UTEP adds 17 on National Signing Day including Josh Fields
The UTEP football team inked 17 student-athletes during National Signing Day on Wednesday. The Miners finished the 2016 season with a poor 4-8 record, so UTEP is hopeful the new 17 signees will help create positive change. The biggest recruit of all was Americas running back Josh Fields. Fields finished last season rushing for 2,477 yards and led the city in rushing touchdowns. A new prospect who has a shot at filling in the role of former Miner great Aaron Jones. “I chose UTEP because honestly it just felt like home and my family and friends are here,” Fields said. “And I know I am going to have a lot of support over here.” Out of the 17 signees, four are junior college transfers and 13 are high school athletes. A total of seven offensive and 10 defensive players make up the roster of the 2017 signing class. Sean Kugler once again recruited local talent signing five players from the Borderland. In the five seasons since taking over as head coach of the Miners, Kugler has signed a total of 22 athletes from El Paso (2013: four, 2014: two, 2015: four, 2016: seven, 2017: five). This will put UTEP at 35 El Paso natives on the roster, making one-third of the team homegrown talent. The group of players include 10 student-athletes from the state of Texas. Including for the second year in a row the Player of the Year in the state of Texas. Of the remaining signees, three are from California, and one each from New Mexico, Alabama, Maryland and Georgia. The Miners will start spring ball on March 6 at Glory Field. 2017 UTEP SIGNING CLASS ROSTER Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (Previous School) Alex Fernandes QB 6-3 200 Austin, Texas (Vandegrift HS) Calvin Brownholtz QB 6-1 200 Carmichael, Calif. (Jesuit HS) Forest McKee FB 6-1 240 Las Cruces, N.M. (Onate HS) David Lucero TE 6-5 230 Holtville, Calif. (Arizona Western College) Cutter Leftwich OL 6-1 285 El Paso, Texas (Franklin HS) Jalen Spady OL 6-3 340 Huntsville, Ala. (Huntsville HS) Trace Mascorro DL 6-1 275 Refugio, Texas (Refugio HS) Javaughn Thomas DE/LB 6-2 230 El, Paso, Texas (El Paso HS) Kalaii Griffin LB 6-1 220 Bethesda, Md. (Ventura CC) Kobie Herring LB 6-0 220 Refugio, Texas (Refugio HS) Jamar Smith LB 5-11 230 Lyons, Ga. (Holmes CC) Brent Ugochukwu LB 6-0 210 Richmond, Texas (George Ranch HS) Joshua Wells LB 6-1 215 El Paso, Texas (Parkland HS) James Tupou LB 5-10 230 Allen, Texas (Allen HS) Kahani Smith DB 6-1 185 Los Angeles, Calif. (Riverside CC) Tyson Wilson DB 5-10 165 McKinney, Texas (McKinney HS)
