New Mexico State finalizes 38 member 2023 signing class

(Courtesy: NMSU Athletics)

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico - On Wednesday afternoon, NM State head football coach Jerry Kill announced the full 2022-23 signing class for the Aggies.

 In November, Kill and his staff signed 28 student-athletes to become an Aggie, including several who have already enrolled in classes at New Mexico State. With 10 additional signings on Wednesday, Kill and the Aggies have inked 38 newcomers to date for the 2023 season.
 
Keonte Glinton | Cornerback | Bakersfield, Calif.
Glinton comes to New Mexico State as a transfer from Wyoming. In 22 career games for the Cowboys, Glinton recorded 48 tackles, one interception, and one fumble recovery. In 2022, Glinton recorded a career-high nine tackles in a contest against San José State. Additionally, Glinton has seen success in the classroom, being named to the Academic All-Mountain West team.
 
Jamari Buddin | Inside Linebacker | Detroit, Mich.
Buddin comes to Las Cruces after spending two seasons in Happy Valley. Buddin appeared in 13 games for Penn State, including nine in 2022. Last season, Buddin recorded two tackles in both the Central Michigan and Indiana games, while recovering his first career fumble against Maryland. In high school, Buddin was named to the Detroit News All-West team and Dream Team , MLive All-Conference first team, MaxPreps Great Lakes All-Region, All-KLAA twice, and was a top recruit according to 247Sports, ESPN, and Rivals.
 
Denver Warren | Defensive Tackle | Chicago, Ill.
Warren began his collegiate career at Bowling Green before transferring to Independence Community College. Last season, Warren recorded 19 tackles for Independence, including five against Iowa Western CC on October 1. Warren posted two sacks on the season and three tackles for loss. In high school, Warren earned All-Conference and All-State honors while playing for Brother Rice and West Aurora High School.
 
Tyler Devera | Tight End | Wayne, N.J.
Devera saw time in 22 career games for Stony Brook, including all 11 in 2022. Last season, Devera posted career-highs in receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns, longest reception, and yards per game. Before arriving at Stony Brook, Devera was named to the All-New Jersey first team by the USA TODAY NETWORK. In the classroom, Devera has been named to the CAA Commissioner's Adacemic Honor Roll multiple times.
 
John Huggins | Safety | Daytona Beach, Fla.
After playing for both Jackson State and Florida, John Huggins is headed for Las Cruces. Huggins has been an impact player every stop of the way, including 74 career tackles at Jackson State with an additional 2.5 sacks and an interception. At Florida, Huggins played in eight games as a key member of the special teams. In his first collegiate game as a Gator, Huggins recorded an interception against Charleston Southern.
 
KD Wells | Tight End | Brookhaven, Miss.
Wells originally committed to Alcorn State before transferring to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Wells caught one pass last season for 10 yards against Jones College. Out of high school, Wells chose Alcorn State over Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Tulane, Air Force, Louisiana Lafayette, Louisiana Monroe, South Alabama, and Southern Mississippi. Wells was a three-star prospect and a three-time All-District, two-time All-Region, and a North/South All-Star Team selection, while playing both football and basketball.
 
Zach Haynes | Punter | Potosi, Mo.
One of the best punters in Southeast Missouri's history is ready to become an Aggie. Haynes has been named to the First-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference twice and a preseason All-OVC once. Haynes ranks fourth in SEMO history in punting average with 41.5 yards per punt. In 2021, Haynes booted a career-long 76 yard punt against Eastern Illinois. Three times in 2021, Haynes recorded punts of 60+ yards.
 
Kalil Alexander | Outside Linebacker | Charlotte, N.C.
Alexander recorded 55 total tackles for Coffeyville last season, including 26 solo stops. Throughout the year, Alexander proved to be a dominant pass rushing force with 9.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss. In addition to causing chaos in the backfield, Alexander forced three fumbles and pulled down an interception. On November 5, Alexander had a monster game against Iowa Western Community College as he totaled 11 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in the win for Coffeyville.
 
