Right Strategy forFootbal Recruiting? 4

Player Spotlight: Jalen Ragland 6

Carr: “I expect big things, great things.” 8

Recruiting Update 10

The Final Word 14

MINERILLUSTRATED

VOL 1 ISSUE 16 JUNE 8, 2011

MINERILLUSTRATED

MINERILLUSTRATED

VOL I ISSUE 16 JUNE 8, 2011

I found this issue’s letter from the editor extremely difficult to write. For the first time since I’ve joined MI, my letter was the last item written for the magazine.

I, like the year’s sports, have gone into “summer mode.” That lull between seasons when all any athlete, coach or fan is thinking of is next year’s season and how it will be different, maybe better. And though next season is just over the horizon, right now it seems ages away.

But despite how it may feel, the 2011 season isn’t really all that far off. Coaches and athletes at UTEP are taking advantage of the summer months to prepare. New comers are settling in and proving that they have what it takes to be a star, whether it’s on the field or on the court, while the upperclassmen are stepping into the limelight in hopes of leading UTEP to numerous victories this year.

This week, the MI writers delved into these very topics. UTEP66 spotlights one of the football team’s leaders, Russell Carr, and explains how Carr is already leading this year’s squad. Gus profiles a new comer to the court, Jalen Ragland, and explains what Ragland will be bringing to this year’s men’s basketball team. Additionally, Angel breaks down some possible future football and basketball recruits by presenting what each could bring to the UTEP in the future.

Furthermore, UTEP66 presents his solution for the recruiting “issue” UTEP faces every year. While Josh wraps up the issue by explaining to the Miner fans that the 2011 season may not be all everyone is hoping for. And as always, there are plenty of captivating photos by Jeff.

We at MI thank our faithful readers for their continued support of MI and UTEP.

I hope that while you enjoy all that summer brings, you don’t let “summer mode” take over for too long; next season will be here in no time.

Rebecca Frazier Burch

a publication of Shamrock Media LLC

CHRIS AVILAPRESIDENT

REBECCA FRAZIER BURCHEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

JEFF TAYLORCHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

GUS CONTRERASANGEL LUNA

ALEX MORALESJOSH PUGA“UTEP66”

STAFF WRITERS

DANNY LEVARIODIRECTOR OF BUSINESS

OPERATIONS

SUZETTE THOMPSONMAGAZINE DESIGN

Letters to the editor, general feedback and advertising

inquiries:show@minerillustrated.com

Cover photo: Senior Russel Carr is all business when he

steps on to the field at the Sun Bowl. As he prepares

for the 2011 season, he is all business when it comes to having a winning season.

Image: Chris Avila.

From The EDITOR

M I N E R I L L U S T R A T E D . C O M

DOES FOOTBALL HAVE THE RIGHT RECRUITING STRATEGY IN PLACE?

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to-back winning teams and bowl appearances in the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Impressive, but what we really should be looking at is how UTEP football recruiting has progressed under Price’s tenure. Over the last five years, the Miners have Rival’s 9th and Scout’s 11th ranked classes in C-USA. I hear the chorus chiming; rankings don’t mean anything! Maybe that is so, but the results tell a different story. The top four ranked recruiting programs averaged 6.7 wins, while the bottom four 4.3. This clearly indicates a correlation between the recruiting class and the field performance. So maybe, just maybe, rankings do mean something. In recruiting, Coach Price has gone primarily the high school route until this year. UTEP’s 2011 class was ranked 12th and featured eight JC’s. Without a doubt, there is a need for immediate help, but better planning could have helped UTEP avoid this issue. JC’s are a high risk strategy for the long term prospects of Miner football. Strategically, this is a huge gamble, unless it translates to immediate success. A losing record, as most experts expect, would hasten Price’s retirement. But whether it’s Price or a new coach, they will go into 2012 with eight senior JC players, down six starters on defense, holding C-USA’s 12th ranked recruiting class from 2011 and short four scholarships. In addition, UTEP has already committed two or more of the 2012 scholarships to gray shirts. Considering all these potentially negative factors, why then did UTEP go the JC route? Interestingly enough, the answer lies in what can happen to a program

