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UTEP football will have a new tight end next season when M.J. McFarland joins the Miners after spending the last four years as a Longhorn. Once a decorated four-star recruit from El Dorado High School, the senior tight end leaves UT Austin with an undergraduate degree and a full year left of eligibility. McFarland will finish his college football career as a Miner and will be eligible to play as soon as the transfer is complete.
The senior is coming off a quiet season in which he caught 11 passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns. Although he was regarded as a receiving player rather than a blocker as a recruit, McFarland could prove to be a good addition to the running game and improve on the great season the Miners had last year. UTEP finished the season among the top 40 teams in the nation in rushes.
“Sometimes in life you have to listen to your heart instead of your mind, and I have decided to move on a play my last year elsewhere,” he said in a statement. “It was a tough decision because I love Texas, and I’ve met a lot of great people who have made a tremendous impact in my life.”
McFarland’s transfer comes at a good time for UTEP. Eric Tomlinson, the Miners’ starting tight end in 2014, just finished up his career at UTEP. McFarland can help the team much in the way Tomlinson did, as a blocker for the running game first and a receiver second.
His experience in a historically important football program should also be of use to coach Sean Kugler and his team.
Whether McFarland will be able to step up and fill the void left behind by Tomlinson is still unknown, but as an El Paso native, McFarland will hope to end his last year at home with a memorable season.
Juan Carlos Navarrete can be reached at [email protected].
