There's a Tennessee flair to Scotty Walden's first corps of captains at UTEP.

The Miners named six team captains Wednesday afternoon, and four of the players that earned the nod are transfers that followed Walden from Austin Peay State University. Walden brought several of the Governors' top contributors with him when he left Clarksville (Tenn.) to take the job at UTEP last December.

The 34-year-old head coach tabbed two roster incumbents in senior bandit Maurice Westmoreland and senior defensive back AJ Odums, but the other four players designated as captains are entering their first season in the orange and blue. Senior defensive back Kory Chapman, redshirt junior Miner Back Kam Thomas, senior wide receiver Trey Goodman and redshirt junior running back Jevon Jackson round out UTEP's lineup of captains.

Westmoreland, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound native of Houston, is a heavily decorated pass-rush extraordinaire who's coming off an All-Conference USA first-team selection in 2023. He started all 12 games and ranked second in the conference with 7.5 sacks. His captaincy will represent the defense.

Odums, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound New Mexico transfer, started all 12 games for UTEP in 2023 and tied for third in C-USA with eight pass breakups. His captaincy will represent the Miners' special teams units, known within the program as Wefense.

Chapman, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound product of Hoover (Ala.), has made 25 career starts at the FCS level. He comes to UTEP having logged 140 total tackles across the last two seasons at Austin Peay. His captaincy will represent the defense.

Thomas, a 5-foot-7, 184-pound dynamo from Birmingham (Ala.), has the potential to be one of UTEP's most exciting weapons in 2024. He's a do-it-all player who recorded 629 receiving yards, 78 rushing yards, 296 kick return yards and 267 punt return yards for Austin Peay in 2023. He accounted for eight total touchdowns, and his captaincy will represent the Wefense.

Goodman, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound native of Atlanta, is fresh off a prolific year as one of the primary targets in Austin Peay's passing attack. He earned conference first-team honors after posting 721 receiving yards and a team-high seven TD catches. His captaincy will represent the offense.

Jackson, a 5-foot-8, 205-pound Decatur (Ala.) product, earned first-team all-conference and second-team FCS Central All-America honors in 2023 with Austin Peay. His 1,373 rushing yards were good for fifth in the FCS, and he tallied eleven touchdowns from scrimmage. His captaincy will represent the offense.

UTEP opens its 2024 campaign on Saturday afternoon against Nebraska. Kickoff from Memorial Stadium in Lincoln is set for 2:30pm CT.

Want to know the who, what, when and why of all things UTEP football and recruiting? Now is a great time to subscribe to MinerInsider. Don't miss out on your opportunity to get inside access to UTEP football like never before!