UTEP Miners Football

Former Boise State quarterback Malachi Nelson committed to UTEP in the transfer portal on Sunday, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel (h/t ESPN's Paolo Uggetti).

Nelson was a 5-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class and ranked as the No. 5 quarterback as well as the No. 11 overall recruit in the country, per 247Sports' Composite rankings.

He started his college career at USC, appearing in one game during the 2023 season before transferring to Boise State. Nelson suited up in three contests with the Broncos in 2024, entering the portal on Dec. 12.

He turned down "high-profile and more lucrative opportunities" to join UTEP due to his "faith" in head coach Scotty Walden, via Uggetti.

Nelson still has three years of eligibility remaining.

The 21-year-old was initially viewed as a successor to Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams on the Trojans, but he transferred after Miller Moss appeared to be headed towards a starting job in 2024.

Nelson was expected to be a candidate for the first-string role in Boise State following the change of scenery, but he lost the battle for the top spot on the depth chart to Maddux Madsen. The Broncos thrived with Madsen under center, finishing with a 12-2 record to go along with a College Football Playoff appearance.

All three of Nelson's appearances in 2024 occurred near the end of blowout victories. He completed 70.6 percent of his passes for 128 yards and an interception.

UTEP is coming off a 3-9 season in Walden's first year as head coach, as he joined the Miners in Dec. 2023 after leading Austin Peay to a 9-3 record in his final season with the team.

Nelson should have a much easier path towards a starting role with UTEP as he attempts to show why he was one of the nation's top recruits in high school.

The Mountain West Conference is reportedly set to make Conference USA's UTEP a full-time member across all athletics.

Brett McMurphy of the Action Network reported the two sides have come to an agreement, adding "an official announcement is expected today."

ESPN's Pete Thamel first reported the MWC and UTEP were "in deep discussions."

Thamel and McMurphy have both reported Texas State has also held talks with the Mountain West about possibly joining the conference.

The Mountain West is rebuilding on the fly after Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Colorado State and Utah State recently all announced they are moving to the Pac-12 beginning in the 2026 season.

If the Mountain West lands UTEP, it will have seven full-time members and eight for football since Hawaii is a football-only member of the MWC.

In order to once again become recognized as an official conference and be eligible for the College Football Playoff, the Mountain West must get to eight full-time schools.

Texas State would get the Mountain West there, but according to Thamel, the Pac-12 has reportedly expressed interest in Texas State as well.

As of now, both the Mountain West and Pac-12 have seven football members, meaning they are fighting tooth and nail to add schools and meet the necessary quota to be an official FBS conference.

The Pac-12 was dismantled over the past year with every school other than Oregon State and Washington State leaving for other conferences.

That led to the Pac-12 and Mountain West entering into a scheduling agreement that allowed Oregon State and Washington State to play a MWC schedule this season without officially joining the conference.

However, the partnership has become adversarial now that the Pac-12 has poached multiple Mountain West programs.

UTEP is off to an 0-4 start this season in football, which is consistent with the school's struggles on the gridiron over the past several years.

Since the end of the 2014 season, the Miners have had only one winning season (7-6) and one bowl appearance.

They have not had a record better than 7-6 since going 8-4 in 2005, and their last bowl win came during the 1967 campaign.

UTEP has had greater success in basketball, reaching the NCAA tournament 17 times and winning a national championship as Texas Western in 1966. The Miners have not reached the NCAA tourney since 2010, although they had a winning record last season at 18-16.

Despite the recent shortcomings in football, UTEP drew 41,633 fans for its opening game this season, per Thamel, plus it plays in El Paso, Texas, which is the 19th-most-populous city in the United States, according to NYC.gov.

UTEP would also give the Mountain West its first presence in the state of Texas, which could potentially help in terms of luring in Texas State as well.

HEIGHT: 6'1"

WEIGHT: 233 lbs

HAND: 9¼"

ARM: 32½"

WINGSPAN: 80⅜"

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40-YARD DASH: 4.63

3-CONE: 7.25

SHUTTLE: 4.40

VERTICAL: 34.5"

BROAD: 9'11"

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POSITIVES

— Good instincts against the run to consistently put himself in a position to make tackles on the play side.

— Shows a solid shoulder-dip move to slip blocks.

— Takes efficient angles and has good speed against outside runs for good sideline-to-sideline range.

— Good eye discipline in zone coverage. Anticipates routes well to put himself in a position to cover threats coming into his area.

— Good at reading the quarterback's eyes and has the hand-eye coordination to get pass breakups.

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NEGATIVES

— Lean frame with skinny legs. Needs to add some sand in his pants to help hold his ground when taking on blocks against offensive linemen.

— Not very physical and has bad pad level at the point of attack, leading to him getting stuck on blocks.

— Doesn't sink his hips and break down when tackling in space, making him susceptible to getting juked out by shifter ball-carriers.

— Has subpar lateral movement skills, which can be an issue in man coverage against running backs.

