sean reider, albuquerque journal, n.m.
·4 min read
Jul. 22—Fall camp in...July?
For New Mexico football, yes — even if it wasn't exactly the preferred option.
"Just to be clear, (I'm) not a fan of starting that early," head coach Bronco Mendenhall said two weeks ago at Mountain West Media Days in Las Vegas. "The season is long, coaches' lifestyles (are) limited, vacation's not very long — it cuts into it. However, when you look at the broader picture for the Mountain West conference, and possibly for our program, exposure (from a Week 0 game against Montana State) does matter.
"And so there's tradeoffs that you sometimes make."
So, ready or not, the Lobos open their first fall camp under Mendenhall this week, with plenty of questions surrounding new and returning players, fresh schemes and more as UNM's opener nears.
Three questions for UNM as fall camp begins:
1. After 'exploration,' who will emerge in the secondary?
UNM broke spring without much clarity in the secondary. Part of that was by design: Defensive coordinator Nick Howell told the Journal in June that he viewed spring as an "exploration" period for who they had on the roster, and how they could play to their strengths. A "baseline" level of scheme was installed, but maybe there wasn't an ironclad commitment to what the Lobos would be doing on the back end — or even as a whole.
The other part? Not everybody was there yet. UNM added six defensive backs over the summer, including three with Power 5 experience: cornerbacks Jahvante Royal (Pitt), Cam Watts (Texas Tech) and Ishmael Burdine (TCU). The Lobos also added Dominick Tatum, a former Washington State and Utah State safety who left the Cougars after just two games last season but was productive in four seasons with the Aggies.
So, it's probably safe to pencil in cornerback Noah Avinger — perhaps the "most consistent" corner this spring, Howell said — into the two deep entering camp. Safety Tavian Combs is expected to be back after missing spring due to lingering injuries last season and ought to be well in contention with Christian Ellis for a starting role.
Beyond those three, it's a bit tougher to determine who might emerge, and how those players influence what UNM ends up looking like in the secondary.
"I think we have some good players, I really do," Howell added. "Now it's just the ratio of what coverage to what coverage we can play, and then how we blend it all together with our guys. And the positive thing is, we have a lot of time together in terms of staff and have a lot of experience in our scheme with different guys to where we've been able to highlight different things where maybe one year, you're able to play a little more man, one year you're gonna play a little more zone and whatnot."
2. Who will be Dampier's backup?
Devon Dampier has been UNM's starting quarterback from the first week of spring practice, to a spring game where he played nearly every snap, and now to the start of fall camp. Barring injury or other unforeseen circ*mstances, it's hard to see that changing anytime soon.
The pecking order behind him? Different story. UNM will be getting Justin Holaday and Isaiah Chavez back from injuries suffered during the spring and last season, respectively, and added two transfers in Emery Floyd and James Laubstein for what looks to be a renewed competition to back up Dampier.
Holaday might be the most experienced of the group, and earned praise from Mendenhall for his work this spring. On the other hand, Floyd — a true dual-threat talent out of College of the Canyons — provides maybe the closest play style to Dampier.
"I like the depth. I like the competitive nature," Mendenhall said of the quarterbacks at Mountain West Media Days. "I think, within that, by the end of fall camp, we'll have three quality players at that spot."
3. What new faces will stand out?
Keeping in mind roster additions announced throughout this spring and summer, some quick thoughts:
I'm interested in Na'Quari Rogers' addition to the running back room and what he brings to the table. Adding a fourth back to work with Andrew Henry, Eli Sanders and Javen Jacobs always made sense for depth purposes, but Rogers was productive (478 rushing yards, six touchdowns last season) in his time at Campbell University; what role can he carve out during camp?
And while BYU transfer Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters hasn't been admitted after committing to UNM in the spring, that's another name to watch for if he arrives within the next month.
UNM quietly debuted its fall roster during Mountain West Media Days, with seven new non-transfers listed. Linebacker Blake Tabaracci's name got the most recognition: the 6-foot-2, 210-pound three-star prospect out of Park City, Utah held offers from the likes of Utah, Stanford, Michigan and Arizona and ended up committing to UCLA — only to decommit in January. Now he's listed on UNM's roster as perhaps the single most intriguing new Lobo from the prep ranks.
