Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | W 70-7vs Mercyhurst | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Total | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#23
Nick Wheeler
Sophomore safety on New Mexico's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 208 lb · Dallas, TX
Returning to New Mexico for 2026
Recruiting
--
S recruit
Signed with New Mexico
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
2 safety on New Mexico's 2026 roster.
- Signed with New Mexico in 2025.
Nick Wheeler
One game to point at: 5 tackles against Mercyhurst — Week 2, 2026.
5 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- game log
His career
2025
- Signed with New Mexicoout of Dallas Parish Episcopal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
New Mexico
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2026New Mexico2-0HC: Jason Eck · Run-heavy
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 5.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jason Eck
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | New Mexico | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 70–7
vs Mercyhurst
5 TOT · 3 SOLO
Dominant 63-point win at home against Mercyhurst.
With C. Steinkamp — 59 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 76 LONG · M. Kern — 38 AVG · 3 IN 20 · 39 LONG
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
New Mexico
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · New Mexico
Returning around him
- 1 New Mexico player drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +0 net (14 in / 14 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
New Mexico · Last season: 9-4 · Talent rank #112 · 2026 recruiting class #87
The secondary · New Mexico
- #7Tavian Combs72 tackles · 2025
- #5Frankie Edwards47 tackles · 2025
- #3CJ McBean40 tackles · 2025
- #9Eric McClain26 tackles · 2025
- #23Nick Wheeler1 game · 2026
18 more on the roster · New Mexico team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology