UTEP has its "chosen one" QB

Probably few doubt that UTEP's next starting quarterback will be Nick Lamaison, the junior-college transfer — not any of the three returnees.

Had Coach Mike Price figured he already had someone to replace the graduated Trevor Vittatoe, he'd not have brought in someone with only two years of eligibility.

UNLESS: Unless Price has his real next multi-year starting quarterback in his freshman class.

Recall what Price said right after last season regarding returning quarterbacks Carson Meger, Tate Smith and Javia Hall: " ... They wasted this year. I'm not pleased with their work. They spent no extra time after practice with young receivers and they were encouraged to do that ..."

That wasn't the full Price quote, but the other parts were not flattering, either.

So as spring drills continue, and when one day Price praises Meger, or Smith, or Hall, it's just propaganda stuff. Team morale dictates you don't just hand a job to a new guy. It's much better for the team if the holdovers see for themselves who's best. That assuages possible ill feelings.

Lamaison comes with a lot of stats, albeit junior-college stats. He's not real tall and not real fast, but in Price's offense it's the arm that is trump. He's got the arm.

The long-range plans, of course, are for incoming freshman Blaire Sullivan to be the starter as soon as possible (he'll red-shirt this season).  He doesn't come with much of a pedigree since he played at a private school in San Antonio, but neither did Vittatoe, who was an option-run quarterback in high school and now holds virtually every UTEP all-time passing record. Sullivan has an arm, indeed, and he also supposedly has what Vittatoe never really did — a passing touch on shorter throws. He'll have to work on a whole lot of stuff in 2011, of course.

A probable hint to the Price strategy? He recruited only two quarterbacks this class: Lamaison and Sullivan. There is no freshman class of quarterbacks. Sullivan is the only one.

For those who think only "positives" about UTEP, then surmise that Price was able to get Sullivan by telling him he'd be the only QB recruited. That's one way to get a talented athlete.

Comments

[Prospero]

Well, now that we have a QB we just need 21 other players! i kid, i kid.

* UTEP has had a couple of good QBs in the past few years. But in the Mike Price era, we have yet to see a guy who can really go out there and win games with a killer instinct. Like a Kevin Kolb kind of guy.

Palmer was too shaky, and Im not sure Vittatoe did enough to inspire his team.

Its time we have a true QB. we'll see what happens this year.

[madmangunner]

Sorry Joe, you're waaaaay off on this one. Sullivan is a good kid, played at a school with good coaching. But I don't see him making an impact until about 3 years down the road. I saw him play from his sophmore and junior years. Good arm, but hasn't seen the level of competition Trevor saw at his high school level.

[Ron Spaugy]

Lets hold off on giving the job to Lamaison right away and see how he looks in spring ball first..There was alot of hype for Brandis Dew after Jordan, then Trevor popped up..Trust in Price!! GO MINERS!!

[Dewey]

I've never been too impressed with Coach Price and his recruiting tactics. I grew up in EP and still follow the Miners sports. I now live and work in the Dallas area metroplex at a local high school. About 4 yrs ago he recruited a great kid from the school I work at. Good talent, (yes was only a two star, but had good fundamentals). He was promised at worst being red shirted. The kid was ok with that. However, about two weeks before signing day, he was informed by Price and his coaching staff that he would be grey shirted not red shirted. This is not what the student was promised and fortunately another school (La. Layfayette) decided to give him a scholarship and he did very good there until his junior year when he blew out his knee. I know coaches have to offer things to kids to get them to sign especially at a remote school such as UTEP. But Price seems to have repetitive deceptive recruiting practices (not necessarily rule violating illegal, just deceptive to incoming students.) Price is over-rated as a coach. His first two years at UTEP were good but he was working with students he did not recruit. It's time for Price to go. Joe actually made some sense in this article, can't say that for all his writings. :)

[NineteenRabbit]

You were a premature birth, right Dewey--your brain didn't develop properly?

[Same old frustrated fan]

Let the beatings begin. Ride that rented mule(Nick) till he drops. Instead of blaming the troops how about developing them. But that would require true coaching talent, not nepotism. Bring on lirpa loofs, he could'nt do any worse than the RECRUITMENT failures of the past. Go on, set the fans up for failure, retire, and hope the left overs will keep their jobs. It's just a short bus ride to Sun City, Arizona.

[h f schardt jr]

I moved to Alabama from EP about 13 years ago. I was here and close to the Price debacle at Alabama through my neighbor, a university employee. What Dewey said rings true about the overall character of Mike Price. The program deserves better. I don't believe he has the trust of the kids themselves, for sure he didn't during his ill-fated tenure in Tuscaloosa. His claim to fame in the northwest was the result of the hard work of his staff, which, notice, do not follow him from job to job as so many successful programmers do. Now is the time for Coach Stull to step up, declare himself interim while he searches for the next coach. Remember when he took us the the Independence?

[Prospero]

Mr. Schardt,

thats not necessarily true that coach Price's staff hasnt followed him around.

OL Coach Bob Connelly worked at WSU from 2001-2002

DEF Cord. Andre Patterson @ WSU from 92-93. and Web St. in 1988. |

His son Aaron Price, worked at WSU from 2001-2002.

Other coaches who are no longer on the staff, but DID follow Coach Price to UTEP include:

OL Coach Lawrence Livington, worked at WSU and Weber St from 1987-1997.

DB Coach Jim Clark, WSU 2001-2002.

and then of course his other son, QB coach Eric Price at WSU from 1998-2000.

*as you can see, i like to google stuff. haha.

[truth]

he was grayshirted because he we dumb and wasnt eligible accidemically thats what gray shirt is they want him to play but he is to dumb or lazy or both to be eligle to practice with the team thats what grayshirt is if someone has good grades you couldn't gray shirt him if you wanted.