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Defensive Tackle Transfers to UNM

by Greg Archuleta Journal Staff Writer , Albuquerque Journal

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University of New Mexico football coach Mike Locksley did not waste time finding a replacement for departed quarterback Emmanuel Yeager.

And, on paper, signed a better player in the process.

The Lobos have signed defensive tackle Reggie Ellis, a freshman transfer from Illinois. Per NCAA transfer rules, the 6-foot-2, 285-pound Ellis must sit out the 2009 season but will have three years to play beginning in 2010.

He enrolled at UNM for the summer session in June.

Rivals.com listed Ellis as a four-star recruit when he sig ned with I l l i nois i n 2008. Locksley, who was the Illini's offensive coordinator last season, recruited Ellis out of Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C. He reportedly had offers f rom A l abama, Boston College , Maryland, Michigan, Penn State and Pittsburgh coming out of high school.

Ellis redshirted in 2008.

Yeager, whom Rivals.com listed as a three-star recruit, enrolled at UNM in January but said he left the team in May for family reasons.

Ellis is the second four-star recruit to land at UNM since recruiting sites exploded onto the Web. Wide receiver Michael Brunker was a fourstar recruit as a junior college transfer in 2001. Injuries limited him to two career catches with the Lobos.

Locksley is hoping for a bit more production from Ellis.

"His athleticism is what's impressive," Locksley said Thursday. "For a big man, he has an impressive change of direction. What I like most about him is he is a gym rat; he has a tremendous work ethic."

Both Locksley, and Ellis' position coach, Tom Sims, left Illinois over the winter, and Locksley said Ellis transferred because he wanted to play where he felt a certain comfort level with the coaches.

"I've been recruiting him since he was in the 10th grade, so we're fairly familiar with each other," Locksley said.

FOOTBALL SMARTS: Five UNM football players were among the 108 Lobos named as Mountain West Conference Scholar-Athletes for the 2008-09 school year: Linebacker Zach Arnett, safety Jake Bowe, linebacker Cody Neely, tight end Mitch Straub and safety Mica Williams.

Copyright 2009 Albuquerque Journal

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