Nevada
Nevada football adds 25 new players, including 24 in high school and five with ties to Northern Nevada
The Nevada football team is looking to the high school ranks to try to improve and build the program in coming seasons.
Nevada coach Jeff Choate announced the signing of 26 football players on Wednesday, the start of national signing day for college football. Of the signing day class, 25 are high school seniors and one is at Cerritos Junior College. Choate was hired at Nevada on Dec. 4, 20-23, Last year, his signing class had five high school players.
He said players in this year’s class come for winning programs, including four who are still playing for state championships, two who already won state championships, and seven others who were in state finals.
“If you’re going to build a winning program, it starts by having that understand what a winning program looks like,” Choate said.
There are five players with ties to Northern Nevada in the class: Joe Birnbaum, Truckee; Mataio Aiono, Reed; Colin Banning, Spring Creek; Jackson Ramsey, Bishop Manogue; and Cian Stack, Bishop Manogue.
Choate said Aiono is the best lineman in Northern Nevada and Stack is one of the top long snappers in the country.
The members of the class are from nine different states covering four time zones — while five states are represented by one member, states with multiple members of the Nevada class are California (12), Nevada (four), Texas (three) and Arizona (two).
“It’s a group that I’m really excited about — we met a lot of needs. Top to bottom, every phase — offense, defense, and special teams — we were able to get guys that I think can have an immediate impact in our program, and a long-lasting impact on our program,” Choate said. “I mentioned that I think this is the most important class that we’ll sign, and I think we can build a strong foundation for the future. Now what we’ve got to do is stack classes on top of one another so that we can be competing for championships.”
Choate has said in the past that keeping local players with the Wolf Pack is critical.
“One of the hallmarks of the class is obviously that we were able to tap into Northern Nevada. I think between Colin, Mataio, Jackson, Joe and Cian, there are a lot of guys that are familiar names to football fans in Northern Nevada. We’re excited about having those guys join the program, and continuing to make our Northern Nevada athletes the heart and soul of our program,” Choate said.
Choate said the Pack’s class is ranked No. 4 in the Mountain signing day classes, behind Boise State, UNLV and San Diego State.
Choate raved about quarterback Carter Jones (6-foot-4, 190 pounds), currently at Lancaster High School in Texas.
“I look forward to our fans getting a chance to meet this young man. He is a first-class human being. He was raised the right way,” Choate said. “He’s a winner. He’s a tough kid. He fits exactly what we want to do on offense.”
Choate said Jones played in the toughest football district in the country.
Choate said running back Carter Jackson is also an outstanding football player. Jackson (5-9, 180) is at Folsom High School in California.
Jackson, a three-star recruit, had multiple Power Four offers. Choate said he could play immediately.
Birnbaum will walk-on and become the second player from Truckee on the Wolf Pack, following Marcus Bellon. Birnbaum, one of the fastest sprinters in the state, will be at running back.
“He exudes enthusiasm and energy,” Choate said. “A kid from a winning program that is all about what we’re trying to build here at Nevada. Toughness, grit.”
He said more players could be added from high school and that he will be active when the transfer portal opens Dec. 8.
December 2024 Nevada Football National Signing Day Roster
Player, position, height, weight, previous school(s)
- Carter Jones, QB, 6-4, 190, Lancaster (Texas)
- Joe Birnbaum, RB, 5-11, 185, Truckee (Calif.)
- Carter Jackson, RB, 5-9, 180, Folsom (Calif.)
- Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio, WR, 5-10, 170, Timpview (Utah)
- Daylin Caamano, WR, 6-3, 175, Crean Lutheran (Calif.)
- Mack Kump, WR, 5-10, 175, Sunnyslope (Ariz.)
- Mason Johnson, WR, 6-2, 180, West Park (Calif.)
- DJ Asiasi, TE, 6-3, 240, De La Salle (Calif.)
- Mataio Aiono, OL, 6-3, 280, Reed
- Colin Banning, OL, 6-4, 285, Spring Creek
- Joseph James, OL, 6-2, 265, Oak Hills (Calif.)
- Jackson Ramsey, OL, 6-4, 285, Bishop Manogue
- Kameron Brown, edge, 6-3, 245, Norco (Calif.)
- Keegan Perea, edge, 6-3, 250, Cherry Creek (Colo.)
