LAS VEGAS — Hurt or not, Jack Layne isn’t making excuses after last season.
“Last year, I think we were good as an offense, but we can be better, and I think we will be better this year,” New Mexico‘s fifth-year senior said last Wednesday at Mountain West Media Days. “And, you know, everyone’s dealing with injuries – it’s not just me. Everyone’s got something.”
By all indications, Layne shouldn’t be dealing with something soon.
After undergoing offseason surgery to repair a torn tendon in his elbow, Layne said his arm is “feeling good” entering what’s expected to be a four-player quarterback competition during fall camp.
The 6-foot-2, 209-pound former Idaho transfer tore his common flexor tendon last season during warmups ahead of a 35-10 win over UCLA, the Lobos’ fourth game of the season. But the injury went undiagnosed until Layne underwent a routine clean-up procedure in late December, with the significance of the tear surprising both him and his surgeon.
Layne’s tendon was later repaired before he participated in spring practice without throwing.
“Elbows are tricky,” he said. “You got to be careful with them, and I think our training staff is so good – probably the best in the Group of Six in my opinion … (UNM director of athletic performance Caleb Heim) has been awesome.
“Just a lot of great minds working together to get this thing right, and I feel we’re at a good spot.”
Head coach Jason Eck said Layne has thrown “fully” this summer, but still plans to be cautious with his usage during fall camp. UNM’s starter in every game last season missed almost all of spring practice in 2025 due to a sore elbow on his throwing arm, something Eck chalked up to overuse at the time.
“You know, (he wants to) try to keep him on some pitch counts (during fall camp) and make sure he’s not wearing it out,” Eck said Thursday at Mountain West Media Days. “But we expect him to be back and do a good job for us.”
But if Layne (2,486 yards, 13 touchdowns, 10 interceptions last season) is the “leader” to start, per Eck, he won’t be handed the job. UNM’s second-year head coach reiterated at media days that there will be a quarterback competition between Layne, James Laubstein, Luke Moga and Toa Fa’avae.
Laubstein, UNM’s run-first backup quarterback last season, was able to return for a sixth year of college football after securing a waiver granting him another year of eligibility in June. A former junior college athlete, he contended that at least one of his seasons spent at that level shouldn’t count toward his NCAA eligibility, a claim former New Mexico State quarterback Diego Pavia successfully pioneered in 2024.
Laubstein competed with Layne for the starting job last season, eventually losing out in a narrow two-player contest. To factor into this year’s competition, Eck said he wants to see Laubstein (363 rushing yards last season) continue to grow as a passer but believes his experience gained last season will only help.
“When he was in that battle last year, he hadn’t played,” Eck said. “I don’t think he had played a snap (on) offense here … I do think he’s coming into the battle now with some game experience, and some big game experience. He made some huge plays.”
Moga and Fa’avae will have to “raise their level” from where they were in the spring, Eck said. While both showed promise, consistency remained a struggle. Fa’avae notably threw four interceptions in UNM’s spring game, while Moga, a highly-touted prep prospect and Oregon transfer, overrelied on his legs at points.
“Toa had a lot of great plays in the spring, but he had, you know, some bad plays and some turnovers,” Eck said. “Luke’s got to keep doing a good job of balancing when to stay in the pocket and when to scramble, that type of thing. Sometimes he likes to scramble a little bit (too much).
“You don’t want to take that away from him, but you don’t want a guy looking to scramble right away.”
As for Layne? He said he’s focused on taking care of the ball after throwing double-digit interceptions for the first time in his career, and stepping up in the pocket to help minimize losses when taking sacks.
UNM allowed 34 sacks last season, the program’s most since giving up 43 in 2022.
“There’s a difference between a 1-yard sack when you’re climbing the pocket and getting vertical and an 8- or 9-yard sack when you’re going backwards,” he said. “Climbing the pocket and just being more confident – just letting it rip, you know, and trusting my eyes and my preparation.”
And if Layne isn’t making excuses, a fully healthy arm should only help in that regard.
“No one’s 100% each week, so you can’t make excuses,” he reiterated. “But yeah, it’s nice to be healthy. And (playing) quarterback, you have a lot more confidence when you’re arm’s 100%, so I’m excited for that in the future.”
Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at @lenaweereider.
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