Brownsville St. Joseph’s De la Cruz commits to UTEP

3 weeks ago 32

BROWNSVILLE — Brownsville St. Joseph senior all-state offensive lineman Diego De la Cruz announced Monday his verbal commitment to play college football at the University of Texas at El Paso. UTEP is a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision school that competes in Conference USA.

“I am honored and blessed to announce my commitment to play football and continue my studies at the University of Texas at El Paso,” De la Cruz tweeted Monday evening.

The 6-foot, 4-inch, 315-pound De la Cruz is a three-year letterman with the Bloodhounds who plays on both sides of the ball as an offensive lineman and interior defensive lineman. He said he’s always had dreams of playing college ball, but midway through his junior season he started hearing from Division I programs.

“They’re going to get a driven, smart player on and off the field. They’re going to get a player that goes balls to the wall,” he said. “I’m going to be all-in to the program, to the place I’m at, to the people that care for me, and I’m going to do whatever’s asked of me to do.”

De la Cruz said he took two visits to UTEP and that it felt like a place he could connect with the campus and community as he begins his college football career in 2025 following his senior season at Brownsville St. Joseph.

“What made me decide that’s where I wanted to go is the people there, the environment, how the coaches treat their players and how the coaches treat each other. It made me feel welcome,” he said. “It’s a new culture because the coaches are new there and I feel they’re doing a good job.”