Seth McGowan’s thoughts were heavy on Dec. 28.
New Mexico State’s star running back had just entered the portal on the night it closed but was considering a return. He was a key piece for NM State in 2024, earning second-team All-Conference USA honors after rushing a CUSA fourth-best 813 yards, and wanted to explore his options for the 2025 season.
McGowan sat down with Aggies head coach Tony Sanchez and running backs coach David Cobb to discuss those options. They talked about more than just football; they talked about McGowan’s life, his future and his loved ones. It was a deeply personal conversation for McGowan, one that pulled at his heartstrings when he left Sanchez’s office.
The next day, less than 24 hours after entering the portal, McGowan withdrew from it.
“Our conversations weren’t about carries. It was about life, about love,” Sanchez said in a Feb. 5 conference. “I said, ‘I get it. You’re in a tough situation, so I wish you luck and I’ll care about you. We love you here. We’re gonna be rooting for you.’ Sure enough, about 24 hours later, he called us all up and said, ‘I want to come back.'”
From his Oklahoma dismissal in 2021 to his brother’s death from suicide last year, McGowan has endured plenty of hardship over the years. As a result, he wanted to play at a place where he knew people cared about him and felt that with Sanchez and Cobb in the hours after their conversation.
That emotional connection made him consider the bigger picture. He didn’t want to leave that love behind.
“It definitely confirmed that these guys definitely care about me,” McGowan said. “These guys genuinely want what’s best for me, as I want what’s best for them. It definitely confirmed that there’s mutual compassion there. That’s how I felt. Somebody genuinely cared about me.”
Seth McGowan entered a different kind of college football than today.
He started at OU in 2020, a year before name, image and likeness deals and the elimination of the rule requiring players to sit out for a year after transferring changed college football. Those things dominated the sport upon his return to Division I with NM State in 2024.
Players had more freedom of movement and options, things that appealed to McGowan.
“College football is different from when I left,” McGowan said. “It’s a lot more variables. It’s a lot more influence. It’s a lot more media. It’s a lot more money involved. Everyone has their own perspective, both from the inside looking out to the outside looking in. (I was) just trying to make the best decision for me and my family and weigh all of my options. This game is short but sweet, and there’s a lot that comes with it.”
McGowan had pondered the portal throughout December. He posted game film to his X account, a common move for players wishing to transfer, four days before entering the portal on Dec. 24. However, his “genuine” conversations with Sanchez and Cobb slowly pulled him back to the Aggies.
McGowan started to think about the relationships he had at NM State. and how they’ve helped him mature. He had interest from “a team that played for the national title” according to Sanchez, suggesting that one of Ohio State or Notre Dame tried to recruit him (McGowan declined to confirm or deny this). But playing at a big-name school — and the NIL money that would come with it — wasn’t his main priority.
It was being around people he could trust.
“That was something I was looking for. That was something I was always big on,” McGowan said. “I didn’t enter college with the whole NIL thing. I’m not a materialistic guy as it is… I just want honesty. That was something that was always important to me, but I realized how significant that was to me after those conversations with Sanchez and Cobb.”
McGowan is now adjusting to the Aggies’ many new faces, including new transfer running backs like Dominic Richardson from Baylor and Dijon Stanley from Utah. He’s also adapting to new offensive coordinator David Yost, whose offense reminds him of USC coach Lincoln Riley, who coached him at OU.
“I think Yost is what we needed,” McGowan said. “I think Yost is a very dynamic offensive coordinator, and he reminds me a lot of Coach Riley a little bit in his ability to create space on the field. He really has a keen understanding of using the guys and what they need to be used for.”
McGowan will try to help the Aggies improve from last season’s 3-9 campaign. But even if NM State doesn’t get better, McGowan knows he’ll leave Las Cruces a better person than when he arrived.
That’s why he wanted to stay.
“That’s something you can’t get from any dollar amount. That’s genuinely something that I genuinely experienced (after talking to Sanchez and Cobb),” McGowan said. “I was like, ‘This is what’s important. This is what I need to succeed.'”
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