D1 · Mountain West Conference

UTEP Men’s Basketball Recruiting: Roster & Openings

KenPom #269 · 11–20 · 2025–26 · Division 1 · Mountain West Conference · El Paso, TX

UTEP finished 11–20 (C-USA 11th, KenPom #269) in 2025–26. 14 players hold the 2026–27 roster; 14 are new this season.

Roster data through 2026–27

Roster14 players
New this season14
Transfer additions8
Clearest projected openingGuards and Forwards · 2029
Most common home stateMD (2)

Where the door opens

our roster projection · your arrival year

Guards and Forwards: open from 2029 — 3 ahead.

Centers: blocked until 2030.

2027
Gcrowded6 ahead
Fcrowded7 ahead
Cbalanced1 ahead · multi-yr
2028
Gbalanced4 ahead
Fbalanced5 ahead
Cbalanced1 ahead · multi-yr
2029
Gopening3 ahead
Fopening4 ahead
Cbalanced1 ahead · multi-yr
2030
Gopen2 ahead
Fopen3 ahead
Copen1 ahead

Projections for 2029, 2030 are low-confidence reads.

Guards in that room (6)
Leif Moeller6′7″So
Reese Miller6′5″RS-Sr
Kaleb Jackson6′7″Fr
Donovan Criss6′5″Fr
Jace Whiting6′3″RS-Sr
Ryan Jackson, Jr.6′6″Jr
Forwards in that room (7)
Reid Cason6′10″Jr
Isaiah Ward6′6″Fr
Mikey Kelvin II6′7″RS-Sr
Youssouf Traore6′10″Fr
Augusto Cassia6′10″Sr
Ivan Perasovic6′8″Fr
Janusz Ratowski6′11″RS-So
Centers in that room (1)
Delano Tarpley6′11″Fr
Those openings are for the roster in general. See whether your position, size and profile fit them →

If you want to play at UTEP

How to get recruited here

For 2027 arrivals the roster projection reads: G crowded (6 ahead), F crowded (7 ahead), C balanced (1 ahead · multi-yr).

Of the latest cycle's 14 arrivals, 6 came straight from high school and 8 from the transfer portal.

Most arrivals come from MD, OK, PA.

3 of 14 recent arrivals held a national ranking — 3 of 14 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

0% of last season's scoring returns.

The roster, as a depth chart

2026–27 · 14 players

Guards 6 of 14

Leif Moeller6′7″So
Kaleb Jackson6′7″Fr
Ryan Jackson, Jr.6′6″Jr
Reese Miller6′5″RS-Sr · final yr
Donovan Criss6′5″Fr
Jace Whiting6′3″RS-Sr · final yr

Frontcourt 8 of 14 · forwards + centers

Delano Tarpley6′11″Fr · C
Janusz Ratowski6′11″RS-So · F
Reid Cason6′10″Jr · F
Youssouf Traore6′10″Fr · F
Augusto Cassia6′10″Sr · F · final yr
Ivan Perasovic6′8″Fr · F
Mikey Kelvin II6′7″RS-Sr · F · final yr
Isaiah Ward6′6″Fr · F
freshman final year — spot opens returning

Returning production

0%of recorded scoring returns
0 of 5top scorers returning
Top returning scorers

Computed from 14 of 14 players on the 2025–26 roster with recorded stats; "returning" means listed on the 2026–27 roster.

Who actually gets onto this roster?

How players arrive

6from high school8via the portal

6 of 14 roster spots were filled out of high school or held over.

Rankings

3 of 14

3 of 14 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

Best-ranked: Donovan Criss #236.

Where from

MD 2 · OK 2 · PA 2 · TX 2 · AZ 1 · GA 1

14 international: Saint Louis; Juba; Bamako; Salvador, Bahia and 10 more

High schools: William J. Brennan HS ×3; Canyon Randall HS; Providence Day School and 2 more

Transfer flow

named arrivals and departures

2025–26 → 2026–27 · in

→Leif Moeller
→Reese Miller
→Reid Cason
→Jace Whiting
→Mikey Kelvin II
→Augusto Cassia
→Ryan Jackson, Jr.
→Janusz Ratowski

2025–26 → 2026–27 · out

←Jordan Hernandez
←Trey Horton III
←KJ Thomas
←Bobby Montgomery Jr.
←Kaseem Watson
←Mouhamed Mbaye
←Caleb Blackwell
←LA Hayes
←C.J. Smith
←Elijah Jones
←David Tubek

How this roster compares

Mountain West Conference (9 programs, 2025–26 medians)
MeasureUTEPConference
Average guard height6′6″6′4″+2″
Average frontcourt height6′9″6′8″+1″
Roster size1415−1
Freshman share43%27%+16pp

The five-year arc

kenpom rank · wins · conference finish
#1582021–22#1652022–23#1572023–24#1472024–25#2692025–26
20–14 · C-USA 7th14–18 · C-USA 6th18–16 · C-USA 5th18–15 · C-USA 7th11–20 · C-USA 11th

Coaching staff

Joe GoldingHead coach
Jeremy CoxAssociate head coach
Dan RussellAssistant coach
Joseph JonesAssistant coach
Patrice DaysAssistant coach
Drew LakeyAssistant coach
Staff changes9 on-court staff changes in 4 offseasons — 1 before 2023–24, 2 before 2024–25, 6 before 2025–26.

Academics

published admissions data
Acceptance rate100%
SAT midpoint962

How this page is made: Rosters: official UTEP rosters, 2025–26 and 2026–27, read from the athletic department's own site · Season: UTEP's 2026–27 roster is posted, so this page reads it; the conference comparison uses 2025–26, the newest season every program has on file. · Stats: 2025–26, the last season played — the 2026–27 season has no games yet. · New this season: players not listed on the 2025–26 roster; a newcomer who is not a freshman counts as a transfer addition · Ratings: KenPom, five seasons; conference finish computed among same-conference teams by rating · Openings: Depth Chart's roster projection from listed class years; confidence stated per year · Sample: among players who made a college roster — the data cannot see who didn't. Among players who made a college roster. Model judgments describe positions and cohorts, never a named player's future. Refreshed automatically when the rosters change. Corrections: research@mydepthchart.com.

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