LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Following back-to-back road games, the Aggies will return home for the first time in 21 days as they look to host conference foe Sam Houston in what will be the first of three consecutive Aggie games played against league opponents during the middle of the week. Each of the Aggies' midweek bouts will also air live on CBS Sports Network, including two at Aggie Memorial Stadium.
 
Despite a pair of road losses, a win on Thursday would give the Aggies a 3-2 record and would represent just the seventh time since 1975 that the Aggies hold a winning percentage of .600 or better through the first five games of the season.
 
WEEK FOUR
Who: NM State vs. Sam Houston
Where: Las Cruces, N.M. – Aggie Memorial Stadium (28,853)
When: Thursday, October 2, 2025 – 7 p.m. MT
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Watch: CBS Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Jack Gordon
Analyst: Taylor McHargue
 
Radio: 99.5 FM KXPZ / TuneIn App
Play-by-Play: Adam Young
Color Analyst: Cory Lucas
 
Spanish Radio: 96.7 FM La Equis
Play-by-Play: Abel Rodriguez
Color Analyst: Eddie Rubio
 
Live Stats: NMStateSports.com/Stats
 
PICK SIX                                                                      
3 – NM State will look to move to 3-0 in home games this season, a mark that it has not accomplished since 2007 and has only reached twice since 1992
7 – Tight end Gavin Harris currently ranks seventh in the nation in receiving yards per game by a tight end and is also seventh in this category among all pass catchers in Conference USA
1 – Thursday's game will serve as the only college football game at the FBS level on that day. This will also be the first of three consecutive nationally televised games that the Aggies will play this season.
18 – NM State enters its second CUSA game of the year, boasting the 18^th-ranked red zone defense in the entire country, allowing opponents to come away with points on eight of their 11 opportunities.
9 – Bernock Iya (#9) recorded the Aggies' first scoop and score since 2018 when Shane Jackson returned a fumble for a touchdown against Texas State.
3 – Thursday will mark just the third time the Aggies and Bearkats meet and will serve as the second time the programs collide on a weekday in Las Cruces.
 
HOME SWEET HOME                    
Thursday, NM State will be seeking its first 3-0 start to a home schedule since the 2007 season when it knocked off Southeast Louisiana, UTEP and Arkansas Pine-Bluff.
 
A win on Saturday would also give the Aggies just their third 3-0 start at home since 1992. Since the start of the 2022 season, the Aggies are exactly .500 (22-22); however, during this stretch, NM State has maintained a 13-7 record in front of its home crowd.
 
With a victory, the Aggies would also move to 3-2 on the season to mark the first time they tallied three wins in the first five games of the season since 2008. In total, the Aggies have started 3-2 or better just six times since 1975.
 
WEEKDAY CUSA                                                 
The midweek matchup between the Aggies and Bearkats will officially kick off the third season of "Weekday CUSA," which will see all October league games played on midweek evenings. In total, Conference USA teams will play 18 midweek games this season, with the Aggies featured at home against Sam Houston (Oct. 2) and Western Kentucky (Nov. 1), as well as a road contest at Liberty (Oct. 14).
 
During the Aggies' first two seasons as members of CUSA, they are a combined 5-2 in games played during the week. This includes a 27-13 home win over Sam Houston on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023.
 
BATTLING THE BEARKATS                      
This will mark the third time in program history that the Aggies will take on the Bearkats, currently holding a 1-1 record in the brief series.
 
The two sides first played in 2023 when the Aggies defeated the Bearkats 27-13 in Las Cruces, when former NM State quarterback Diego Pavia threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns in addition to rushing for 115 yards and one touchdown. The Aggies will look to retake the advantage in the series after a 31-11 defeat in Huntsville, Texas, last season.
 
This year's matchup will feature a number of new faces compared the last two games as only 19 of the 40 Aggies who participated in last year's game remain on this year's roster, while only Tyler Martinez and Sone Aupiu serve as the only two players to have played in each of the previous two games.
 
SCOOP AND SCORE                        
In the Aggies' rivalry matchup against New Mexico on Saturday, safety Bernock Iya was able to log the Aggies' first scoop and score since October 27, 2018, when Shane Jackson returned a fumble for a touchdown against Texas State. The Aggies are now one of 54 teams at the FBS level with at least one defensive touchdown this season.
 
