Las Vegas, New Mexico - New Mexico Highlands opens the 2026 season on August 27th at 6:00 p.m. when the Cowboys host Eastern New Mexico.
LAST SEASON: The Cowboys posted a 6-5 overall record and a 4-5 mark in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
COACH KURT TAUFA'ASAU:
Kurt Taufa'asau enters his third season as head football coach at New Mexico Highlands University in 2026 after being named to the position on May 29, 2024.
Taufa'asau earned his first victory at New Mexico Highlands on October 12, 2024, guiding the Cowboys to a thrilling 33-30 Homecoming win over Chadron State at Sanchez Family Stadium.
In his second season at the helm, Taufa'asau guided the Cowboys to a 6-5 record, their highest win total since 2012. New Mexico Highlands opened the 2025 season with a 3-0 record, the program's best start since 2011. The Cowboys also defeated in-state rivals Eastern New Mexico and Western New Mexico in the same season for the first time since 2012. Running back
Jeffery Jones and safety
Trevor Romaldo earned All-America honors following the season, marking the program's first football All-Americans under Taufa'asau.
Prior to his arrival in Las Vegas, Taufa'asau served as head coach at New Mexico Military Institute for three seasons, compiling a 27-10 overall record and a 15-6 mark in Southwest Junior College Football Conference play. He led the Broncos to a 12-1 record and the NJCAA Division I National Championship in 2021.
A native of Pago Pago, American Samoa, Taufa'asau began his collegiate playing career at New Mexico Military Institute, earning First Team All-Western States Football League honors as a defensive lineman in 2009. He later continued his career at the University of Wyoming, where he played during the 2011 and 2012 seasons and earned a degree in sociology. Following his collegiate career, Taufa'asau spent time with the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts.
Taufa'asau began his coaching career in 2015 as the defensive line coach at Westlake High School in Saratoga Springs, Utah. He returned to New Mexico Military Institute in 2016 in the same role and was promoted to assistant head coach in 2019 while continuing to coach the defensive line. That season, he helped guide the Broncos to the SWJCFC Championship Game, marking the program's first appearance after just four seasons in the conference.
COACH TAUFA'ASAU 2025 HIGHLIGHTS
- Defeated both Eastern New Mexico and Western New Mexico in the same season for the first time since 2012.
- Six wins were the most for the program since 2012.
- Finished No. 5 nationally in rushing offense.
- Swept the RMAC Freshman of the Year honors.
- Received a three-year contract extension following the 2025 season.
TURNAROUND: Under Coach Taufa'asau's guidance, NMHU Football improved from two wins in 2024 to six wins in 2025, the eighth-best year-over-year improvement among NCAA Division II football programs.
BY THE NUMBERS:
6 - Wins by New Mexico Highlands in 2025, the program's most since 2012.
5 - National ranking of the Cowboys' rushing offense in 2025.
4 - Additional victories from 2024 to 2025, tied for the eighth-best year-over-year improvement among NCAA Division II programs.
3-0 - NMHU's start to the 2025 season, its best start since 2011.
2026 RMAC PRESEASON POLL: New Mexico Highlands University, 6-5 overall and 4-5 in the RMAC a year ago, was picked to finish sixth in this year's poll with 31 points in voting by the conference's 10 head coaches.
Dawson Chapman and
Dontaivious Nelson were named to the Preseason All-RMAC Team. Chapman appeared in all 11 games last season for the Cowboys, recording 18 tackles, while Nelson was named the RMAC Freshman Defensive Player of the Year.
NEW MEXICO!: For the first time since the 2012 season, the Cowboys defeated Western New Mexico and Eastern New Mexico in the same season.
Once again this season, Coach Taufa'asau and his staff placed a strong emphasis on recruiting their home state. The 2026 New Mexico Highlands roster features 45 players who played high school football in New Mexico.
SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS: The Greyhounds head to Las Vegas on Thursday under the guidance of new head coach Art Briles. Eastern New Mexico finished the 2025 season with a 3-8 overall record and a 3-6 mark in the Lone Star Conference.
Eastern New Mexico was picked to finish seventh in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, finishing just behind Texas A&M-Kingsville in the balloting.
Junior wide receiver Robert Nora and senior linebacker Matthew Quartieri were listed among the conference's players to watch for the 2026 season.
EASTERN NEW MEXICO/NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS SERIES NOTES
Eastern New Mexico leads the all-time series, 35-14.
Last Eastern New Mexico win: August 29, 2024 — 63-27 in Las Vegas.
Last New Mexico Highlands win: August 28, 2025 — 34-28 in Portales.
NMHU won the first meeting in the series, 13-7, on November 8, 1941, in Las Vegas.
SERIES ON: New Mexico Highlands University announced a four-year scheduling agreement with Eastern New Mexico University earlier this year, extending football series between the two in-state rivals through the 2029 season.
UP NEXT: NMHU travels to Silver City on Thursday, September 3, for the 2026 edition of the La Batalla Bowl. Game time is set for 6:00 p.m.
The Cowboys return home on September 19 at 12:00 p.m. when Black Hills State visits historic Las Vegas.
RMAC NETWORK: Ten of the Cowboys' 11 games in 2026 will be broadcast on the RMAC Network, with New Mexico Broadcaster of the Year Scott Galetti returning as the Voice of the Cowboys for home games in historic Las Vegas this season. Visit
RMACNetwork.com for information on purchasing a subscription and following the Cowboys all season long.
COWBOY TICKETS: Season and single-game tickets for the Cowboys' 2026 season are on sale now. Purchase your tickets at
NMHUAthletics.com/Tickets!
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: NMHU is a cashless campus. All purchases must be made using debit/credit cards or mobile payment.
NMHU has implemented a
strict clear bag policy for all on-campus events.
No outside food or drinks are permitted in Sanchez Family Stadium.
No pets are allowed in Sanchez Family Stadium.
