Know the Foe: UTEP Miners

  • LOCATION: El Paso, Texas (population 442,241)
  • CONFERENCE: Conference USA
  • 2023 RECORD: 3-9, 2-6 in CUSA
  • 2024 PREDICTION: 9th
  • HEAD COACH: Scotty Walden, 1st season
    • East Texas Baptist, 2016 (7-3)
    • Southern Mississippi, 2020 interim coach (1-3)
    • Austin Peay, 2021-23 (26-14)
    • UTEP, 2024-present
  • STADIUM: Sun Bowl (opened 1963, capacity 46,670)

2023 RESULTS

  • L, 14-17 @ Jacksonville State
  • W, 28-14 vs Incarnate Word (FCS)
  • L, 7-38 @ Northwestern
  • L, 10-31 @ Arizona
  • L, 28-45 vs UNLV
  • L, 10-24 vs Louisiana Tech
  • W, 27-14 @ Florida International 
  • L, 7-28 vs New Mexico State
  • W, 37-34 @ Sam Houston
  • L, 13-21 vs Western Kentucky
  • L, 30-34 @ Middle Tennessee
  • L, 28-42 vs Liberty

2024 SCHEDULE

  • Aug. 31 @ Nebraska
  • Sept. 7 vs Southern Utah (FCS)
  • Sept. 14 @ Liberty
  • Sept. 21 @ Colorado State
  • Oct. 3 vs Sam Houston
  • Oct. 10 @ Western Kentucky
  • Oct. 16 vs Florida International
  • Oct. 22 @ Louisiana Tech
  • Nov. 2 vs Middle Tennessee
  • Nov. 9 vs Kennesaw State
  • Nov. 23 @ Tennessee
  • Nov. 30 @ New Mexico State

Bold indicates CUSA game.

Key CUSA game: Middle Tennessee (Nov. 2nd)

Middle Tennessee is another rebuilding program in CUSA under first-year head coach Derek Mason. Beating the Blue Raiders at home would be a nice proof-of-concept victory for the youthful Miners.

Key non-conference game: Southern Utah (Sept. 7th)

An FCS home opener might be a gimme, but every win counts for programs like UTEP, and they’ll be wanting to start the Scotty Walden era strongly. He’s already done a solid job of engaging the El Paso community with Miner football, so fingers are crossed that the Sun Bowl can have a decent turnout.

Only 34, Scotty Walden relocated to El Paso to tackle the UTEP rebuilding project, taking the majority of his staff with him from FCS program Austin Peay. The Governors went 9-3 in 2023 and reached the FCS playoffs for just the second time in school history.

2024 Recruiting Class – High School

  1. Jaylin Jones, DE/Edge (West Brook HS – Beaumont, Texas)
  2. Ashton Coker, DT (James E. Taylor HS – Katy, Texas)
  3. Elijah Baldwin, DE (John Jay HS – San Antonio, Texas)
  4. Martavious Collins, TE (South Pittsburg HS – Tennessee)
  5. Ekow Taylor, DE/Edge (Fossil Ridge HS – Keller, Texas)
  6. Stratton Shufelt, LB (Cleveland HS – Rio Rancho, New Mexico)
  7. Kyran Duhon, DE (Summer Creek HS – Humble, Texas)
  8. Wondame Davis Jr., WR (Ennis HS – Texas)
  9. Shay Smith, QB (Franklin HS – El Paso, Texas)
  10. Trace Meadows, LB (A&M Consolidated – College Station, Texas)
  11. Brandon Jones, LB (South Oak Cliff HS – Dallas, Texas)
  12. Allan McCarter, OG (Manvel HS – Texas)
  13. Luka Matamoros, OT (Hendrickson HS – Pflugerville, Texas)
  14. Kameron Herring, CB (Collierville HS – Tennessee)
  15. Rafeald Campbell, WR (Bowie HS – Arlington, Texas)
  16. Justin Content, CB (Mill Creek HS – Hoschton, Georgia)
  17. J.P. Pickles, QB (North Florida Christian – Tallahassee, Florida)
  18. Jake Riggs, OG (Oakland HS – Murfreesboro, Tennessee)
  19. Ashten Emory, RB (Rockwall HS – Texas)
  20. Josh Schuchts, TE (North Florida Christian – Tallahassee, Florida)
  21. Craig Wydra, OG (Andress HS – El Paso, Texas)
  22. Marcus Torres, WR (Pebble Hills HS – El Paso, Texas)
  23. Aiden Webb, K (Woodrow Wilson HS – Dallas, Texas)