with a less than stellar recruiting year. The Miners’ 2007 class was Rival’s 2nd ranked C-USA class and Scout’s 7th ranked class. The Miners signed 23 players, including six JC transfers of which four had three-star rankings. At first glance, this looks like a great class. But let’s take a closer look. Of the 23 players, excluding the six JC transfers, there was a potential 17 fifth year players for the 2011 season. Unfortunately, the Miners have only eight fifth year seniors slated to hit the field this August. The JC signees were all recruited to play defense. And although they contributed, they weren’t the “pot of gold” the defense needed from 2007 to 2009. Long term, the program may have been better served signing high school freshmen, redshirting them their first year and having them available for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. The net result was 29 scholarships offered with only eight fifth year seniors available this year. This, coupled with questionable planning, resulted in the staff scrambling for JC players to fill critical needs. One can’t help but wonder; do the Miners currently have a solid recruiting program? I think the answer is clear.The rankings and record speak for themselves. Granted, the Miners’ budget is limited, but it is also proportionally higher than it was prior to Price’s arrival. So how does UTEP improve this? It starts with a strategic recruiting plan. For example, UTEP had five offensive line starters and one key senior reserve in 2010. Yet, if you included the three redshirt freshmen, the Miners had ten players on scholarship during spring drills. Four more offensive linemen will join the team in August and another JC lineman

UTEP66

Virtually, every football coach will tell you that recruiting is the lifeline of any sports program. Needless to say, without a solid recruiting plan, established relationships with high school coaches and the ability to sell your program, your chances of success are greatly diminished. Not surprisingly, the schools who consistently win the recruiting battles have winning records year after year. I don’t know of any BCS or quality mid-major program that doesn’t place a premium on recruiting. “If you can’t recruit, you can’t coach for me,” said UA football coach Nick Saban. Perhaps a little pointed, but clearly this underscores the importance successful coaches place on recruiting.So let’s take a look at the Miners and their football recruiting. Risking the wrath of the Miner faithful, I have to say that former Head Coach Gary Nord was a good recruiter within the state, landing solid classes each year. Granted, Nord won a WAC title with previous Head Coach Charlie Bailey’s players, but Nord did recruit many of the top players on that squad. And in spite of his losing record in the subsequent years, Nord managed to recruit some top talent to El Paso. Nord’s philosophy was to recruit high school kids, redshirt them their freshman year and in turn have fourth year juniors and fifth year seniors anchor the program. His coaching ability shouldn’t negatively reflect on his recruiting......Nord could recruit. This was evident when Head Coach Mike Price arrived in El Paso; Price benefited from a ton of fifth year seniors and fourth year juniors. He used that talent to produce back-

M I N E R I L L U S T R A T E D . C O M 5

committed late this spring. It wasn’t a secret that UTEP had a junior laden offensive line in 2009 with five senior starters in 2010. Therefore, shouldn’t have offensive linemen been a priority in 2010 and 2011? A reasonable recruiting strategy would have addressed this in the 2010 and the 2011 classes. This fall, when two linebackers arrive on campus, the Miners will have thirteen linebackers on scholarship. Great linebacker depth, but somehow, the offensive line was overlooked resulting in four freshmen, two redshirts and three JC’s vying for starting positions. Additionally, recruiting hasn’t been a priority when hiring assistant coaches. Other than coach Bob Connelly and to a lesser degree coach Allen Johnson, UTEP doesn’t have assistants who entered the program with strong recruiting ties in Texas. Connelly, an excellent recruiter, has excellent contacts within the state. High school coaches are the lifeline of recruiting. Several staff members have been here since 2004. They should have established ties with coaches and developed a couple of pipelines. Thus far, there is little in the way of a consistent Texas pipeline. In the past, the Miners had a lot of success with players out of the Permian Basin; however, it has largely dried up these past few years. When Price first came to UTEP, the summer camps were a good method to get Miner football to a larger audience. Now with Rice, Houston, and SMU among the many Texas Division I schools running camps, the uniqueness is gone, and yet, the camps remain the Miners prime recruiting tool. Wouldn’t it make sense to supplement the camps or at least review the program’s recruiting strategy? Logic would tell us that with more camps available, the better players have more options of which camps to go to. A school may still get the same number of participants, but the talent level is not the same as it was six years ago. The Miners were fortunate to have Jordan Palmer (a Nord recruit) and

