Five storylines to watch during NMSU's 2026 spring football run

New Mexico State began its spring football slate on Monday, March 2, its first of 13 total practices until the “Fan Fest” on April 10 that will replace a traditional spring game. The Aggies will also hold four scrimmages on unspecified dates.

NM State will enter its third season under coach Tony Sanchez’s guidance in the upcoming 2026 campaign and kicks off against Florida State on Aug. 29 on the road. The Aggies have gone 3-9 and 4-8 in Sanchez’s previous two seasons as head coach.

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Here are five storylines to watch as spring football progresses for NM State:

QBs battle to start

2025 starter Logan Fife has maxed out his eligibility, and so the Aggies will have a quarterback battle for the third season in a row.

NM State currently has three quarterbacks listed on its 2026 roster. Returner Adam Damante and Furman transfer Trey Hedden both have starting experience, as Damante started the Aggies’ final two games of last season ahead of an injured Fife, while Hedden started eight games for the Paladins in 2025.

Junior college recruit Kalani McLeod is also liked by NM State’s coaching staff. He threw for 3,022 yards, 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions for Diablo Valley College last season, ranking ninth among California Community College Athletic Association quarterbacks with a 66.7% completion rate.

New coaches

Sanchez had to make some changes to his coaching staff out of circumstance, as former tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Nelson Fishback and former defensive line coach Eti Ena left for similar roles at Coastal Carolina and Washington State, respectively.

Siddiq Haynes was the lone external hire made and replaces Ena after a tenure as UTSA’s defensive line coach. Taylor Mazzone was promoted from offensive analyst to tight ends coach, while linebackers coach Jared Hensley was given the vacant special teams coordinator role and will perform both roles for the Aggies.

Another notable addition to Sanchez’s staff is Canaan Yarro, the former NM State center and All-Conference USA selection, who has joined as an offensive analyst.

What will the OL look like?

The Aggies heavily targeted offensive linemen during the January transfer portal window, and they snagged several intriguing players as a result.

NM State signed five offensive line transfers in total, all of whom have Division I starting experience. UTEP transfer guard James Williams is a notable one after starting 12 games for the Miners last season, and Columbia transfer center Mark Chapman was an All-Ivy League honorable mention in 2025.

Guard Mateo Rodriguez returns after starting all 12 games last season, and offensive tackle Ma’Kyi Lee looks to regain a starting spot after suffering an ACL injury in the first game of the 2025 season.

Who starts on special teams?

All three of NM State’s starters at kicker, punter and long snapper have departed. Former kicker Ryan Hawk has no more eligibility, while former punter Max Dean and former long snapper Grayson Curtis transferred to Washington State and Arizona State, respectively.

Returning kickers David Barker and Kyah Francone each played games for the Aggies last season. Barker recorded six punts, made all three of his field goal attempts and three of his four extra-point attempts, and replaced an injured Hawk during two November games. Francone tallied 14 kickoffs in three games for 826 total yards.

NM State also landed former Utah Tech kicker Ilya Uvaydov from the portal, who went 23-for-35 on field goals with the Trailblazers.

Minnesota transfer Brody Richter and returner Braydyn Sage are the only Aggies listed at punter and long snapper, respectively.

Replacements for key portal losses

NM State lost many of its key starters to the portal, including leading receiver Donovan Faupel (Arkansas), first-team All-CUSA tight end Gavin Harris (Georgia Tech), sack leader Ezra Christensen (Colorado), starting linebacker Tyler Martinez (Colorado) and leading tackler Naeten Mitchell.

New and returning players alike will battle to replace their production. The Aggies signed six total wide receivers and tight ends from the portal, including Western Carolina transfer tight end and All-Southern Conference selection Josiah Thomas. TK King, Brodie Malone-Bradford and TJ Pride all return at wide receiver, and fellow wideout AJ Williams III, named a starter before the 2025 season opener against Bryant, looks to reestablish himself after a season-ending injury.

NM State returns several defensive linemen and adds two UTSA transfers, Kaian Roberts-Day and Vic Shaw, who followed Haynes from the Roadrunners. Linebackers Sone Aupiu and Tory Gethers return after starting 19 combined games, while fellow linebacker Zaiden Davis looks to carve out a larger role.

Returning starters Nick Session and Bernock Iya (who started six of 12 games) will look to fill Mitchell’s void, and Cincinnati transfer Tayden Barnes is back at safety after making the All-CUSA Freshman Team in 2024 with the Aggies.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Five storylines to watch during 2026 NMSU spring football