2024 Recruiting Class – Transfer Portal

  1. Skyler Locklear, QB (Austin Peay/Clayton, North Carolina)
  2. Dillion Williams, S (North Texas/Nacogdoches, Texas)
  3. Quinzavious Warren, DT (Jacksonville State/Canton, Mississippi)1
  4. Xavier Smith, S (Austin Peay/Atlanta, Georgia)2
  5. Yessman Green, CB (Jacksonville State/Mobile, Alabama)
  6. Devin Goree, DE (Missouri State/Denton, Texas)
  7. Jaylon Shelton, CB (Texas State/New London, Texas)3
  8. Calvin Hill, RB (Texas State/Baytown, Texas)
  9. Dylan Brown-Turner, LB (Florida State/Dallas, Texas)
  10. Jevon Jackson, RB (Austin Peay/Decatur, Alabama)
  11. Dorian Hopkins, LB (Tulsa/Memphis, Tennessee)
  12. Kory Chapman, S/Spur (Austin Peay/Hoover, Alabama)
  13. Isaiah Wright, OT (Austin Peay/Columbia, South Carolina)4
  14. Ashton Nickelberry, WR (Austin Peay/Brandon, Mississippi)5
  15. Marquez Taylor, RB (Austin Peay/McKenzie, Tennessee)
  16. Brennan Smith, OT (Austin Peay/Pensacola, Florida)
  17. Kenny Odom, WR (Austin Peay/Savannah, Georgia)
  18. Tray Dunson, LB (Gardner-Webb/Franklin, Georgia)
  19. Kam Thomas, S/Miner-Back (Austin Peay/Birmingham, Alabama)
  20. Trey Goodman, WR (Austin Peay/Norcross, Georgia)
  21. Jaden Smith, WR (Eastern Kentucky/Atlanta, Georgia)
  22. Corey Wren, RB (TCU/New Orleans, Louisiana6
  23. Deco Wilson, S (Florida A&M/Talladega, Alabama)7
  24. Dorian Jones, LB (Cincinnati/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida)8
  25. Landon Hullaby, S (Texas Tech/Mansfield, Texas)
  26. Hunter Rapolla, DE (New Mexico/Temecula, California)9
  27. Adam Jacklin, P (North Texas/Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
  28. Jalen Rayam, LB (Middle Tennessee/Alabaster, Alabama)10
  29. R.J. Whitehead, OT (Tulane/Horn Lake, Mississippi)11
  30. C.K. Carter, OT (Georgia Southern/Atlanta, Georgia)12

1also played at Northwest Mississippi CC

2also played at Colorado

3also played at West Virginia & Tyler JC

4also played at Dodge City CC

5also redshirted at Jones College

6also played at Florida State

7also played at Jacksonville State

8also played at Louisville

9also played at Mt. San Jacinto College

10also played at UAB

11also played at Northeast Mississippi CC

12also played at Garden City CC

2024 Recruiting Class – Junior College Transfers 

  1. Isaac Hawkins, OT (Snow College/Draper, Utah)
  2. Michael Ray, S (Tyler J.C./Crosby, Texas)1
  3. Ja’Corey Hammett, LB (Garden City C.C./Miami, Florida)2

