UTEP continues to rack up pledge after pledge from some of the most underrated prospects in Texas, as they've now added a verbal from Brownsville (Texas) St. Joseph Academy offensive lineman Diego De La Cruz. The 6-foot-4, 315-pound South Texas native had previously taken two unofficial visits to the 915, as he was on campus in April for the spring game and returned in July for the Sun City Showcase.

In the aftermath of the Showcase (at which the Miners collected ten commitments), there was a bit of surprise among sources close to the UTEP program that De La Cruz did not elect to commit at the event. However, three more weeks of consistent recruiting by Miners offensive line coach Ryan Stanchek was enough to seal the deal, and De La Cruz now joins Maddox Huber in UTEP's offensive line class.

De La Cruz is the sixteenth total commit of the 2025 cycle for the Miners, who have thoroughly shifted the focus of their recruiting efforts under the direction of first-year head coach Scotty Walden. In years past, UTEP had relied primarily on transfers from the junior-college ranks, but Walden and his staff have placed great emphasis on recruiting the Lone Star State. All sixteen of UTEP's commits hail from Texas.

De La Cruz also held offers from Incarnate Word and UTRGV.

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