Trevor Vittatoe as their starters for Price’s first six years. But six recruiting classes later, the Miners go into this season with two former walk-ons and Javia Hall as the team’s quarterbacks of the future. The staff landed four good quarterbacks since Price’s arrival, but only Vittatoe played more than a handful of plays and the other three left the program during or prior to their junior year. A key component of any solid recruiting plan is defining the program’s needs and building your recruiting list based on these needs. What should UTEP’s recruiting list consist of? The obvious answer is the best player. But is this really the best answer? The Miners will win few battles going after the four and five star recruits. Texas has a plethora of three and high quality two star recruits, who sign with mid-majors and other C-USA schools. This should be the talent the Miners base their classes on. Far too many of UTEP’s recruits are “sleepers,” “under the radar” and “deep sleepers” with no other Division I offers. Sure, you will hit pay dirt every once in a while, but this is not a roadmap to establishing a consistent winning program. UTEP needs to target solid three star recruits, look for tall offensive linemen, lanky defensive backs with a 4.5 or lower speed, linebackers with good lateral pursuit, smaller backs with sub 4.5 speed and good hands, quick receivers and tall, strong=armed quarterbacks who can develop within the program. The key is getting the best athlete off the recruiting board that can play in UTEP’s offensive and defensive schemes. Though coach Jeff Banks has done a good job coordinating recruiting for Miners in addition to his duties of coaching the backs and punters, two other C-USA schools who are doing well look at recruiting a little differently. These schools have a coach as a recruiting coordinator as well as additional staff that work on recruiting only. SMU has a Director-of-on-Campus Recruiting and a Director

of High School Relations. Houston has a Recruiting Coordinator and a Director of Football Recruiting. Both are teams the Miners go head-to-head with in the recruiting wars. More often than not, the Miners fall short in these battles. Perhaps the extra focus Houston and SMU has helps. In my opinion, Miner fans have two recruiting standards: one for football and one for basketball. When UTEP misses out on football recruits or a class comes in ranked low, we say, “You can’t recruit to El Paso, you know the border and it’s in the middle of nowhere. Rankings don’t mean anything.” Nevertheless, Billy G, Tony B and Tim have found a way to recruit talent to El Paso on a regular basis. The fans expect it and are disappointed whenever we miss out on a high three or low four star hoopster. The important thing to note is, we as fans expect good basketball recruiting, so why not good football recruiting? I don’t have a clear answer for that, but as a dedicated Miner fan, I hope to see recruiting become more of a priority with an increased quantity of quality athletes. Accepting less is an easy out, but insisting for the best is a must!

The MI staff is looking to add a “Reader Response” section to the Miner Illustrated magazine. We want to hear what you have to say about the topics we address in our articles. Whether you agree or disagree with what the MI staff writes, we want to hear your thoughts. As our readers, your opinions matter to us. Your continued support of MI and UTEP athletics are what makes our magazine a success.

So send us your thoughts, opinions, or questions to show@minerillustrated.com, and we will post them in the following issue. If your letter is published, we’ll make it worth your while and send you a little something. Get writing Miner Maniacs!

M I N E R I L L U S T R A T E D . C O M

MBB PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: FRESHMAN JALEN RAGLAND

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Ragland looks back on his high school career and is proud of his achievements. “It didn’t end the way I wanted to with the state championship, but all in all, it [my high school career] finished good,” said Ragland. “I finished second in my school’s history of most points in one season.” It’s been revealed that some good programs, including VCU who made it to the final four of the NCAA Tournament, recruited Ragland. The talented shooter had a difficult decision in choosing which school to attend, but it was what Floyd could offer Ragland that ultimately helped him choose UTEP. “We talked about the opportunity for earlier playing time and my development,” said Ragland. There is no doubt that Ragland will be given a chance to play early on in his career because of his size and ability to shoot the ball. The Miners will rely on his jump shot accuracy and his ability to make space and find an open shot. UTEP lost its leaders in terms of shooting the ball so there is definite need for somebody to step up and fill the void. Furthermore, with this new class of recruits, Coach Floyd will have

more flexibility in the way he develops his players. The team will be young and raw, but this will enable them to get playing time and much needed experience. There have been a couple of breakout mid-major teams over the past few seasons, like Butler and VCU, and this is largely due to the fact that those players were able to play together for a couple of years. “We want to come and play hard,” said Ragland of himself and his new teammates. “We want to put UTEP on the map and do the best we can.” UTEP has been a program rich in tradition and has had some great players play in old Memorial Gym and now in the Don Haskins Center. The incoming players have been told that when the Don gets rocking, it’s an intimidating place to play in but the city gets behind any team especially if they perform well. “I wanted to come to a place that had good tradition, and I know the city of El Paso really loves the basketball team so that really helped,” said Ragland. In the end, this mindset is what will make Ragland an exciting prospect and someone to keep an eye on in the coming years.

