UTEP true freshman offensive tackle Preston Perkins was a 3-star recruit in the 2025 class, and he's currently working on the 3rd-team offensive unit for the Miners heading into the game on Saturday.
Though the Longhorns didn't offer him a scholarship, Perkins seemingly wanted to stay in the state of Texas and decided to commit to UTEP over out-of-state schools like New Mexico, Akron, and Chattanooga. The 6'6", 270-pound offensive lineman has an excellent frame and build, with more than enough room to add 30-40 pounds to his body over the next few seasons in El Paso.
As a recruit for the "Maroons", he was often the most dominant lineman on the field, as well as the most physically imposing. Perkins was originally recruited as an interior offensive lineman, but his size and length have allowed him to stay on the outside at the collegiate level. He has tremendous core strength that's helped him control defenders throughout each rep. Perkins also helped lead his team to the first round of the Texas 6A D-II state playoffs as a Senior in 2024.
One of the main reasons for his perceived "under-recruitment" was his bad habit of trying to just muscle defenders away from the play instead of relying on technique. He was seen as a very, very raw prospect coming out of high school because he wasn't disciplined with his fundamentals in multiple areas.
Regardless of his recruiting journey, he made it to El Paso as a Division 1 football player after some thought or predicted that he'd be forced to play at a lower level. Schools like Texas-Rio Grande Valley, Houston Christian, and Stephen F. Austin could've been the "best" opportunities for him to play early in his career, but it's fair to believe that he wanted more than that.
The city of Austin welcomes Preston back home this weekend with open arms.