UTEP Football’s Barnes, Campbell Picked Up by NFL Teams

EL PASO, Texas – Former UTEP football players Solo Barnes and Neil Campbell will get the opportunity to make NFL rosters, receiving tryouts as unrestricted free agents. 

Barnes will get a shot with the New Orleans Saints, and Campbell with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. No other details are available. 

Campbell, 5-11, 205-pound cornerback, played one season with the Miners. He started in all nine games played, piling up 56 tackles (26 solo), which is good enough for seventh on the team and tied 47th in the league. Campbell broke up three passes, recorded 2.0 sacks (most among CUSA CBs), and forced one fumble. He also notched 6.0 tackles for loss (tied 17th CUSA). Campbell enjoyed a three-game surge in the middle of league play with double-digit stops. He was credited with 11 tackles against ULM, 10 vs. LA Tech, and a collegiate career-high 14 against Liberty. His sacks came against UT Martin and Kennesaw State, respectively. Campbell was a transfer from Indiana Wesleyan, where he intercepted 16 passes and totaled 212 tackles in 49 career games. Campbell was named to the 2025 CUSA All-Academic Team. 

Barnes, a 6-3, 205-pound safety, also played one season with the Orange and Blue. Barnes was third on the team and ranked 26^th in CUSA with 66 tackles (38 solo) in 12 starts. He added 2.5 TFLs, 1.0 sack, four breakups, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble, and a team-high two interceptions. He recorded a season-high eight tackles at #7 Texas, and matched that number against ULM the next week. Barnes intercepted passes against Jax State and rival NM State. Barnes tallied seven tackles against Liberty, at Kennesaw State, and at Missouri State. Barnes transferred from Fayetteville State, where he totaled 82 tackles with two interceptions and five pass breakups in 26 career games.