Mar. 29—Jackson Blake, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound prep quarterback, committed to New Mexico on Thursday via a post on social media.
Blake, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will join the program in July 2026 after completing a two-year mission trip and expects to receive his mission destination in the next two weeks.
As a senior at Lone Peak High School (Utah), Blake completed 137 of 267 passes (51.3%) for 1,924 yards, 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions over eight games. He added 26 rushing yards on 18 carries for the Knights, who finished 5-7 in 2023. Blake was sidelined by an injury in Lone Peak’s fourth game of the season.
Prior to his senior campaign, Blake said he had received interest from Utah, BYU and Utah State before UNM entered the picture in January with his first “real Division I opportunity” in the form of preferred walk-on offer.
“The coaching staff was the biggest thing that stood out to me,” he said of his recruitment. “Offensive coordinator Jason Beck), I’ve done my research and I know what he’s done for quarterbacks in the past. He’s kind of that quarterback whisperer — I studied his offense and his style really stood out to me, and him as a person, I just can’t wait to work with him.”
Blake added that his official visit, taken in late January, helped him “fall in love” with Mendenhall’s plan for the program.
“You can tell he’s a really good leader and develops young men,” he added. “And that’s something I want to be apart of.”
When asked about his decision to complete his mission immediately following high school (a typical alternative is to play a year of college football before the mission), Blake said he believed it made more sense to not “break up” his career.
“I’ve always wanted to serve a mission and some may think it will set me back from a football perspective, but I…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/unm-football-lobos-land-commitment-035900199.html
Author : Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
Publish date : 2024-03-30 03:59:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
