Every player on the field at UTEP's spring football game has the goal of making the jump from playing for the Miners to playing in the NFL.
They won't have to look far to see someone who lived that goal. Current NFL offensive lineman Will Hernandez and recently retired safety Quintin Demps will be back on the Sun Bowl sidelines they dominated as Miners to serve as coaches for UTEP's April 12 Orange vs. Blue Spring Game.
UTEP's third all-time leading rusher, Thomas Howard, will assist Demps on the Blue sideline, while recently elected El Paso mayor Renard Johnson will assist Hernandez coaching the Orange.
UTEP also confirmed New York Giants defensive end and UTEP alum Roy Robertson-Harris will be at the game.
Hernandez is currently a free agent after spending the last three years as a starting guard for the Arizona Cardinals. He had the best year of his seven-year pro career last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
He frequently returns to El Paso, most recently last summer, to conduct a football camp. He will co-host a camp in El Paso this summer with Aaron and Alvin Jones. Hernandez was a star for UTEP over the last decade before the New York Giants drafted him with the 34th overall pick of the 2018 draft.
Demps was drafted out of UTEP in the fourth round in 2008 and had a 10-year NFL career (Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans twice, Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Giants) before retiring after the 2017 season. He is the head coach at San Antonio-area power Converse Judson High School.
The spring game starts at 11 a.m. with tickets costing $5.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times:
