2019 Football Signees -- Suspense Still Lingers

[HeWore62]

My spies tell me UTEP may yet add another player to the recruiting class of 2019, even as late as this summer. Without disclosing details, Coach Dana Dimel admitted as much today when he texted "we're working on it." Late arrivals have a deep and rich UTEP history. To wit:

(*) Winston Dimel -- Kansas State grad and all-Big 12 fullback transferred in last summer, joining the team in time for Camp Ruidoso. Instant contributor, until he hurt a shoulder.

(*) Thomas Howard Jr. -- One of the top prospects in West Texas, until he broke his leg in a car wreck before his senior year at Lubbock Estacado. He walked on, played his way into the starting lineup in the spring before his sophomore year. On then, did staffers convince Gary Nord to give Howard a scholarship. Thomas bloomed from a safety to become one of the top LBs in school history.

(*) Will Hernandez -- This big fella needed extra time to get his academic house in order, so he was not announced as part of a class of signees. Oh, but once Will came in from Las Vegas, he started kicking butt, pronto. A second-team all-American guard, Will plays for the NFL Giants.

Can you name another late signee who made his mark? For more, wait til the next "Miners Are Forever." Free for the asking. Just lemme know you want to receive.

 

[UTEPDefense]

There are always Senior Grad transfers that appear over the summer(Logan Tulley-Tillman from Michigan, Damian Payne from Houston, Etc.)

As far as late High School signees/non-Grad transfers that appeared at UTEP over the summer, then a couple of the bigger names that come to mind were Braxton Amy and Fred Rouse:

Braxton Amy: "I was actually committed to Wisconsin, and I blew out my knee the ninth game of my senior season. I tore every ligament plus the hamstring off the bone. It happened following a 73-yard touchdown in the end zone when a guy jumped on my back. After that, my recruiting coach went from Wisconsin to Notre Dame and two days before signing day they told me they weren't going to be able to give me a scholarship. I kind of planned on going to a junior college because everybody else was out of scholarships by then. In the middle of a summer I got a call from [UTEP recruiting coordinator] Jeff Banks. He wanted me to take a visit and said they had a scholarship for me if I wanted it. So I took my visit, committed, flew home, packed my stuff and flew back the next day to start practicing."

https://utepathletics.com/news/2007/8/10/Socorro_Q_amp_A_2_Braxton_Amy.aspx


Fred Rouse: Started at Florida State and then later appeared at UTEP one summer in between the end of Spring Ball and the beginning of the following season.

 

[utep2step]

Rouse was more disliked by the team than opponents.

 

[Minerforlife]

Rouse was more disliked by the team than opponents.

The Fred Rouse play that always sticks in my mind is a game against Rice in Houston. We're up three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. They punt it to Rouse the ball hits him in helmet bounces 10 ft in the air and Rice recovers it. Another classic Miner choke in Houston. That one play pretty much summarizes Fred Roises career at UTEP.

 

[utep2step]

The Fred Rouse play that always sticks in my mind is a game against Rice in Houston. We're up three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. They punt it to Rouse the ball hits him in helmet bounces 10 ft in the air and Rice recovers it. Another classic Miner choke in Houston. That one play pretty much summarizes Fred Roises career at UTEP.

He had two in that game that helped Rice? That play and and another punt or kick to him and he notoriously held the ball out on his forearm. Rice punched it out and scored again.

 

[HeWore62]

Oooof. Nothing like a UTEP fan, with a long memory.

Thing about a newcomer (freshman or transfer) who comes in, and acts like a selfish jackass, teammates will sniff it out, pronto.

You can fool the scouting services, you can shine the media, you might even trick the coaches ... but the players know where to place their trust. Any sport, anywhere, from now to eternity, the players KNOW.

Players always know what's in a teammate's heart. Always, and forever.