GO, GAVIN, GO                                   
Tight end Gavin Harris is off to a blistering start to his first year with the program and after a career-best performance on Saturday in which he recorded six catches for 97 yards, Harris now ranks seventh in the nation in receiving yards per game among all FBS tight ends with 56.8 yards per game. This also ranks first among CUSA tight ends and seventh among all CUSA pass catchers.
 
Thus far, Harris has logged at least three catches in all four games for the Aggies after doing so just twice in his two-year collegiate career prior to joining the NM State program.
 
Additionally, Harris' lone touchdown catch of the season served as the game-winning score in the Aggies' 21-14 win over Tulsa on Sept. 6.
 
STEPPING IN AND STEPPING UP          
As is the case for every team in the nation, injuries have been something that the Aggies have had to maneuver early on this season. Against New Mexico, the Aggies ultimately finished the game without both of its starting linebackers as Sone Aupiu did not play a snap and Tyler Martinez exited in the second quarter and did not return. This opened the opportunity for backups Tory Gethers, Quincy Davis and Zaiden Davis. Gethers, who made his first career start on Saturday in place of Aupiu, finished the game ranked fourth on the team in total tackles with seven, while Quincy Davis ended the day with 11 tackles, which was second-most on the Aggie defense.
 
FINDING FAUPEL                                              
Saturday, wide receiver Donovan Faupel concluded the game tied for the team lead in both catches (6) and receiving yards (97). With this output, Faupel paces the Aggies in both categories through four games, catching 19 passes for 274 yards. Last year, NM State only had two wide receivers reach this mark for the entire season and it took 11 games for a receiver to eclipse this total in 2024.
 
Currently, Faupel is averaging 68.5 receiving yards per game to rank third among all CUSA receivers and 69th in the nation.
Faupel also flashed his arm on Saturday as he became the first non-quarterback at NM State to throw a touchdown pass since 2021 when he connected with TJ Pride for a 34-yard touchdown pass on a trick play in the first quarter. The last non-quarterback to do so was Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda on Sept. 11, 2021, when he connected with Thomaz Whitford on the road against New Mexico.
 
AGGIE RUSHING ATTACK                           
NM State finished Saturday's game with 15 rushing yards to mark its fewest rushing yards since Nov. 13, 2021, when it rushed for nine yards against No. 3 Alabama. This did include nine sacks for negative 39 yards.
 
AIR AGGIE                                             
With 20 completions for 255 yards, Logan Fife has now eclipsed 1,000 passing yards for the season. At 1,015 yards, Fife sits just 64 yards shy of matching the output of the Aggies' leading passer in 2024 as Parker Awad tallied 74 completions for 1,079 yards across seven games of action.
 
LOOKING ACROSS THE LINE                    
While Sam Houston enters the game with the 26^th-ranked strength of schedule according to ESPN, the Bearkats have struggled mightily during the early goings of the 2025 campaign. Entering Thursday, Sam Houston ranks in the bottom seven of the 134 FBS teams in the nation in several statistical categories, including passing defense (133rd), red zone offense (134th), scoring defense (132nd), scoring offense (127th), total defense (131st) and total offense (131st).
 
PROTECTING PAY DIRT                              
While Sam Houston enters as one of the worst teams in the country in converting in the red zone, the Aggie defense has been near the top in limiting its opponents in the red zone. Entering Thursday, Aggie opponents are scoring on 72.7% of their red zone opportunities - a mark that currently ranks 18th in the nation.
 
FIERCE ON FOURTH                     
Through four games this season, NM State opponents are converting on fourth down at just a 28.6% clip, which ranks 15th in the nation and third among CUSA teams.
 
WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE  
After finishing 129th in the nation in turnover margin in 2024, the Aggie defense has flipped the script and now has forced at least one turnover in every game this season. With the emphasis on taking the ball away, the Aggies currently rank second in the conference in turnover margin, forcing seven turnovers while giving the ball away six times.
 
FIRST CLASS PJ                                                   
In the Aggies' outing against LA Tech on Sept. 13, wide receiver PJ Johnson III became the first Aggie to record over 150 receiving yards in a single game since 2017. Johnson III tallied a game-high 157 yards and one touchdown on seven catches, including 87 yards after the catch.
 
 
The last Aggie to accomplish this feat was future fourth-round NFL Draft pick Jaleel Scott, who notched 174 receiving yards and one touchdown on nine catches in a road bout against SEC foe Arkansas on Sept. 30, 2017.
 
