The fact that 18 former Miners are playing Divison I basketball is an accurate reflection of how the transfer portal has impacted UTEP over the last half decade.
Following three productive seasons at UTEP, graduate transfer forward Tydus Verhoeven will spend his final season in college basketball at Northwestern, he announced on social media Thursday.
UTEP redshirt freshman running back Willie Eldridge, who broke out for 118 yards rushing against Bethune Cookman last season, has entered the transfer portal.
UTEP Starting Forward Tydus Verhoeven Enters the Transfer Portal
The UTEP men s basketball program saw another member of the frontcourt enter the transfer portal on Thursday, as starting forward Tydus Verhoeven elected to leave the program as a graduate transfer, per Verbal Commits.
In addition, the Miners saw JUCO transfer Adam Hess enter the transfer portal. Verhoeven and Hess join Efe Odigie and Vuk Vulikić as four members in the transfer portal so far. The NCAA transfer portal already has over 1,000 players electing to leave their program.
Verhoeven was UTEP s best rim protector and anchored the frontcourt s defense through many stretches this year. He started all 24 games at the forward position alongside Bryson Williams in 2020-21, averaging 4.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest. His playing time jumped up in a major way from his sophomore to junior year, going from 13.7 minutes last season to 24.6 minutes per game this year. In addition, the shot-blocker (21 blocks