The New Mexico Lobos will look to upset the No. 21 Arizona Wildcats on Saturday in Tucson.
It will be a bit of a homecoming (or homecoming adjacent) for multiple Lobos as well. There are seven players that grew up in Arizona on the the UNM roster, with some playing some crucial roles:
- Quarterback Devon Dampier (Saguaro/Pinnacle)
- Running Back Eli Sanders (Chandler/Mountain Pointe)
- Athlete Javen Jacobs (Saguaro)
- Wide Receiver Shawn Miller (Saguaro/IMG Academy)
- Safety Noa Pola-Gates (Williams Field)
- Lineman Griffin Schureman (Queen Creek)
- Lineman Sa’Kylee Woodard (Canyon del Oro)
Some players like Dampier were recruited to come to UNM out of high school by former head coach Danny Gonzales, who is currently the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator for the Wildcats. Others found their way to the Lobos through the portal after being recruited by new head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who had success doing exactly that back at Virginia when he added Bryce Perkins through the portal.
Dampier and Pola-Gates have been a bit of a welcome committee for these new players coming in this offseason, and the conversations always seem to come back to Arizona high school football and debates over the best restaurants in Arizona.
Dampier and Sanders break down this group of players and how it’s been reuniting in Albuquerque.
Jordan Hamm
