Transfers will give Aggies chance in 2022, as well as long term

LAS CRUCES - Jerry Kill was hired to lead the New Mexico State football program into Conference USA in 2023.

But Kill and his staff have gone about building a roster that should give the Aggies veterans, who have bought in, a realistic chance at success on an independent schedule where NM State's talent level should be on par with several opponents.

"That's a great situation for us," Aggies offensive coordinator Tim Beck said. "We want to try to win every single game, but going to the CUSA is what we are building for, so that's why having guys for two to four years is huge. I feel like the coaches have done a nice job getting experienced players here and we have some good young developmental guys."

NM State's approach to the transfer portal has been strategic, landing Power 5 transfers who transfered to Las Cruces with multiple years of eligibility remaining and adding experienced FBS players who will fill immediate needs for a shorter period of time.

Jerry Kill continues to flip New Mexico State football roster with C-USA in mind

Case in point is UNLV graduate transfer Bryce Jackson, who has started the past two years at free safety in the Mountain West.

"I feel like we have a great secondary group, but we don't have a lot of guys with a ton of snaps," Aggies defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling said. "Bryce has over 600 college snaps at the FBS level and will step into a leadership role."

Jackson was listed at 5-10, 190 pounds. The Chandler, Arizona native appeared in 39 games at UNLV with 139 career tackles, seven passes defensed, two forced fumbles and two recovered fumbles. Jackson had 61 tackles for the Rebels last year.

Jackson adds an experienced player to quarterback an Aggies secondary that will have limited experience, but high on potential. Returning cornerbacks Syrus Dumas and DJ McCullough and safety Dylan Early were starters last year in the secondary. Michigan freshman transfer Andre Seldon will play nickel after participating in spring practice.

"Competition brings out the best, which is the culture that we want to bring in," Dreiling said. "I would not say that we are struggling there, but we are always looking to find instant depth or guys with playing time. We did our research and worked our butts off in recruiting. It's not a spot that we had to have, but if we could find the perfect fit, we were going to take them."

The Aggies added two freshmen from Power 5 schools with four years of eligibility. Defensive lineman Noah Arinze  is a 6-5, 256-pound defensive end who played in one game last year at Oklahoma. The St. Louis native had offers from Nebraska, Texas and Wisconsin among others and should add depth up front in his first year in Las Cruces.

"Noah is like a high school kid coming in, who can compete at defensive tackle and defensive end," Dreiling said. "He's so athletic and so big."

Texas Christian transfer linebacker Jayhvion Gipson was the No. 8 outside linebacker in Texas and had offers from Washington State, Texas Tech, Kansas State and Arizona and will also have four years of eligibility, but the Aggies have two seniors at the inside linebacker positions.

"He will have to come in and learn, but he has speed that will be unmatched," Dreiling said. "We put in a lot of time getting guys who can help right away this year, but we also have a lot of guys already here who want to win. For freshmen, it's not physical, but mentally how much can they retain and soak up the playbook."

Like Jackson, Dartmouth graduate transfer tight end JJ Jones will also need to step in and fill a role in his first and only year at NM State for an important position group in Beck's offense. The 6-2, 220-pound Jones has 17 career receptions with 10 for 146 yards and a touchdown on an Ivy League championship team last season.

Two offensive transfers from four-year schools locked down playing time during spring practice. Center Canaan Yaro will start for the Aggies at center after transferring from Southern Utah, while freshman transfer running back Ahmonte Watkins flashed top end speed during the spring game reminiscent of Larry Rose III and Jason Huntley after following Kill from TCU.

"We want to get the best players on the field and sometimes that three receivers and two backs and if you want to jump in and out of those personnel groups, you have to have some quality skill guys," Beck said. "Our first four games are pretty rough, but hopefully we will be healthy and make a run during those next six games.

"I think a couple guys could step up and the guys we recruited came in and did a really nice job. I think our skill guys are going to match up with a lot of people that we play."

Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Transfers will give New Mexico State football a chance in 2022, as well as long term