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UNM FOOTBALL
Lobos land former four-star prospect, USC tight end Olsen
Cincinnati transfer cornerback Ormanie Arnold also announced his commitment to UNM on Tuesday
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Thirteen days into the transfer window, the Lobos landed a player with a significant recruiting pedigree.
Southern California transfer tight end Joey Olsen committed to New Mexico on Tuesday via social media, representing the 10th commitment for the Lobos since the portal opened Jan. 2.
The 6-foot-5, 250-pound redshirt freshman joins Tripp Walsh as the second tight end to commit to UNM out of the portal after three players at the position entered over the last few weeks. Of the group, only All-Mountain West tight end Dorian Thomas (California) has committed to another program; Marcus Vinson and Aiden Valdez remain in the portal and could possibly withdraw.
A former four-star prospect, Olsen graduated from Lakeridge (Ore.) High School, where he played with UNM quarterback Gabriel Motschenbacher. He caught 36 passes for 650 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior to finish as the Pacers’ all-time receptions (119) and yards (2,303) leader.
Olsen went on to appear in two games over the last two seasons with USC, redshirting his freshman year in 2024. He entered the portal on Jan. 5 and joins the Lobos with two years of eligibility remaining.
“(Olsen is) a natural pass catcher, with good speed and a wide catch radius,” 24/7 Sports’ Brandon Huffman wrote in a recruiting evaluation of Olsen in 2022. “He can get off the ball quickly with his initial release and has good body control when adjusting to the ball, able to go up or down to reel passes in. He’ll need to continue to develop as a blocker since he’s mostly split out wide in high school, but he’s a certain red zone threat as a pass catcher.”
Cincinnati transfer cornerback Ormanie Arnold also announced his commitment to UNM on Tuesday, marking the fourth commitment for UNM in the defensive backfield after head coach Jason Eck identified corner as a position of need in December.
A 5-9, 183-pound redshirt junior, Arnold made 14 total tackles in 10 games this season with the Bearcats. The former three-star prospect transferred to Cincinnati after two years at Idaho, where he played under current Eck and current UNM cornerbacks coach Stanley Franks Jr.
Arnold joins the Lobos with one year of eligibility remaining.
Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at @lenaweereider.
