UTEP 2012 Recruiting

UTEP Miners 2012 ......... Head Coach: Mike Price

UTEP Miners

2011 Record: 5-7

Sep. 3 Stony Brook W 31-24
Sep. 10 at SMU L 28-17
Sep. 17 at NMSU W 16-10
Sep. 24 at USF L 52-24
Oct. 1 Houston L 49-42
Oct. 8 OPEN DATE
Oct. 15 at Tulane W 44-7
Oct. 22 Colorado State L 31-17
Oct. 29 Southern Miss L 31-13
Nov. 5 at Rice L 41-37
Nov. 12 East Carolina W 22-17
Nov. 19 Tulsa L 57-28
Nov. 26 at UCF L 31-14

2010 CFN Prediction: 6-6
2010 Record: 6-6

Sept. 4 Ark.-Pine Bluff W 31-10
Sept. 10 at Houston L 54-24
Sept. 18 NMSU W 42-10
Sept. 25 Memphis W 16-13
Oct. 2 at New Mexico W 38-20
Oct. 9 Rice W 44-24
Oct. 16 at UAB L 21-6
Oct. 23 Tulane L 34-24
Oct. 30 at Marshall L 16-12
Nov. 6 SMU W 28-14
Nov. 13 at Arkansas L 58-21
Nov. 20 at Tulsa L 31-28
Nov. 27 OPEN DATE
NEW MEXICO BOWL
Dec. 18 BYU L 52-24
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class  

Top 5 UTEP Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. DT Devontae Richardson
6-2, 292, Scout.com 95th ranked, three-star defensive tackle.

2. CB Dashone Smith
5-11, 185, Scout.com 100th ranked, three-star corner.

3. RB Paul Franklin
6-1, 200, Scout.com 106th ranked, three-star running back.

4. CB DaCarlos Renfro
5-10, 175, Scout.com 107th ranked, three-star cornerback.

5. WR MeKale McKay
6-4, 190, Scout.com three-star receiver.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... The Miners have loaded up for the passing game over the past few classes, but the defense needs to finally be addressed a bit more with a talent upgrade. Mike Price went after linemen in 2009, and he’s going to do it again with prospects mostly for the defensive interior.

Team Concerns For 2012: Linebacker. The UTEP starting three are gone and linebacker is going to be a glaring issue in 2013. It’s going to take a few recruiting classes to improve the front seven, but more than anything else, the team needs bodies. The depth has to be improved across the board while hoping for some of the recruiting classes from the last few seasons to provide the offensive pop.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: Another year, another collapse over the second half of the season. The Miners have just enough talent returning to hope to finally come up with a more even season, but it all has to start on stopping the run with even thought the entire starting linebacking corps is gone and five are gone from the front seven. Throw in the loss of two starters in the secondary and the D is going to have some issues. The offense needs more from a line that didn’t do anything in pass protection, but four starters are back. The quarterback situation has to be settled between Nick Lamaison and Carson Meger, and a new runner has to take over with the three top backs gone. Punter Ian Campbell should be among the nation’s best.

2011 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 99. That Class Was Heavy On ... Quarterbacks. And the replacement for Trevor Vittatoe is … ? There’s hope from the JUCO ranks with the lightning fast Antavius Sims and Nick Lamaison looking to step in and start right away, while 6-4 Blaire Sullivan was brought in to develop for the future. The defense got some instant help with Josh Fely a ready-made JUCO middle linebacker and Zoey Williams a shutdown corner who could see time as a true freshman.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 77. That Class Was Heavy On ... Receivers. The Miners have needed to work on improving the defense for the last several seasons and came up with a big class of defenders last season. The D was hardly ignored this year, especially on the line, but the talent is at receiver eight very big, very interesting prospects signed including Jordan Leslie, Darius Tubbs, and Devin Patterson. These three will be the key to the Miner passing game sooner than later.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 100. That Class Was Heavy On ... defensive linemen. In an attempt to beef up one of the perennially weakest defenses in the country, the Miners are bringing in a couple of speedy rush ends and a tackle with considerable upside. At 6-5 and 250 pounds, Adam Ayala can snap off a sub-5.00 in the forty. If he can add some muscle without losing a step, he has a chance to be an impact player on this defense.

