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One of the Lobos鈥� fan favorites isn鈥檛 done after all.

New Mexico quarterback James Laubstein is set to return for a sixth year of college football and third with the Lobos, head coach Jason Eck told the Journal late Tuesday. 

The 6-foot-3, 211-pound Bethany, Connecticut native is able to return after winning an appeal to the NCAA for a waiver granting him another year of eligibility. A former junior college athlete, he contended that at least one of his seasons spent at that level shouldn鈥檛 count toward his NCAA eligibility.

After winning his appeal, Eck said Laubstein informed him he wanted to return to UNM on Tuesday. Laubstein did not respond to the Journal鈥檚 request for comment.

Laubstein is the latest player to land an additional year on those grounds after Vanderbilt quarterback and sa国际传媒官网网页入口 native Diego Pavia . Hundreds of athletes 鈥� including former Lobo and All-Mountain West defensive end Keyshawn James-Newby 鈥� have since received extra years in large part due to a blanket waiver issued after Pavia鈥檚 precedent-setting suit. 

As the backup to starting quarterback Jack Layne, Laubstein ran for 363 yards last season and blossomed into a fan favorite due to his hard-nosed rushing style. He notably averaged 6.2 yards per carry 鈥� the highest of any Lobo 鈥� while completing 11 of 17 passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns as UNM finished 9-4 in Eck鈥檚 first season. 

Laubstein joined UNM in 2024 under coach Bronco Mendenhall. The quarterback spent one season at New Haven before transferring to Sussex County Community College, a non-NCAA two-year junior college in Newton, New Jersey. Laubstein鈥檚 time there formed the basis of his request to the NCAA, one he and his lawyer, Christian Dennie, clarified to the organization this spring. 

鈥淚鈥檓 ready for whatever opportunity is next,鈥� Laubstein said in March. 鈥淲hatever that may be, it鈥檚 gonna be football. Where, when, how 鈥� I don鈥檛 know. But I鈥檓 gonna be ready for it.鈥�

Laubstein鈥檚 return sets UNM up with six quarterbacks on the roster entering fall camp. Incumbent starter Layne, Oregon transfer Luke Moga, Toa Fa鈥檃vae, Gabriel Motschenbacher and early enrollee Cade Mitchell.

Fa鈥檃vae and Moga, a former four-star prospect, competed to move up the depth chart this spring while Layne recovered from offseason arm surgery. After UNM鈥檚 spring game, Eck said he didn鈥檛 think it was 鈥渞eally clear鈥� how much Fa鈥檃vae and Moga had separated themselves from each other. 

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think one guy has really 鈥� I think both guys have had moments, maybe a practice where they were ahead of the other guy. But I think of the course of 15 (practices), it鈥檚 really close,鈥� he said.

Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at .