For Johnson III, this surpassed his previous career-high of 90 yards, which he recorded in the Aggies' final game of the season last year.
 
NATE THE GREAT                                             
Following another exceptional performance on Saturday that included a team-high 12 tackles, Aggie safety Naeten Mitchell now serves as the defense's leader in total tackles with 34. With his early season production, the redshirt sophomore from Temple, Texas, ranks fourth in the conference in tackles per game with 8.5, while also producing the fourth-most solo tackles among CUSA defenders this year with 21.
 
JAM(ALL) DAY                                                     
Following an Aggie debut in which he led the team in tackles and sacks, Samford transfer Jamall Thompson Jr. once again put together an impressive performance in the Aggies' victory over Tulsa on Sept. 6 as he tallied four total tackles, one tackle for loss and what would essentially be the game-sealing interception as he dropped into coverage to bring the Aggie offense back on the field with 34 seconds remaining in the game.
 
Thus far, the versatile defender ranks second on the team in total tackles (31.0) and is tied for the team lead in interceptions (1) and sacks (2.0).
 
KING'S DEBUT                                                     
After missing the first four games due to injury, wide receiver TK King will officially make his Aggie debut on Thursday night. The speedy playmaker was named to both the Preseason CUSA Watch List and the Phil Steele Preseason CUSA Second Team Offense, while also garnering a spot on the 2025 Preseason Jet Award Trophy Watch List - an award that honors the most outstanding return specialist in college football.
 
Last season, King served as an explosive return man at Wyoming, where he recorded 15 kickoff returns for 422 total yards and one touchdown on his way to earning First Team All-Mountain West Kick Returner honors.
 
WELCOME TO THE CITY OF CROSSES                
With the Aggies' Thursday night game being featured on national television, now might be a good time for the nation to get to know the Aggies' hometown of Las Cruces.
 
With a population of nearly 117,000, the City of Crosses is the second-largest city in the state of New Mexico and features an average of 350 days of sunshine each year. Las Cruces sits at 3,901 feet of elevation and was founded in 1848. The city is most known for its culture, cuisine and stunning desert landscape, including the one-of-a-kind Organ Mountains, which are visible from Aggie Memorial Stadium. Las Cruces is also just a short distance away from White Sands National Park, which covers 145,762 acres in the Tularosa Basin.
 
Las Cruces was once also home to the well-known astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, who is best known for discovering Pluto. Interestingly, Tombaugh is also the great-uncle of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.
 
TREMENDOUS TRANSFERS                      
Jamall Thompson Jr. is one of a number of transfers contributing to the Aggies' success on the defensive side of the ball. Through three games, four of the Aggies' top seven tacklers joined the team in the offseason as Thompson Jr. ranks second on the team with 31 total tackles, Tory Gethers ranks fourth with 24 tackles and Bernock Iya and Ezra Christensen rank tied for sixth with 20 tackles each.
 
Additionally, both Thompson Jr. and Christensen enter Thursday tied for the team lead in sacks with two each.
 
FANTASTIC FIFE                                                
In the Aggies' victory over Tulsa, Logan Fife submitted one of the more impressive passing performances among Aggie quarterbacks in recent history. Against the Golden Hurricane, Fife finished with 28 completions for 252 yards on 45 attempts. His 28 completions marked the most completions for an Aggie quarterback in a single game since Nov. 6, 2021, when Jonah Johnson had 30 completions at home against Utah State.
 
FEAR THE FRONT LINE                                
Through two weeks, the Aggie defense has tallied six sacks, 21 tackles for loss and 20 quarterback hurries. This charge has been led by Jamall Thompson Jr., who has a pair of sacks and six tackles for loss to his name thus far. Ezra Christensen was also a force against Tulsa as he notched two sacks and three tackles for loss in the win.
 
With this, the Aggies are already more than a third of the way to their sack total in 2024 (14) and over a half of the way to their number of quarterback pressures last season (25).
 
SECOND YEAR UNDER SANCHEZ          
NM State is amid its second season under the leadership of Head Coach Tony Sanchez, who led the Aggies to three wins last season - defeating SEMO, LA Tech and Middle Tennessee. This marks Sanchez's seventh season as a head coach of an FBS program after previously spending five seasons coaching UNLV (2015-19).
 
In year one under Sanchez, the Aggies put forth one of the best rushing attacks in Conference USA as they finished the year average of 180.0 rushing yards per game to rank third in the conference and 40th in the nation.
 
During Sanchez's first season, the Aggies saw 11 individuals earn all-conference honors, including six Second Team All-CUSA selections.
 
This year, the Aggies will seek their third appearance in a bowl game in a four-year span - a feat that has never been done at NM State.
 
AGGIE THROUGH AND THROUGH                       
From student-athlete to head ball coach, Tony Sanchez has had crimson running through his veins since the day he transferred to NM State as a player. Now, Sanchez is one of just 15 coaches at the FBS level to be the head coach at his alma mater.
 
Following two seasons at Laney College in Oakland, Calif., Sanchez began his Aggie playing career in 1994. During his time, Sanchez made 54 catches for 741 yards and five touchdowns to help the Aggies win seven games. His career was highlighted by a senior season in which he tallied 42 catches for 576 yards and four touchdowns.
 
 
Sanchez's first win as a player came on Sept. 17, 1994, in El Paso, Texas, where the Aggies earned a 23-22 come-from-behind victory over UTEP after falling behind 19-0 to open the game. Sanchez collected his first win as the Aggies' head coach on Aug. 31, 2024, when NM State defeated SEMO 23-16.
 
Head Coaches at Alma Mater
Trent Bray - Oregon State
Jeff Brohm - Louisville
Troy Calhoun - Air Force
Timmy Chang - Hawaii 
Mario Cristobal - Miami (FL)
Michael Desormeaux - Louisiana
Kenny Dillingham - Arizona State
DeShaun Foster - UCLA
Mike Gundy - Oklahoma State
Brent Key - Georgia Tech
Clark Lea - Vanderbilt
Rich Rodriguez - West Virginia
Tony Sanchez - NM State
Kalani Sitake - BYU
Kirby Smart - Georgia
 
COACHING STAFF CONTINUITY            
Despite some heavy turnover on the field, NM State entered the second season under Tony Sanchez with some continuity on its staff as nine full-time staffers returned for the 2025 season. Only David Yost (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks) and John Cannova (Offensive Line) will be in their first season with the program.
 
SOPHOMORE SURGE                    
This season, the Aggies brought back just four returning starters on the offensive side of the ball; however, this does include sophomore TJ Pride, the squad's leading pass catcher from a season ago. As a true freshman in 2024, Pride paced the Aggies in both receptions (34) and receiving yards (374), while also serving as the Aggies' primary punt returner.
 
INTRODUCING JOE FIELDS                        
Monday afternoon, New Mexico State University announced the hiring of Joe Fields as the institution's 24th Director of Athletics. Fields most recently spent one year at Tulsa and his time in collegiate athletics also includes stops at his alma mater, Syracuse, as well as Texas A&M. Fields also competed as a student-athlete himself, playing safety at Syracuse (2004-07), where he earned All-Big East Conference honors. He also spent one year in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers.
 
QB1                                                             
After finishing 127th among FBS teams in passing offense one season ago, Head Coach Tony Sanchez made it a point to bring in a proven passer in the offseason, and he did just that in the form of Montana transfer Logan Fife.
 
Fife joined the program after appearing in all 14 games and making eight starts while finishing as the Grizzlies' top passer with 167 completions for 1,890 yards and 14 touchdowns. He submitted a completion percentage of 63.5% in 2024 to help lead the Grizzlies to the second round of the FCS playoffs.
 
This marks Fife's second stint at the FBS level, as he spent a total of four seasons at Fresno State, where he began his collegiate career. With the Bulldogs, Fife appeared in 21 total games, including 12 in 2023 when he made two starts and threw for 642 yards and three touchdowns. He also played in 10 games in 2022, when he stepped in for an injured Jake Haener and made four starts. Entering the year, Fife had tallied 143 completions for 1,585 yards and six touchdowns at the FBS level.
 
This experience comes as a stark contrast to last year, when the Aggies entered the season with just one combined start at the FBS level among the seven individuals in the quarterback room.
 
Through the early portion of the season, Fife has recorded 227 or more passing yards in all four games - a mark that Aggie quarterbacks reached just once during 2024.
 