GUS CONTRERAS

With the UTEP men’s basketball team losing eight seniors, it was important that Head Coach Tim Floyd went out and found for some new talent. This search took Coach Floyd to Chillicothe, Ohio, where 6-foot 6-inch forward Jalen Ragland played high school basketball. With the rebuilding process underway for the Miners, it is clear that Coach Floyd is looking for players that have mid-height and can shoot the ball well. Floyd is all about playing defensive ball and Ragland has the ability to cover a lot of ground with his long arm span. Coach Floyd’s experience is what brought Ragland to UTEP, where he is looking forward to being coached by Floyd. “Coach Floyd was the main thing,” said Ragland about his decision. “I have a dream, and I believe Coach Floyd is the one who can help me achieve it.” Ragland was a standout player at Chillicothe High School, where he finished second in all-time season scoring record. His high school team made it all the way to the state playoffs, where they eventually lost to John Glenn 57-45. Despite not winning that game,

under the RADARThe 6-foot 5-inch, 165 pound forward comes to UTEP with raw, natural ability and a leadership quality that helped his high school team win a state championship in Ohio. His ability to shoot the ball from around the court will be a needed addition to the Miner offensive attack. It should come as no surprise that when Ragland gets to the rim, he can dunk the ball like no other (feel free to Google his name and watch any of the YouTube dunk videos as there are several). Surprisingly, Ragland was not heavily recruited and was not noticed early on by many schools. Coach Tim Floyd and his staff were able to develop a solid relationship during the recruiting process and Ragland became Floyd’s first verbal commit in Floyd’s first year as the UTEP head coach.

Ragland is a highly athletic player that can play the 2 or 3 spot. Ragland’s shooting ability will help the Miners spread the floor and allow his fellow guards room to get to the rim. As we all know, every player in the Tim Floyd system needs to improve defensively and Ragland is no different as he needs to get stronger to help the Miners on the boards and defensively. Still, Ragland has a lot of upside and stands a chance to see the court early.

Jalen Ragland was welcomed to El Paso along with the first precipitation the area saw in months, but a little rain didn’t stop Ragland from getting to the gym to play basketball and get to know his team-mates. Chris Avila

Senior receiver Russel Carr is determined and focused on the upcoming 2011 sea-son. He is doing everything in his power to ensure he and the Miners have a suc-cessful season. Chris Avila

M I N E R I L L U S T R A T E D . C O M

CARR LOOKING TO LEAD MINER RECEIVING UNIT 8

All Mount-Baldy safety after picking off seven passes and racking up over 90 tackles. Carr’s athleticism carried over to the basketball court and into the track and field arena, where he lettered four times. It was this exceptional display of athleticism that led the Miners to recruit Carr back in 2007. Over the past three years, the Miners have had a deep receiving corps, making it difficult for any one receiver to break into a full time starting role. But this hasn’t stopped Carr from playing well. Carr has

amassed 20 receptions totaling for 187 yards over the past three seasons. Still, a breakout season for Carr would go a long way towards a successful 2011 Miner campaign. In spite of having a productive spring, Carr still feels there are things he needs to work on in order to reach that elusive breakout season. “I’m doing all I can do. I start the day taking my mom to work, lift weights, run routes with Nick, take yoga classes and do pool work,” Carr said. “I’m working on my speed and working hard on strengthening my legs.”