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2023 STATISTICS

— 12 G, 140 TOT, 15.5 TFL, 4.5 SK, 7 PD, 2 FR, 1 FF

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NOTES

— 3-star JUCO recruit in the 2020 class, per 247Sports

— Independence Community College transfer

— No major injuries

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OVERALL

The first thing that stands out about Tyrice Knight is his high football IQ. Pre-snap, he takes command of the defense by making calls and getting the rest of the defense set. Post-snap, he's quick to key and diagnose run plays, trusts what he sees and is consistently around the ball.

Against zone runs, Knight knows when to trigger downhill to help get unblocked tackles near the line of scrimmage. While his open-field tackling needs some work, he's effective in the box with good pad level and wraps up to make sure tackles.

In zone coverage, the former Miner's instincts show up as well. He's good at locating threats coming into his area and anticipating throws to help get pass breakups.

Knight's biggest issue is that he struggles to take on blocks. He put up 21 reps on the bench press at the NFL combine, which was tied for the most among linebackers, but that hasn't translated to functional or play strength on the field. He needs to add some extra size and strength, especially in his lower half, to help avoid getting pushed out of the gap and stuck on blocks.

Overall, the UTEP product is an intriguing Day 3 prospect with the potential to develop into a quality starter with some time in the weight room. Right now, he'd be best as a "Will" linebacker in even fronts.

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GRADE: 6.3 (High-Level Developmental Prospect — 5th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 136

POSITION RANK: LB7

PRO COMPARISON: Elandon Roberts

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder

Visit B/R's NFL Scouting Department hub for scouting reports on all of the top prospects.

Former Arizona Cardinals offensive line coach Sean Kugler has filed a request for arbitration after being fired in November.

Kugler was fired during the team's trip to Mexico City for the Week 11 game against the San Francisco 49ers. According to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN, he allegedly groped a woman on the Sunday night before the Monday Night Football game and was immediately sent home before the game.

At the time, head coach Kliff Kingsbury said he was "really limited" in what he could discuss until the legal process played out.

In Friday's press release from law firm Shields Petitti, Kugler called the "mysterious allegations" a result of "miscommunication or mistaken identity."

"The allegations against Coach Kugler are simply untrue and have caused Sean, his wife and family enormous personal and professional damage," attorney Michael Petitti said. "Coach and his family have been desperate to understand from the Cardinals' front office and others what rationale or evidence was used to terminate him for cause."

The Cardinals responded Friday:

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1603808978756157443

Kugler had been with the Cardinals since 2019, holding the role of run game coordinator this season.

The veteran coach also had NFL stints with the Detroit Lions (2001-05), Buffalo Bills (2007-09), Pittsburgh Steelers (2010-12) and Denver Broncos (2018) and spent five seasons as head coach at UTEP (2013-17).

Arizona has fallen to 4-9 after three straight losses and just lost starting quarterback Kyler Murray for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

UTEP senior fullback Forest McKee disclosed on Twitter Sunday that he is "feeling better and expected to make a full recovery" after testing positive for COVID-19:

Love y’all ❤️ pic.twitter.com/FwFPODSyHQ

— Forest McKee (@CoachMcKee_) April 12, 2020

McKee played every game for the 1-11 Miners last season.  

UTEP canceled the remainder of spring practices and the 2020 spring game on March 18 as the athletic facilities were closed indefinitely.

"These measures have been taken with the safety of our student-athletes as the highest priority," Jim Senter, the university's athletic director, said in a statement. "We continue to preach to all of our student-athletes and staff the importance of practicing social distancing and good hygiene during this unprecedented time."

.@UTEPAthletics Director Jim Senter gives words of encouragement to Miners as they take on new challenges.

Learn how UTEP is responding to the COVID-19 outbreak at https://t.co/KpkCXhXwbH. pic.twitter.com/h0MNoO7NZi

— UTEP (@UTEP) March 20, 2020

Two UTEP employees were confirmed positive for COVID-19 on March 24:

Both employees are in self isolation and recovering at home. Campus officials and support services are in contact by phone with the employees on a daily basis.

— UTEP (@UTEP) March 25, 2020

For the latest updates on the University’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak, please visit https://t.co/WQXpG7kXwe.

— UTEP (@UTEP) March 25, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has halted play in the NBA, NHL, MLS and MLB in the United States while also causing doubt about the status of college football come fall. However, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, "strong conviction" has emerged that a season can take place:

Speaking to people in and around college football this week, there is “strong conviction” there will be college football this season. Uncertainty about when - multiple scenarios being debated - but they sound certain there still will be college football this season.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 9, 2020

CNN's latest numbers relay 555,398 cases in the U.S. that have resulted in 22,023 deaths as of Sunday night.

UTEP tight end Luke Laufenberg, the son of former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Babe Laufenberg, died of cancer Thursday at age 21. 

Laufenberg was a walk-on a Texas A&M and played for Mesa Community College before he was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma in 2017, according to the Associated Press. He was declared cancer-free in 2018, though he was unable to play for UTEP and eventually faced additional complications this spring.

