UNM football: Lobos announce eight new transfers

Another big recruiting weekend is paying off for the Lobos.

New Mexico announced eight new transfers on Monday, the latest wave under first-year head coach Jason Eck.

After hosting players on official visits nearly every weekend this year, UNM has now added 25 total transfers since Eck was hired on Dec. 14. In turn, the Lobos have lost 20 players to the portal since former head coach Bronco Mendenhall left for Utah State on Dec. 6.

The full list of transfers announced Monday:

S Austin Brawley (Ohio)

Summary: Brawley, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound junior, made 38 total tackles with one interception in seven games with Ohio last season. The Massillon, Ohio native joins the Lobos with 97 career tackles, three picks and one sack in 29 game appearances over the past three seasons.

He has one year of eligibility remaining.

OL Israel Mukwiza (Mercer)

Summary: A two-time All-Southern Conference honoree, Mukwiza appeared in all 14 games for Mercer last season. The 6-foot-1, 320-pound redshirt senior guard and Bronx, N.Y. native has one year of eligibility remaining.

OL RJ Adams (North Carolina A&T State)

Summary: Adams, a 6-foot-4, 324-pound redshirt senior, appeared in all 12 games with North Carolina A&T State last season. The former Kentucky and Georgia Tech lineman has one year of eligibility remaining.

S Clint Stephens (UCLA)

Summary: A Long Beach, Calif. native, Stephens appeared in two games over the last three seasons at UCLA.

The 6-1, 200-pound junior and former four-star prospect out of Inglewood (Calif.) High School has two years of eligibility remaining.

OL Nevell Brown (Alabama A&M)

Summary: Brown, a 6-4, 280-pound graduate transfer, appeared in eight games with Alabama A&M last season. The West Palm Beach, Florida native has one year of eligibility remaining.

CB Jayden Sheridan (Utah Tech)

Summary: Sheridan, a 6-0, 180-pound redshirt junior, finished fourth on the team with 52 total tackles last season at Utah Tech. The West Hills, Calif. native joins UNM with 117 career tackles, two forced fumbles and one blocked kick over 37 games with the Trailblazers. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

DB Azariah Levells (Stephen F. Austin)

Summary: Levells, a 6-1, 184-pound junior, made seven total tackles and one interception over eight games with Stephen F. Austin last season. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

TE Cade Keith (TCU)

Summary: Keith, a Las Vegas, Nev. native, redshirted last season at TCU. The 6-4, 227-pound freshman has four years of eligibility remaining.

Departure

One of UNM’s most prolific defenders has found a new home – with a familiar coach.

Safety Noah Avinger committed to Utah State on Monday via a post on social media, becoming the latest Lobo to follow Mendenhall to his new school.

“Continue to show me the way #committed,” he wrote in a post on X.

A former San Diego State transfer, Avinger finished second on the team in total tackles (91) over 12 starts last season.

The 6-0, 186-pound junior from Cerritos, Calif. added one interception and a fumble recovery in his lone season with UNM, one in which he played 869 defensive snaps.

Perhaps the most significant Lobo still in the portal, Avinger joins running back Javen Jacobs, wide receiver/defensive back D’Angelo Mayes, cornerback Bryson Taylor, safety Bobby Arnold III and long snapper Hyrum Hatch as the sixth player and second regular starter to follow Mendenhall from UNM to Utah State.