Fresh off his visit to El Paso for the Orange and Blue Game, Kaleb Maryland has a leader in his recruitment. The talented Houston (Texas) North Shore product said Sunday that UTEP is his top school at the moment, and expounded upon his affinity for the program in an exclusive interview with Rivals.

“It was actually really, really good," Maryland said of his time in the 915. "I didn’t know UTEP was that beautiful, for one. That’s for sure. Got the mountains and the border of Mexico, so it was a pretty cool place. The Orange vs. Blue was a pretty good game; they were going back and forth.”

Scotty Walden and the Miners have been in hot pursuit of Maryland for quite some time, and they'd love to add the 6-foot, 180-pound signal-caller to a 2026 class that already includes three-star RB Daveon Singleton and three-star OT Chase Elrod.

“Coach Walden is a dude for sure," Maryland said of the Miners' head ball coach. "He reminds me a lot of the coaches I’ve been with [in high school]. He gets you pumped up; he gets you real fired up. He’s a really good guy, and he seems like he’s about the players for sure.”