Lobos’ homegrown coach, Jake Rothschiller

Jake Rothschiller, the University of New Mexico linebackers coach, sits on a weight bench in the weight room of the Tow Diehm Athletic Facility on Friday. After four years as a graduate assistant, Rothschiller was recently promoted. (Mike Sandoval for the Journal)As a graduate assistant for the University of New Mexico, Jake Rothschiller felt as if he were in limbo when then-coach Bob Davie was fired before the final week of the season in 2019.

A crossroads moment arose when, a month later, Danny Gonzales was hired as the head coach of the Lobos. Gonzales, a former player and assistant at UNM, met with the graduate assistants and challenged them during the Christmas break, to show if they…