In the end, there really is no place like home. After putting up one of the best seasons in Texas rushing this past season (2,477 yards, 26 TDs), Americas running back Josh Fields signed to play for Sean Kugler and the UTEP Miners on Wednesday afternoon.
“I chose UTEP because it felt like home,” Fields said following a signing day ceremony at the school, “My family and friends are all here and I feel like I can get a lot of support here.”
The star running back chose the Miners over New Mexico, Air Force, and Louisiana Monroe. According to head coach Patrick Melton, this was a tough decision for his star running back and hadn’t made up his mind until Tuesday night. Ultimately, he sees a very bright future for Fields at UTEP.
“I’m glad he gets to stay home,” head coach Patrick Melton said, “It’s awesome that a hometown kid gets to get some face time here in town and hopefully people in town will go support him and UTEP.”
Under head coach Sean Kugler, the Miners have placed an emphasis on recruiting local talent. After five recruiting classes, the Miners have signed 22 players from the El Paso-Las Cruces (NM) metro area. For the Miners to keep one of El Paso’s best running backs home for college, it’s a big deal that Kugler doesn’t let go unnoticed.
“He’s an outstanding talent,” Kugler said of Fields, “When you watch him on film, the same things jump out you like they did with Aaron Jones. The guy is just a playmaker.”
Like Fields, Jones was a local talent out of Burges High School that the Miners were able to pick up. With Jones off to the NFL, Fields steps in with an opportunity to follow in his footsteps. While Fields (5-9, 195) isn’t nearly as big as Jones, Kugler still sees a good fit with the Miners’ run-first offense.
“There’s just so many different things that he can do,” Kugler said, “The thing I love about him is that he runs between the tackles. He’s a tough runner, he breaks tackles. I don’t want compare him too much to Aaron Jones just because they’re two different backs, but production wise, they’re very similar.”
As for Fields, he said he did talk to Jones during the recruitment process “almost every day” leading up to his decision. Now that the ink is dry on the dotted line, Fields is ready to see the field with the Miners, even from the season opener at Oklahoma in September.
“I’m very excited,” Fields said, “The coaches told me I would have a chance to play right away so I’m ready to go and face Oklahoma.”
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