UTEP Football Feature - Josh Caldwell

By Vinny Lavalsiti, UTEP Athletics

Defensive back Josh Caldwell has been a consistent presence in the Miners’ secondary the last two seasons sizing up receivers in each of UTEP’s 23 games.

The redshirt senior is now focusing on being a well-rounded leader in his final year with the program. Caldwell said the first steps toward being a leader is being communicative and holding teammates accountable.

“First and foremost, trying to be more vocal,” Caldwell said. “Being a leader out there, you have to have everybody on the same page. And two, within film sessions, not taking them so lightly. Making sure everybody’s paying attention and taking notes.” Caldwell earned the trust of his teammates through the work ethic he derived from growing up in Southern California, which has produced defensive back greats such as 49ers corner Richard Sherman – Caldwell’s NFL role model.

Being raised in Long Beach and playing junior college ball at Cerritos College gave Caldwell his proverbial “dog mentality.”

“(Growing up playing football in California) made me grind harder and turned me into a dog,” Caldwell said. “Going out there and competing every play because, you know, someone may be working harder or trying to be better than you, so you have to up the bar and just perform.” In addition to his family, Caldwell’s hometown friends and teammates who excelled past Cerritos College at other Division I programs are the motivating factors in his last hoorah at UTEP and in his final effort to play professionally.

“Seeing my friends that have overcome different obstacles to succeed in life making it to the next level,” Caldwell said. “I have friends who are in college and this is their last year too. And my family, just seeing what they went through to get me in the position I am today. It just pushes me to go harder and make something of myself.”

Caldwell is coming off a successful junior campaign in which he started in all 11 games played last season. The 6-foot, 170-pound cornerback posted a team-high 11 pass breakups, which also tied for the eighth-top total in school history. He added 52 tackles in which 36 of them were solo stops. Caldwell registered a season-high seven tackles in four games with the first being at Texas Tech, followed with a solid performance at FIU and in the Sun Bowl against LA Tech and Charlotte.

During Caldwell’s sophomore season, his first in a UTEP uniform, he played in all 12 games, while making his first career start as a Miner at LA Tech. Caldwell’s first collegiate season at Cerritos College, he posted 40 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and an interception in all 10 games played.

While playing at La Miranda High School in Norwalk, Calif., Caldwell was a member of the CIF Championships and State Championship team as a senior.

He recorded 46 tackles with three forced fumbles and one interception, while helping the Matadors finish 13-3 and 6-0 in league play in 2015.