Scotty Walden just landed his biggest fish to date as UTEP's head coach.

Two weeks after welcoming former five-star QB Malachi Nelson to campus for an official visit, Walden and the Miners have closed the deal and picked up a commitment from Nelson, as first reported publicly by ESPN's Pete Thamel.

The Los Alamitos (Calif.) native will come to El Paso with three years of eligibility remaining, as he took a redshirt in 2023 while at USC and saw only sporadic action at Boise State during the 2024 season. As the backup to Broncos starter Maddux Madsen, Nelson completed 12 of 17 passes for 128 yards and an interception on the year.

At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Nelson possesses ideal size and tremendous arm talent, which helped him ascend to five-star status in the 2023 recruiting cycle. He ranked as the No. 4 pro-style quarterback and No. 14 overall player in the class, and backed off an early commitment to Oklahoma in order to follow head coach Lincoln Riley to USC. Nelson was expected to start at Boise State in 2024, but Madsen's torrid fall camp enabled him to win the gig, and he eventually led the Broncos to a College Football Playoff berth.

At UTEP, Nelson will immediately contend for the QB job, although he'll have to unseat incumbent starter Skyler Locklear and hold off promising youngsters Shay Smith and J.P. Pickles.

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