Lobos transfer tracker: Who's in, who's out for New Mexico football
Dec. 1—This story will be updated as transfer news develops.
College football's transfer portal doesn't open until Dec. 4, but more than a few Lobos have already announced their intentions to enter.
After head coach Danny Gonzales was dismissed on Saturday, the full list of who's in and who's for New Mexico:
Departures (15):
Christian Ellis (S)
2023 season statistics: 12 games, 59 total tackles, four pass breakups
Eligibility remaining: Two seasons
Announced offers: N/A
Summary: Ellis started every game at Wolf safety and was a consistent force in a wildly inconsistent secondary. The Jacksonville, Fla. native was previously committed to Coastal Carolina and held offers from Wake Forest, Kansas, Tuskegee and New Hampshire as a prep recruit.
Wyatt McClour (TE)
2023 season statistics: 12 games, two receptions, 47 yards, one touchdown
Eligibility remaining: One season
Announced offers: Southeastern Louisiana, Southeast Missouri State
Summary: After transferring in from Riverside CC this summer, McClour emerged from an injury decimated tight end room as a regular starter in place of an injured Connor Witthoft. He acquitted himself well in an enhanced role, notably scoring one touchdown against Utah State — the only one a UNM tight end scored this year.
J.C. Davis (OL)
2023 season statistics: 12 game appearances, 12 starts
Eligibility remaining: Three seasons
Announced offers: N/A
Summary: Davis started all 12 games at left tackle on his way to first-team All-Mountain West honors and one of the best seasons by a Lobo offensive lineman in recent memory. But after on3.com first reported the Oakland, Calif., native planned on transferring, Davis made it official on Tuesday night — marking UNM's third starter on the offensive line planning to enter the portal.
As of Thursday, Isaiah Sillemon is the only 2023 starter with remaining eligibility that hasn't entered the portal.
CJ James (C)
2023 season statistics: 12 games
Eligibility remaining: One season
Announced offers: Middle Tennessee, UConn, Georgia State, App State, UTSA, Liberty, North Texas, Charlotte, Old Dominion, Tulsa, South Florida, Western Kentucky, Virginia Tech, UMass, Marshall
Summary: While Davis emerged as arguably UNM's best lineman this season, James might have been the line's most important piece. The Springfield, Mass. native was frequently cited as one of the line's leaders and played like one, finishing the season rated by Pro Football Focus as one of the best centers in the Mountain West.
Andrew Henry (RB)
2023 season statistics: Nine games, 52 carries, 350 yards, three touchdowns
Eligibility remaining: One season
Announced offers: Akron, Mississippi Valley State, Alabama A&M, University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Samford
Summary: A high ankle sprain suffered in training camp ensured a late start to the season for Henry, a University of Louisiana-Monroe transfer. But despite sharing carries with running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, the Dallas native did get his shine, notably carrying the ball 13 times for a season-best 112 yards in a 42-21 win over Hawaii on Oct. 21.
Christian Washington (RB)
2023 season statistics: Two games, 12 carries, 11 yards
Eligibility remaining: Three seasons
Announced offers: N/A
Summary: After being named a preseason All-Mountain West kick returner, Washington appeared in only two games, taking 10 carries for 10 yards in a 56-10 season-opening loss to Texas A&M and just two carries for one yard in a 52-24 loss to San Jose State on Oct. 14. Gonzales attributed the San Diego native's drastic dip in playing time to the emergence of running backs Croskey-Merritt, Sherod White, Dorian Lewis and Andrew Henry as Washington ended the season off the depth chart completely.
Reese Steele (OL)
2023 season statistics: Three games
Eligibility remaining: Two seasons
Announced offers: N/A
Summary: Steele, a 6-foot-4, 301-pound Iowa Central CC transfer, largely served as a backup left guard for Taurrian "Teedo" Stafford and Isaiah Sillemon while making appearances against Tennessee Tech, Fresno State and Utah State.
Connor Witthoft (TE)
2023 season statistics: Two games, one reception, 11 yards
Eligibility remaining: Two seasons
Announced offers: Southeastern Louisiana
Summary: The Tuscon, Ariz., native entered the season as a starter but appeared in only two games before a leg injury ended his redshirt junior campaign.
Devon Smith (OL)
2023 season statistics: Four games
Eligibility remaining: Two seasons
Announced offers: Mercer, Bryant, Alabama A&M, Mississippi Valley State, Southeast Missouri State, McNeese State, Delaware State
Summary: After making just one appearance against San Jose State, Smith started UNM's final three games at right tackle following the early departure of D.J. Wingfield.
D.J. Washington (WR)
2023 season statistics: 12 games, 29 receptions, 336 yards, three touchdowns
Eligibility remaining: One season
Announced offers: Austin Peay, Missouri State, Southern Illinois, Pittsburgh
Summary: The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Iowa Central Community College product had high expectations entering his first season at UNM, with Gonzales even indicating that he could end up as one of the best receivers on the West Coast. But after starting off as one of the Lobos' most targeted receivers, Washington was eventually overtaken as one of UNM's top options by the likes of Caleb Medford and Jeremiah Hixon. Washington notched only three receptions for 12 yards in his final three games.
Jermarius Lewis (S)
2023 season statistics: 12 games, 27 total tackles, three interceptions, one forced fumble, four pass breakups
Eligibility remaining: Two seasons
Announced offers: N/A
Summary: The nephew of former Lobo cornerback Glover Quin, Lewis became a regular starter midway through the season and more than looked the part with two interceptions, a sack and a forced fumble in a 42-21 win over Hawaii on Oct. 21. Inconsistency loomed over the entire secondary and Lewis was no different, though; he did, however, finish the season as Pro Football Focus' fifth-highest graded safety in the Mountain West.
Tavian Combs (S)
2023 season statistics: Five games, 46 total tackles, one forced fumble, one pass breakup
Eligibility remaining: Three years
Announced offers: N/A
Summary: Combs successfully bounced back from a season-ending ACL injury in 2022 to become one of UNM's most productive defensive players — when healthy. Nagging knee and ankle injuries ended up keeping him off the field for the second half of the season, and for another year, he was replaced by a true freshman at the Lobo position.
D.J. Wingfield (RT)
2023 season statistics: Nine games
Eligibility remaining: One season
Announced offers: Georgia Southern, Arkansas State, UNLV, North Texas, Western Kentucky, Purdue, UTSA, Texas State, Georgia Southern, Houston, UAB, Fresno State
Summary: Like Combs, Wingfield blossomed after a torn ACL in 2022, playing a pivotal role on one of the most improved lines in the country this season. But the Los Angeles native left the the program with three games remaining due to a death in the family and isn't listed on UNM's online roster anymore.
Duece Jones (WR)
2023 season statistics: Eight games, eight receptions, 194 yards, one touchdown
Eligibility remaining: Two seasons
Announced offers: N/A
Summary: One of UNM's fastest receivers, Jones ended up missing the final four games of the regular season due to what Gonzales initially attributed to other receivers simply playing better before a leg injury effectively ended his year.
Notably, he has been the only player to say he wouldn't have left if UNM had not dismissed Gonzales.
"Keep it a buck," Jones posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "If Danny G was still here, I wouldn't leave."
Jacob Trussell (TE)
2023 season statistics: N/A
Eligibility remaining: Three seasons
Announced offers: Incarnate Word, Southeastern Louisiana
Summary: Trussell was the only player to announce his planned departure prior to Gonzales' dismissal, rarely seeing the field in 2023 after redshirting in 2021 and missing 2022 due to injury.
