My name is Craig Evans. I run Kyyotesden.com, a UTEP Miners site. I just thought I'd tell you a little about Eric Price. When Mike Price became our HC, he opened practices up to the public. Practice was on my way home from work, so I began to stop each day and watch. I got to know the coaches. Eric is a really good man. One of the best I have ever met. I think that is the most important thing I can tell you. You don't have to worry about his character, or that he will cause any problems for your school.
Now, as for football, I believe you have just hit the jackpot. In 2002 our Offense was ranked 98th, nationally. In 2003 it was ranked 74th. Mike Price took over in 2004. His Offensive Coordinator was Eric. Eric had been with the Jets, where he worked with Chad Pennington. In Price's first year, with the same team that had won two games a season the previous two seasons, the offense went from 74th ranked to 42nd ranked. That team went 8-4 during the regular season. The next year, the team again went 8-4. The offense went from 42nd to 31st in the country. In 2006, the offense was ranked 39th in the land. Jordan Palmer, our quarterback under Eric's offense finished his career at UTEP, breaking just about every passing record along the way.
The 2007 season UTEP started a freshman quarterback named Trevor Vittatoe. Under Eric Price's offense, the passing offense was the 26th best in the country with that freshman quarterback.
When Herm Edwards was the HC at the Chiefs, he offered Eric a chance to get back into the NFL. Eric spent a season there, but after the end of that season Edwards was let go. Still under contract with the Chiefs, Eric sat out the next year.
Larry Porter, in his first job as head coach, brought Eric in as the OC for Memphis. Porter had no experience as a head coach, and Eric was the OC in name only, as Porter scrambled and swapped coaches duties around. I mention his time at Memphis only to say that you should not pay any attention to the offense's production at Memphis as an indication of what kind of job Eric will do.
During his time at UTEP, the Miners offense averaged ranking 37th in the country. He is an excellent recruiter. You may or may not be successful under a new coach, but you won't have to worry about your offensive coordinator.
Best of luck next season.
Craig "Kyyote" Evans
