UTEP hosted ten official visitors over the weekend for a home tilt with Middle Tennessee, and it provided the opportunity for several of the Miners' top targets to take in the Sun Bowl environment and the El Paso experience at large. One such target was three-star ATH TJ Tillman, a native of Amarillo who was previously committed to Texas Tech.

Tillman told Rivals that the official visit to UTEP left a major impression as he enters the final stages of his recruitment.

“I loved it," he declared. "It really surprised me and my family; we didn’t know El Paso was like that. It was just really surprising. Just how authentic everyone was — I loved how real everyone was, and the city was beautiful. Food was good; it was really just a family atmosphere.”