Early developments in UTEP football’s coaching search
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – One day after UTEP parted ways with head football coach Dana Dimel after six seasons, all attention in El Paso has turned to the Miners’ next hire and there was an important development on Monday night.
Sources close to the situation told KTSM that UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion is “very interested” in filling the Miners’ head coaching void. There has been some contact between Marion’s camp and UTEP early in the search process, sources said.
Considered by many in the world of college football to be a rising star, the 36-year-old Marion helped the Rebels to a 9-3 2023 season and a berth in the Mountain West championship game. His “Go-Go Offense,” which combines the spread with the triple-option, averaged 36 points per game in 2023 and also torched UTEP for almost 500 yards back on Sept. 23 in a 45-28 win over the Miners in El Paso.
Marion interviewed for the job opening at San Diego State last week and he’s also reportedly in the mix at other schools as well, as both a head coach and offensive coordinator . However, the fact that he has interest in UTEP is important early in the Miners’ coaching search.
Marion is just one of the coaches that KTSM has learned has interest in the UTEP opening . Sources told KTSM over the last couple days that Texas State offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich, Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White, former Baylor offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and Arizona Cardinals outside linebackers coach Robert Rodriguez are all also interested in the UTEP job.
It’s still too early in the process to know who UTEP will hire, but sources told KTSM on Monday that athletic director Jim Senter has set a timeline of two weeks or less for appointing the Miners’ 27th head coach.
There are a variety of routes the Miners could go, but the consensus on the direction the fanbase wants UTEP to go in was summed up nicely by former UTEP kicker Gavin Baechle, the 2022 Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Year.
“This is what I think they should do all the time at non-Power 5’s is bring in young coaches, exciting coaches that will bring in high-powered offenses or hard-hitting defenses and that sort of thing, rather than older guys that are stuck in their way,” Baechle said.
Many of the names rumored for the UTEP job are in that vein, including Marion (36), Leftwich (29) and White (44).
The NCAA transfer portal officially opens for recruiting next Monday, Dec. 4, and National Early Signing Day is Dec. 20. Therefore, it would behoove UTEP to move as quickly as possible to make a hire.
KTSM also learned on Monday that UTEP has plans in the works to boost its Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) funding for the football program. Currently, there is no NIL collective for football – there has been for basketball – but that is likely soon to change.
There are also some new facility upgrades in the works, including locker room improvements in the Sun Bowl. All of that could help sway a new coach in coming to UTEP.
As is the case with every college football program – especially at the Group of 5 level – when the season ends, multiple members of the UTEP football program began entering the transfer portal on Monday, including some important players like starting safety Kobe Hylton, all-CUSA offensive lineman Justin Mayers and cornerback Trez Moore.
Joining those three in the portal are defensive backs Tyler Williams and Ilijah Johnson (who left the team in the middle of the season); wide receiver Jostein Clarke; defensive lineman Kanious Vaughn; and long snapper Justin Duff.
Expect more players from UTEP’s 2023 roster to enter the portal in the coming days and weeks.