Jack Gogue | Offensive Lineman | Kansas City, Mo.
The pipeline between Kansas City and Las Cruces continues to get stronger as Jack Gogue becomes an Aggie. A three-star recruit, Gogue chose NM State over Ball State, Eastern Michigan, and more. As the No. 18 prospect in Missouri according to 247Sports, Gogue is the highest-ranked player in the state to choose a Group of Five program. Gogue is a three-sport athlete who also plays baseball and basketball.
 
BJ Tolo | Offensive Lineman | Santa Ana, Calif.
A three-star interior lineman from California, BJ Tolo is officially an Aggie. This season, Tolo earned Second-Team All-America honors from MaxPreps. Before the 2020 season, MaxPreps also named Tolo a Preseason Sophomore First Team All-American. Tolo chose New Mexico State over Oregon, Colorado State, Kansas, and more.
 
Brad Ling | Kicker | Suffolk, United Kingdom
Bradley Ling travels from across the Atlantic, to join the Aggies. Born and raised in Ipswich. Located in East Anglia, England. Bradley grew up as local soccer player before making the switch to Football in his senior year of high school. Playing as both WR/K he eventually joined One on One Kicking United kingdom where he was introduced to proper kicking instruction under Coach Charalambous. From there he won numerous kicking camps all over England becoming the Rank 1 kicker in England and a top kicker in the entire continent of Europe. Eventually this turned the heads New Mexico state coaching staff. With the combined efforts of Mike McCabe (Head coach of One on One kicking) and Head Coach Jerry Kill, Bradley looks forward to crossing the pond and joining the Aggies for the 2023 season as a place kicker.

Jacob Golden | Offensive Line | Phoenix, Ariz.
Golden comes to NM State as a transfer from Boise State. Golden committed to Boise State as a three-star prospect, choosing the Broncos over Washington State, New Mexico, and more. In 2021 as a redshirt sophomore, Golden appeared in nine games for the Broncos. He made his collegiate debut against Air Force on October 31, 2020 as he played in three games as a redshirt freshman.
 
Kai Sevy | Offensive Line | Salt Lake City, Utah
Rated as a three-star prospect by 247 Sports and On3 Sports, Sevy looks to make an immediate impact for the Aggies up front. Sevy was named to the Utah All-State team as a tackle this season, in addition to a pair of First Team All-Region selections. Coming from Corner Canyon High School, Sevy was the 22nd ranked player in Utah according to 247 Sports Compositie.
 
Kaden Stanton | Offensive Line | Beggs, Okla.
Coming in at 6'5" and 310 pounds, Stanton has all the makes of a Division I offensive lineman. Stanton came in at No. 2 on the Tulsa World's preseason rankings for offensive linemen in Oklahoma. A three-year starts for Beggs High School, Stanton is also an outstanding student with a 4.05 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society.
 
Blaze Berlowitz | Quarterback | Cushing, Okla.
Berlowitz put together a tremendous high school career in Oklahoma that included 9,878 passing yards and 114 touchdowns. The 9,878 passing yards ranks seventh in Oklahoma high school football history for any level. Berlowitz helped lead Cushing to a 13-1 record as a senior, taking his team to the 2022 OSSAA Class 4A State Championship game.
 
Ishmael Aceves Jr. | Inside Linebacker | Denver, Colo.
After committing months ago, Aceves Jr. was finally able to put pen to paper on Wednesday. Aceves hails from Denver and joins Jaxon Heil as an Aggie from Mullen High School. Aceves Jr. also held offers from Kansas and Nevada before selecting NM State as his future home.
 
Naeten Mitchell | Defensive Back | Temple, Texas
A 5'11" defensive back from Temple, Texas, Mitchell put together an impressive senior season. The future Aggie had 57 tackles, including seven for a loss, five interceptions, and a pair of forced fumbles. Mitchell chose NM State over Arkansas, Army, Navy, and more.
 
Elijah Thomas | Defensive Back | St. Louis, Mo.
Thomas is a three-star recruit our of De Smet Jesuit High School in St. Louis. The defensive back chose the Aggies over Kansas, Arkansas, West Virginia, and more.  Thomas saw time at running back, wide receiver, kicker, and more before becoming one of the top recruits in Missouri as a safety.
 
