'We're gonna be a lot better (than) people think': Kill, Aggies confident at CUSA Media Days

About a year ago, maybe Jerry Kill wasn’t all too pessimistic about the situation he walked into in Las Cruces. After all, things take time.

He was, however, awfully realistic.

“I told our staff, ‘hey, we just gotta find a way to win one or two here,’ ” New Mexico State’s head football coach told ESPN’s John Schiffren on Tuesday, “ ‘because we got a long way to go.’ ”

A year later, maybe optimism doesn’t abound the way it does at other schools, around other programs. But there’s a base for it: the Aggies are coming off their first bowl win since 2017, second since 1960. They’re card-carrying members of Conference USA, touch-and-go days as an independent freshly behind them.

Facilities are being built and renovated. The Aggies retained all 10 coaches, a rarity for any staff. The possibility of back-to-back bowl games — which hasn’t happened since 1959-60, one year before Kill was born — doesn’t sound like a stretch at all.

“That’s the next goal we got, but I think we’re gonna be a lot better (than) people think,” Kill said on Tuesday in a media session. “You know, I’ve heard a couple comments that we don’t have that much talent (and) so forth. Well, I think we’ll have a little bit more talent than what people think.”

On Tuesday, Kill, quarterback Diego Pavia and cornerback Andre Seldon were all in attendance at Conference USA Football Kickoff and Media Days at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The idea that things are being set up for further success after the Aggies rallied from a 1-5 start to finish 7-6 in 2022 was the main topic at NMSU’s first media day appearance of any kind since 2017.

“These kids didn’t go anywhere,” Kill said in reference to NMSU’s 2022 start. “They stayed right there. And I think that they got a taste of winning. And now they really know you know, ‘Hey, I got a taste of it — we’ve got to work harder.’ ”

A day before training camp was set to start, Kill was clear in his belief the Aggies will get better on both sides of the ball this season. Offensively, the reasoning isn’t hard to see. Albuquerque’s Pavia is the clear leader after passing for 13 touchdowns and six interceptions and 508 rushing yards on 93 carries en route to taking control of the starting job.

NMSU also returns running back tandem Star Thomas and Jamoni Jones, receiver Kordell David and tight end Thomaz Whitford. And with four starters returning, Pavia singled out his offensive line for further praise.

“They’re the most improved,” Pavia said. “They’re looking great this offseason and I can’t compliment them enough. We got (Shiyazh Pete) and (Canaan Yarro) leading the way up front. … Canaan is so smart at center that it helps me just because he’s checking before I even had to check anything. It just makes it easy on me and I trust those guys.”

Defensively, there are questions. The Aggies lost all four of their leading tacklers from 2022 in defensive backs Bryce Jackson (expired eligibility) and Syrus Dumas (transferred to UTEP), and linebackers Chris Ojoh (expired eligibility) and Trevor Brohard (expired eligibility).

Kill remains confident. “I expect us to be better on defense than we were a year ago,” he said. “We’re pretty good. But we really, really can run and we’ve improved that speed in the offseason.”

A couple new faces, like former three-star and Wyoming transfer safety Keonte Glinton and Penn State transfer linebacker Jamari Buddin, feed that belief. Then there’s Seldon, one of just three returning starters, singled out by Kill for staying in Las Cruces all summer and breaking down tape of each receiver he’s set to cover in 2023.

“We did a good job last year, being the most improved defense in the country,” Seldon said. “I feel like it’s easy to get guys to come along when they believe and see what’s going on on the field. So I feel like just for me, just really leading by example, bringing all the young guys, all the transfers and make sure everybody (is) on the same page so we can get going.”

GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK: Kill was clear he likes being in CUSA.

Also a fan? UTEP head coach Dana Dimel.

“That being a conference game even intensifies the rivalry that we have with New Mexico State,” he said. “This year, we play them on a Wednesday on national TV (ESPN on Oct. 18), so that’ll be good as well.”