New Mexico State middle linebacker Nick Paden will not play this year for the Aggie football team, forced to sit out for medical reasons.
Paden has been battling knee injuries that will force him to miss the entire 2009 season. The senior still has a redshirt year remaining and will work this season in an effort to get back on the field for 2010. Still, there is no guarantee that he will suit up for the Aggies again.
"He will sit out this year and make a decision to play in his fifth year,"
NMSU coach DeWayne Walker said. "We're still going to honor his scholarship and wait and see how things go."
A transfer from Butte Junior College, last season saw Paden step into the starting lineup and make an immediate impact. He tallied 107 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble as a linchpin in defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn's unorthodox 3-3-5 alignment.
Walker said that Ross Conner, a Mayfield High School alum, is expected to step in and start at middle linebacker, as the Aggies move back to a traditional 4-3 scheme. Conner played in 12 games last season for NMSU, recording 18 tackles and a sack.
Jason Scott, who made 84 stops last season for the Aggies, also saw action in the middle during spring ball and could be in the mix for playing time in Paden's absence.
"Ross Conner learned our system quickly and we feel strongly about him,"
Walker said. "We also tried Jason Scott there as an emergency (middle) linebacker. They're two of
our better and smarter players."
In other Aggie news, the team is moving David Quiroga from wide receiver to safety for the start of fall practice. Quiroga is a freshman from Chino Hills, Calif.
"We're looking for depth at safety and we like (Quiroga) there,"
Walker said.
"We're definitely going to give him an opportunity. He'll decide (his playing time) once we get things going."
The Aggies begin fall practice on Aug. 5 with Week 1 of their season on Sept. 5, when the team welcomes the University of Idaho to Las Cruces.
