Mountain Bound: UTEP Athletic Director prepares for journey to the Mountain West Conference
Adrian Ochoa
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — After two years of anticipation, the University of Texas at El Paso will embark on a new sports area in the Mountain West Conference.
The UTEP Miners will start with the MW July 1, and for Athletic Director Jim Senter, it’s been quite the journey.
Senter started at UTEP in 2017, and fans hoped he would be the one to get the Miners into the MW.
He fulfilled that goal in 2024 when he announced the miners would leave Conference USA, which UTEP has been a member of since 2005.
However, leaving Conference USA came at a cost.
Last year, UTEP donors contributed $12 million; $8 million went to cover exit fees.
Donations also went to improve locker rooms in the Sun Bowl Stadium.
“So that was another $2 million dollars, so lots of different people have stepped up,” Senter said.
The move to the Mountain West Conference also brings new opportunities. In Conference USA, most UTEP games were streamed on ESPN Plus. In the Mountain West, while some games will be televised on linear channels, fans who want to watch every UTEP game will have to sign up for the new Mountain West Plus.
However, the difference between the two streaming services is that now UTEP will get a cut from subscribers who sign up and specify they follow the Miners.
“We have a chance to earn money from those subscriptions,” Senter said. “It’s right about 60% of all the money that everybody pays will be coming back to UTEP in the form of a subscription fee. And in an ideal world, we would like to lead the Mountain West Conference in the number of subscriptions. You would think we could do that.”
These changes will start with this upcoming football season.
Changes are also in store for the fan experience with giveaways, special food items and even drone shows!
The student section and marching band will also see changes. Both will now be seated right behind the opposing team’s bench.
However, investment is still the name of the game for UTEP.
This season UTEP is projecting a revenue-sharing pool of $3.45 million dollars.
It’s a good start, but when compared to fellow Mountain West Conference rival UNLV, the difference is staggering.
UNLV projects its revenue sharing pool to be at nearly $11 million this season.
“We’ve been able to increase probably two to three times the amount of money that we’ve been able to do,” Senter said. “We think that has allowed us to recruit some better players in addition to having better recruiting battles with folks (other schools), but there is always somebody with a bigger checkbook.”
Senter enters the Mountain West era under a new contract.
While some question whether he deserved it, Senter remains committed to building winning programs at UTEP.
“I’ll be judged by that I understand that some people will think it’s good, some others will not think it’s good, but I’m appreciative of the contract and the extension,” Senter said. “I will continue to work my tail off to do the best job that I can.”
Watch “Mountain Bound” above.