1also played at Trinity Valley CC

2originally signed with West Virginia

Assistant Coaches

  • Jake Brown, offensive coodinator/wide receivers
    • 1st year at UTEP
    • Was most recently co-OC/WRs coach at Louisiana Tech under head coach Sonny Cumbie (2022-23), but did not call the plays
    • Previously spent time in various off-field roles at TCU (2014-16; 2018), Baylor (2020) and Texas Tech (2021)
    • Spent a year at FCS Stephen F. Austin (2017) and was OC at Division II West Texas A&M in 2019 
  • Ryan Stanchek, co-offensive coordinator/offensive line
    • 1st year at UTEP
    • Held the same title at Austin Peay in 2022 under Scotty Walden
    • Spent the 2023 season coaching the O-line at Tulsa for coach Kevin Wilson
    • Also worked with Walden at Southern Mississippi from 2019-20
    • Spent five years at Alcorn State (2014-18) and spent the 2021 season at Florida A&M, both FCS programs
  • J.J. Clark, defensive coordinator/linebackers
    • 1st year at UTEP
    • Spent the past two seasons at Austin Peay with Walden, including the 2023 campaign as DC
    • Coached at Division III Wheaton (his alma mater) for four seasons (2015-18) and then spent the next three seasons at NAIA Indiana Wesleyan
    • Served as a grad assistant at Akron from 2013-14
  • Kelvin Sigler, co-defensive coordinator/safeties
    • 1st year at UTEP
    • Was most recently the associate HC, defensive coordinator & safeties coach at Jacksonville State as they transitioned from the FCS to the FBS under head coach Rich Rodriguez
    • Also coached corners at Northern Illinois (2013-15) and South Alabama (2016-17)
    • University of Alabama graduate (class of 1998)
  • Joe Pappalardo, Miner-Backs/special teams coordinator
    • 1st year at UTEP
    • Previously served as a similar role (“Gov-Backs”/special teams) at Austin Peay with Walden the past three seasons
    • Also held titles like offensive recruiting coordinator and defensive analyst at Austin Peay
    • Worked with Walden at Southern Miss from 2019-20
  • Seth McDonald, Bandits/co-special teams coordinator/defensive recruiting coordinator
    • 1st year at UTEP
    • Served in the same title at Austin Peay under Walden in 2023
    • Previously worked as a GA at South Alabama (2021-22) 
  • Jajuan Dulaney, tight ends/offensive recruiting coordinator
    • 1st year at UTEP
    • Coached TEs under Walden at Austin Peay in 2023
    • Got his first on-field job as an assistant O-line coach at the University of Houston in 2022
    • Previously worked in off-field roles at Texas, Texas Tech and Houston
    • Georgia native who graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park (class of 2017)
  • Aaron Foster, cornerbacks/pass game coordinator
    • 1st year at UTEP
    • Served in the same role for Walden at Austin Peay in 2023
    • Previously spent three seasons as the co-DC & defensive backs coach at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne
    • Played for head coach Dave Clawson at Bowling Green (class of 2014) and later worked with him at Wake Forest (2015-17)
  • Chris Jones, defensive line/run game coordinator
    • 1st year at UTEP
    • Served as Co-DC & defensive line coach for Walden at Austin Peay (2012-23)
    • Spent a year in the same title at Division II Texas A&M-Kingsville
    • Spent nine seasons coaching the D-line at Division III Hardin-Simmons, his alma mater 
    • Began his coaching career as a GA at Sam Houston
  • Jourdan McNeil, running backs
    • 1st year at UTEP
    • Previously held the same title for Walden at Austin Peay, adding run game coordinator duties in 2023
    • Dallas native who played at Division II East Texas Baptist 

THREE KEY PLAYERS

  1. DE Maurice Westmoreland (Senior)

Westmoreland is one of the few returnees from UTEP’s D-line, collecting 10.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks for the Miners in 2023.

  1. RB Jevon Jackson (Redshirt Junior)

Jackson is one of 11 Austin Peay transfers following the staff to UTEP this offseason. Although he’s only 5’8″, Jackson rushed for 1,373 yards and 10 TDs for the Governors in 2023 and hadn’t missed a beat once he got to El Paso in the spring. He posted six 100-plus yard rushing performances last year, with a career-high 197 against Stephen F. Austin.

  1. CB A.J. Odums (Senior)

Odums transferred in from New Mexico and broke up eight passes for UTEP last fall. He’ll look to provide leadership in a crowded secondary rotation.

Star tailback Jevon Jackson was one of 11 Austin Peay transfers to follow the coaching staff to UTEP in the offseason. Jackson, an Alabama native, rushed for 1,373 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Governors in ’23.

THREE KEY LOSSES

  1. DE Praise Amaewhule (graduated)

He faced lots of double-teams, but Amaewhule was still disruptive, posting 33 tackles, six TFLs, five sacks, 11 QB hurries and two forced fumbles.

