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After a historic season in Las Cruces, which saw the Aggies make and win their first bowl appearance since 1960, Doug Martin and his coaching staff went out on the recruiting trail selling the excited fan base and the program’s momentum.
That strategy paid off with Coach Martin’s best recruiting class in his time at NMSU.
22 new recruits are going to be playing for the Crimson next year, 15 of which are high school players who had multiple FBS offers. Of those 15, six are three star recruits.
NMSU only had three 3 star recruits last year and one in 2014.
Head Coach Doug Martin said the primary areas for recruiting were along both sides of the line as there wasn’t much depth behind the starters. That should change next year as the class breakdown was split evenly.
11 offensive players (5 OL, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 RB, 1 QB), and 11 defensive players (6 DL, 4 DB, 1 LB) make up the Class of 2018 and they all show a lot of potential.
2018 New Mexico State Recruiting Class
| Name | Position | Height | Weight | Former School | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Height | Weight | Former School | Stars |
| Rodney McGraw II | Safety | 6'1" | 175 | Elkins | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Devin Richardson | Linebacker | 6'3" | 215 | Klein | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Naveon Mitchell | Running Back | 5'9" | 170 | Fort Bend Travis | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| John Graves | Defensive Tackle | 6'1" | 290 | Lancaster | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Max Wilhite | Offensive Tackle | 6'3.5" | 301 | Desert Edge | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Kai Golden | Defensive Tackle | 6'2" | 290 | Mountain View | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Austin Young | Offensive Tackle | 6'4" | 300 | Desert Edge | ⭐⭐ |
| Grant Mileski | Tight End | 6'5" | 230 | Horizon | ⭐⭐ |
| Donavan King | Defensive End | 6'2" | 225 | Shadow Creek | ⭐⭐ |
| Caleb Mills | Wide Receiver | 6'3.5" | 172 | Dodge City C.C. | ⭐⭐ |
| Isaiah Mursalat | Offensive Guard | 6'4" | 285 | Horizon | ⭐⭐ |
| Ray Buford | Corner Back | 6'2" | 190 | Independence C.C. | ⭐⭐ |
| Lautoa Nomura | Safety | 6'1" | 195 | Santa Ana College | ⭐⭐ |
| Michael Edwards | Defensive End | 6'2" | 230 | Muskogee | ⭐⭐ |
| Eric Pulliam | Offensive Guard | 6'5" | 305 | Fullerton College | ⭐⭐ |
| Arnold Saidov | Defensive End | 6'2" | 225 | Fossil Ridge | ⭐⭐ |
| Xzavier Guyton | Corner Back | 6' | 175 | Arlington | ⭐⭐ |
| Justin Segura | Defensive Tackle | 6'4" | 240 | Horizon | ⭐⭐ |
| Evan Tafoya-Vallo (Will Greyshirt) | Offensive Guard | 6'3" | 270 | Rio Rancho | ⭐⭐ |
| Matthew Romero | Quarterback | 6'2" | 200 | Palomar College | (No ranking) |
| Shea Holebrook Jr. | Wide Receiver | 6'5" | 195 | Monroe College | (No ranking) |
| Andre Bodison | Wide Receiver | 6'4" | 200 | NM Military Institute | (No ranking) |
It’s important to remember that NMSU only has eight coaches out recruiting while other FBS schools have 10. Despite that fact, New Mexico State was still able to sway kids to come to Las Cruces. We should all be proud of the work our coaches have done!
Since I’ve previewed most of the recruits (here, here, here, here, and here) I will just leave you with this:
We’ve all seen what Doug Martin and his staff can do with overlooked recruits and community college players. Now he’s got players that not only have potential in the eyes of the coaches at NMSU, but outside the program as well.
That’s a great reason to be excited for 2018!
Wobble on! Go AGGIES!