Feb. 4, 2009
UTEP Signee Roster and Bios (PDF) 
Head Coach Mike Price announced UTEP's 2009 football recruiting class on Wednesday. A total of 20 student-athletes signed national letters of intent with the Miners, including 15 high school standouts, four junior college transfers and one prep school transfer.
"We needed to improve our defense," Price said. "We needed to recruit more safeties and linebackers, and we accomplished that. We needed to get a couple of athletic defensive linemen, because we're losing quite a few next year. We wanted a great young quarterback, and we felt like Andy McCloud was the best guy in America that we could get. We wanted a difference maker at wide receiver, and we got that in Marlon McClure. We needed some big offensive linemen to step in and help us. But perhaps most importantly, we needed a physical running back in the 220-pound range, and we fulfilled that need."
The Miners signed a total of 14 high school players from the state of Texas, including 6-2, 215-pound linebacker Darren Mickens, who is regarded as the no. 1 recruit in El Paso out of Parkland High School.
"Darren is a great athlete," Price said. "He can run and jump, he can play wide receiver, or he might fill out and be a tight end. He played free safety in high school, and we're thinking that he might be a Miner back for us or just be a linebacker. He is the total package - athlete, academics, toughness and speed - and we're lucky to get him."
UTEP is expected to invite a number of other local products to camp as preferred walk-ons.
"I think it's the best year that we've had in El Paso since I've been here," said Price, who took over the UTEP program in 2004. "That has been the biggest difference in this recruiting class, the job that we have done locally. It was a really good year for football players in El Paso."
Five members of UTEP's class were rated top-300 players in the Lone Star State by Dave Campbell's Texas Football magazine. They are LB James Davidson (Huntsville HS), OL Wayne Frazier (Refugio HS), RB Keldon Hampton (Dallas Kimball HS), RB Garrette Nunn (Bellville HS) and TE Craig Wenrick (Flower Mound HS).
UTEP's 2009 recruiting class features five players projected to play linebacker in college, four offensive linemen, three defensive backs, three running backs, two defensive linemen, one quarterback, one tight end and one wide receiver. In all, the Miners inked 10 offensive players and 10 defensive players.
The list of junior college imports includes OL Lance Evbuomwan and DB Brandon Miller from Bakersfield JC; LB Justin Hickman from the College of DuPage; and RB Leilyon Myers from Palomar JC. Evbuomwan originally signed with Arizona State out of high school, Hickman signed with New Mexico and Myers signed with Washington.
The Miners will kick off spring drills on March 31, with the spring game slated for May 2 in the Sun Bowl.
