UTEP is in a groove on the recruiting trail.

In the short time that they've been on the scene in the Sun City, Walden and his staff have developed a penchant for strong relationship-building with high school prospects and transfers alike. That's paid early dividends for the Miners, who currently own the No. 1 recruiting class in Conference USA and will look to add to their haul this weekend.

It's already been a banner week for UTEP in the recruiting realm, as two-star DL Javarius Bell and two-star OL Ryder Slaton committed on Monday. The good news kept rolling Tuesday with the addition of two-star DL Leander Parrish, who chose the Miners over San Diego State, Tulsa and several other G5 suitors. And on Thursday, Walden's staff scored arguably their biggest win of the cycle, winning the battle for three-star CB Allen Gant. The 6-foot, 186-pound Lubbock native held Power 4 offers from Texas Tech, TCU and Houston, and had recently backed off a commitment to Arizona. But UTEP managed to stave off the field and land Gant after hosting him for an official visit at the beginning of November.

Now, the Miners have eight more official visitors on tap for the weekend, including a trio of flip targets. Here's a look at each of the prospects in question.

Houston (Texas) Yates tight end Jordan Andrus would be UTEP's highest-rated offensive commit if the Miners could manage to flip him from Rice. He's been pledged to the Owls since July. He's not the only highly regarded target for tight ends coach Jajuan Dulaney, as three-star TE Isaiah Butler-Tanner was in the Sun City last weekend for his OV. But UTEP is ready and able to take two tight ends in the 2025 class, and the duo of Andrus and Butler-Tanner would be a coup.

UTEP holds 21 total commitments in the 2025 class right now, and each of those pledges hails from the state of Texas. But they may soon welcome an outsider to the fold, as hulking Prague (Okla.) athlete Jaxon Smith will take an official to El Paso this weekend. He's been committed to Illinois State since May, but the Miners offered Smith on Halloween and moved quickly to get him on campus. If all goes according to plan, it shouldn't be a terribly difficult flip for UTEP to pull off. Smith checks in at 6-foot-7 and 245 pounds, and projects to the defensive line at the next level.