by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
Rocky Long and his staff must have liked what they saw as far as local talent this year.
The UNM football team announced its 2006 recruiting class Wednesday, and seven players are coming from New Mexico high schools.
In total, 26 football players signed national letters of intent to UNM, including 19 high school players and seven transfer students.
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The seven players from New Mexico are the most of any state in this year's recruiting class, followed by Texas with six. Long said the seven local players are the most the Lobos have ever signed in one year under his tenure. There are multiple reasons why so many New Mexico products are signing with the Lobos this year, one being that the players want to remain in the state, Long said.
"There's got to be something about staying close to home," he said.
The most talked about local player, running back Mike Love, who is coming out of Rio Rancho High School, agreed with Long. He got an offer to play for New Mexico State University, but he turned it down because of the proximity.
"If I need anything I can just come home," he said. "Instead of driving two hours from New Mexico State."
Long also said in the past few years, local players have developed into some of the best on the team. For that reason the program has been more enthusiastic about recruiting the top players from New Mexico.
"The last two years we've spent a lot of time evaluating the kids in-state, and if the kid has the right attitude in-state, and if it looks like he has the possibility of being a Division I athlete, then we're going to recruit him because of our success in the past," Long said.
While Long said Love has a lot of potential, it's going to be tough for him to emerge right away in what is already a crowded backfield.
"Mike Love's a talented kid," Long said. "He was the Gatorade Player of the Year here in the state of New Mexico. He's got a hard act to follow, counting him we've got five running backs in our program."
Love said he is excited, even if he doesn't get to play next year.
"I'm just going to come in there and bust my tail and see how everything goes," he said.
Long said he doesn't expect a lot out of any of the incoming freshman as far as immediate contribution. He added that adjusting to the speed of college football will be a challenge for each player.
"It's facing every one of these freshman," Long said. "I'd be shocked if any of those freshman play."
After losing one of the most successful senior classes in UNM history, Long said the wide receiver position is one of the Lobos' most pressing needs. Long said he hopes Jermaine McQueen, a transfer wide receiver from Palomar College in North Carolina, can help in that area.
Long said McQueen is "as fast as anybody on our team, and we've got a couple fast guys on our team. So it means he's going to be as fast as anyone in our league. Now all he has to do is be able to catch it."
