Locksley Lands Another D.C. Lineman at New Mexico

Colleague Alan Goldenbach has the news:

It appears that once Mike Locksley begins recruiting you, he never stops.

When Locksley was an assistant at Illinois, he was able to get Dunbar defensive linemen Reggie Ellis and Ugo Udozinma to sign with the Illini in February 2008. About 10 months later, Locksley became the head coach at New Mexico.

According to Dunbar Coach Craig Jefferies, neither Ellis nor Udozinma was happy with his situation on the Illini's depth chart and began exploring other options. Ellis was granted a release from his scholarship and transferred to New Mexico over the summer. Last week, Udozinma, who originally pledged to Virginia but was swayed to Illinois by Locksley, arrived at New Mexico.

"That's the relationship that gets developed when you get recruited," Jefferies said. "Locksley had a big influence on that program [at Illinois]. The guy you always turn to, even before your position coach, is the guy who recruited you."

Both players, who redshirted last season, will have to sit out this season, per NCAA transfer rules.