UTEP Names Official NIL Collective Following Merge to Support Student-Athletes

UTEP will consolidate its multiple NIL Collectives to gain greater reach within the community and better support its student-athletes.

GABY VELASQUEZ/ EL PASO TIMES / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The UTEP Miners has named an official NIL collective on Thursday.

The campus announced that The Goldmine Collective will now be the official Collective of UTEP Athletics going forward. The move came after Goldmine merged with The Miner Collective to gain more reach within the community. 

According to the release, the Miner Collective began in 2022 but had a primary focus on only the Men’s basketball program. With the Goldmine Collective being formed this past April, joining efforts seemed like the best plan for the future. The focus can now be to support NIL opportunities for all sports programs across UTEP athletics. 

 "Earlier this year, we were able to expand our NIL initiatives with the introduction of the Goldmine Collective.  As NIL becomes a higher priority in the new college athletics landscape, it made sense to consolidate our efforts and provide a 'one-stop shop' for UTEP fans, donors, and alumni." said Jim Senter, the UTEP Vice President and Director of Athletics. 

With the naming of an official collective, Goldmine recently began the ‘915 Campaign’ to seek new members for the cause. The goal of the campaign is to find 915 members who will join and contribute a minimum of $9.15 monthly to UTEP’s collective. 

UTEP could use the help of the NIL world as they have struggled for success in recent years. The program's football team has only one winning season in the last ten years (2014) and has already sealed the deal for a losing season in 2024. 

The program’s Men’s Basketball team has failed to make the NCAA Tournament since the 2009-10 season, and the women’s team's last appearance was in the 2011-12 season. 

Michael Levy, the UTEP Deputy Athletic Director for Revenue Generation, believes consolidating the university's NIL efforts will be a “game-changer.”

 "As we prepare for our department's transition to the Mountain West Conference in 2026, the Goldmine Collective will be a key partner in helping UTEP Athletics Climb Higher.  I encourage all UTEP supporters to participate in the Goldmine's '915 Campaign'.  El Paso is our city.  We are El Paso's team.  The time is now!"