The maturation of a college football program can be measured, to a great extent, by the number of players who sit out their true freshman seasons as redshirts – the more the better, with an eye on the future.
In 2012, Bob Davie’s first year as head coach at the University of New Mexico, the roster was ravaged by player attrition. Only three true freshmen redshirted. The future had to wait.
This season, in contrast, only one true freshman is playing.
Whoops. No, make that two.
Alex Hart, an inside linebacker from Prior Lake, Minn.