UNM AD 'pleased' with interest Lobos head coaching job has received

New Mexico Athletic Director Fernando Lovo said he’s “pleased” with the interest the school’s head coaching position has received after Bronco Mendenhall’s departure.

Mendenhall, 58, was formally announced as Utah State’s head coach on Friday. The former BYU and Virginia head coach left after leading UNM football to a 5-7 season in his lone year at the helm, launching a nationwide search for the Lobos’ third head coach in as many years.

“I know we fell just short of a bowl game (this season), but the progress that was shown has proven to folks that there’s potential here,” Lovo told the Journal on Saturday. “This is a special state, a special place that has the fan base that’s just hungry for success and that’s palpable, that’s tangible and that spreads among the industry.”

Lovo, a former senior associate athletics director at Texas, started as UNM’s AD on Monday. The 36-year-old’s background is primarily in college football, holding previous positions in football operations at Ohio State, Houston and Texas before transitioning into athletic administration.

UNM is one of seven open head coaching jobs in the 134-team FBS, and one of two openings in the 12-team Mountain West. Lovo has led “numerous” searches for coordinators and position coaches in previous jobs, but has never led the search for a head football coach.

“But I certainly was part of the searches when we were putting staffs together and obviously (have been) part of transitions,” he added. “I’m intimately aware of how these things operate.”

Any hire would ideally be made sooner rather than later. The fall transfer window opens Monday and players can enter and withdraw from the portal at any time over 20 days. As of Saturday night, over 25 Lobos have either publicly declared their intentions of entering or submitted the paperwork required to do so.

Lovo said he’s aware of the urgency created by the portal, but indicated the search is not on a strict timeline.

“We want to find the right person,” he said. “And if finding the right person takes however many days, that’s what it takes, right? New Mexico deserves the right coach that’s going to come here and capitalize on the momentum that we have, and build a program of sustained success (going) into the future.”

When asked if he was looking for candidates with previous head coaching or coordinating experience, Lovo said he was “casting the wide net” and did not go into specifics of what he was looking for due to the interest the position has received.

“We’re going to hire someone that’s a person of integrity,” he added. “Somebody that does things the right way always — that’s really important to me, that’s very important to (UNM President Garnett S. Stokes) and our university leadership. We will never waver from that.

“We’re also going to hire somebody that cares deeply about the student-athletes, and is committed to their development both on and off the field. And I know those sound like obvious elements of a search, but for me, those are critical.”

Lovo also said ties to UNM and Albuquerque will not play an explicit role in the evaluation of possible candidates.

“At this point in time, I really have no preconceived notion (of) what right characteristics in terms of ties, or this or that or the other is the right fit for New Mexico,” Lovo said. “There’s a lot of really, really great coaches out there and there’s a lot of interest in this position.

“So, as we’re taking it all in, we’ll be pragmatic about it and take a step back and look, (factoring) in anything and everything that we need to ensure we’re making the right decision for New Mexico.”

Lovo said UNM will likely bring in a search firm to help with the “logistics” of the hire. The university will assemble a search committee, typically comprised of university leaders and community members, but those members won’t be publicly disclosed, Lovo added.

“This is not a single decision that you make alone,” he added. “Especially (since) I’ve been here six days, so there’s a lot that I need to learn. And just taking in the input and the guidance from folks both in the department and the community, and across the institution can help guide me and point me in the right direction in certain areas.”

Mendenhall was the highest-paid football coach in school history with a base salary of $1.2 million. Lovo wasn’t sure if UNM’s next head coach would be compensated in a similar range, but said he’s committed to investing in the program “in a manner that allows us to sustain a championship-level program.”