YEAR ONE WITH YOST                                 
Along with a new quarterback, the Aggies began the year with a new playcaller on the headset as David Yost entered his first season at NM State after spending the last three years as the offensive coordinator for CUSA foe FIU.
 
He brings with him 35 years of experience, including stints in well-respected conferences such as the SEC, Big 12, Pac-12 and Mid-American. He boasts a reputation of being one of the top quarterback developers in college football and has helped the growth of former passers, including Justin Herbert (Oregon), Jordan Love (Utah State), Blaine Gabbert (Missouri) and Chase Daniel (Missouri).
 
DEFENSIVE PERSONNEL                             
This season, the Aggies are led by Defensive Coordinator Joe Morris, who is in his second season with the program after coming over from CUSA foe Sam Houston ahead of the 2024 season. Highlighted by returning starters Tyler Martinez, Sone Aupiu and Dakerric Hobbs, the Aggie defense is also bolstered by returners Nick Session, Josiah Charles, Naeten Mitchell and Cole Schnettgoecke, who returns from injury after starting the first two games last year.
 
Meanwhile, the Aggies also brought back defensive end Gabe Peterson, who played 12 games for the Crimson and White during the 2023 season in which NM State finished with double-digit wins for just the second time in program history.
 
RETURNING PRODUCTION                       
Offensive Coordinator David Yost was also tasked with finding a way to replace the offensive production that was lost in the offseason. Most notably, the Aggies returned just 16.6% of their total rushing yardage from the 2024 campaign. Following the departure of its top three rushers from last season, NM State reloaded its backfield with the addition of Cal transfer Kadarius Calloway and Utah transfer Dijon Stanley.
 
From a passing game perspective, the Aggies returned 62.8% of their passing yards and 53.9% of their receiving yards as they brought back their top passer (Parker Awad) and top two wideouts (TJ Pride and PJ Johnson III).
 
Defensively, NM State returned three of its top six tacklers from last year as Tyler Martinez, Sone Aupiu and Dakerric Hobbs remain in Las Cruces and also serve as the lone three returning starters from last season's defense. 
 
AGGIE ADDITIONS                                      
In the offseason, the Aggies brought in a total of 54 newcomers, including 42 transfers - 15 coming from the FBS level. In addition to Logan Fife, Kadarius Calloway, Dijon Stanley, Gabe Peterson, some of the notable newcomers include wide receiver AJ Williams III, tight end Gavin Harris, offensive linemen Ma'Kyi Lee and Malik Williams, safeties Bernock Iya and Armahn Hale and defensive end Brad Vislisel.
 
ENJOY THE JOURNEY                                 
For NM State running back Kadarius Calloway, his path as a collegiate football player has been quite the journey. Born and raised in the small town of Philadelphia, Miss., Calloway enrolled at Alabama in the summer of 2021 after finishing his high school career rated a four-star recruit and the No. 2 overall recruit in the state of Mississippi.
 
Following a summer with the Crimson Tide, Calloway elected to withdraw from Alabama, stating he felt he had much more to learn about football before being ready to play big-time college football.
 
From Alabama, Calloway transferred to East Mississippi Community College, where he spent one season. His journey then led him to Old Dominion, where he had a breakout season in 2023, recording 88 carries for 623 yards and five touchdowns.
 
Ahead of his move to NM State, the running back played the 2024 season at Cal and appeared in 11 games, while tallying 124 rushing yards and one touchdown.
 
During the preseason, Calloway was rated the No. 1 running back in Conference USA by Rat Rundown and will serve as one half of the Aggies' two-headed monster in the backfield alongside Utah transfer Dijon Stanley.
  
WHERE ARE THEY FROM                           
This year's Aggie roster is made up of 107 players from 26 states and four countries. The largest percentage of the roster hails from California, with 23 Aggies coming from the Golden State. Additionally, 21 players are from Texas, 15 are from the Aggies' home state of New Mexico and 11 are from Arizona.
 
In addition to the United States of America, the NM State roster also features players from American Samoa, Australia and Germany.
  
SPECIALISTS RETURNING                         
Last season, one of the bright spots on the Aggie team was the special teams unit as both kicker Abraham Montaño and punter George Eberle landed themselves in the Aggie record book, while long snapper Charlie Eberle served as the long snapper for all punts, field goals and extra points and had zero snapping errors.
 