  1. LB Tyrice Knight (fourth-round pick, Seattle Seahawks)

Knight was easily UTEP’s leading tackler with 140 (second-leading stopper James Neal had only 81, by comparison).

  1. WR Kelly Akharaiyi (transferred to Mississippi State)

Akharaiyi transferred to Starkville during the offseason after a year at UTEP that saw him lead the team in receiving, snagging 49 catches for 1,033 yards and seven touchdowns.

THREE KEY ADDITIONS

  1. WR Trey Goodman (Senior)

Out of all the Austin Peay transfers who moved to El Paso in the offseason, Goodman might be one of the most impressive. Despite his below-average size (5’11”, 175), Goodman caught 66 passes in two seasons with the Governors, showing big-play capability and snagging 11 career TDs.

  1. QB Skyler Locklear (Redshirt Sophomore)

Another Austin Peay transfer who enrolled at UTEP in the spring, Locklear has only seven career passes on his college résumé, but he won a North Carolina Class 3A state championship in high school. In the spring, he looked to be beating out Cade McConnell, who started nine games last year.

  1. OT Isaac Hawkins (Sophomore)

Hawkins offers impressive size and raw materials to work with as a JUCO product out of Utah’s Snow College. At 6’7″, 275, he’ll need to fill out physically, but he should develop nicely if he can stay healthy and adjust to the demands of FBS football. 

2024 Preview – Offense

After a mass exodus via the transfer portal, the Miners are starting from scratch. Nine players transferred after a bitterly disappointing 3-9 record that got veteran head coach Dana Dimel fired. New head coach Scotty Walden comes from FCS Austin Peay and brings a blazing fast, pass-heavy offense with him.

Quarterback Cade McConnell was thrust into action early in 2023, starting seven games after Gavin Hardison went down with a season-ending shoulder injury, but he’ll face a noteworthy challenge from Skyler Locklear, one of 11 Austin Peay transfers arriving in El Paso this spring. 

McConnell completed 53 percent of his passes last fall for 1,437 yards, six TDs and four interceptions. Locklear, meanwhile, has only seven career passes on his résumé, but he won a North Carolina Class 3A state championship in high school.

“I definitely have some comfortability because I’ve been in it for a couple of years, but I think what we were brought here to do is help the 70 others that don’t know it. Help them learn it, so it’s not just the coaches,” Locklear told KROD sports radio. “So people that have been in it and played in it can help the other players around us.”

“I’ll get to evaluate them better when they’re playing more free. It’s hard to evaluate these first few practices because it’s all so new,” Walden said at the start of his first spring in the Borderlands. “But once we get past it, I think we’ll start to see some guys separate and we’ll divvy out the reps based on who’s separating.”

As of press time, it appeared that Locklear had a slight edge, although McConnell tossed three touchdowns in the spring game.

Three more ex-Governor players are expected to contribute at receiver (Kenny Odom, Ashton Nickelberry and Trey Goodman), plus Eastern Kentucky transfer Jaden Smith. A few holdovers from the previous regime remain, including Javoni Gardere and Emari White, but none produced consistently last season, with White having the most catches (eight for 132 yards).

“People are coming out here pre-practice and they’ve got more of a mentality to attack,” said Goodman. “The more confident you are, the faster you move.”

At tight end, Marcus Vinson returns after originally entering the portal, but it’s a similar story with him; he had only three catches last season. True freshman Martavious Collins, a former verbal commitment to Auburn, could contribute early here.

The Miners’ top three rushers hit the portal, so it’s a great opportunity for Austin Peay transfers Jevon Jackson and Marquez Taylor. Jackson is only 5’9″, but he rushed for over 1,300 yards for the Governors last year, while Taylor redshirted. The only other backs on the roster in the spring were junior Daryon Triche and redshirt freshman Ezell Jolly. Early indications showed that Jackson was making a strong claim for the starting spot. Former TCU recruit Corey Wren was a late addition in the spring portal window—he barely played for the Horned Frogs, but was a four-star recruit out of New Orleans and boasts track star speed.

More problematic could be the line, which lost numerous veterans to graduation or the portal. Austin Peay transfers Isaiah Wright and Brennan Smith will serve as experienced bookends at tackle. Otis Pitts III (345 pounds) has some experience at guard and withdrew from the portal after the new staff arrived. The rest of the personnel is a big question mark, as is the depth, but several players have raw, intriguing upside, such as redshirt freshman Tyrone McDuffie III and 6’7″ JUCO transfer Isaac Hawkins.

