Meet UNM’s non-conference opponents in 2025
Michigan freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood rolls out to throw as UM head football coach Sherrone Moore watches during the Wolverines’ spring football game in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in April. UNM will open up it’s season and the Jason Eck era at Michigan on Aug. 30. Paul Sancya/AP Photo
Editor’s note: This is a two-part series that breaks down the 2025 opponents for the UNM football team.
The Jason Eck era will begin over Labor Day Weekend and he’s the third coach in as many seasons for the UNM football team.
Danny Gonzales was fired in November of 2023.
Bronco Mendenhall stayed for a quick stint in 2024 before he bolted to Utah State.
The Lobos will look to replace most of their team and build on their 5-7 season from a year ago.
It will be a tall task for Eck in year one, with a grueling non-conference schedule — two games on the road against Big Ten opponents.
With it being his first year, Eck said he didn’t have control over the schedule.
“I look at it this year as we’ve got two opportunities to try to pull off a big upset at two Power 4 schools,” he said. “I think that our players who want to play at the next level, those are huge games. Those are the first games that the scouts flip on if they are looking at our seniors as NFL prospects.”
Here’s a quick-hit summary of the 2025 UNM football non-conference opponents:
Aug. 30: at Michigan (in ‘The Big House’)
UNM has never played in Ann Arbor, Mich.
So, Eck’s UNM debut as head coach is also a Michigan Stadium debut for the Lobos.
The Wolverines are coming off wins at Ohio State and against Alabama (a 19-13 victory in the ReliaQuest Bowl) to end 2024.
Michigan started three different quarterbacks in 2024 and hopes that highly touted freshman phenom quarterback Bryce Underwood will take the helm. Underwood flipped from LSU to UM on a $10-12 million offer for four years. Familiar face Mikey Keene could start. Keene transferred to UM from Fresno State but has an undisclosed injury he suffered in spring camp.
UNM must focus on rising star running back Jordan Marshall, who ran for over 100 yards against Alabama.
Michigan also added 2023 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention wideout Donaven McCulley. McCulley nabbed 48 receptions for 644 yards and six touchdowns for Indiana two years ago.
Wink Martindale enters his second year as the defensive coordinator and will look to replace key defenders like Mason Graham and Will Johnson. Both were NFL first-round draft picks. UM was able to add a pair of defensive tackles in Tré Williams (Clemson) and Damon Payne Jr (Alabama).
What the Wolverines might lack in the secondary, Martindale hopes a rotation of the front seven will compensate for that.
Michigan hopes to get back safety Rod Moore, who tore his ACL in the spring a year ago. Moore could help an inexperienced secondary.
Traditionally, the defense has been the Wolverines' strength in recent years.
MUST-SEE TV
It’s not “Cheers” or “Seinfeld,” but it’s a big spot for UNM over Labor Day weekend.
The Wolverines and Lobos will be on a national stage. The game is on NBC or Peacock with a kickoff set for 5:30 p.m.
“Any time you’re on national TV, especially one of the standard networks, not even a cable network, that’s such great exposure for your program,” Eck said. “We have to go take advantage of it and go play our asses off.”
Sept. 6: Idaho State (I'd want to hear you say, I remember you)
Idaho State University is in Pocatello, Idaho, nestled in the southwestern part of “The Potato State.”
Eck, who was at Idaho for three seasons, didn’t lose to ISU. The Vandals outscored the Bengals 141-45 over that stretch, with two of the three wins coming at Idaho State in the ICCU Dome.
Cody Hawkins coaches Idaho State. Hawkins’ father, Dan, was the head coach at Boise State from 2001-05 and at Colorado from 2006-10. Cody played quarterback at Colorado during his father’s stint at CU.
Cody has been at the helm of Idaho State since 2023. Last season was an improvement for the Bengals, after going 3-9 the year before, ISU went 5-7 and were competitive in most games.
Eck said there is a slight irony that he will coach against ISU in his first year at UNM.
“That’s not going to be an easy game,” Eck said. “But yeah, there is quite a bit of familiarity (with Idaho State.)”
The Bengals look to rely on JUCO transfer Jordan Cooke at quarterback.
He won the starting job in 2023 and threw for nearly 2,500 yards. However, he threw 13 interceptions to his 12 touchdowns. Cooke redshirted his 2024 season and looks to be the Bengals’ starter Week 1 against Southern Utah.