- Isaiah Reed, LB, 6-2, 210, Rocky Mountain (Idaho)
- Jake Silverman, LB, 6-0, 210, Torrance (Calif.)
- EJ Smith, LB, 6-1, 230, Cerritos College (Calif.) / Warren
- Cody Wells, LB, 6-2, 210, Notre Dame Prep (Ariz.)
- Mykel Ford, DB, 6-0, 160, Putnam City (Okla.)
- Isaiah Jordan, DB, 6-1, 190, Christian Brothers (Calif.)
- Tajean Stallworth, DB, 6-1, 165, Edison (Stockton, Calif.)
- Yusuf Thomas, DB, 6-1, 170, Cedar Hills (Texas)
- Aiden Walker, DB, 5-11, 180, Round Rock (Texas)
- Justin Wyatt Jr., DB, 6-3, 170, Highland (Calif.)
- Cian Stack, LS, 6-2, 245, Bishop Manogue
Nevadans will elect officials to represent them in state government, ahead of next year’s biennial legislative session. According to the state: “Members of the Assembly are elected every two years, and Senators serve a term of four years. Legislators are only allowed to serve a total of twelve years in each house. This means that a legislator can serve in one house (Assembly or Senate) for twelve years, then serve in the other house (Assembly or Senate) for another twelve years.”
Lawmakers craft and balance a budget for two years, and work to pass legislation to protect the rights and freedoms of residents. Major priorities will likely include things like healthcare costs, education funding, data center regulations, and environmental protections.
Election Snapshot
- Primary Election: June 9, 2026
- General Election: November 3, 2026
- Nevada voters will choose party nominees in the primary election, then elect the legislator in the general election.
- Nevadans can vote by mail, early in person, or on Election Day (see Polling Places page).
- Mail ballots are automatically sent to all active registered voters. You can check your voter registration status here.
What Does the Assembly Do?
The Nevada State Assembly is one body of the state’s legislative branch of government. The Assembly, along with the State Senate, works to pass laws, pass budgets, and meets every two years at the Legislative Building in Carson City, Nev. The Nevada Constitution sets the maximum number of legislators to 75, and the number of Senators cannot be less than one-third, or more than one-half, of the number of Assembly members. Since 1983, the Nevada Legislature has had 21 members in the Senate and 42 members in the Assembly.
Many races for Assembly seats have no primary election, as there aren’t enough candidates. We’re listing those with primary decisions first.
Nevada Assembly District 25
Incumbent Selena La Rue Hatch (Democrat) has no challenger in the primary, so she will be on November’s general election ballot.
Republican Primary
Nevada Assembly District 39
Erich Obermayr (Democrat) has no challenger in the primary, so he will be on November’s general election ballot.
Republican Primary
Incumbent Blayne Osborn (Republican) is running against three challengers in June’s primary election.
Nevada Assembly District 40
This seat is open after incumbent Philip O’Neill did not file for reelection.
Oscar Fuentes (Democrat) has no challenger in the primary, so he will be on November’s general election ballot.
Republican Primary
Editor’s Note: Candidate Stacy M. Woodbury filled out the questionnaire from the Sierra Nevada Ally. You can read it here.
The following Assembly districts have no primary election, as the candidates for the general election have been decided.
Nevada Assembly District 24
Nevada Assembly District 26
Nevada Assembly District 27
Nevada Assembly District 30
Nevada Assembly District 31
Nevada Assembly District 32
Nevada Assembly District 33
Nevada Assembly District 38
The Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada
has named Mackenzie Warren Kay, a shareholder in Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s State Government Relations Group, to its board of directors.
In her role, Warren Kay will support the organization’s strategic and fundraising efforts and serve on one of its committees.
“The Girl Scouts’ mission resonates with me on a personal level,” said Warren Kay. “I believe in giving every young woman the tools to be resilient, joyful, independent and confident to dream big—Girl Scouts does that.”
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A traffic incident near the Nevada-California border caused traffic delays for drivers along Interstate 15 Saturday morning, according to RTC of Southern Nevada.
The incident occurred on southbound I-15 before Yates Well Road near Nipton, California.
RTC told drivers to expect delays and traffic was moving slowly Saturday morning.
As of 2 p.m. Saturday, traffic was still backed up near the stateline.
Stay with 8 News Now for updates.
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