Following the firing of former head football coach Dana Dimel Sunday Nov. 26, UTEP football has found its new head coach.

After a week-long effort to find a new coach, UTEP has hired Austin Peay Governors head coach Scotty Walden.

Walden, along with other candidates, was interviewed by UTEP leaders including Director of Athletics Jim Senter and President Heather Wilson Ph.D. in Dallas.

The Cleburne, Texas native is coming off two back-to-back conference titles with the Governors in the Atlantic Sun Conference (2022) and the United Athletic Conference (2023).

The Sul Ross graduate did serve as interim head coach for the former Conference USA rival Southern Miss Golden Eagles in 2020. Under Walden, the team was 1-3.

The former Division III quarterback signed a three-year extension to his contract with Austin-Peay in February 2023 meaning Walden would have stayed until 2025.  

The news was made official through a press release Monday afternoon by Senter and UTEP athletics. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Scotty back home to the Lone Star State,” Senter said. “He is one of the most innovative and energetic young coaches in the nation. He will put a product on the field that Miner fans will love to watch. His teams are characterized by fast-paced and high-scoring offenses and opportunistic defenses. We can’t be more excited to launch a new era of Miner Football.”  

UTEP will welcome its newest coach Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. at the Larry K. Durham Center Hall of Champions. Walden comes to UTEP with a 34–20 which included stints at East Texas Baptist, Southern Miss and Austin Peay. 

Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela Armendariz is the sports editor and may be reached at [email protected]: @rivasemmanuel2 on Instagram.