Despite having seven seniors on the team, NMSU is ready for another big season under Jerry Kill

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- The Aggies are set to start the second season under head coach Jerry Kill, this Saturday when they host UMass.

After shocking everyone, including Kill, and winning a bowl game in 2022, the sky is the limit for NMSU, especially considering they return so many pieces of the Quick Lane Bowl winning team.

The one thing this team truly lacks is seniors, with just seven seniors on the entire roster.

"That worries me because you know that goes into leadership and everything else so only having seven seniors, they're good seniors but that is a concern," Kill said. "Experience is everything. You can't put a price on that you've done it for four years, or three years or two years."

Kill said naturally guys like Andre Seldon (redshirt sophomore) and Diego Pavia (junior) have taken on massive leadership roles within the team but he's still looking for some other guys to emerge.

Meanwhile a lot of the players were surprised to learn of just how few a seniors they have on the team.

"I didn't even know we only had seven seniors. Out of all of the teams I've been on, this is the most leadership I've ever had on a football team," Offensive Lineman Canaan Yarro said. "It's just crazy you've got a leader at every position group at least, if not two."

"I am one of the seven so it's not something you've seen a lot of here in the past so I'm excited to see how that evolves into our game this season," Offensive Lineman Isaiah Mursalat said.

The Aggies have a chance to take the program to back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 1959 and 1960.

NMSU begin their season on Saturday, Aug. 26th at 5 p.m. MT. when they host UMass. As of Sunday, NMSU are 8-point home favorites.