With less than three weeks remaining until early signing day, Scotty Walden and the UTEP staff are launching an all-out effort to close the cycle with a flourish.

They picked up a huge commitment Thursday night to aid in that effort, as three-star Lubbock (Texas) Coronado cornerback Allen Gant made the decision to lock in with the Miners. Gant's pledge came as a bit of a surprise, as he held multiple Power 4 offers and had at one time been committed to Arizona. But after hosting him for an official visit at the beginning of November, it's UTEP that has earned the pledge from the 6-foot, 186-pound defender.

Gant and Sherman (Texas) LB Kane Bowen share the distinction of being the highest-rated commits in the Miners' class, which ranks No. 1 in Conference USA and now consists of 21 commits after Gant's addition. The West Texas stud held Power 4 offers from TCU, Texas Tech and Houston, but he elected to commit to Arizona over the summer. But when he backed off his pledge in mid-October, UTEP went full steam ahead to try and keep Gant in the Lone Star State, and that effort has now proven successful.

Gant joins a loaded secondary class for the Miners, who also hold commitments from three-star safety Grant Stewart and two-star corners Darien Fantroy and Erion Wilkins. Moreover, Gant is the fourth commit in as many days for UTEP, as they added OL Ryder Slaton, DL Javarius Bell and DL Leander Parrish earlier this week.

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