NM State QB Club: Comings, Goings and Speculation
2 New QBs Sign the Aggies, A 2023 NM State QB (Not Named Diego) Finds a Home, and We Await Pavia's Decision
Hello, Everyone. I hope by now in the two days that has passed you have gotten through half of what I wrote, because it was so long. Ha.
I’m kidding of course, but here’s the deal. I knew a lot of people would find fault in my work. A lot of you trudged through it and told me how much you liked it too!
My most recent book about my Grandpa was 65,000 words. I wrote 1/5th of that on a story that is a dead story at the end of the day, but there’s a reason it is a dead story.
I don’t care about Diego Pavia aside from thanking him for 2 great years. I don’t need to hear people’s takes on what he did was wrong. We are all in agreement that basic human decency says what he did was wrong.
But, my hypothesis that I researched for weeks. Literally from the Monday after the bowl game until I hit send on Saturday, not one news station out of the 8 total in ABQ and El Paso, plus the ABQ Journal, Las Cruces Sun-News or anyone bothered to do what I did. I am not a journalist. I am a guy who wants to write about NM State stuff, but I saw an opportunity to write something no one else in this world will be able to write now without crediting me, and I took it!
PS, And I am giving to charity a lot of the earnings off that story, even though I will be frank, I need it just as much.
Some complained and mocked it was too long while telling me “no offense.” Well, if my writing is too much for you, I have a 4-page newspaper that costs $1 out of Las Cruces for you to read, Haha. I am writing for me first, and by extension all Aggies fans second. I think I mentioned it before. I write what I think I would read, and then hope that people are the same way. People who write simply targeted stuff to have people gobble it up for money are shills to the craft. :)
You don’t read every story in the paper, and I don’t expect you to read all my stuff. I want you to, but I don’t expect you to.
I had 4,310 views reading it as of this morning.
While I definitely want to take constructive criticism on my work, telling me why you won’t pay will immediate be a conversation I will end. I am providing a service that did not exist and will not exist if I stopped. I am working not to lose my house. I am working not to go bankrupt. I am working for my mental health because I actually love all this stuff I do.
I have spent 5 years hiding my gifts from the world and it takes a couple months to remind myself why I hid them. There will be more on this story as soon as UNM gives me what I asked for. If not, I will consult legal advice. If I want to play reporter, I got to understand what it will take, and I will be ready to do so.
We are going to fight for a normal decent rivalry, and a normal decent reputation for our Aggies. Too much has gone too far.
But seriously Thanks to all of you who shared my story. It is going to take a couple days to trickle out to ABQ people (god I made the same joke Colin Deaver did) and we will see what happens then.
BUT IF YOU WANT TO READ WAR AND PEACE by James Baca, here it is again. LOL
On to non-polarizing news
When I was a kid in the 90s, there was a lot of cool NFL gear.
My Grandpa and 1000s of others had this.
Most of it was Starter brand.. NFL Pro Line
Another Iconic 90s brand was NFL QB Club
The NFL and the Players Association tried to isolate the QB as their own entity, branding clothes with likenesses of the one player on the team they cared to see under the helmet, which is QBs
Even video games were created to focus on the QBs only and leaving the names of teams and other players out.
Forgive me for this term, as it is no longer PC, but it was said, “Chicks dig the long ball (homerun hitters) and Quarterbacks.”
Basically the “leaders” of their respective teams. I understand that. In every group, there has to be an alpha person, and the NFL made it a point to do that at every turn to make them bigger and now a quarter century later, look… NFL is bigger than ever and we know most of the QBs off the top of our heads.
Same goes with QB in high school Big man on campus when I graduated High School in 2001? Socorro High QB Mauro Portillo, an old friend of mine.
1997 in Socorro High? Damian Ocampo, who then signed a national LOI to play QB at… NEW MEXICO STATE!
After 2 years where the undersized “dual threat” QB barely played, he went to WNMU and succeeded at finishing his career on a high note. He is now the head coach on Socorro High, a successful businessman and insurance agent.
But I went to high school with him and his brother Simon Ocampo who also played at NM State, so I got a first hand view at how people see the QB position. This one degree of separation from college football when I was 14-15 made me like it more. Though we weren’t friends, I made it a point to see someone I knew thrive by following his games at the next level.
Who doesn’t love QBs?
Well, this column is all about QB’s today.
NM STATE LANDS KENTUCKY TRANSFER
Kristopher “Deuce” Hogan II
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I was in Alamogordo when this news broke on Saturday. It was inevitable that a signing was imminent as a lot of QBs have shown interest in the NM State program after the mass exodus in the locker room after the bowl game.
Deuce Hogan is a 6’4” 220lb “Pro-Style” QB out of Southlake, TX. Texas, of course is a hot bed of great QBs.
BTW what is a “Pro-Style” QB? I am sure some casual fans don’t know what that means. Think of the anti-Pavia. The more traditional “drop back and pass” type. While running is not something that pro-style QBs don’t do, they don’t immediately go to it, nor is the offense designed around a run-first QB. I think Pro-Style, I think Aaron Rodgers, or the coach who groomed him for NFL Success, Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford.
Hogan has spent the last two years at the University of Kentucky where he saw limited playing time, according to Sports Reference.
He started his career at Iowa, so Hogan has been at big schools for 4 school years now, and have only seen the field at the end of games.
