Lobos score major wins, retain talent despite portal

Over the last few years, it’s become a common sentiment around college football: The biggest wins in the transfer portal might not be the players you gain, but the players you retain.

And if that’s true, the Lobos announced an awfully nice win this week.

Running back Scottre Humphrey is returning to UNM for his senior season, the program announced Monday via social media.

The 5-foot-10, 209-pound junior rushed for 349 yards and five touchdowns last season with the Lobos, his first in Albuquerque. He is expected to replace Damon Bankston as UNM’s lead back, spearheading a running back room that added two transfers and returns four players entering next season.

“I believe in (head coach Jason Eck) and the offensive scheme,” Humphrey said in a statement provided by the program.

Humphrey was, however, considered a candidate to transfer in the latter half of last season, UNM’s first under Eck. The All-Mountain West preseason selection seemed poised to lead the Lobos’ rushing attack during fall camp, but ended up finishing fourth on the team in rushing in an up-and-down season.

After exploding for 141 yards and two touchdowns in UNM’s home opener, Humphrey’s usage slowly diminished as Bankston (635 yards and five touchdowns) took on a more prominent role within the offense. D.J. McKinney (464 yards and seven touchdowns) also thrived as Humphrey languished, rushing for only 10 yards in UNM’s final six games of the season.

“Those were tough things last year, because we had such high expectations,” Eck said in a news conference Monday. “But credit to him; Scottre was never one (who) pouted. You never saw bad body language even though I’m sure he would have preferred to get more touches.

“And, you know, he’s looking at his old team (Montana State) winning the national title. But I was very impressed by his attitude throughout, and that’s really why I wanted to get him back, really made a push to try to retain him.”

Not including Humphrey, UNM is set to return three running backs next season: Deshaun Buchanan, Ty Battle and Darrion Bowers. The Lobos also added two transfer backs in Kiefer Sibley (North Texas) and Cameron Mathews (Memphis) to help replace Bankston and McKinney, who transferred to Tulsa in January.

“Deshaun Buchanan was another guy who was big to get back,” Eck added. “Even though those guys (Humphrey and Buchanan) ended up probably being more the third and fourth backs last year, I thought we had four really good backs ... So we’ll add those new guys in and see where it goes, but I feel good about our running back room.”

As part of UNM’s sporadic “Real Ones” campaign, three other returning players were announced Monday:

WR Zhaiel Smith

The 6-0, 184-pound Smith caught eight passes for 115 yards in 12 games as a freshman last season, functioning primarily as UNM’s third wide receiver. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

“I have great trust and belief in coach Eck along with the rest of the coaching staff,” he said in a statement provided by the program. “And I believe the goals we set will be accomplished. I also feel we have something to prove this year.”

S Drew Speech

The 6-2, 197-pound Speech made 10 total tackles in 11 games as a redshirt junior last season, his second with the program. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

“Lobo nation, let’s ride!!!” he said in a statement provided by the program.

CB Jahmir Torres

The 5-10, 176-pound Torres made 12 total tackles in 10 games as a freshman last season, playing significant snaps in UNM’s final two games against San Diego State and Minnesota. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

“I believe in coach Eck and our coaching staff, and loved the opportunity presented to chase a championship with my brothers,” he said in a statement provided by the program.

Odds and ends

• A hearing for over 20 former junior college athletes petitioning for another year of eligibility — UNM defensive backs David Murphy and Azariah Levells among them — was held Tuesday in the Middle District of Tennessee. If the listed players were granted a preliminary injunction, they would be eligible to play next season; a ruling had not been made at the time of publication.
• Eck has been named to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) board of trustees along with fellow head coaches Sean Lewis (San Diego State), Pat Fitzgerald (Michigan State), Joey McGuire (Texas Tech), Ricky Rahne (Old Dominion) and Brent Vigen (Montana State), the organization announced Tuesday.
• UNM is set to open spring practice Friday, March 27, the first of 15 sessions spread throughout March and April. The Lobos’ spring game has been scheduled for Saturday, April 25.

Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at @lenaweereider.