Rio Rancho players on UNM 2025-26 football squad

ALBUQUERQUE — With the departure of former University of New Mexico football head coach Bronco Mendenhall came the departure of a few notable names from the Lobo football team, including some homegrown players from the City of Vision.

UNM’s star wide receiver — and former Storm great — Luke Wysong transferred to the Arizona Wildcats for his final collegiate season. This past year, Luke was a Second Team 2024 All-Mountain West selection at wide receiver and led the Lobos with 840 receiving yards.

Another UNM receiver and Cleveland alumni to leave the Lobos was Nic Trujillo, who was an important contributor to UNM’s offense as a blocker and as a perimeter target. Trujillo had 306 receiving yards on the season and transferred to the University of Louisiana-Monroe to play for the Warhawks football squad.

Quarterback Isaiah Chavez announced his departure in April with a tentative plan of entering the transfer portal in December, according to previous reporting from the Albuquerque Journal.

So, are there anymore Rio Rancho guys on the UNM squad this year? Yes! And many could be on the verge of a breakout for the inaugural Jason Eck, the new head coach for UNM.

Evan WysongWide receiver, 5’9”, 161 pounds, red-shirt sophomore

Before UNM, Evan played for Cleveland High School. During his time as a Storm, Evan racked up several accolades, including the New Mexico Gatorade Football Player of the Year award (2022-23 season.)

“We got a new coaching staff, and they are bringing in a lot of good terminology, a lot of good people … expect a lot out of us this season,” Evan said.

At UNM, Evan redshirted as a freshman and played sparingly this past season (all snaps on special teams).

However, with the departure of many UNM receivers, there will be plenty of targets to go around. The athletic red-shirt sophomore could be on the verge of a breakout and do some damage as a slot weapon and a field stretcher. UNM’s top four receivers this past year left via transfer portal (Luke Wysong, Ryan Davis, Caleb Medford and Trujillo).

David MurphySafety, 5’10”, 197 pounds, junior

After playing for Cleveland High School, Murphy joined UNM as a walk-on, and in July 2024, Murphy earned a scholarship and has been a staple on special teams as a gunner.

“This is going to be my best year. I am getting more comfortable, even with a new staff, and my football knowledge has grown a lot, too,” Murphy said. “I am really looking forward to contributing to this team.”

Last year, Murphy played sparingly on defense (against NMSU, San Diego State and Montana State) but showed some flashes as a downhill, box safety, earning a 69 defensive grade on Pro Football Focus (PFF). Murphy will have his shot to start this year, but at the very least, he should be part of the secondary rotation and roam the middle of the field or get in on some nickel packages.

Josh PerryLinebacker, 5’10, 202 pounds, red-shirt freshman

While at Cleveland, Perry was a stout, shifty bell cow running back. In his first year at UNM, Perry was listed as a running back. For the upcoming season, Perry is transitioning to off-ball linebacker.

“It’s really just learning the defense, getting my feet under me, and learning the fit, learning the coverages,” Perry said. “Whoever we play, we are going to show championship behavior.”

Perry could have a very similar trajectory to former Utah Utes running back/safety Sione Vaki, who currently plays for the Detroit Lions. Both Vaki and Perry have similar size, instincts and play strength that make them violent and physical in game.