Its size.
Over here is 6-foot, 205-pound running back Jason Williams. Over there is 6-2, 200-pound defensive back Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith. And here stands 6-7, 310-pound (officially, at least) offensive lineman Alex Solot.
UTEP head coach Mike Price said he wanted large when he arrived in late 2003. Well, large is here.
"There's some big kids out there," said senior linebacker Troy Collavo, who stands 6-foot and weighs 235 pounds. "That's a lot different than years past. Especially when some guys seem like they're a foot taller than me. And it's good to see that. After they get developed and get used to the speed of the game -- which always takes a while for them to come around -- they're going to be good players."
Where and when this new freshman group will contribute is still unknown. There are some, like Williams and fellow running back Donald Buckram (5-10, 185 pounds), who might play immediately. And others, such as 6-2, 200-pound quarterback Trevor Vittatoe, who may have to wait before getting their chance.
Not that people aren't impressed right now.
"Trevor, I think, had a great first day," senior quarterback Jordan Palmer said. "He's coachable, and he's done what he's needed to do to be able to have a good first day. You can come out here and just throw it. But you've got to know what you're doing. He's done a good job of preparing himself."
Vittatoe, a native of Bedford, Texas, is just glad to get on the field. And he showed some nice arm strength, slinging the ball downfield with ease.
"People have told me that it doesn't look like I try very hard when I throw it," he said. "And I really don't. I've grown up playing baseball and throwing the football every single day of my life. It doesn't look like I'm that big, but when I throw it, people don't expect it to be that hard or that far. But it ends up going a long way."
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Freshman Quarterbacks Ease In
Trevor Vittatoe had 20 touchdown passes and only four interceptions as a prep senior.
Their names may not be readily recognizable to Miner fans right now. But sometime down the road, either James Thomas II or Trevor Vittatoe could emerge as UTEP’s next great quarterback.
For now, they are true freshmen getting a crash-course on Mike Price’s offense and Division I football in their first week of practices in the Sun City.
A Palestine native, Thomas was chosen the District 20-5A Offensive MVP as a senior at Thurgood Marshall High School. He was also recognized as a top-300 prep in the Lone Star State by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine. Thomas was a run-pass threat in high school, accumulating 2,089 yards through the air and 971 on the ground in 2005.
“James is a different style quarterback than what we normally have,” said UTEP quarterbacks coach Aaron Price. “He’s more of a Lorne Sam type player. He has a heck of an arm for a shorter guy (5-11), and he’s a phenomenal athlete. We’ve been working on his drop-back pocket skills – he hasn’t done some of that because he’s more of a gun and run, sprint out type of a guy. We haven’t gotten to that in our package yet. He’ll excel next week when we work on more of that stuff.”
Vittatoe claimed first team All-District 6-5A honors at Trinity High School in his hometown of Bedford last year. He threw for 1,999 yards with 20 touchdowns and only four interceptions, earning him a spot on Team Texas as a first team signal-caller. Vittatoe was a member of two district title teams at Bedford (2003, 2005).
“Trevor is a well-schooled, polished freshman,” Price said. “He didn’t throw a ton in high school, mainly because they were a running team. But he has college level skills and ability, so he won’t have to make that transition like a lot of guys do. He has a great arm with a very nice touch on the ball. He’s a heck of a player.”
Thomas and Vittatoe will benefit from spending a year learning from UTEP’s all-time passing leader, senior Jordan Palmer.
“For both of these guys, it’s not really about what’s happening right now,” Palmer said. “It’s about how much they commit themselves over the next couple of years to watching film and realizing the fundamentals of playing college quarterback. It’s not just dropping back and throwing the ball and hitting the receivers in the chest. There are so many more aspects to it. As they learn those aspects and learn how to handle themselves, they will be competing for a job that’s going to be a really prized possession to have.
“With the new recruits and transfers UTEP is getting, the starting quarterback of the future is going to inherit quite an explosive offense,” Palmer added. “It will be interesting to see which guy takes it into his own hands.”