Gabe Jones | Defensive Tackle | Dallas, Texas
Jones is a 6'4" defensive tackle from W.T. White High School in Dallas, Texas. As a senior, the 270 pound lineman had 64 tackles, 47 assists, eight sacks, an interception returned for a touchdown, a forced fumble and 11 quarterback hurries. For his monster season, Jones took home District 6-5A Defensive Player of the Year honors. Jones selected the Aggies over Oklahoma State and others.
 
Zyier Thornton | Outside Linebacker | Los Angeles, Calif.
Totaled 36.0 tackles in 11 games for Cerritos College in Cerritos, California this season, also notching four sacks.
 
Mason Graham | Athlete | Amarillo, Texas
This season, Graham completed 62% of his passes for 2,166 yards, 21 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. He also was the second-leading rusher for Amarillo High School with 278 yards and five rushing touchdowns.
 
Jordan Vincent | Safety | Chicago, Ill.
Vincent heads to Las Cruces from Eastern Illinois in Charleston, Illinois where he was a two-time All-Ohio Valley Conference selection. This season, Vincent was selected as a Hero Sports FCS Sophomore All-American at Safety. Vincent led the Panthers with 84 tackles, ranking fifth in the Ohio Valley.
 
Eli Stowers | Quarterback | Denton, Texas
A consensus four-star quarterback out of high school, Stowers comes to Las Cruces from Texas A&M. Stowers played in five games throughout his time in College Station, including a pair of SEC games against Florida and South Carolina. A dual sports athlete in high school, Stowers also won the Texas 6A high jump state championship. Out of high school, Stowers was ranked No. 234 in the ESPN 300 and chose the Aggies over Georgia, TCU, LSU, Oregon, and more.
 
Quintin Fowler | Offensive Line | Kiln, Miss.
Fowler was named a 2022 NJCAA First-Team All-American on the offensive line. Fowler played in all ten games for the Bobcats this season, paving the way for a tremendous season of success on the ground. In addition to the All-American selection, Fowler was also an All-Conference, All-District, and honor roll selection.
 
Adam Parks | Outside Linebacker | Kansas City, Kan.
Parks is a sought after linebacker from Kansas City who is heading to Las Cruces. The 6'3", 225 pound linebacker was one of the first to sign on the dotted line for NM State on Wednesday. Parks chose the Aggies over Southeast Missouri State, among others.
 
Anthony LaFrance | Offensive Line | Chino, Calif.
Another three-star offensive lineman is joining the offensive line for the Aggies! Out of Riverside City College, LaFrance was a 2021 Second Team Junior College Gridirion Preseason All-American. LaFrance was also recruited by Buffalo, Fresno State, and others.
 
Jeremiah Vessel | Defensive Back | Las Vegas, Nev.
A consensus three-star recruit, Vessel even snuck into four-star territory by some recruiting services. Vessel heads to Las Cruces after choosing the Aggies over Arizona State, Colorado, Kansas, Louisville, Mississippi State, and over 20 other schools. With a composite score of .8428 by 247 Sports, Vessel enters as one of the top ten recruits in NM State history.
 
Quincy Davis | Inside Linebacker | Las Vegas, Nev.
Rated as a three-star recruit by 247 Sports, Davis was the top-ranked linebacker in the state of Nevada, according to MaxPreps. Davis will join his high school teammates Jeremiah Vessel and Jonathan Brady in Las Cruces. The 6'1", 210 pound linebacker also held an offer from Idaho.  
 
Jalen Brown | Inside Linebacker | Chicago, Ill.
Brown is a 6'2", 205 pound linebacker out of Glenbard South High School in Chicago, IL. Most of Browns snaps came out of the backfield as a running back his senior year. He led the Raiders offence with 1,418 rushing yards and 19 total touchdowns last season while averaging 157.6 yards per game. This dominating stat line helped his team to a 7-3 overall record and a third-place finish in the Upstate Eight Conference this past season
 
Josiah Charles | Cornerback | Arlington, Texas
Charles is a 6'0" cornerback from James Martin High School in Arlington, Texas. The Lone Star native amassed 42 solo tackles, five interceptions, two forces fumbles, and three touchdowns, including a kickoff return during his three-year tenure playing for the Warriors. Charles drew interest from one other D1 program before ultimately deciding to commit to NM State for the 2023 season.
 
