New Mexico Football: Danny Gonzales is right man for job in 2020

With an exciting new head coach in Danny Gonzales, there is hope for the future, but 2020 will be a tough one for New Mexico football.

It is no secret that New Mexico football is one of the toughest jobs in the entire country. It’s in a difficult location where there is not a lot of in-state talent, athletic facilities are lagging and the program does not bring in a lot of money.

Former coach Bob Davie had a moderate run of success, posting back-to-back winning seasons in 2015 and 2016 and the programs first bowl win in nearly a decade. Davie, however, could not sustain that success and suffered back to back 3-9 seasons and was fired last season.

The Lobos are now turning to a former player to right the ship.

Danny Gonzales was a defensive back at New Mexico and then served as a grad assistant and then position coach for then head coach Rocky Long. He followed Long to San Diego State and then went on to become the defensive coordinator for Herm Edwards at Arizona State. Gonzales helped transform the Sun Devils to a physical defense and they ranked 41st in defensive S&P+ last season.

Gonzales is bringing back former head coach Rocky Long to be the defensive coordinator and that should pay off in the long run.

It’s going to be an interesting season in Albuquerque. A lot of the coaches on this new staff are in their respective positions for the first time, except for Long. Gonzales knows the program well and I think could potentially be able to compete for Mountain West championships down the road.

The 2020 season will be what a lot of folks in the football world call a “year zero” for Gonzalez at New Mexico.