++NM State ++

– New Mexico State Director of Athletics announced Friday that Aggie head football coachhas agreed to a new four-year contract."What, his staff and our players accomplished last year has not been seen in a generation," Moccia said. "The program he inherited has undergone a significant transformation. Academically, socially and competitively he has made vast strides in all three areas. This past season, the amount of national attention on the football program, our athletic department and our University was unparalleled. As we head into independent status, it was critical we secure Doug's services for the long term.""My family and I are excited about continuing to build a quality football program at New Mexico State," Martin said. "This gives our program great stability. The support we have received fromand especially Chancellor Arvizu is greatly appreciated. The Chancellor has made Vicki and I feel that we are really appreciated and that he is looking for football to have an important role for the University and its growth."The new contract will keep Martin in Las Cruces through the 2021 season and replaces the three-year contract extension that was signed back in September of last season."Being fiscally responsible is a must at NM State Athletics and 100% of the funds towards the new contract were made available through our recent debt extension," commented Moccia.Martin's new contract comes at the heels of him leading New Mexico State football to its first bowl game in 57 years. He then led the Aggies to the 2017 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl title with a 26-20 overtime win over Utah State, who they last faced in 1960 at the Sun Bowl. Aggie Nation came out in full force at Arizona Stadium to the tune of 25,000-plus fans.The 2017 season was a banner year for NM State football, sweeping both rivals for the first time since the 2002 and was also the last time the Aggies had a winning-record (7-5). It was also the first season NM State had beaten UNM on the road and UTEP at home since 1976.NM State was 1-of-10 teams out of the 130 programs playing in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) that played less than six games at home in 2017. Of those 10, just NM State, Navy, ULM and UTEP also had a schedule with zero Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponents. Despite the tough schedule in 2017, New Mexico State joins just Navy as the only team with those hurdles to overcome and played in a bowl game.At season's end, 11 players were named to the All-Sun Belt team while eight players earned the Phil Steele All-SBC honors. The Aggie defense continued to shine, shattering the previous record with 43 sacks as a team in 2017 while its 3.31 sacks per game was second-best in the nation amongst FBS teams. On the other side of the ball,andsolidified their names into Aggie football history and finished their careers with several top-5 performances.Meanwhile, star wide receiverwas selected in the fourth round, 132nd overall, of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. He became the first Aggie chosen in the draft since the Jacksonville Jaguars took Jeremy Harris in the seventh round in 2013. The wide out is also the highest Aggie taken in the draft since Davon House was selected in the fourth round, pick 131, by the Green Bay Packers in 2011.Martin will lead New Mexico State into the 2018 season as an Independent. The Aggies are 1-of-4 teams that'll kick off the 2018 season on zero week when they play host to Wyoming on Saturday, Aug. 25.