UTEP completes top-ranked class on National Signing Day with 14 freshmen-to-be additions
Scotty Walden's first two norm-breaking months as UTEP's new football coach just took its most tangible turn.
On a national signing day where it is a long tradition for Miner coaches to talk around a low ranking from the national recruiting services, Walden was gushing about a top-ranked class.
The Miners rolled out an incoming freshmen group of 14 players, with all 12 scholarship additions ranking as two- or three-star recruits, per both Rivals.com and 247sports.com.
Rivals had UTEP with the No. 1 class in Conference USA ahead of defending champion Liberty. 247sports had it second behind Liberty. Either way, this class is historic in the modern era of widely available internet rankings (about 25 years old) that almost always annually had the Miners at the bottom of any national list.
UTEP also formally announced a mid-season transfer class of 10 players from FBS schools, who along with the 23 players rolled out in December's signing day, give the Miners 47 players on the roster added by Walden and his staff in their two months here.
Walden wasn't about to trot out the familiar February refrain of "recruiting rankings don't matter."
"This is the foundational class that will help us change the culture and dynamic of UTEP football," Walden said. "I'm very, very proud to have the No. 1 class in Conference USA, I'm very, very proud to have the highest-rated class in UTEP history.
"When we sign a recruiting class of this caliber, we're going to celebrate it. It's going to be a day of celebration, it's going to be a night of celebration.
"No. 1: This is the highest rated class in UTEP history. ... No. 2: This is the highest Conference USA finish ever in UTEP history."
The Miners' class of 14 high school players included 13 from Texas plus a legacy in Rio Rancho Cleveland's Stratton Shufelt, the son of UTEP great Pete Shufelt who played in the NFL in the early 1990s. Shufelt is a three-star linebacker, one of three three-stars in this class.
"I go to Pete's office in Albuquerque, he was educating me on UTEP history," Walden said. "It's unbelievable to keep it in the family."
UTEP added two locals, Andress offensive lineman Craig Wydra and Pebble Hills Marcus Torres, the son of former Spartans coach Mark. They join the top-rated El Paso recruit, Franklin's Shay Smith. Smith signed in December.
The highest rated prospect is three-star linebacker Jaylin Jones from Beaumont West Brook, an edge rusher who is the highest-rated addition in Conference USA, per 247sports. That list has incoming freshman Martavious Collins, a tight end, No. 3 in CUSA. Collins signed in December.
The other consensus three-star recruit announced Wednesday is Dallas South Oak Cliff linebacker Brandon Jones.
The breakdown on the 14 incoming freshmen is there are three receivers, three offensive linemen, two linebackers, two defensive tackles, two defensive linemen, two edge rushers (UTEP terms the position "bandit") and a kicker.
The 10 midyear transfers include two linebackers, two defensive lineman, four defensive backs and two running backs. That includes Austin Peay tailback Jevon Jackson, who rushed for 1,373 yards last year in Walden's offense.
The class is particularly remarkale given how late Walden and his newly hired staff started working on it as UTEP coaches.
"The one thing that separates us in recruiting: We have a plan, a concrete plan we've molded over the years," said Walden, who estimate his staff had some kind of contact this recruiting season with more than 1,000 Texas high schools.
"The biggest thing with our staff is authenticity. We don't back down from who we are. When kids come in campus, they don't walk away thinking, 'I got sold a bill of goods.' They know what we told them is real."
As for what he is telling them, "Word is getting out on what this place is, which is a good thing," Walden said. "This place is amazing. El Paso, Texas, is the No. 1 place in this state to be.
"I can't tell you how many kids came out here and said, 'Coach, I didn't know it was like this. Coach, we didn't know this was here. We didn't know the Sun Bowl was like this. We have to get our brand out there. We have a penominal product to sell, we need to get it in people's living rooms.
"That's what we're starting to wake up."
Walden has been saying that started with the day he was hired. He has some tangible proof to back it up now.
UTEP 2024 signing-day class
Elijah Baldwin DL 6-7 210 San Antonio John Jay
Rafeald Campbell WR 5-11 175 Arlington High
Ashton Coker DT 6-2 290 Katy Taylor
Wondame Davis Jr. WR 6-1 180 Ennis
Kyran Duhon DL 6-2 250 Humble Summer Creek
B.J. Jones LB 5-11 180 Dallas South Oak Cliff
Jaylin Jones OLB 6-4 210 Beaumont West Brook
Luka Matamoros OL 6-5 260 Pflugerville Hendrickson
Allan McCarter OL 6-4 260 Manvel
Stra[on Shufelt LB 6-2 220 Rio Rancho Cleveland
Ekow Taylor OLB 6-5 220 Keller Fossil Ridge
Marcus Torres WR 5-10 175 Pebble Hills
Aiden Webb K 6-2 175 Dallas Woodrow Wilson
Craig Wydra OL 6-4 290 Andress
Mid-year tansfers
Dylan Brown-Turner LB 6-1 210 r-Fr. Florida State
Devin Goree DL 6-3 245 Sr. Missouri State
Yessman Green CB 6-2 190 Sr. Jacksonville State
Calvin Hill RB 5-8 200 r-Sr. Texas State
Dorian Hopkins LB 6-0 226 Gr. Tulsa)
Jevon Jackson RB 5-8 200 r-Jr. Ausan Peay
Jaylon Shelton CB 6-2 190 r-Jr. Texas State
Xavier Smith DB 6-0 186 r-So. Austin Peay
Quinzavious Warren DL 6-2 330 Jr. Jacksonville State
Dillion Williams S 5-11 178 r-Jr. North Texas
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP completes top-ranked class on signing day with 14 additions
