NM State football adds three on National Signing Day to finalize class of 36 newcomers.
Source: NMSU Athletics
By Michael Navarrette
Photo: Courtesy
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State football announced the addition of three signees on Wednesday, completing its 2026 recruiting class with a total of 36 newcomers. The class includes student‑athletes added during the early signing period as well as through the January transfer portal window.
The Aggies’ 2026 class features 26 transfers from FBS and FCS programs, four junior college transfers and six true freshmen from the high school ranks. NM State will welcome 19 offensive players, 15 defensive players and two specialists.
Positionally, the class includes two quarterbacks, three running backs, three tight ends, four wide receivers, seven offensive linemen, three defensive tackles, three defensive ends/jacks, two linebackers, three safeties, four cornerbacks, one kicker and one punter.
The complete list of signees is provided below.
OFFENSE
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Hometown / Previous School |
| *Trey Hedden | QB | 6-3 | 225 | Jr. | Tampa, Fla. / Furman |
| Kalani McLeod | QB | 6-2 | 205 | So. | Vacaville, Calif. / Diablo Valley College |
| *James Jones | RB | 6-1 | 205 | R-Sr. | Baltimore, Md. / Delaware State |
| *Xavier Rucker@ | RB | 5-11 | 195 | Fr. | Acworth, Ga. / Allatoona HS |
| *Terrell Washington Jr. | RB | 5-11 | 205 | R-Jr. | Wylie, Texas / Iowa |
| *Ray Lotten | TE | 6-5 | 240 | R-Jr. | New Orleans, La. / Sam Houston |
| *Carson Su’esu’e | TE | 6-5 | 240 | R-Fr. | Oakley, Calif. / Oklahoma State |
| *Josiah Thomas | TE | 6-2 | 215 | So. | Austin, Texas / Western Carolina |
| *Devin Ellison | WR | 6-0 | 190 | R-Sr. | Canton, Ga. / Washington State |
| *Myles Libman | WR | 6-0 | 185 | R-Jr. | Scottsdale, Ariz. / Stanford |
| *Lyndon Ravare | WR | 6-0 | 165 | Sr. | Victorville, Calif. / Kennesaw State |
| JaDarius Sanders^@ | WR | 6-2 | 175 | Fr. | El Paso, Texas / El Dorado HS |
| *Mark Chapman | OL | 6-3 | 300 | R-Sr. | Guilford, Conn. / Columbia |
| Isaiah Garcia Perez^@ | OL | 6-4 | 330 | Fr. | Broomfield, Colo. / Broomfield HS |
| *Tyler Keinath | OL | 6-2 | 318 | Gr. | Elk Grove, Calif. / Boise State |
| *Luke Moise | OL | 6-3 | 300 | Jr. | Miami, Fla. / Wofford |
| *Armond Owens | OL | 6-5 | 310 | Jr. | Missouri City, Texas / Grambling State |
| Caleb Pyfrom | OL | 6-5 | 325 | R-So. | Omaha, Neb. / Garden City CC |
| *James Williams | OL | 6-3 | 320 | Jr. | Moore, Okla. / UTEP |
DEFENSE
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Hometown / Previous School |
| Jordan-Lebron Downey | DL | 6-2 | 280 | Jr. | Oakville, Canada / Livingstone College |
| *Kaian Roberts-Day | DL | 6-3 | 295 | R-Sr. | Festus, Mo. / UTSA |
| *Jeremiah Sandiford | DL | 6-0 | 290 | Sr. | Colorado Springs, Colo. / Tennessee Tech |
| *Vic Shaw | DE/J | 6-3 | 240 | R-Jr. | Texarkana, Ark. / UTSA |
| Zhakius Thomas | DE/J | 6-2 | 250 | Jr. | San Antonio, Texas / Trinity Valley CC |
| Jamaun Thompson@ | DE/J | 6-2 | 230 | Fr. | Sarasota, Fla. / Booker HS |
| Fa’apaia Fualema | LB | 6-0 | 225 | Jr. | Waipahu, Hawaii / Foothill College |
| *Jaylyn Manning^@ | LB | 6-1 | 230 | Fr. | Desoto, Texas / Duncanville HS |
| *Tayden Barnes | S | 5-9 | 185 | R-Jr. | Amarillo, Texas / Cincinnati |
| *RJ Chapman | S | 6-0 | 190 | R-Sr. | Accokeek, Md. / Merrimack |
| *Garrett Stennett^@ | S | 5-11 | 180 | Fr. | Pflugerville, Texas / Weiss HS |
| *Amaurey Brooks | CB | 6-0 | 180 | R-So. | Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. / Fordham |
| *Izzy Clark-White | CB | 6-0 | 170 | R-Jr. | Camden, N.J. / Monmouth |
| *Javon Gillespie | CB | 6-0 | 170 | R-Jr. | Columbia, S.C. / East Texas A&M |
| De’Marcus Peters | CB | 5-10 | 175 | R-Sr. | Humble, Texas / Texas A&M – Kingsville |
SPECIAL TEAMS
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Hometown / Previous School |
| *Ilya Uvaydov | K | 5-8 | 175 | R-Sr. | Gilbert, Ariz. / Utah Tech |
| *Brody Richter | P | 6-3 | 210 | R-Sr. | Scottsdale, Ariz. / Minnesota |
* Spring recruiting period addition
^ Joining program in Summer 2026
@ True freshman
For complete coverage of the NM State football program, visit NMStateSports.com – the official home of Aggie athletics – and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Football), Twitter (@NMStateFootball) and Instagram (@NMStateFB).
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