UTEP defensive end Maurice Westmoreland is one of only a few returning starters that the new staff inherited. The Houston native had 10.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks last fall and didn’t seem to miss a beat in spring practice, despite learning a new scheme

2024 Preview – Defense

The Miners had one of the nation’s worst run defenses in 2023 despite loads of experience in the front seven. Co-coordinators J.J. Clark and Kelvin Sigler bring a new scheme that emphasizes quick, aggressive play. 

There’s little returning experience on the D-line, but senior Mo Westmoreland is a keeper (10.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks) who will move into the hybrid Bandit position, while former reserves like Sione Tonga’uiha, Chase Bibler and K.D. Johnson and will have a chance to stake claims for starting spots in a two-deep that will certainly have a lot of moving parts. Missouri State grad transfer Devin Goree was a late addition at end, while Bryton Thompson is also back after making 3.5 sacks in 2022 and then redshirting last fall.

Linebacker is a mix of inexperienced backups and experienced transfers (former Tulsa starter Dorian Hopkins, Gardner-Webb transfer Tray Dunson, etc). UTEP will miss the ultra-productive duo of Tyrice Knight and James Neal; Knight is off to the NFL, while Neal transferred to Texas State.

The leading returnee here is Jake Hall (only six tackles last season), although coaches were encouraged by the performance of junior Nate Dyman, a spring standout. In the recruiting class, UTEP’s new staff also brought in JUCO transfer Ja’Corey Hammett and two three-star freshmen (B.J. Jones and Trace Meadows, who flipped their commitments from Louisiana-Monroe and Utah Tech, respectively).

Senior Oscar Moore returns at safety after leading UTEP with two interceptions, but he’ll be fighting for playing time alongside junior Davis Burns, JUCO transfer Michael Ray and Austin Peay transfer Xavier Smith. Smith was an FCS Freshman All-American after posting 75 tackles with the Governors last season, although he’s historically had bad injury luck.

UTEP’s strength on defense might be at corner, where they return senior A.J. Odums (36 tackles, eight pass breakups) and sophomore Amier Boyd-Matthews (11 tackles, three pass breakups). Beyond them, Jacksonville State transfer Yessman Green and Texas State transfer Jaylon Shelton are both 6’2″ with excellent coverage skills.

A new position on defense will be the Spur, similar to a nickelback. Former safety Josiah Allen (43 career tackles, five pass breakups) is entering his third season on campus, and he’ll be joined by Austin Peay transfer Kory Chapman, North Texas transfer Dillion Williams and little-used backup Jayce Hunter.

2024 Preview – Special Teams

UTEP traded one Aussie punter for another; Josh Sloan grad transferred to Memphis, which prompted the new staff to sign Adam Jacklin, a redshirt freshman from Melbourne who spent last fall at North Texas.

Sophomore Buzz Flabiano was OK in his first year as a starter, going 9-for-10 from inside 40 yards, but just 1-of-4 beyond. He’ll likely handle the kickoffs again as well.

The Sun Bowl has been home to UTEP football since it opened in 1963. After averaging only about 18,000 fans per game in 2023, Walden is planning to flip that number and pack the stadium as his coaching staff enters year one in 2024.

Summary

Only 34 years old, Walden completed a remarkable turnaround job at FCS Austin Peay the last few years, taking the majority of his staff and several of his players with him to El Paso after Dimel was dismissed in December. Walden is emphasizing a high-energy culture and has spoken extensively about how UTEP has potential as a sleeping giant in football. 

To that end, he’s appointed a specific director of Texas high school recruiting and is going out of his way to build relationships locally, earning respect from the fanbase and landing a surprising number of three-star recruits for a program coming off a 3-9 season. There’s also been discussions around building a robust NIL program for UTEP football—which was apparently key for athletic director Jim Senter in the hiring process—and over 20 football alums were honored at the spring game, including Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones.

With so many transfers coming and going, the Miners are almost guaranteed to see growing pains, but they can be competitive in Year One of the Walden regime with a fast-paced offense and an opportunistic defense.

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