UTEP lands big commitment from 3-Star QB TJ Goodwin

TJ Goodwin has never set foot on the campus at UTEP, but the promise of a bright future there was too much for him to ignore.

On Thusday afternoon, the three-star Cypress Falls quarterback committed to the Miners with designs of being the face of the program under new head coach Dana Dimel. The staff made it clear to him that he and fellow recent commit, three-star El Paso running back Deion Hankins, are expected to lead in a new era for the program.

“The only school that made me feel like I was needed instead of just being a valuable asset was UTEP,” he said. “Having the opportunity to play somewhere and have my school paid for is always great, and going into the season committed to a team is big - Just knowing that after high school I’m going to have someplace to play.”

Goodwin has had a busy summer completing summer school courses in an effort to be able to graduate and enroll early. He’ll take his official visit to UTEP on September 22 weekend when the Miners host New Mexico State, but said that he’s already received some pretty valuable perspective from former teammates Trent Thompson and Jonathan Patrick - who are now both current Miners.

Otherwise, his communication with the staff has filled in the rest of the details about what he can expect once he suits up out west. He said that inside receivers coach Jake Waters and quarterbacks coach Mike Canales have gone above and beyond to bring him into the class.

“[Thompson and Patrick] have both just been telling me good things about the campus,” he said. “The coaches came out to see me in spring several times and that was part of what made me feel as though I was actually really needed.

“Coach Canales has always tried to get the point across that he wants me to play for him, help him change the culture and put UTEP on the map leading the conference and stuff like that … Coach Waters came to my school a couple of times and has given me tips and things. Both coaches are really honest, tell me how it is and I really like that.”

Part of the discussion that Goodwin has had with his future coaches is how smooth the transition from his high school offense to what’s being installed at UTEP should be. He said that many of the same principles apply and as he continues to improve as a player, he expects he’ll be set up for success, especially as things are trending towards him being on the roster next spring.

“They have a couple of quarterbacks there now,” he said. “But they told me that if I can’t play there now, they want em to redshirt and play for the next four years. They want me to be the face of the program when I get out there.”

Goodwin said now that he is in the fold, he wants to immediately get to work making a connection between UTEP and some of the other under-recruited players in his neck of the woods that could be impact commitments with the Miners. He said that all-purpose back Noah Smith and slot receiver Corey Williams immediately came to mind as targets off - and potentially on - the field for him.

He said he and Hankins are accepting the challenge of changing the perception that the Miners can bring in quality recruits starting with this class.

“We want to start getting guys fired-up about this class,” he said. “Some guys have just been waiting on a couple of people to commit and now they will too. When you have two players that had a lot of other offers and turned them down to go to UTEP, it will show other players that something special is happening there.”

While Goodwin looks forward to ushering in a new era of football at a program that has been thirsty for a change in fortune, he’s as sure as he could be at this point that he’s found a place he can grow. He saw first-hand the welcome basketball-playing classmate Nigel Hawkins received when he committed and is looking forward to the same response as he looks towards his own arrival.

“The fan base is something that I’ve really noticed,” he said. “When [Hawkins] committed, he received a lot of letters, a lot of support for making his decision - and he had a lot of other offers - but when he committed to UTEP they embraced him with open arms … In El Paso, that’s the closest thing they have to a pro team and they’re so supportive, and that’s what I love about it.”