UTEP66

Coming out of Don Lugo High School in Chino Hills, California, Russell Carr was one of the top recruits in the Miners’ 2007 recruiting class. Super Prep ranked Carr as the 96th best prospect in the state. Prep Star listed Carr as the 28th best receiver in the West after Carr’s 43 receptions for 900 yards and 10 touchdowns. The versatile Carr played free safety as well, totaling 114 tackles. As a junior, Carr was All-CIF Division VII wide receiver with 24 receptions and

M I N E R I L L U S T R A T E D . C O M 9

CARR LOOKING TO LEAD MINER RECEIVING UNIT In preparation for his final season with the Miners, Carr has taken it upon himself to try a few new things; one of them being yoga, “Yoga makes me more explosive, adds flexibility, strengthens my legs and helps with the elasticity,” said Carr. “The pool workouts rejuvenate my legs and help in the preparedness for the next day.” But Carr hasn’t been all work this spring. His mentoring of the young receivers in executing and mastering Head Coach Mike Price’s offense has been equally important to Carr. This spring the staff worked the freshmen wide receivers into the rotation. Overall, the receivers had a good spring, not only because of their own hard work, but because of leaders such as Carr. “I can’t take credit; we have a bunch of team leaders, we’re a family,” Carr said. “We’re working with the receivers on making adjustments, routes and emphasizing the importance of working hard every day. We tell them its fun, but it’s a job, too. You have to work hard.” Carr has noticed a difference in this year’s receiving corps, not only because of the talent they bring to the team, but also because as a senior, he knows what it takes to be successful. “They [the receivers] are good; real good. They have a good work ethic and are working hard. They’re taking advantage of their opportunities and are working hard to learn plays,” said Carr. “Jordan Leslie has a great work ethic and it is paying dividends.” Like any other senior on the team, Carr knows that work ethnic is one thing the coaches look at when considering who will play and who will start. Carr also knows that the freshmen, though young and inexperienced, are still competing for “his” spot. “Definitely, everyone is competing coming into camp,” Carr said. “All spots

are open. It’s going to be a fight.” With nine starters departing, the Miners will be looking for Carr to have a big year. At 6-feet, 2-inches and 200 pounds, Carr has the size, experience and athletic skills the Miners need. Carr has decent speed, but his niche is the underneath routes. Not to say, Carr can’t run the deep routes. Early in the season as the young offensive line develops, the Miners will emphasize ball control and the short passing game. Carr has the experience to get off the line and create separation in the short passing game, which will give his quarterbacks a good option in their short to intermediate passing game. A reliable and dependable option is a must for the Miners to control the clock and time of possession. Whoever is in as quarterback will be looking at Carr to be that dependable receiver the team needs. With the quarterback starting position still undecided, Carr has had to adjust to not one, but four new quarterbacks’ styles. Carr, who spent the last three seasons playing with departed quarterback Trevor Vittatoe, is doing what he can to help the new quarterbacks. “It’s [playing with a new quarterback] difficult at times; a lot of little things. Playing so long with Trevor, we were always on the same page. Timing, positioning, adjustments, ball placement, anticipation and knowing where your quarterback wants you to be,” said Carr. “Nick is a drop back passer, who runs well when pressured. Javia is also a drop back passer, who is very mobile and doesn’t hesitate to scramble.” As a senior, Carr has goals he wants to accomplish before his time with UTEP is up; goals that don’t just have to do with the number of catches he can make this season. “I’m going to do everything possible to make the Miners’ season successful.

I’m hoping for a big year, and I want to lead by example and give 110% throughout the summer, practices and on the field,” Carr said. “My main goal is to win a championship for the Miner fans, El Paso and the University. I want to be undefeated in our house.” Carr also has his academics to concentrate on this season. This past semester, Carr took seven classes to earn his degree in Criminal Justice. This fall he will be a leader on the field and in the classroom as he works on his masters. “I expect big things, great things. We’re going to be all we can be, everybody is working as hard as they can,” said Carr. “The players moving up are working hard, real hard. The players for next year are stepping up and doing well. We need everybody to be successful.” One thing that is clear are Carr’s deep feelings for his teammates and the El Paso fans. It is apparent he has enjoyed playing when the fans have packed the Sun Bowl, and he is hoping for large crowds this year to be the 12th man needed to give added impetus for a winning season. “To the Miner fans, bring your mom, dad, wife, girlfriend, aunts, uncles and cousins.” It is abundantly clear Carr has worked hard on his game this spring and will continue to do so throughout the summer. There is little doubt he is committed to doing everything possible to meet the team goal of a C-USA championship. Whether Carr is talking about this spring, workouts or mentoring, it is always about the team working hard together, which only shows that Carr has already got the role of leader down pretty well. As always, making predictions in football is difficult. Nevertheless, I’m confident this fall Miner fans will hear Jon Teicher’s call, “Carr in the back of end zone ... Touchdown M-i-n-e-r-s!” more than once.

