UTEP Football Roster Outlook: Tight Ends

Through receiving and blocking, tight ends will be thoroughly incorporated into the new offensive system of the Miners this upcoming season. In the past, former head coach Sean Kugler liked to bask in getting as many tight ends as he could and rotate them periodically in games. Through spring practices and scrimmages, Dana Dimel and offensive coordinator Mike Canales have shown that they will also use the tight ends effectively this season, considering their primary shotgun look.

The Miners bring on two tight ends into the summer, who were both sidelined periodically last season with injuries. Senior David Lucero and junior Josh Weeks will be the duo at tight end for the Miners this season.

David Lucero - Senior - Arizona Western College; Holtville, Calif.

Through the first eight games of the season last year, senior tight end David Lucero was the Miners leading receiver before being sidelined with an injury. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound California native finished the 2017 season with 17 receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown.

He showed similar success at Arizona Western College, where he had 91 yards of receiving in 12 games and helped his team to a 11-1 overall record. Lucero also spent his freshman season playing for Boise State, where he played in two games for the Broncos as a freshman. In high school, he was named San Diego Section All-Manzanita League first team on both offense and defense as a junior and senior.

My favorite thing about Lucero is his ability to be a hybrid tight end, where he might look like he will block, then gets away for a pass downfield. He’s powerful and can catch the ball pretty efficiently.

Josh Weeks - Junior - BYU; Oklahoma City, Okla.

Josh Weeks was a legacy for BYU football -- his grandfather and his uncle both played there. Weeks went to BYU as a freshman, and after his freshman season, he would later decide to transfer over to UTEP to start his own legacy.    

As a sophomore last year, Weeks played in seven games for the Miners, but, like Lucero, missed most of 2017 with an injury. During his playing time, he caught six passes for UTEP, tallied 68 yards (11.3 a game) and scored the lone touchdown for the Miners against No. 7 Oklahoma.

Weeks, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound tight end, brings in a lot of athleticism to the table for this team. He has a background in playing running back and receiver in high school, where he helped Show Low High School win the 2010 3A State title. His track and field background also adds to the athlete he is.