Story by
Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
Luke Moga picked UNM looking to play ‘meaningful football’
- Story byAlbuquerque Journal, N.M.
- Luke Moga picked UNM looking to play ‘meaningful football’
For New Mexico , Friday was a normal, run-of-the-mill spring practice.
The offense made plays. The defense did, too. Players and coaches alike didn't take too long to get back into the swing of things, making the most of the team's first full (non-padded) practice since December, and the first of the 15-session spring.
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For Luke Moga , Friday was also about getting back into the swing of things.
It was anything but your normal, run-of-the-mill practice.
"Been a long time since I played meaningful football," the redshirt freshman quarterback admitted.
Among UNM's 27 transfers, few have generated as much attention over the last few months as Moga. And for good reason. The 6-foot-2, 204-pound Phoenix native was rated as a four-star prospect and the fourth-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2024, garnering offers from the likes of Arizona State, BYU , California , Miami, Cincinnati, Michigan State, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State, Purdue and TCU.
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Moga ended up choosing Oregon , redshirting as a freshman in 2024. Last year he turned heads in the Ducks ' spring game, only to sit behind Dante Moore and Austin Novosad as Oregon surged to a 11-1 regular season and won two games in the College Football Playoff.
But when the portal opened on January 2, Moga was content to stay — at least for the time being.
"I'm thinking, 'we're gonna win a national championship,'" he said, referencing Oregon's playoff game on January 9. "So obviously I'm being a great teammate. That's something not a lot of people get the chance to participate in."
Things changed quickly. The Ducks lost to Indiana, 56-22, in the semifinals.
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Two days later, Moga entered the portal with a specific goal in mind.
"To play meaningful football," he said.
As of now, Moga feels like he's found that opportunity at UNM. With Jack Layne set to miss much (possibly all) of spring practice, the redshirt sophomore has spent the first two sessions sharing first-string duties with Toa Fa'avae, adjusting to running UNM's huddle-based offense.
"It's not necessarily a bad thing getting to slow down and enunciate the play, and get all 11 guys on the same page in the huddle," Moga said. "I'm used to signals and (going) up-tempo every play. But not every offense is the same … It's just something I'm getting used to."
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Perhaps most importantly, he's starting to see what he saw during the recruiting process play out in front of him on the field.
"I believe in what (head coach Jason Eck) is doing, I believe in my abilities," Moga said. "As solid as this team was last year, I saw what this team can be … It's just about us getting on the same page, it's about me understanding what (other players) are trying to do and then me coaching them up (with) how I see things."
Notes and quotes
-The winner of Saturday's hammer, awarded to whoever head coach Jason Eck deems the player of the practice? Running back Deshaun Buchanan, who's had a nice start to the spring so far and notched some reps with the first-team offense.
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-Another player that's really turning heads this spring: early enrollee receiver Massiah Mingo. The 5-10, 175-pound former three-star recruit out of Las Vegas-area powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School made a leaping one-handed grab Friday before making a deep catch in a team period Saturday that earned him some kudos from Eck after.
Mingo has also landed some reps with UNM's first-string offense through the first two days of practice. The sample size is still small – especially for one of the youngest players on the team – but consider him a name to monitor in the weeks ahead.
-Former Southern Cal and Utah running backs coach Kiel McDonald has joined UNM's staff as an offensive assistant and coached in the Lobos' first two spring practices. The hire has not been officially announced yet.
Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at @lenaweereider.
