ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – UNM football coach Danny Gonzales feasted on the opportunity to upgrade his team through the transfer portal during the offseason. With returning players already buying into what Gonzales is trying to accomplish, the coach feels optimistic about the mix of veterans and transfers are the 2023 season approaches.
“On top of the culture and expectation and the standard that we have, now we have better athletes combined with that,” said Gonzales. “So, I like our football team. We’re strong, we’re athletic, we’re big. I like our football team for ’23.”
Gonzales also talked about staying balanced, not worrying about the pressures of winning after a two-win season. “When I took this job, I knew what the challenge was,” said Gonzales. “I don’t worry about somebody saying you need to do this, you need to do that. We got a great administration. It starts at the top with President Stokes. Eddie and David believe in what we’re doing – that’s why I’m still here. Whether they want to get rid of me or me having other opportunities, that doesn’t weigh into it. I don’t worry about having to win. If you put so much pressure on you have to do something, you’re going to screw things up. I don’t worry about that stuff.”
Gonzales also talked about how new NCAA transfer rules could benefit his effort to build his program. “We’re going to probably end up with more talented players than we had and we’re going to take advantage of that,” said Gonzales. “We got numerous transfers that got three years of eligibility. So, we’ll have the ability to develop them and become a better football team.”