Nov. 25 at UCF 31 … UTEP 14
(AP) ORLANDO, Fla. -- Latavius Murray rushed for a career-high 233 yards and scored three times to help Central Florida rout Texas-El Paso 31-14 on Friday night in the season finale for both teams.

Murray, a junior tailback, scored on runs of 38 and 40 yards and caught a 6-yard pass from freshman quarterback Blake Bortles as the Knights (5-7, 3-5 Conference USA) stopped a three-game losing streak.

UTEP avoided a shutout with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Jordan Leslie caught a 2-yard pass from Nick Lamaison on a fourth-and-goal play and Joe Banyard added a 7-yard scoring run.

The Miners (5-7, 2-6) needed a win to become bowl eligible.

UCF led 24-0 after its most dominating first-half performance of the season. Murray had 98 yards rushing and two touchdowns by halftime and the Knights' defense limited UTEP to five first downs and 94 yards total offense in the first two quarters.

Nov. 19 Tulsa 57 … at UTEP 28

Nov. 12 at UTEP 22 … East Carolina 17

Nov. 5 at Rice 41 … UTEP 37

Oct. 29 Southern Miss 31 … at UTEP 13  

Oct. 22 at UTEP 31 ...Colorado State 17

Oct. 15 UTEP 44 … at Tulane 7
CFN Analysis: This is what the offense is supposed to do coming off a two game losing streak. It exploded on the road with four interceptions from the defense helping to set up the offense, and the running game came through with Joe Banyard hitting the 72-yard home run and seven different players accounting for 266 yards and three scores. The passing game wasn’t exactly sharp, with three different quarterbacks combining to complete 7-of-17 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown with two picks, but the defense did its part to pick up the slack and Tulane couldn’t get the offense moving. There are plenty of issues – turnovers are a problem and more plays need to be made behind the line – but at 3-3 with four home games in the next five, the Miners are in the hunt for a bowl game.  

Sept. 29 Houston 49 … at UTEP 42
CFN Analysis: UTEP kept on pressing. The offense finally started to work after sputtering so much, and although the defense had a nightmare of a time – allowing 710 yards – the D came up with one big late stop to give the offense a chance to tie the game. It didn’t work, but still, the Miner offense rolled with near-perfect balance, running for 271 yards and throwing for 267. Nick Lamaison kept the pressure on with his downfield passing, and Joe Banyard ran wild with 240 yards and a score on 22 carries. But the Miners lost. With Tulane up in two weeks, there’s time to try to figure out something, anything, to get more out of a defense that’s getting gouged. Not playing offenses like Houston’s and USF’s will help.

Sept. 24 at South Florida 52 … UTEP 24
CFN Analysis: UTEP doesn’t have an efficient passing game and can’t run the ball, but Carson Meger was able to put up some decent yards with 240 yards and two touchdown passes. But he also threw three picks, and with the way the South Florida offense was ripping off yards in chunks, UTEP needed to be perfect. The turnovers have to stop, the offensive line has to be far better in all areas, and the defensive front has to be far stronger against the run. Next week, though, it’ll be all about the shootout with Houston coming to El Paso. The pass rush has been good, and it’ll need to get to Case Keenum early and often to have a shot.

Sept. 17 UTEP 16 ... at New Mexico State 10
CFN Analysis: Special teams, special teams, special teams. The UTEP offense can’t get anything out of the line or the running game, and the passing attack is wildly inefficient, but the kicking game picked up the slack with Dakota Warren coming through with three field goals and the fake punt making up for the sluggish play. NMSU doesn’t run the ball, and the pass defense held up well, but the Miner passing game was a disaster with Javia Hall completing 9-of-28 passes for 124 yards and a pick. The pass rush was phenomenal with five sacks, and the mistakes didn’t prove that costly, but it was an ugly win. At 2-1, the Miners will take it. 

Sept. 10 at SMU 28 ... UTEP 17
CFN Analysis: The Miners didn’t get any production on the ground and can’t protect the quarterback, and it proved costly. The ground game finished with 30 yards and just two short touchdowns, while starting quarterback Nick Lamaison was lost with a separated shoulder after throwing for 142 yards. Javia Hall came in and threw for 130 yards, but he was pounded way too much and only completed 8-of-20 passes. After giving up eight sacks in the first two games, the line has to be far stronger against New Mexico State and the athletic South Florida defensive front over the next two weeks, or Hall will be in big trouble. With only 66 rushing yards so far, Hall isn’t going to get much help from the rest of the O. 

