UTEP Football Preview 2026: Can the Miners Stun in the Mountain West?

July 14, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

UTEP just wasn't that bad for a 2-10 team, but it's hard to build a program when you have to replace just about everyone as you move into a tougher conference.

The Miners have won fewer than four games in seven of the last nine seasons, and are a rough 5-19 in the two years under Scotty Walden, but there were rays of hope last year.

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Can UTEP Improve In a Tougher Mountain West?

UTEP head football coach Scotty Walden speaks at the Union Building East during the Homecoming pep rally on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025.

The offense improved a bit, the defense was great at times - especially on third downs- and almost all of the ten losses were far more competitive than the final scores might indicate.

But that was when UTEP was in Conference USA. After 21 years, it's making the move to the new Mountain West, it'll be a more interesting overall schedule, and ...

Give Walden and the program a season to life in the new neighborhood.

UTEP Quick Hits

Head Coach: Scotty Walden (3rd year, 5-19; 8th full season: 39-39)
Best Case / Worst Case: A bowl appearance for the first time since 2021 and first bowl win since 1967/A fourth straight year with fewer than four wins
Key Player: EJ Colson, QB Soph.
2025 Record: 2-10
Biggest Question: How will UTEP be better after losing just about everyone and moving to the Mountain West?

UTEP Key 2025 Stats

Interceptions: Opponents 20, UTEP 5
Fumbles: Opponents 15 (lost 7), UTEP 9 (lost 4)
Two-Point Conversions: UTEP 5-of-8 (63%), Opponents 1-of-2 (50%)

Offense

The entire point of the Scotty Walden coaching experience is to get the offense moving and make defenses worry. But it hasn't worked like it's supposed to.

It averaged only 332 yards and 23 points per game, and it stalled way too often.

Making things harder, the offense has to replace just about everyone, with the attack looking to the transfer portal to let it all rip.

What’s Working

It all starts with what EJ Colson can do. The ultra-quick quarterback is the right fit for the attack, doing a little bit of everything last year for Incarnate Word after first starting out at UCF.

He brings something last year's offense was desperately missing - accuracy. The Miner quarterbacks combined to complete 54% of their passes. Colson hit 71% last year.

Good things happen when the Miners crank up the yards. It wasn't often, but they stayed in games when they were able to keep the chains moving.

They were 2-1 when getting to 400 yards of total offense, pushed New Mexico State and Jacksonville State when coming close, and it all started with the running game, so ...

The running backs coming through the portal can move. Lamar Sperling was a good part of the Buffalo rotation last year, averaging six yards per carry.

Tavorus Jones is a strong get from Missouri, and Elijah McCoy has a little bit of experience to go along with Colson's mobility.

What Needs Work

Converting third down plays. The offense is supposed to be able to set up easy third down chances, but it was a struggle. The Miners were among the worst in the nation, converting just 30% of their tries, going under the mark six times.

The offensive line isn't totally starting over, but it lost a few starters to the portal and has to rely on a slew of smaller school prospects to fill in the gaps.

There's size and bulk across the board, but the starting five has to come together fast in fall camp to give the backfield a shot.

The turnovers have to stop. The Miners had to keep pressing with the passing game to try getting things moving, and the mistakes flowed from there.

They closed the season with six turnovers - five interceptions - in the 61-31 loss to Delaware, and gave up five picks in the 30-11 loss to Louisiana Tech. In all, UTEP threw a nation-worst 20 picks.

Player to Watch

Carver Cheeks, WR Sr.
The big, dangerous 5-2, 197-pound veteran comes in from Northern Colorado, where he caught 71 passes for 929 yards and six touchdowns.

He finished his career averaging over 14 yards per grab, and now he's about to be UTEP's most dangerous target.

Defense

For being the 87th-ranked defense last year, it wasn't bad.

Things fell apart late in the season, but for the most part, the defense was able to keep the team in games.

There isn't as much work to do as there is on the offensive side, with just enough talent back to not slip too much, even with the upgrade in competition.

What’s Working

Third down defense. This is one big area of improvement over the last few years.

The 2023 UTEP defense was 106th in third down stops. Last season's defense was fourth in the nation last season, allowing teams to convert a mere 38.5% of their tries, giving up more than 30% just five times. This should still be a plus.

The secondary is loading up through the portal. Four new defensive backs are coming in to help a pass defense that allowed 222 yards per game.

