New Mexico State football: Tony Sanchez on team's QB battle, new transfers, CUSA chances

New Mexico State coach Tony Sanchez discussed Aggies football with 600 ESPN El Paso at the Elephant Ranch Bar in Las Cruces Thursday afternoon.

Here are the highlights from his conversation:

Hogan, Marucci, Awad could all start at QB

After former NM State quarterback Diego Pavia followed former Aggies coach Jerry Kill to Vanderbilt in the offseason, Sanchez has been looking for his replacement.

NM State currently has seven quarterbacks on its roster, and Sanchez mentioned three, senior Deuce Hogan, junior Santino Marucci and sophomore Parker Awad, by name as potential starters.

Hogan arrived from Kentucky after playing for the Wildcats from 2022-23 and Iowa in 2021. Marucci is a fellow Division I transfer, having left from Wake Forest, while Awad is a junior college transfer from Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California. Awad started for Golden West last season, throwing for 1,223 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions, but all three lack Division I starting experience.

“The expectations can’t get too high, too fast,” Sanchez said. “You got to put them in as many competitive, tough situations as possible and see how they respond and see how they deal with it on a daily basis. ​​We just got to break all these guys in.”

Sanchez also mentioned the possibility of giving two quarterbacks equal playing time in the Aggies’ season-opening contest against Southeast Missouri State on Aug. 31.

“We would like to pick a starter by week one if we can,” Sanchez said. “But, don’t be shocked if we play two guys at two different times. That’s up for debate.”

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Sanchez talks Aggies’ CUSA chances

The Aggies reached the Conference USA Championship game last season, but fell to Liberty 49-35. The Flames are the favorites to repeat as CUSA champions, but Sanchez doesn’t want NM State counted out.

Sanchez says there will be “parity” in what he believes to be a wide-open CUSA this season. The conference will see some changes this season with three new head coaches, including Sanchez, and a new member in Kennesaw State.

Sanchez says Liberty, the preseason favorite to win the CUSA, “wins on paper”, but that he likes the Aggies’ chances as well.

“The great thing is we actually play on the field,” Sanchez said. “We had a tie game with (Liberty) in the fourth quarter last year, and Sam Houston had a first-and-goal on the five-yard line (against the Flames). They’re beatable, but the ball has to bounce your way. We have as good of a shot as anybody.”

Aggies' large transfer class impressing

NM State had to retool its roster after 2023, and that included bringing in a loaded transfer class. Several of the 31 players arriving from Division I schools or community colleges will play key roles this season.

Sanchez has been particularly impressed by transfer running backs Mike Washington from Buffalo and Seth McGowan from Butler Community College, who could see the most playing time at that position this season.

Washington rushed for 1,119 yards from 2021-23 at Buffalo, while McGowan recorded 571 total yards at Oklahoma in 2020 before being dismissed after a drug-related crime in April 2021. McGowan pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year of probation.

The Aggies also have plenty of new defensive linemen this season including Houston transfer Justin Beadles and UNLV transfer Naki Fahina, who Sanchez mentioned as two possible contributors this season.

“The (transfer) portal works both ways,” Sanchez said. “They don't know some of the great talent we brought in. It’s like we’ve brought in an entire recruiting class. We’ve got some really good guys there, so I’m excited about it.”

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: New Mexico State football: Tony Sanchez on team's QB battle, new transfers, CUSA chances