Sept. 3 at UTEP 31 … Stony Brook 24
CFN Analysis: Uh oh. Most teams need a little while to get going, but going to overtime against Stony Brook is a big, big concern when the running game goes nowhere and the run defense is a rumor. Stony Brook had no problems barreling for five yards per crack and made it interesting throughout by converting on four UTEP turnovers, and now the Miners have to figure out how to tighten up and stop making so many mistakes. Nick Lamaison did his part to save the say with 365 passing yards and three scores, to go along with two picks, and he did a nice job of spreading the ball around. However, the ground game finished with just 36 yards and a score with Joe Banyard only running for 17 yards on 12 carries. This was the last home game until late September, and the D has to tighten up in a hurry with SMU coming up next. 

The 2011 Recruiting Class Is Heavy On … Quarterbacks. And the replacement for Trevor Vittatoe is … ? There’s hope from the JUCO ranks with the lightning fast Antavius Sims and Nick Lamaison looking to step in and start right away, while 6-4 Blaire Sullivan was brought in to develop for the future. The defense got some instant help with Josh Fely a ready-made JUCO middle linebacker and Zoey Williams a shutdown corner who could see time as a true freshman.

2011 Entire Recruiting Class

Five UTEP Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. LB Josh Fely
An instinctive middle linebacker, Fely doesn't just rack up a bunch of stats hopping on piles from his middle linebacker position, he makes plays. He sees the play early and has the athleticism to get in the backfield or go sideline to sideline for a tackle. Because of his vision and instincts, he's also solid in pass protection. He has average speed, but his anticipation and quickness get him in on nearly every play.

2. CB Zoey Williams
Williams is a competitive player that despite being pretty new to the corner position has some natural abilities and instincts that you just can’t coach. A combination of strength and hip flexibility allows him to stay in the hip pocket of receivers.

3. RB Roy Robertson
6-5, 240, Scout.com’s 151st ranked defensive end.

4. QB Antavius Sims
6-2, 205, two-star JUCO transfer

5. QB Nick Lamaison
6-1, 200, two-star JUCO transfer

2011 Recruiting Class

Trey Brown LB 6-0 210 Fr. Brownwood, Texas/Lancaster
Tyrone Darling LB 5-11 200 Fr. Arlington, Texas/Juan Seguin
Mike Edwards WR 5-10 185 Jr. Glendora, Calif./Glendora/Mt. SAC
Josh Fely* LB 6-0 220 Jr. Oceanside, Calif./Oceanside/San Diego Mesa Coll.
Cole Freytag WR/DB 6-1 180 Fr. El Paso, Texas/Coronado
Ishmael Harrison WR 6-0 190 Fr. Red Oak, Texas/Red Oak
Shane Huhn DB 6-0 190 Fr. Cibolo, Texas/Steele
Trint Jenkins OL 6-8 325 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./Victory Christian
Nick Lamaison* QB 6-1 210 Jr. West Covina, Calif./South Hills/Mt. SAC
Ryan Lindblade OL 6-7 285 Fr. Richmond, Texas/Foster
James Martin OL 6-6 285 Jr. Chino Hills, Calif./Ayala/Mt. SAC
Derrick Morgan DB 6-1 210 Jr. Germantown, Md. (Clarksburg/Cabrillo JC
A.C. Patterson OL 6-1 305 Fr. Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman
Roy Robertson DL 6-6 240 Fr. Grand Prairie, Texas/South Grand Prairie
James Robinson* OL 6-5 325 Jr. Richmond, Calif./Salesian/City Coll. of San Francisco
A.J. Ropati* LB 6-2 230 Jr. Carson, Calif./Carson/Los Angeles Harbor College
Kishon Sanders TE 6-2 230 Fr. Pasadena, Calif./La Salle
Gage Sharp DB 6-0 190 Fr. The Colony, Texas/The Colony
Blaire Sullivan QB 6-3 195 Fr. San Antonio, Texas/Central Catholic
Xay Williams RB 6-0 200 Fr. Carrolton, Texas/Ranchview
Darren Woodard* DB 5-11 170 Jr. Freeport, Texas/Brazosport/Kilgore College