M I N E R I L L U S T R A T E D . C O M

RECRUITING UPDATE: THE LATEST FOOTBALL AND BASTEKBALL ATHLETES

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ANGEL LUNA

Recruiting is a non-stop job and as the month of June continues to progress, the coaches at UTEP will rack up airline miles, watch hours and hours of film, and make calculated phone calls to prospective recruits. It’s a tremendous jigsaw puzzle for coaches as they try to address immediate needs while planning for the future of their program, all while trying to snag the best recruits for their program. The football program often hogs the

DT Anthony Smith 6’1” 291 pounds out of Houston, TX (Westfield HS) Smith has offers from Arizona State, Baylor, Colorado State, TCU, New Mexico, San Diego State, Tulsa, Wake Forest, Wyoming and UTEP. He is rated as a 3-star prospect, and he is rated as the #44 defensive tackle by scout.com. Smith hopes to major in engineering and reports a 3.1 core GPA and an 1120 two-part SAT score.Smith finished his junior season with 67 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and five sacks. He is quick off the ball and a great defender against the run. He shows a good motor and is a solid wrap-up tackler. Smith needs to keep developing his pass rush skills, but he has the ability to create pressure from the interior of the line. Smith was named to the second all-district team last fall. He threw the power ball 49 feet and clocked a 5.01 40-yard dash with a vertical jump of 30.3 inches.

RWR Braelon Roberts 6’5” 170 pounds out of Dallas, TX (Bishop Dunne Catholic HS) Roberts has an offer from UTEP, but he is also getting interest from Lousiana Tech, North Texas, TCU and UT-San Antonio.Roberts is a tall receiver, who runs in the 4.5 range. Along with playing football, Roberts also plays basketball and runs track for his high school. He participates in the 200 (24.25 seconds) and 400 meter events. In football, Roberts finished his junior season with 46 catches for 681 yard and nine touchdowns.

DT Alexander Giddens 6’3” 270 pounds out of DeSoto, TX (DeSoto HS)Giddens belongs to the 2011 class. He has Houston and UTEP as his final two choices. There are not many stats available for Giddens, but he has played with UTEP-signee Brandon Forge.

football

headlines as they have the most spots to fill. As Mike Price embarks on another recruiting season, everyone is excited to see how he will construct Miner football. The men’s basketball team has some great potential to land some big time players as Coach Tim Floyd will finally get a chance to address areas of concern with high-level talent. Over the next couple pages, recruiting specialist Angel Luna takes time to break down some of the student-athletes that have begun to pick up some buzz on the news wires.

continued on page 10

WR Gerald Thomas 5’10” 170 pounds out of The Colony, TX (The Colony HS)Thomas has offers from Arizona St., Boise St., Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, NMSU and UTEP. He is rated as a 3-star prospect by scout.com.Thomas finished his junior year with 71 catches for 1,185 yards and 12 touchdowns. Furthermore, Thomas ran the 400-meter dash in 48.8-seconds this spring. Thomas is quicker than fast and could have some real upside in the return game with the departure of Marlon McClure.

WR Trey Rabon 6’2” 185 pounds out of Dallas, TX (Skyline HS) Rabon has offers from Nebraska, Texas A&M and Kansas State.Rabon finished his junior season with 19 catches for 356 yards and five touchdowns. Rabon has good size, great hands and above average speed. He shows good route running skills in the slot and on the outside. Rabon also knows how to use his skills to win one-on-one match-ups.

CB Robert Felder 5’10” 160 pounds out of Brenham, TX (Brenham HS) Felder currently has offers from Utah and UTEP. Felder ended his junior year with 21 tackles and two interceptions. He can play against most receivers and likes to hit. Felder shows a good burst out of the breaks and has average closing speed. Felder has also participated in 200 meter events and relays.

LB/DE Lincoln Richard 6’3” 215 pounds out of Everman, TX (Everman HS) Richard has offers from Arizona, Houston, North Texas, SMU and UTEP. Richard shows great size and backside pursuit. Richard always plays with a lot of intensity. He works through traffic well and demonstrates very good backside chase and excellent sideline-to- sideline pursuit habits. Richard finished his junior season with 48 tackles (21 solo), four sacks, one interception and one forced fumble. Richard seems to be a better fit at defensive end on D1.

