UTEP has officially joined the Mountain West Conference, the league announced Tuesday. The Miners will begin competing in all conference sports in the 2026-27 academic year.
UTEP, which had been in deep discussions with the Mountain West in recent days, alerted Conference USA officials of its intention to leave the league before Tuesday's announcement, sources told ESPN.
UTEP was an obvious target for the Mountain West due to its location and the school's athletic tradition in a variety of sports. The school gives the Mountain West a highly coveted addition in Texas as the league rebuilds after five schools announced they were leaving for the Pac-12.
“We are excited to welcome the Mountain West to the University of Texas at El Paso as the next step in our strategic membership initiatives,” Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement Tuesday. “The addition of UTEP reestablishes historic rivalries with several of our member institutions within the geographic footprint and provides valuable exposure to the great State of Texas. We welcome and look forward to competing against UTEP student-athletes.”
The addition of UTEP gives the league seven full-time members, joining UNLV, San Jose State, Wyoming, Nevada, New Mexico and Air Force. The Mountain West needs to grow to eight members to become a formal conference. (Hawaii remains a soccer-only member.) Recently, Utah State, Boise State, San Jose State, San Diego State and Fresno State announced their departure.
“I know the Miners will feel at home with the other quality athletic programs in this great conference,” said UTEP Vice President and Director of Athletics Jim Senter.
At UTEP, the Mountain West will have a school with a strong football and basketball lineage. UTEP's first football game against Southern Utah drew 41,633 fans to the Sun Bowl.
“There is no question that this will be better for our student-athletes, our fans and for El Paso,” added UTEP President Heather Wilson. “We look forward to rekindling old rivalries and welcoming the teams and their fans to El Paso.”
In football, UTEP has reached 15 bowl games; Former coaches include Bum Phillips and Mike Price. UTEP is currently in Conference USA, where it has resided since 2005, when it jumped out of the WAC.
UTEP's basketball history is even stronger, as it appeared in 17 NCAA tournaments and won the national championship in 1966, when the school was known as Texas Western. The Miners were the first team with five starting all-African American players to win the national title. That team's coach, Don Haskins, is in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
UTEP has a strong fan base and El Paso, Texas, has a population of nearly 679,000, making it one of the 25 most populous cities in the United States.
According to sources, the Mountain West has also issued a verbal offer to the state of Texas in recent days. No clarity or timeline has emerged on the state of Texas' decision. The Pac-12 has also expressed interest in Texas State, sources said.
