Recruiting New Mexico: Ohio DIII program makes inroads

A few months ago, Hiram College head football coach Jack Mrozinski turned on Las Cruces quarterback Marcos LopezMarcosLopez6'1" | QBLas Cruces | 2021StateNM’s film and was stunned by what he saw. He watched a dynamic dual threat playmaker with the skills to excel at the next level. He saw the flash and dash, the speed and savvy that led the Bulldawgs to a perfect 6-0 record in district play and a 9-3 overall record in Lopez’s junior season in 2019. But he also watched an athlete that surprisingly had zero college offers. Mrozinski decided to fix that and Hiram College offered Lopez in mid-October. Today, the Terriers remain Lopez’s lone offer. “When we saw his film, we wondered why nobody has offered him yet,” Mrozinski told Prep Redzone New Mexico, which is about as much as he could say considering NCAA rules prohibit coaches – even at the Division III level – from talking specifically about prospects. Mrozinski took over the Hiram program earlier this year, and quickly identified fresh recruiting territory for the Terriers. “When I got here, I wanted to reach new avenues and new locations for recruiting that perhaps the school hadn’t in the past,” Mrozinski said. “We wanted to see if there were places where we could find a niche. New Mexico in particular has been very fruitful thus far with some of the talented players there. It’s been a blessing for us. People in New Mexico have been very receptive.” Lopez isn’t the only New Mexico high school football standout to be offered by Hiram. In fact, the Terriers have offered numerous prospects from the Land of Enchantment, including La Cueva QB Ryan CookRyanCook6'0" | QBLa Cueva | 2021StateNM and, most recently, Volcano Vista athlete Isaiah Benally. Quietly, the Division III school located in a picturesque village 41 miles from downtown Cleveland in northeast Ohio has become one of the most prolific pursuers of New Mexico talent of any school, regardless of size, in the country. How do they do it? Let’s just say the internet is a wonderful tool, especially sites like Hudl, which posts highlights for thousands of prospects nationally. “New Mexico has been a very good spot for us recently,” said Hiram defensive line coach Jacob Menard, who spearheads Hiram’s recruiting in New Mexico. “Hudl and Twitter have been a godsend for recruiting in general. Kids post all their highlights on there, and Prep Redzone does a great job giving exposure to a lot of prospects, which makes it easier for us to find them. “As a result, a coach in Hiram, Ohio can find a prospect in Las Cruces, New Mexico dying for somebody to give them a shot.” Mrozinski credits Menard for building relationships with coaches in New Mexico, an important first step for recruiting any state regardless of how many college football prospects its produces. “I have to thank Coach Menard for starting to build those relationships,” Mrozinski said. “If they’re willing to come here, there are definitely some talented kids in New Mexico that we should be on board with.” One of those prospects is, of course, Lopez. The Las Cruces quarterback could soon have a decision to make. Accept Hiram’s offer of a roster spot or walk-on elsewhere. In short, how far is Lopez willing to go to play college football? If he’s up for the 1,800 mile journey to northeast Ohio, then Hiram could be the place for him. “Coach Menard did a great job of doing the legwork up until the point of when we wanted to offer him,” Mrozinski said. “He’s doing some things we see from kids in Ohio. He has the tangible things we look for in a recruit.” Like many smaller programs, Hiram’s recruiting process in most states such as New Mexico begins with determining the top programs. After that, they contact the head coaches of those schools and obtain prospect lists. Without a head coach’s recommendation, Hiram is unlikely to recruit any prospect in New Mexico. “We’re not going to go through the steps of offering a roster spot if they don’t have the thumbs up from their head coach,” Menard said. “For us, that head coach relationship is very important. It’s like a job reference. We’re looking for great leaders on the team and great people off the field.” Although Hiram is located a rural area, the coaches tout the schools close proximity to big cities such as Akron, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Columbus. “It’s really a central location,” Menard said. “Hiram is a great little area and a great village. You’re close enough to so many things. It opens a lot of doors for people looking to focus on academics and getting better on the field as well.” Hiram is a member of the  competitive (and Ohio dominated) North Coast Athletic Conference, whose members also include Allegheny, Denison, DePauw, Kenyon, Oberlin, Ohio Wesleyan, Wabash, Wittenberg and Wooster. Basically, it’s a Who’s Who of Division III football in the Midwest. “There are a lot of Division III programs in the state of Ohio,” Menard said. “Not only do we have to do a great job recruiting our home state, we have to branch out and reach out to other states. Every coach on our staff has another territory that’s not specific to Ohio. We do a very good job of trying to maximize our resources in all the states we recruit.” https://twitter.com/MarcosLopez_7/status/1315798523044982785 https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1340728294849740802 https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1323852175835975681 https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1291137447900790784