NMSU football takeaways from the start of 2026 transfer portal window
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The transfer portal is fully open, and it’s already impacted New Mexico State plenty.
Multiple key players have already announced their departures to other schools, and more seem to be on the way. Tight end Gavin Harris, who led all Conference USA tight ends with 531 receiving yards in 2025, recently visited NC State, while Aggies leading receiver Donovan Faupel has visited UCLA.
As of Tuesday, Jan. 6, the Aggies have signed three total players. Two have been signed since the transfer portal window opened on Jan. 2, both on Jan. 6, and NM State hopes to sign many more as players continue to put their names in the portal from now until the window closes on Jan. 16.
Here are some early transfer portal takeaways for the Aggies:
Two key Aggies defensive players join Colorado
Two NM State defensive starters will take a roughly nine-and-a-half hour trip up north to their next school.
Safety Naeten Mitchell and linebacker Tyler Martinez both announced their transfers to Colorado this week. Mitchell had a breakout season in 2025 and led the Aggies with 93 total tackles, while Martinez was a 2024 second-team All-CUSA pick. Mitchell and Martinez visited the Buffaloes on Jan. 4 and Jan. 5, respectively, with both committing shortly afterward.
Mitchell tallied seven total forced fumbles and interceptions, four of the former and three of the latter, helping the Aggies earn at least one takeaway in every game of a season for the first time since 2011.
Martinez started the 2025 season off strong with an interception, four passes defended and a forced fumble that led to a scoop-and-score touchdown against New Mexico. However, a high-ankle sprain he suffered in that UNM game would keep him out for the remaining eight games of the season.
More key defensive departures seem to be on the way, as defensive lineman Ezra Christensen has earned several offers from power conference programs such as Washington, Virginia, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Duke, Kentucky and UCF. Christensen has also been offered by CU to join Mitchell and Martinez.
Aggies earn first two acquisitions since portal opened
NM State signed two Division II transfers from other collegiate programs before the portal opened, and now it has its first two Division I transfers.
Western Carolina tight end Josiah Thomas announced his transfer to the Aggies on Tuesday. He tallied 28 catches for 228 yards and three touchdowns, the first statistic ranking fourth among Catamounts, and earned second-team All-Southern Conference and SOCON All-Freshman honors.
The Aggies also earned a commitment from Delaware State running back James Jones, who rushed for 958 yards and nine touchdowns in 2025 to earn a first-team All-MEAC selection. Jones had multiple offers from power conference teams, including Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma State, Syracuse and Cincinnati, but believes NM State is his best fit.
Visits, offers and interests
Transfer portal players I’ve seen New Mexico State offer, or players who NMSU reportedly has interest in/will take a visit:
– Delaware State RB James Jones
– Austin Peay WR Kamari Maxwell
– NC Central OT Ja’Quan Sprinkle
– NC Central OT Trevon Humphrey Jr.
– Western Carolina…— Nick Coppola (@Nick_Coppola__) January 3, 2026
More NMSU offers and visits that I’ve seen from transfer portal players. Aggies today picked up Western Carolina TE Josiah Thomas. (Updated to include extra players)
– Iowa RB Terrell Washington Jr.
– Missouri State OT Ebubedike Nnabugwu
– Mississippi State C Brennan Smith
-… https://t.co/dtw8OECHO2— Nick Coppola (@Nick_Coppola__) January 6, 2026
Iowa running back Terrell Washington Jr. will be on campus sometime this week for a visit, if he hasn’t taken it already. He only rushed for 182 total yards in his three seasons with the Hawkeyes, but did start two games in 2025 and was the MVP of his district as a senior at Wylie East High School (Texas).
Columbia interior offensive lineman and 2025 All-Ivy League honorable mention Mark Chapman has already visited, as has Merrimack defensive back RJ Chapman, who made four total interceptions in 2025. Wofford interior offensive lineman Luke Goines will visit from Jan. 7-8 and Morgan State defensive end Blanche Gold, a first-team All-MEAC selection, also has an impending visit.
At least 16 offensive linemen have received offers from NM State since the portal opened. They include Missouri State offensive tackle Ebubedike Nnabugwu, who led all CUSA offensive tackles (who played 20% of their team’s snaps) in 2025 with an 81.9 pass-blocking grade, and Mississippi State center Brennan Smith. Others like Charleston Southern offensive tackle Colin Sorenson, NC Central offensive tackles Trevon Humphrey Jr. and Ja’Quan Sprinkle, Duquesne offensive tackle Brian Beidatsch Jr., Northern Arizona guard Ethan Kramer, Cal Poly center Racin Delgatty each earned all-conference honors from their respective FCS conferences in 2025.
The Aggies are wise to emphasize the offensive line, as Pro Football Focus tallied their linemen giving up 124 total pressures in 2025, good for 10.3 per game. BJ Tolo, who started at guard and center for NM State and was arguably its most consistent offensive lineman from 2025, is also entered the transfer portal.
NM State has also offered Lafayette defensive end Jaylon Joseph, who made 7.5 sacks in 2025 to snag a second-team All-Patriot League honor.
Hawaii defensive back Deliyon Freeman is another FBS player whom the Aggies have offered. Austin Peay wide receiver Kamari Maxwell also represents an intriguing option after he tallied 390 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: NMSU football takeaways from start of 2026 transfer portal
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