It! NMSU Dominating on the Recruiting Trail

The New Mexico State Aggies are utilizing the momentum they gained from winning their first bowl game in 56 years in a major way.

Over the weekend, the team held their bowl celebration in downtown Las Cruces, which included a huge parade, pep rally and a nice recognition ceremony at the men’s basketball game (a win over Utah Valley).

They also held a bunch of official visits for potential recruits, which was brilliant and ended with six more commitment for the 2018 Aggie class!

The most encouraging fact is that many of the new commits had offers from other Division 1 schools.

So, without further ado, here are the newest New Mexico State Aggies:

Rodney McGraw II, Safety (Elkins High, Missouri City, Texas)

Measureables: 6’1”, 175 pounds

McGraw is the most impressive get for Coach Martin and his staff. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to recruiting coordinator Cory Martin for picking this kid up.

A three star safety, McGraw II had offers from 13 different southern DI schools: Oklahoma State, Houston, Colorado State, UL-Lafayette, and UL-Monroe are just a few. Here’s the full list.

He is rated as the 120th safety in the nation and looks like the real deal. Check out his hudl highlights here.

John Graves, Defensive Tackle (Lancaster High, Lancaster, Texas)

Measureables: 6’1”, 290 pounds

Another three star recruit, Graves is another surprising get for the NMSU program. Rated as the 122nd best defensive tackle prospect in the nation, Graves is a big guy who also had offers from big Division 1 schools.

Texas Tech, Memphis, and Texas-San Antonio are just a few of the schools. John also had interest from the University of Minnesota, North Texas, and Southern Methodist.

Here is his hudl page.

Naveon Mitchell, Running Back (Travis High, Richmond, Texas)

Measureables: 5’9”, 170 pounds

Naveon Mitchell is a three star all purpose back out of Richmond, Texas. From his Hudl highlights, you can see he bears a striking resemblance to Jason Huntley; quick, shifty, and fast.

He can also catch the ball out of the backfield like Huntley.

Naveon had offers from UTEP and Alcorn State. He also had interest from Kentucky, Houston, UL-Lafayette, and SMU. Mitchell is rated as the 153rd recruit out of the state of Texas.

I’m excited to see this guy next fall.

Mike Edwards, Defensive End (Muskogee High, Muskogee, Okalhoma)

Measureables: 6’3”, 230 pounds

Mike Edwards doesn’t have a lot of accolades next to his name-he isn’t ranked on 247 sports-but he has the frame to be a beast off the edge. If the Aggies can get him in the gym and on a good nutrition plan, he has a chance to be a star as he also plays outside linebacker.

If you look at his Hudl page, you can see he is long and quick. Sure, he might not see the field as a freshman but he has potential.

Outside of NMSU, Edwards had offers from DII schools Emporia State and Pittsburg State. That might not seem impressive but Pittsburg State consistently has players signed to NFL rosters, so if they see something, the kid has potential!

Donavan King, Defensive End (Shadow Creek High, Pearland, Texas)

Measureables: 6’2”, 230 pounds

Mr. King is a two star recruit from Shadow Creek High School in Pearland, Texas. He may not be the fastest player but he is good at getting around blocks and is really strong (345 lb bench, 500 lb squat).

Donavan is ranked as the 130th defensive end recruit in the country. He had offers from Liberty and Northwestern State, along with New Mexico State.

Other Recruiting News

• The sixth recruit to commit was offensive lineman Evan Tafoya Vallo, who I previewed in a previous article.
• Head Coach Doug Martin said that there are three spots left to fill in the 2018 class and will most likely be filled by two offensive lineman and a cornerback.
• The Aggies have five three star recruits in this recruiting class.
• 247sports doesn’t have the entire NMSU class listed but ranks the class as the 122nd best class nationally (UNM and UTEP are in the 130s).

I just want to say that I think the coaching staff at NMSU is SEVERELY underrated. They have done such a great job of evaluating players and developing them and they continue to impress on the recruiting trail. I am excited for this next group of recruits and for next season.

GO AGGIES! WOBBLE ON!