A mere two weeks after the Miners picked up his commitment, UTEP will no longer be the destination for coveted transfer LB Dorian Jones.

The former Cincinnati linebacker had taken an official visit to the Sun City earlier this month and committed before departing the 915, but Virginia subsequently managed to lure him to campus for a visit. Following his trip to Charlottesville, Jones made the decision to flip to the Cavaliers, and UTEP will now reopen its search for another portal linebacker.

Originally a three-star signee of Louisville in the 2019 cycle, Jones spent four seasons as a Cardinal before transferring to Cincinnati. In his lone campaign as a Bearcat last fall, Jones started eight games at linebacker, recording 56 total tackles, a sack and an interception. In his collegiate career, Jones has recorded 143 total tackles, five sacks, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and two pass breakups.

“I’m looking for a team where we have a good chemistry, where I can be around like-minded people who want to work hard and accomplish something together," Jones had told MinerInsider in a previous interview. "I want to see that there’s people that have the same mentality — they want to accomplish something big and are willing to put the work in to do it. I want to feel like I’m at home and around family, and that’s something that would definitely make me pull the trigger.”

He pulled that trigger while on his OV to UTEP, and for a brief moment in time, it appeared that the Miners would have a pair of super-senior transfers to anchor their 2024 linebacker corps. Not only did Scotty Walden and his staff land Jones, but they also landed Middle Tennessee transfer Jalen Rayam. And although Rayam has signed with the Miners and will play a major defensive role in 2024, UTEP will now have to scour the portal once again to replace Jones.

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