Opinion: I am sure Aggies fans are thinking, “Well, if he isn’t playing, he must not be great.” I disagree. I think when you get recruited at a big school, especially a BIG 10 and SEC school, you are always in a battle for playing time. Maybe QB1 is spoken for, but some of these places will have 5-6 QBs, and as my wife said when I told her the news and his limited stat line, she made a great point, “Not everyone will be dissatisfied with not getting on the field. Maybe he wants that education just as bad.”
She is right. Hogan, from the looks of his social media seems to be a great kid. Very high-character guy. We need high-character guys in our locker rooms at times. When I read his Kentucky bio, and it said he would want to have dinner with “Jesus, Tim Tebow, and Bear Bryant, legendary Alabama coach,” that tells you all you need to know right there. He says if he can’t make the NFL, he wants to be a pastor or a high school coach like his dad. Now, that is awesome.
His high school career was great, and he was named the 15th best pro-style QB coming out in 2020.
8,192 yards, 100 career touchdown passes and 30 interceptions at Grapevine Faith Christian.
He has a 30 minute interview on this podcast called DIY Money that is enlightening, and you can gauge how level-headed this young man is. Love it.
Here’s some HS game film courtesy of the University of Iowa
The thing with players like him in high school is you can see the gap in talent level from someone like him to an average player on the field.
Plus, you may have already found out that Deuce Hogan is a TV star, starring in season 4 of QB1. The show was originally on Netflix, and now it is on Tubi.
BTW, If you don’t watch Pluto TV and Tubi and you are over 40, you are crazy. So many good old shows, game shows, music videos on there. If not for live sports, I would cut the cord. It’s all free too.
HERE’S THE LINK TO THE SHOW
See the other kids in that season? Just a kid named Bryce Young, #1 pick in the NFL last year, and Anthony Richardson, #4 pick by the Colts. These shows don’t just pick random people. They pick people they know that can be followed for years after this. Hogan has had some bad breaks making it up the depth chart at his previous two schools, but as many people would point out, that doesn’t mean the talent isn’t there. I think Hogan will get every chance to take the QB1 spot here in Cruces and make a re-established name for himself.
I am excited to see it, and I thank him for coming to NMSU and wish him well!
NM State Signs JuCo Transfer QB
Brandon Nunez
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While Deuce is a pro-style QB, NM State also landed Brandon Nunez, a slightly bigger QB (6’5”!!!!) who is rated as a dual-threat QB.
Nunez last played for Fullerton CC of the CCCAA (Junior College)
These were Nunez’s passing and rushing stats (Courtest Fullerton CC)
I wanted to point out something. While his completion percentage is not the best, I always look at y/a (yards per attempt) to tell me the story. A good rule of thumb is a 7.0 to be slightly above average. He’s above that more times than not. It also tells me that he wasn’t chucking the ball on every play. He threw as needed, not as the primary option. Fullerton was more run-oriented, like NM State.
Run Stats are solid
Out of Mountain View HS in Mesa, AZ, Nunez was a highly sought after recruit. In 2018, he did have a scary health situation where he was sidelined for a season because of a blood clot in his left arm, and that likely caused a slight derailment in future plans.
He graduated in 2019, and had been at Fullerton for his entire college career up to this point. The QB room will certainly have a high-maturity level going into this year with both Hogan and Nunez already several years out of high school.
He has full games from Fullerton CC on Youtube (Like full 3 hour games, so if you want to see game film in depth, knock yourself out!)
But here’s a Tiktok that’s 11 seconds of him doing a Diego-Style QB run up the middle
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Another QB who has a great background, empowered by faith and work ethic. I think it is going to be an interesting spring… and who knows? The QB room may not be filled up just yet.
Welcome, Brandon, and good luck with the Aggies!
Frakes becomes a Wahoo
I’ll make it brief, because I have taken too much of your time already and I don’t want to get criticized for loving something so much I can’t stop talking. 2022 Starter for NM State, Gavin Frakes, who entered the portal in December has found a home with a P5 school.
The University of Virginia landed the NM State Transfer and Oklahoma native with 3 years of eligibility remaining.
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Frakes, from Norman, OK did not play in 2023, but in 2022, he did start a handful of games for NM State as a true freshman, logging 4 TDs and 7 INTs in limited action, while completing 50% of his passes.
While it is hard to look at the stats as a positive, we must be reminded he was a true freshman doing those numbers for a then-struggling NM State team before the switch turned on for the squad.
From my vantage point near the sidelines, Frakes was the ultimate teammate, always warming up Diego Pavia between series and really rooting this team on when success came for the Aggies.
Obviously with Kill gone, and his likely recruiter, Tim Beck at Vanderbilt, it was the time for Frakes to move on. While Virginia football has been reeling the last two years, and is coming off a tragic event where 3 players were killed in a shooting, UVa is on the come-up, and hopefully Frakes can fit into their plans there. Regardless, they got a great kid with a lot of eligibility left.
Congrats Gavin!
Pavia Speculation
Obviously, with the two QBs being signed, it is looking less likely that Diego Pavia will be an Aggie again. Nothing official yet, but of course, there has been no news. But never say never in this world.
There has been no updates regarding his situation, nor has there been any posts by him touting offers, so one could surmise that a landing spot has been identified, or he took a few days off. My money’s on the first option. Time is of the essence. Spring practices will be here before you know it. Pavia will likely make a decision soon
Chances he comes back? I am lowering my 30% to 15%. There’s always a chance, but it is unlikely.
My best guess where he lands? Nevada or UTSA, more likely Nevada.
We shall see.
Ok, that’s it for me. I wrote way too much, but what can I say? We love QBs :) Be back tomorrow and be ready for an FIU basketball preview.
JAMES BACA - AGGregator
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