New Mexico State — Conference USA
HC
Tony Sanchez · Aggie Memorial Stadium · Las Cruces, NM · 28,853 cap
PPA off / def
0.03 / 0.10
2025
Class rank
#136
class of 2026
Returning PPA
24%
returning production
2026 schedule
2025 results (4–8)
Statistical comps — 2025 New Mexico State's closest analogs
Nearest neighbors by z-scored success rate, explosiveness, run rate & havoc (offense + defense), 2015–25.
2025 leaders
Transfer portal — 2026 (25 in / 24 out)
| Incoming |
|---|
| James Jones | RB | ← Delaware State | ★★★ |
| Jordan-Lebron Downey | DL | ← Livingstone | ★★★ |
| TJ Washington Jr. | RB | ← Iowa | ★★★ |
| Lyndon Ravare | WR | ← Kennesaw State | ★★★ |
| Javon Gillespie | CB | ← East Texas A&M | ★★★ |
| Carson Su'esu'e | TE | ← Oklahoma State | ★★★ |
| Armond Owens | IOL | ← Grambling | ★★★ |
| Tyler Keinath | IOL | ← Boise State | ★★★ |
| + 17 more |
Origins
Went 57 years between bowl games — 1960 to 2017 — the longest drought in the sport's history. The 2023 team beat Auburn in Auburn, which nobody had any right to expect.
Founded 1888 · Land-grant college of a territory 24 years from statehood · first football 1893 · defined by Warren Woodson
All-time record
All-time
343–628–14
1931–2025
Win %
35.5%
92 seasons played
Winning seasons
20
22% of seasons
| Best seasons | W | L | Conference |
|---|
| 1960 | 11 | 0 | Border |
| 2023 | 10 | 5 | Conference USA |
| 1965 | 8 | 2 | FBS Independents |
| 1959 | 8 | 3 | Border |
| 1935 | 7 | 1 | Border |
Season records from CollegeFootballData, which is why the span starts at 1931 — that is where its coverage of this program begins, not necessarily the first year it fielded a team.
Play-calling tendencies (2025 · garbage time excluded)
| Situation | Plays | Run % | Success % | Nat'l | Avg yds | Expl % |
|---|
| 1st down | 342 | 45% |
39% | 119 of 136 | 5.3 | 10% |
| 2nd down | 258 | 41% |
31% | 134 of 136 | 4.4 | 9% |
| 3rd & short (≤3) | 37 | 70% |
76% | — | 4.5 | 5% |
| 3rd & medium (4–7) | 64 | 11% |
47% | — | 5.3 | 13% |
| 3rd & long (8+) | 85 | 12% |
26% | — | 5.8 | 18% |
| 4th down | 13 | 46% |
54% | — | 3.7 | 8% |
160 drives · 26% ended in points · 7.0 plays and 38.6 yards per drive · 0.20 PPA per drive
Success: 50% of yardage needed on 1st, 70% on 2nd, 100% on 3rd/4th. Explosive: 12+ yd rush / 16+ yd pass. National rank is shown only for 1st and 2nd down, where every team has 100+ plays; the later buckets average 18-43 and a rank there would be noise.
League leaderboard →Most valuable plays (by PPA, 2025)
| Wk | Opp | Play | Yds | PPA |
|---|
| 14 | Middle Tennessee |
(02:50) No Huddle-Shotgun #14 A.Damante pass complete deep right to #12 T.King caught at M… |
64 | 5.15 |
| 13 | UTEP |
(05:22) No Huddle-Shotgun #8 D.Stanley rush middle for 57 yards gain to the UTEP00 TOUCHDO… |
57 | 4.47 |
| 1 | Bryant |
Logan Fife pass complete to Donovan Faupel for 55 yds to the BRY 21 for a 1ST down |
55 | 4.24 |
| 1 | Bryant |
Logan Fife pass complete to PJ Johnson III for 24 yds for a TD (Ryan Hawk PAT BLOCKED) |
24 | 3.96 |
| 8 | Liberty |
(00:09) No Huddle-Shotgun #4 L.Fife pass complete deep middle to #2 G.Harris caught at LU3… |
32 | 3.92 |
| 5 | New Mexico |
Logan Fife pass complete to Donovan Faupel for 29 yds to the UNM 44 for a 1ST down |
29 | 3.60 |
| 2 | Tulsa |
Logan Fife pass complete to Gavin Harris for 15 yds for a TD (P. Johnson III Run For Two-p… |
15 | 3.54 |
| 2 | Tulsa |
Logan Fife pass complete to Donovan Faupel for 24 yds for a TD (Ryan Hawk KICK) |
24 | 3.53 |