'New Mexico's Team': Eck takes visit to Cleveland, emphasis on local talent

RIO RANCHO — For a high school student, it is not every day you see the local college football coach roaming the halls while you are trying to get to second period.

That was the case for the Cleveland Storm on Tuesday morning.

“Beautiful January morning here in New Mexico,” University of New Mexico head coach Jason Eck said in a video post on X. “(Here at) Lightning Bolt Stadium, home of the Cleveland High School Storm.”

Eck, coming off a triumphant first season with the Lobos and a new five-year contract with the school, is now hitting the recruiting trail ahead of year two at the helm.

While it may just look like the coach is visiting his two incoming Lobos, Storm seniors Jacob Maldonado and Elijah Richards, this trip up Cleveland Heights Road also represents a part of Eck’s coaching philosophy.

Prioritizing local talent.

“There are a lot of great football players in the southwest part of the country that I think we are going to be able to tap into,” Eck said in his introductory press conference in December 2024.

What better place to start than at the reigning 6A champions?

Cleveland is no stranger to sending talent down to University Stadium, dating back to the early days with Cole Gautsche in the early 2010s, to the most recent Storm Lobos in Dorian Lewis and Luke Wysong.

 “Fired up to see some future Lobos here,” Eck said. “Had some great Lobos in the past from here as well.”

But while the Storm-Lobo pipeline is present, how can Eck ensure the electric blue alumni stay in town?

Names like Lewis, Wysong and Dion Hunter, to name a few, all transferred out of their cherry red for opportunities elsewhere in college football. But this new era of Lobos football may change that pattern.

Eck led the Lobos to a 9-4 record and a bowl appearance in 2025, the first winning season for the school since 2016. With a hot start to his tenure, players are willing to commit to Eck’s system, just like he is willing to commit to them.

"I believe in high school young men, and I think there's going to be some rule changes that give you more flexibility with scholarships that I think is gonna give us an opportunity to recruit more New Mexico guys,” Eck said in 2024. “Maybe they're not as polished as some guys from the Phoenix metro area or the Dallas metro area. But they have a pride and passion for being from New Mexico, they can add to the culture."

That culture will begin with Maldonado and Richards, and with the offseason just getting started, more Storm, Rams or Spartans, or any Land of Enchantment high school star, could be soon to join them.

“Coach Garza has done a great job here,” Eck said. “State champions again this year, one of the great programs in this state.”