As the second transfer portal window is in effect following Spring football, Lane Kiffin is mostly expected to focus on playing defense, keeping members of his deep and talented 2024 squad out of the portal. However, on Friday, Kiffin started things off on offense, addressing perhaps the thinnest position group on the team. New Mexico Lobos running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt committed to the Rebs, reversing an earlier pledge to transfer to Arizona. An Alabama native who started his career at Alabama State in 2019, Croskey-Merritt had a pretty middling career, statistically speaking, before busting out with a 1,190-yard, 17 touchdown campaign in 2023, averaging 6.3 ypc. Given that he’s already played significant snaps in five football seasons, it is… unclear how Croskey-Merritt has any eligibility left, but we’ll take it, I suppose.
Croskey-Merritt is currently listed at 5’11 and about 205 lbs, and aside from his considerable productivity, he shows above-average speed and quickness, an ability to make his body narrow to hit sub-optimal gaps, good recognition in the pass blocking game, and a knack for minimizing negative plays.
His commitment comes at a position of great need for Ole Miss. Ulysses Bentley IV has the potential to be electric as a starter, but has spent a lot of his Ole Miss career banged up. Behind him, there’s a true sophomore without a career carry in Kedrick Reescano, a former walk-on, albeit a really good one, in Matt Jones, and a quality P5 starter who is recovering from a major knee injury, status unknown (Logan Diggs).
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At this point, it is heavily assumed that the Rebs will take another running back from the portal, with targets including former Ole Miss and current Miami back Henry Parrish, Indiana bruiser Trent Howland, and Peny Boone, a sought-after portal rusher who just three months ago transferred from Toledo to Louisville.
NM FAST (New Mexico Federal and State Technology) is now accepting applications for a free space-sector accelerator cohort designed to help New Mexico-based technology companies compete for federal funding through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The cohort targets founders and researchers pursuing grants from NASA, Space Force and related federal agencies, with programming set to launch July 21.
The cohort will admit six to 10 New Mexico companies and run for 10 to 12 weeks, meeting in weekly sessions of approximately one and a half to two hours. Programming covers the full arc of federal commercialization strategy, including space-sector SBIR/STTR opportunities and federal funding pathways, proposal development for technical narratives and commercialization components, federal procurement positioning and agency discovery, capital strategy and follow-on funding options, and transition planning from Phase I to Phase II awards. Participants also receive targeted one-on-one advisory support throughout the program. The cohort is offered at no cost to accepted companies.
The program is open to companies at both the pre-award and early-award stages. The majority of cohort seats are designed for Phase 0 companies preparing to submit Phase I SBIR/STTR applications to NASA or Space Force. A limited number of seats are available for Phase I awardees working toward Phase II readiness and Phase III transition planning.
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“New Mexico has a deep base of research and a growing pipeline of founders ready to translate that work into companies that can compete for federal R&D dollars,” said Carlos Murguia, director of the Technology and Innovation Gateway at Arrowhead Center. “This cohort focuses specifically on the space sector, pairing New Mexico companies with Larta’s expertise in SBIR and STTR commercialization to give founders a clear, structured path from early-stage research to federal award.”
Larta Institute, NM FAST’s commercialization partner for this program, will lead the full design and delivery of the accelerator curriculum. Larta has supported startups that have collectively raised more than $23.7 billion since 1993 and brings that track record to founders working in New Mexico’s growing aerospace and space technology sector.
The cohort aligns with the aerospace priority sector named in the New Mexico Entrepreneurship Programmatic Support Grant and is relevant to companies working at the intersection of advanced computing, bioscience and advanced energy applications in space-related contexts.
NM FAST is administered by Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University and operates statewide, serving founders in Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Los Alamos and rural communities across New Mexico. Over more than a decade of programming, NM FAST has supported more than 470 New Mexico startups and helped companies secure nearly $28 million in federal SBIR awards. Targeted outreach is directed to rural, women, veteran and minority entrepreneurs.
The program is sponsored by the New Mexico Economic Development Department’s Technology and Innovation Office through the New Mexico Entrepreneurship Programmatic Support Grant, which supports continued statewide programming for SBIR/STTR-eligible companies in the four priority sectors.
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Applications are open now and will be accepted through July 14, 2026. Interested companies can apply at forms.gle/CqSwEL7LahqB5pGu9. Space is limited, and selected companies will be notified before the program launch.
SANTA FE, N.M. – Santa Fe County and Edgewood approved a new agreement and ordinance that secures ongoing fire and EMS services for Edgewood residents.
According to a joint announcement from the Town of Edgewood and Santa Fe County on June 19, the two governments negotiated and adopted a new Joint Powers Agreement and ordinance to keep the Santa Fe County Fire Department serving the town.
County and town representatives drafted the agreement together. The town adopted the ordinance unanimously at a special meeting on June 16, putting an end to weeks of uncertainty.
Santa Fe County District 3 Commissioner Camilla Bustamante said, “I believe we are all relieved to know that the people of Edgewood will continue to have the fire and EMS services necessary to protect their homes, their families, and their community. This community deserves nothing less.”
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The announcement said the ordinance takes effect five days after final publication. The statement also said no further action or approval is needed to guarantee continued fire suppression, fire prevention, and EMS services for Edgewood residents.
Both governments noted the agreement will continue indefinitely unless either side ends it with five years’ notice.
