Okay, so I decided to dig into the UTEP depth chart situation the other day. It’s always kind of a moving target, right? Especially before the season really kicks off or when injuries pop up.
Starting the Search
First thing I did, naturally, was hit up the official athletics website. You’d think that’d be the main spot. Sometimes they have it right there under the football section, maybe a specific article or a roster page update. I spent a good bit of time clicking around, checking news releases, looking at the roster page itself. Found the player list, sure, but an actual chart? Not immediately obvious this time.
Then I thought, okay, maybe the main site isn’t updated yet. So, I broadened my search. Started looking at the usual sports news places, you know, the big national ones and then the more local El Paso sports sites or blogs. Sometimes beat writers get scoops or post their own projections based on practice access.
Finding Bits and Pieces
This yielded a little more. Found some articles talking about position battles, who was taking first-team reps in recent practices according to sources. That’s helpful stuff, but it’s not the whole picture laid out neatly. It’s like getting puzzle pieces but not the box cover.
- Read a few practice reports summaries.
- Checked fan forums – sometimes passionate fans piece things together or share insider tidbits (gotta take those with a grain of salt, though).
- Listened to a couple of recent coach interviews or press conferences available online. Coaches rarely give away the whole farm, but they drop hints.
Putting It Together (My Version)
After gathering all that, I realized an official, locked-in chart wasn’t just lying around waiting for me. So, I kinda started sketching out my own version. Opened up a simple text document.
I listed the positions: QB, RB, WR (X, Y, Z), TE, the O-line spots, then flipped to defense – DE, DT, LBs, CBs, Safeties, and special teams.
Based on the practice reports and news articles, I started plugging in names. Put the guys mentioned as starters or getting first-team reps at the top. Then looked at returning players with experience, factoring them in. Newcomers, transfers, freshmen – they usually start lower down unless there’s strong buzz about them making an immediate impact.
Dealing with Uncertainty
It’s not perfect, obviously. There were spots where I basically had to make an educated guess. Especially on the offensive line sometimes, or figuring out the exact nickel package personnel. You mark those down with a question mark or make a note like “could be player A or player B”.
So, yeah. Didn’t find a perfect, ready-made chart just handed to me. Had to do some legwork, gather info from different places, and then put together my own projection. It’s more of a working document, something I’ll probably tweak as more news comes out or once the first game actually happens. It was an interesting exercise, though, really makes you look closer at the roster.