OLB/WR Torey Boozer 6’3” 210 pounds out of Everman, TX (Everman HS) Boozer has offers from Arizona, Houston, North Texas, SMU and UTEP. Boozer finished his junior season with 80 tackles (20 solo), one interception and one blocked punt. He has great size and athleticism. Boozer is a hard hit tackler and is quick to step up and play the inside with good pursuit habits. Boozer also has very good makeup speed and is never out of a play.

QB/RB/DB Jordan Webster 5’9” 180 pounds out of El Cerrito, CA (El Cerrito HS)Webster is a dual-threat quarterback. He does not have great size, but he has good speed. He is a better fit as a running back in D1. As a quarterback, Webster has average arm strength and can hit the receiver down field.UTEP went to visit Webster a few weeks ago and Webster posted the following on his twitter account: “UTEP cool, lightweight too short. But he said if I ball out. That’s going to make up for it.” UTEP has not confirmed if they are looking at Webster as a quarterback or running back.

M I N E R I L L U S T R A T E D . C O M 1 1

OG Niu Sale 6’4” 320 pounds out of Wilmington, CA (Los Angeles Harbor C.C.) Sale has offers from Arizona State, San Diego State, Utah and Washington State. As a freshman, Sale was the All Conference Lineman for L.A. Harbor in 2010. The Miners are showing some late interest, but they haven’t sent Sale an offer as of yet.

WR Otis Seals 6’4” 215 pounds out of Houston, TX (Blinn C.C.) Seals is getting interest from Kansas State and UTEP. Seals was recruited by Houston and TCU out of high school, but he decided to attend junior college. Seals moved from Oakland, California, to Houston, Texas, in the summer of 2008 having never played football. Soon after, he became the starting quarterback at Westfield High School. Seals finished his senior year (09-10) with 103 of 198 passes completed for 1,310 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. As of now, there are no stats for Seals at Blinn C.C.

DE John Gandy 6’1” 260 pounds out of Houston, TX (Blinn C.C.) Gandy is getting interest from UTEP, Washington St., Texas St and North Texas.As of now, there are no stats available for Gandy at Blinn C.C.

M I N E R I L L U S T R A T E D . C O M 1 2

m nerillustrated.com

Summer is right around the corner and that meansonly one thing at Miner Illustrated: recruiting, recruiting,recruiting.

Make sure to follow us during our summer onlineschedule (Monday - Friday) as we bring you the lateston who UTEP is looking at for the Class of 2012.

And as always, we willbring you the best in news,opinion and analysis.

PF Anthony January 6-feet 7-inches 196 pounds from Compton, CA (William Howard Taft HS) January has offers from UTEP, Colorado, UCLA and USC. He averaged 14.5 points per game and 1.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore. As a junior, January was rated as a three star recruit (89 score) by ESPN.com and scout.com.January is a huge athletic forward, who can score from anywhere on the court. He uses his strength and size to snare rebounds in and outside the paint. January’s slam dunks can swing the momentum of a game at any time. January is also very effective in his transition game, but this doesn’t mean he can’t score from mid-range. January likes to attack the rim and can finish his shots with either hand. Despite his strengths, January does need to improve his three-point shot. He sometimes tends to be careless with the ball. He needs to work on his ball handling skills this year to be effective at the collegiate level. Still, there is no question that January has was it takes to be a star contributor during his freshman year in college.

F Marcus Hunt 6-feet 6-inches, 215 pounds from Riverdale, GA (North Clayton HS)Hunt has offers from UTEP, Memphis, Tennessee, Nebraska, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Florida, Alabama, Miami (FL) and Mississippi. Hunt finished his sophomore season 16.7 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game. Hunt is currently ranked as a three star recruit by rivals.com and a four star recruit (93 grade) by espn.com and scout.com. Hunt’s a relentless competitor at both ends because he is always in attack mode. Hunt likes to attack the rim with power and can finish through contact. Hunt can also pass and shoot the ball well. Hunt has a nice first step and good skills to post up.