Tayden Barnes | Safety | Amarillo, Texas
Another defensive back making the transition from the Lone Star State to the Land of Enchantment - Tayden Barnes is a 5-10 safety out of Tascosa High School in Amarillo, Texas. During his two-year career with the Rebels, Barnes saw time at both the safety and running back positions. As a safety, Barnes collected 79 total tackles (48 solo), two interceptions and 11 pass deflections. As a runner, he accumulated close to 1200 rushing yards, including 866 his senior year, and a total of 21 touchdowns over a two-year span.
 
Cedric Claiborne | Offensive Line | Houston, Texas
Claiborne is 6'3", 300 pound offensive lineman who spent this past season as a Roadrunner at UTSA. The Houston, Texas native saw no playing time in San Antonio last season after being redshirted. Prior to becoming a Roadrunner, Claiborne was a First-team All-District 16-6A offensive lineman at Westfield High School where he was a pivotal piece to an explosive offence that amassed 4,337 yards, 2,1222 through the air and 2,215 on the ground. He helped the Mustangs to a 23-3 record during his two years, including two district championships, and an appearance in the Class 6A Division II regional final.
 
Gabriel Iniguez | Defensive Tackle | Pittsburg, Calif.
The Hawaii transfer appeared in no games for the Rainbow Warriors during his two years at the program. The 270 pound lineman attended Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif. prior to committing to Hawaii. During his high school career, Iniguez was named a first-team all-league and CIF North Coast Section honorable mention after recording 41 tackles (12 solo), 12.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, eight QB hurries and one fumble recovery.   
 
Donovan Faupel | Wide Receiver | Corona, Calif.
Faupel comes to NM State from Corona Centennial High School in Corona, California. A standout student, Faupel also boasts a 3.5 GPA. Faupel also had an offer from Idaho, among others.
 
William Gipson | Wide Receiver | Pittsburg, Pa.
Gipson will transfer to NM State from Fullerton College – A junior college in California. This season, Gipson hauled in 34 catches for 403 yards and led the Orange Empire Conference with five touchdowns. A Pittsburgh native, Gipson signed with Pitt out of high school but did not see action before entering the transfer portal.
 
Zyier Thornton | Outside Linebacker | Los Angeles, Calif.
Thornton saw action in all 11 games this season for Cerritos College, totaling 36 tackles and four sacks. Thornton went to Cerritos for Las Angeles Harbor College, where he notched 14 tackles and three sacks as a freshman.
 
Jordan Smith | Wide Receiver | Slidell, La.
Smith caught 28 passes this season for 421 yards as a member of Fullerton College. The Slidell, Louisiana native caught four touchdown passes as a true sophomore.
 
Trent Hudson | Wide Receiver | Killeen, Texas
As a true freshman, Hudson was named an NJCCA All-American earlier this week. Hudson ranked fifth nationally with 778 receiving yards this season, tallying eight touchdowns. Hudson finished his first collegiate season averaging 77.8 receiving yards per game.
 
Dion Wilson Jr. | Defensive Tackle | Perris, Calif.
The Aggies added another playmaker and a Power Five transfer when they inked Dion Wilson Jr. The sophomore defensive tackle played in ten games this season for Arizona, making a career-high 19 tackles. Wilson initially chose Arizona over Arizona State, New Mexico, Hawai'i, and others.
 
Shamarr Jackson | Offensive Line | Loris, S.C.
Jackson helped pave the was for Iowa Western Community College to take home the 2022 NJCCA National Championship. The 6'3", 290 pound offensive lineman selected the Aggies over a dozen other Division I programs. Jackson is a native of Loris, South Carolina and will make an immediate impact for NM State with a proven background at the collegiate level.
 
Season tickets for NM State's 2023 season also went on sale on Wednesday. Fans interested in purchasing tickets for all six home games for next season can do so by calling the Pan American Center Ticket Office at (575) 646-1420.