Special teams coordinator Daniel Da Prato leaving for Minnesota 

New Mexico special teams coordinator Daniel Da Prato is leaving for the same position at Minnesota, the Journal learned this week.

Da Prato, 44, led a special teams unit that finished top five nationally in kickoff returns and saw three players (kicker Luke Drzewiecki, punter Daniel Hughes and kick returner Damon Bankston) earn All-Mountain West marks. He is the third UNM assistant to depart for a new program after the Lobos’ season ended with a 20-17 loss to Minnesota in the Rate Bowl.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press was the first to report Da Prato’s hiring at Minnesota. The longtime special teams coach released a statement on social media announcing his departure, but did not mention his new job.

“I want to start by thanking (head coach Jason Eck, former athletic director Fernando Lovo and President Garnett S. Stokes) for giving me the opportunity to mentor the young men of this program,” Da Prato posted Friday via X. “This is a responsibility that I take great pride in and will never take for granted! My family and I gave everything we had to this incredible university, city of Albuquerque and the great state of New Mexico!

“ … New Mexico is in great hands with coach Eck and his staff! I look forward to watching the Lobos’ continued success and will always be cheering them on!”

In his first and only season with the Lobos, Da Prato’s kick returners averaged a league-leading 26.43 yards per attempt and scored two touchdowns. Bankston scored both of them, including a 100-yard return in the Rate Bowl against the Gophers.

UNM’s specialists also had career seasons, with Drzewiecki making 17 of 18 field goals and a perfect 36 of 36 PATs as a senior. Hughes averaged 43 yards per net average punt, the third-best mark in the league.

Prior to joining UNM, Da Prato coached at Texas State, South Florida, Arkansas, Colorado, Montana State, Sacramento State and Louisiana-Monroe. He notably served as South Florida’s interim coach for the final three games of the 2022 season, leading the Bulls to an 0-3 record.

Da Prato joins running backs coach John Johnson and wide receivers coach Colin Lockett as the third assistant to leave for Power Four programs this week. Johnson and Lockett were hired to the same roles at Iowa State and UCLA, respectively, and were announced in their new roles this week.

In the portal

The portal wasn’t officially open for one day before the Lobos saw another key player enter.

UNM running back D.J. McKinney is entering the transfer portal, he announced Friday via social media.

The 5-foot-8, 182-pound sophomore rushed for 464 yards and seven touchdowns this season with UNM, finishing second on the team in yards and carries. He also caught 15 passes for 161 yards and returned a punt for a touchdown.

McKinney has two years of eligibility remaining.

A Sam Houston State transfer, McKinney earned Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors last season before joining the Lobos last season. At UNM, he carved out a substantial role in a congested running backs room to lead the team in rushing touchdowns, scoring six over the last eight games of the season.

With McKinney’s entry, 12 Lobos have now announced their plans to enter the portal. It  officially opened Friday and closes Jan. 16.