SG Malik Morgan 6-feet –inches, 180 pounds from River Ridge, LA (John Curtis HS)Morgan has offers from Boston College, LSU, Tulane and UTEP. He is rated as a four star recruit and the 81st best player of the 2012 class by rivals.com. As a junior, Morgan was named to the Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-State squad in 2010 which came after back-to-back All-District selections as a freshman and sophomore. Morgan has a good first step and is pretty quick with a multi-faceted scoring game. Morgan seems to do a little bit of both. He is not afraid to take it in and has a nice pull up three.

basketballM I N E R I L L U S T R A T E D . C O M 1 3

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Summer is right around the corner and that meansonly one thing at Miner Illustrated: recruiting, recruiting,recruiting.

Make sure to follow us during our summer onlineschedule (Monday - Friday) as we bring you the lateston who UTEP is looking at for the Class of 2012.

And as always, we willbring you the best in news,opinion and analysis.

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JOSH PUGA

When writing this Final Word, all I could think about were the fair-weather fans that are looking for any reason to jump off the Miner bandwagon after the UTEP football and men’s basketball teams ended their seasons with such disappointing results. Unfortunately, with so many new faces in both programs, this upcoming fall may not be what is needed to get fans to the Sun Bowl and the Don Haskins Center. As someone who likes to look at the glass half full, I will admit that it is going to be a tough road ahead. I am not attempting to push any panic buttons just yet, but I do want to provide a dose of reality for all Miner fans, from the most loyal UTEP supporters to the ones ready to jump. So let’s start with the football team. The Mike Price era seems to be coming to a close. Most, including myself, would argue his UTEP career was extended because of the Miners’ New Mexico Bowl invite. Yet, I am pretty sure he will not survive another losing season, which could arguably happen due to this season’s tougher schedule. There is no denying Price wants to win before he rides off into the sunset, hence the slew of junior college transfers he and the staff have brought in, including projected starting quarterback Nick

Lamaison. Yet, after a disappointing spring that presented more questions than answers, it seems that the expectations have dipped even lower than previously thought. In the Miners’ defense, I have heard the argument that spring practices aren’t a big deal; just wait for Camp Socorro. I understand the logic, and I certainly agree there is still time for UTEP to make improvements prior to their opening game versus Stony Brook. It is just difficult to overlook the inexperience offense with the tone that was set in the spring, especially with the quarterback situation. With the defense expected to carry the team, Miner fans can’t expect UTEP to win games against the high-powered offenses they will face this year in conference play. If Nick Lamaison or Javia Hall, along with the offensive line, can’t move the football and help take some pressure off the defense, it will be a long year for everyone, including the fans. I know most football fans are hoping for the best, but if the JUCO quick fix strategy doesn’t work out for Price, it could be another four or five years before the Miners go to another bowl game. Now onto a somewhat brighter note: men’s basketball. The return of Coach Tim Floyd has been well received. He is looking to continue the winning tradition UTEP fans

have come to expect year after year. As the football program seems to be heading downward, the basketball program looks to be on the rise. However, this upcoming season will present quite a challenge for Floyd and his staff. If you thought the football team was going to be inexperienced, you need to look no further than the basketball team, which will have 11 new players if you include Jacques Streeter, Julian Washburn and recently added walk-on Tim Jacobs. The basketball coaching staff has done a great job recruiting some talented players, but there will be a tremendous learning curve, especially for the seven incoming high school recruits. While the future is bright for the men’s basketball team, this might be a “rebuilding” year for Floyd and the Miners. I know this is not what Miner fans want to hear or expect from UTEP basketball so I need to explain that when I say “rebuilding,” I don’t mean a losing. It is possible that Floyd can find lighting in a bottle and make a run at the NCAA tournament similar to last year. On the flip side, I wouldn’t be surprised if this year’s team struggles to win 20 games. I have little doubt that Floyd has the program going in the right direction. It is just going to take a little time and a lot of coaching. Still, the ultimate message I want to convey to the fans, especially the “what have you done for me lately” fans, is that a little patience will go a long way. This might not be a banner year for Coach Price or Coach Floyd, but they are setting the foundation for future successes down the road. I understand the renewed optimism that comes with the start of every football and basketball season; I just hope the Miner faithful set realistic expectations for the bumpy ride ahead.

Will JUCO transfer Nick Lamaison help the team in a poten-tially difficult 2011 season? Steve Kaplowitz

THE FINAL WORD:Challenging Year Lies Ahead For Miner Fans