This season, the Aggies will be looking to replace all three of these key contributors and will serve as one of just 11 teams at the FBS level with one or fewer specialists returning among their field goal kicker, punter, kickoff kicker, holder, snapper, kick returner and punt returner.
 
TEAM CAPTAINS                                               
Ahead of the season, NM State held a team vote to select its team captains for the 2025 campaign. This year, the Aggie captains are made up of three offensive players and three defensive players.
 
On the offensive side of the ball, the Aggies are led by quarterback Logan Fife, offensive lineman Malik Williams and wide receiver PJ Johnson. Defensively, linebacker Tyler Martinez, cornerback Dakerric Hobbs and defensive lineman Cole Schnettgoecke will also serve as team captains.
 
DAD STRENGTH                                                   
NM State quarterback Logan Fife became a father during fall camp as his daughter was born on August 12, 2025.
 
TRUE FRESHMEN COME IN ALL SHAPES AND AGES
The youngest player and oldest player on this year's team are both true freshmen as offensive lineman Gavin Jones, born July 21, 2007, and kicker David Barker, born Sept. 10, 1999, were born a full 2,871 (seven years, 10 months and 11 days) days apart and are both beginning their first season of collegiate football.
 
YEAR THREE                                                 
The Aggies are now in their third year as members of Conference USA. NM State made quite the splash in its debut campaign - going 7-1 in league play on its way to an appearance in the CUSA Championship Game in addition to being one of only 27 FBS programs to reach the 10-win mark in 2023.
 
Combined with the 2024 season, NM State has now won nine games across its first two seasons in the new league.
 
For the second straight season, the league makeup has changed as Delaware and Missouri State make the move to bring the league total to 12 for the upcoming season. With an eight-game conference schedule, the Aggies will not see newcomer Delaware, Jax State or FIU this season, but will meet up with both Kennesaw State and Missouri State for the first time in program history.
 
HISPANIC HEAD COACHES                        
The Aggies' leader, Tony Sanchez, is one of just five Hispanic head coaches at the FBS level. Sanchez, a second-generation American of Puerto Rican and English descent, is also joined in this group by Baylor's Dave Aranda, Miami's Mario Cristobal, Duke's Manny Diaz and West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez.
 
Additionally, Sanchez is the first NM State head coach of Hispanic descent. Sanchez leads the Aggie program, which calls Las Cruces, a city with over 60% Hispanic population, home.
 
WHERE TO WATCH THE AGGIES         
After five of the Aggies' 12 games were featured on national networks in 2024, the Aggies will once again have their opportunities in the spotlight in 2025. Entering the year, NM State is slated to play its three midweek contests on CBS Sports Network.
 
The Aggies' week five matchup against the Lobos will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network with kickoff slated for 2 p.m.
 
WHERE TO LISTEN TO THE AGGIES  
Once again, all games this season will air live on 99.5 FM KXPZ for those in Las Cruces and the surrounding areas. Additionally, all home games will be available in Spanish on 96.7 FM La Equis with the call provided by Abel Rodriguez (play-by-play) and Eddie Rubio (analyst). Radio broadcasts for all Aggie games will also be available to listen to nationwide via the TuneIn App. Radio play-by-play for the Rio Grande Rivalry will be provided by Adam Young, with analysis provided by Bob Sherman.
 
This will also mark the first season in over four decades that the Aggies will have a new play-by-play caller on the radio after Jack Nixon retired last season after 45 years of service.
 
FAMILY BUSINESS                                            
The Aggie team will have two student-athletes this season whose fathers also suited up for the Aggies during their respective playing days. NM State also rosters one student-athlete whose brother formerly played for the Aggies.
 
Redshirt sophomore David Barela is the son of David Barela, who also played for the Aggies from 1990-93.
 
Las Cruces native Siddeeq Shabazz will be the fourth member of the Shabazz family to wear Crimson & White. His father, Siddeeq Shabazz, played for the Aggies from 1999-02 and is one of 28 former Aggies to earn a spot in the NFL. Additionally, his family members, Shukree and Sina also played for the Aggies.
 
Meanwhile, Bryant Jackson is also the brother who previously wore the Crimson & White. Jackson first came to NM State along with his older brother, Bryce, in 2022. After transferring in from UNLV, Bryce served as a key cog on the Aggie defense en route to a victory in the Quick Lane Bowl. In his lone year with NM State, Jackson tallied 66 total tackles and two interceptions from his safety position.
 
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).