Cornerbacks LaTristan Thompson (Utah) and Kaleb Miles (East Texas A&M), and safeties Donavan Howard (Virginia State) and Esteban Guillory (Western Illinois) will be used right away.

The linebacking corps should be a strength. Jayden Wilson might not be all that big, but he's a good hitter with 92 tackles and eight tackles for loss with three forced fumbles last year. He's back on the strongside,

Isaiah Bogerty (Texas Southern) is a 230-pound option in the middle with the bulk to be a force against the run.

What Needs Work

The pass rush needs to retool. It might not have been a dominant force, but UTEP did a nice job of getting to the quarterback with 28 sacks.

Sterling Miles (Eastern Michigan) joins Shakaun Bowser and Ekow Taylor as promising ends with the tools to get behind the line - but that's about it.

More takeaways would be nice. The 12 takeaways weren't enough. The defense has to help itself, coming up with six total in the losses to Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State, and six in the other ten games.

The defensive line needs the tackles to show up. There's decent size, but last year's tackle rotation was all about the seniors.

Northwestern State's Preston Hickey was a key get through the portal, and Ashton Coker is a decent returning option after making 25 tackles with four tackles for loss, but this will be a work in progress.

Player to Watch

Sterling Miles, DE Sr.
The Miners need several pass rushers to emerge, and it starts with the 6-4, 238-pound transfer from Eastern Michigan.

He didn't do much over his first three years with the Eagles, but last season he cranked up 34 tackles with a sack and four tackles for loss. Experienced, he should shine in the system.

Keys to the Season

Reload the offense fast with almost all new starters across the board.
Find the pass rush early on and keep dominating defensively on third downs.
Score more, get more out of the offense, keep things moving - start exploding.

Player Who Needs To Shine

EJ Colson, QB Soph.
There's no chance UTEP improves without better overall quarterback play.

Last year's combination of passers threw 21 touchdown passes, 20 interceptions, and completed 55% of their passes.

Colson is a strong midrange passer who hit 71% of his throws with just four picks for Incarnate Word last year.

Biggest Concern

First downs.
Of all the problems in the first two years in the Scotty Walden era, this is among the biggest.

If you're not coming up with first downs, you're not moving the chains, you're not scoring, and it goes down an obvious path from there.

UTEP only came up with 200 first downs two years ago, and 202 last season - around 16.8 first downs per game so far. Getting to 20 a game would be a decent - and reasonable - step forward.

Biggest Game

San Jose State, October 17
UTEP will have a rough time with the Mountain West schedule, but several teams have to make the trip to El Paso.

By the middle of the season, the Miners should be jelled, and they need to push past Nevada and then beat San Jose State to have any shot at a decent season.

Transfer Portal

The Miners came up with a few nice skill parts from the portal, but overall there wasn't enough pop to make a big difference.

This is a bulk class of players UTEP could get, but it'll have to be a strength-in-numbers game for various positions.

Best Signing

Tavorus Jones, RB (Missouri)
This is one of those transfer portal signings that might not seem like much on the surface, but it could turn into something special.

The 5-9, 205-pound junior has the talent and speed to be wanted by Missouri, and he got a little bit of work over the last few years.

Now the El Paso native is back home, with the upside to push his way through the depth chart to become a key factor.

Biggest Loss

Wondame Davis, Jr., WR (Wake Forest)
Losing leading receiver Kenny Odom to USF hurts from a short possession standpoint, but Davis was the playmaker. He only caught 26 passes, but six of them went for scores - he averaged 23.5 yards per grab.

Other Names to Know

Preston Hickey, DT (Northwestern State)
Donavan Howard, S (Virginia State)
Kaleb Miles, CB (East Texas A&M)

CFN Season Prediction

It would be fun if the Scotty Walden era started to kick in, and UTEP is way overdue for a crazy-shocking season, but sometimes, if it walks like a duck ...

UTEP was 2-10 last year in a lousy Conference USA, it's moving to a far tougher Mountain West, and it has to replace just about everyone.

CFN Prediction: 2-10

There will be a few wins, starting with Texas Southern early on, and with one of the home games in the middle.

The Miners get five home games in seven dates from September 26th to November 21.

They should pull off something stunning against a Nevada, and/or a Wyoming, and/or a San Jose State, but they'll be the likely underdogs in every Mountain West game.

The season is about improving offensively overall, and showing something that should scare the rest of the Mountain West going forward.

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