Former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava looks to throw a pass in the Volunteers' 36-23 win over Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., on Nov. 30, 2024. After leading Tennessee to the College Football Playoff in 2024, Iamaleava left to be closer to home and play for UCLA and head coach DeShaun Foster. George Walker IV/AP Photo
Sep 12: at UCLA (at “The Grandaddy of Them All”)
UCLA had an entertaining offseason heading into head coach DeShuan Foster’s second season.
(Foster had a very odd appearance at Big Ten Media Days in 2024.)
The Bruins found themselves with five-star recruit Nico Iamaleava.
The situation was major news and played out like a drama on the big screen.
Iamaleava, a Long Beach, Calif. native, transferred after his redshirt freshman year from Tennessee after a contract dispute. This seismic shift, Iamaleava leaving Tennessee, prompted App State transfer Joey Aguilar to leave UCLA before even playing a down. Aguilar’s new school is Iamaleava’s old one in Tennessee.
Iamaleava’s talent is no question, but his numbers in 2024 were a roller coaster ride. In his 13 games last season, he threw for over 2,600 yards and 19 touchdowns. He ran for three. But he struggled with accuracy down the field and completed nearly 64% of his passes.
The offensive line and the receiving corps are mostly new, with transfers from P4 schools.
UCLA finished 132nd in rushing in 2024, but the likes of transfer Javian Thomas and Jalen Berger look to make the Bruins’ rushing attack more formidable.
On the opposite side of the ball, UCLA had a defense that was top 40 nationally and possessed a rush defense that was ranked sixth last season, even though Foster cleaned house in the off-season and only retained defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe.
There are key returners on the defensive line with Siale Taupaki and Devin Apiu. Still, Foster will have to replace All-American Carson Schwesinger at defensive line and All-Big Ten selection Kain Medrano at linebacker.
The secondary is transfer-heavy too, but most come from P4 schools like Key Lawrence and Ben Perry.
The UNM and UCLA game was moved to Friday, Sept. 12, from Sept. 13.
Eck said he likes the exposure of a standalone game on a Friday night.
“A lot of people watch those games,” Eck said. “We may be the only game on at that time… it’s a time that draws a lot of eyeballs. I like that it gives us an extra day of rest for the next week and it lets me go see my son’s YAFL game that Saturday.”
Photo courtesy of NMSU Athletics
Sep 27: New Mexico State (Rio Grande Rivalry)
Four starting quarterbacks with a combined 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2024 for NMSU.
Enter Logan Fife.
NMSU hopes Fife will put to bed any bad memories of the position that plagued the program one year ago.
Fife threw for over 1,800 yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions to help Montana reach the second round of the FCS playoffs.
Protecting the new quarterback could be a challenge. NMSU head coach Tony Sanchez will have to replace all but one starter on the offensive line (BJ Tolo).
The running back room should be the strength with transfers Dijon Stanley and Kadarius Calloway. Fife will also have the luxury of NMSU’s two leading receivers from a year ago in TJ Pride and PJ Johnson.
The Aggies also add Central Michigan tight end Gavin Harris. Harris nabbed 11 receptions for a touchdown last season with CMU and he’s expected to be the starter.
David Yost takes over as offensive coordinator of a unit that ranked 115th out of 134 schools in total offense last year, sprinkled in with some off-the-field controversy.
The defensive side of the ball wasn’t Sanchez and the Aggies’ strong point in 2024 either.
NMSU ranked 127th and gave up over 36 points per game during its 3-9 campaign.
It will be a tall task for coordinator Joe Morris to fix the defense with the departure of NMSU’s sack leader (Buddha Peleti) and interception leaders (Da Marcus Crosby and Tayden Barnes).
However, NMSU has its defensive rock back at linebacker: Albuquerque native and Volcano Vista graduate Tyler Martinez.
Martinez is a 2025 Athlon, Phill Steel All-Conference USA First Team and the CUSA Preseason Watch List.
He started all 12 games for the Aggies in 2024. He posted 96 total tackles last year with 45 of those solo.
The secondary is new with several JUCO transfers.
There’s also another significant game against the Aggies on Oct. 25 with a familiar face at the head coaching position.