A number of UTEP players and coaches spoke about Laufenberg after they learned the news of his death:

Today we lost a son, a brother, a friend, and a warrior. Have never seen a person battle like Luke Laufenberg, but he lost his fight with cancer. He was truly inspirational. The hole in our hearts will never be filled. You are my hero. RIP my sweet Luke. See you on the other side pic.twitter.com/HF1xfw19Xi

— Babe Laufenberg (@BabeLaufenberg) August 22, 2019

UTEP head coach Dana Dimel on the tragic news of TE Luke Laufenberg passing away today.

He was just 21 years old and lost his battle to cancer. pic.twitter.com/f8evWjdYr4

— Adrian Broaddus (@AdrianBroaddus) August 22, 2019

TE coach Jake Waters (@CoachJWaters) talks about Luke Laufenberg and his impact to the team.

“He just brought such an infectious attitude as a person and what he had to go through.... it’s tough.” pic.twitter.com/tR49EOdvnL

— Adrian Broaddus (@AdrianBroaddus) August 22, 2019

We will never forget Luke impact in our program if only for a short period of time. Always had a smile on his face & loved being on the field with his teammates. Today our heart aches for the Laufenberg Family. “Love ya Luke.” https://t.co/44TDcRNJgS

— Coach Mike Canales (@coachcanales) August 22, 2019

His father, Babe Laufenberg, 59, is a radio broadcaster for the Cowboys. He made a number of stops during his NFL career, spending time with Washington (1983–85, 1987), the San Diego Chargers (1985, 1988), New Orleans Saints (1986), Kansas City Chiefs (1987) and the Cowboys (1989–90).

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, a longtime friend of the Laufenberg family, didn't take any questions during his Thursday press conference, instead using the time to speak about Luke, per David Helman of the Cowboys' official site:

"Luke was an amazing young man. You guys have heard me talk about 'Fight' a lot. I don't know that I've ever a better example of that in my life. What he's gone through the last couple of years, the spirit that he had every day. To battle through it, to always be thoughtful about the people in his life—'How's my mom doing, how's my dad doing, how's my brother doing?' Amazing."

"It's such a tragedy, and it's so hard to understand," he added. "But I know that I will, and anybody that ever knew him, will be forever inspired by the life that he lived."        

UTEP quarterback Kai Locksley was arrested on four separate charges by police in El Paso, Texas, Friday. 

Per El Paso County Jail records (h/t USA Today), Locksley was charged with driving while intoxicated, possession of marijuana under two ounces, terroristic threat and unlawful carrying of a weapon. 

As of Saturday afternoon, the University of Texas-El Paso has yet to issue a statement about Locksley's arrest. 

Per Andra Litton and Colin Deaver of KTSM.com, Locksley had his bond set at $2,900 and remained in custody on Saturday. 

Locksley is entering his senior season with the Miners after transferring to the school from Iowa Western Community College in January 2018. He threw for 937 yards with three touchdowns and nine interceptions in nine games last year. 

Prior to playing at Iowa Western Community College, Locksley spent one year redshirting at the University of Texas in 2015. He received his release to transfer in October 2016 after being unhappy with his playing time. 

 

Former Texas A&M quarterback Jameill Showers has found his new home. Showers, who decided to leave College Station rather than back up Johnny Manziel next season, will be attending UTEP next fall, according to MinersIllustrated.com.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 8:30 p.m. ET by Tyler Conway

UTEP head coach Sean Kugler confirmed Showers' move in a statement on Wednesday, according to College Football Talk's John Taylor:

We are extremely excited to have Jameill commit to our program. He is a great quarterback and a leader with strong character. He comes from a great family with an outstanding football background.

---End of update---

The young quarterback told MinersIllustrated.com's Chris Avila that he sent his letter of intent over on Tuesday:

I sent over my letter of intent and chose UTEP. My dad and I took a trip down [to UTEP] this past weekend and we had fun, met the coaching staff and I got to talk to Coach Kugler. They are doing some big things.

Once the favorite to succeed Ryan Tannehill under center, Showers lost the starting job to Manziel after an intense competition prior to the 2012 season. Manziel went on to have one of the best individual seasons in recent memory, winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the surprise a surprisingly great Aggies team to an 11-2 record.

With Manziel being just a redshirt sophomore next fall, there would have been little-to-no opportunity for Showers (barring an injury). Showers threw just 44 passes in Manziel's stead all of last season, completing 27 of them for 319 yards, and he likely wouldn't get much playing time outside of blowouts again in 2013. 

Sensing the lack of opportunity, Showers decided to make a move. A dual-threat quarterback with an underrated polish in the pocket, Showers had no shortage of suitors but ultimately chose UTEP. Though the Miners went just 3-9 last season under Mike Price, new head coach Sean Kugler comes with an NFL pedigree and offers something Texas A&M cannot: playing time. 

Unlike other student-athlete transfers, Showers will not lose a year of eligibility. He is scheduled to graduate from Texas A&M in June and then will enroll at UTEP in the fall, a move with is allowed by NCAA bylaw. Showers' transfer is not unlike Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who spent his final season of eligibility at Wisconsin after being at North Carolina State.

Whether Showers has a Wilson-like ascent remains to be seen. But Showers will likely just be happy to be in a place where he will get an opportunity to play and where he will not have to live in the shadow of a Heisman winner. 

Follow @tylerconway22