Chase Elrod didn't have any particular designs on committing when he headed out to El Paso this past Saturday for the Orange and Blue Game.

But after spending the afternoon on campus, immersed in the UTEP experience and energy, Elrod couldn't resist the urge to pull the trigger. Less than an hour after three-star RB Daveon Singleton became the Miners' first commit of the 2026 cycle, Elrod joined him, spurning several Power 4 suitors and giving his verbal to UTEP.

“I love their whole staff, all of them," Elrod told MinerInsider.com. "I feel like they’re really building something there, and I want to be a part of it. Coach [Ryan] Stanchek, he strikes me as a guy that’s gonna coach you hard, but he still loves you. He’s just trying to make you better every day. I love that guy. And Coach [Scotty] Walden, he’s just always bringing that energy. That’s the kind of coach I dreamed to play for. I want a guy that’s going to run around with me, he’s going to go crazy when we score, that kind of thing.”