Five NMSU Aggies featured on 2026 Preseason Conference USA Watch List

DALLAS, Texas - Conference USA has unveiled its 2026 preseason watch list, identifying five student-athletes from each of the league’s 10 programs as key players for fans to watch ahead of the upcoming year.

NM State is represented on the watch list by wide receiver TK King, linebacker Sone Aupiu, defensive lineman Henry Davis III, defensive end Gabe Peterson and punter Brody Richter. Richter is the lone newcomer, while Davis III and Peterson enter their third season with the Aggies and King begins his second year with the program.

King and Peterson also earn preseason watch list recognition for the second straight year.

As NM State's lone offensive selection, King looks to build on a standout redshirt junior campaign that saw him lead all CUSA receivers in receiving yards per game, averaging 73.5 yards per contest.

Despite playing in just eight games, King tallied 41 catches for 588 yards and three receiving touchdowns to rank second on the team in all three categories.

He also eclipsed 100 receiving yards twice last year, including logging 132 yards in his debut. He later closed the season with 10 receptions for 178 yards and two touchdowns in the finale.

The recognition marks King's fourth preseason honor after also being named preseason first team all-conference by both Phil Steele and Athlon Sports in addition to being named to the Jet Award Preseason Watchlist for the second straight year.

In an era of constant change, Sone Aupiu serves as the outlier as he enters his fifth year with the Crimson and White.

A three-year starter, Aupiu is expected to once again anchor the Aggie defense in 2026.

The Long Beach, Calif., native looks to build on a 2025 campaign in which he finished the season with 68 total tackles to rank third among all Aggies.

As a redshirt junior, he also recorded 5.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, four pass breakups, three quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles.

Defensive lineman Henry Davis III returns for another year and appears poised to fill a leadership role on the Aggie defensive front in 2026.

Last year, Davis III played in 11 games for Tony Sanchez’s squad and recorded 10 total tackles, including four solo takedowns from his interior spot.

His junior season was highlighted by a performance against No. 21 Tennessee in which he posted a season-high three tackles.

Gabe Peterson joins Aupiu and Davis III as the third member of the Aggie defense to be featured on the preseason CUSA watch list.

Peterson enters his third season with the Aggies and his second stint with the program.

Peterson shined on the NM State defense in 2023, when he appeared in all 15 games and recorded 55 total tackles to help lead the Aggies to their second 10-win season in school history.

After spending a year at Utah State, Peterson returned to Las Cruces for the 2025 season and contributed 31 total tackles in his first season back.

Entering his final collegiate season, Peterson is expected to be one of the Aggies' top pass rushers.

Punter Brody Richter was recognized as the Aggies’ special team representative on the watch list and is the lone Aggie newcomer among the group.

Richter joins NM State after stops at Arizona State, Northern Arizona, UCLA and Minnesota.

Richter's top collegiate season came in 2024 at UCLA in which he served as the Bruins’ primary punter, averaging 42.8 yards per punt while placing 17 punts inside the 20-yard line.

Across his redshirt freshman and redshirt sophomore seasons, Richter logged 12 punts of 50 yards or greater, including a 61-yard boot on the road at LSU in 2024.

NM State opens the 2026 season in Tallahassee, Fla., against ACC foe Florida State on Saturday, Aug. 29.

This serves as one of just six games between FBS programs during the opening weekend of the 2026 college football season.

Fans can tune in to watch the Aggies take on the Seminoles via the CW Network.

NM State will then host Mercyhurst on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Aggie Memorial Stadium. The Aggies’ home opener is slated to kick off at 7 p.m. MT.