Top Ten Players of The Mike Price Era: #2 Quintin Demps

One of the all-time great defensive players in UTEP history ranks second in our Mike Price era countdown, New York Giants safety Quintin Demps.

Demps started his career off with a bang as a freshman, and has not looked back ever since.

As a freshman in 2004, Demps was named Co-WAC Freshman of The Year, along with a spot on the third team AP Freshman All-American squad. Demps was fourth on the team in tackles as a freshman starter, he also forced two fumbles, and had two defensive touchdowns one coming off a 52 yard fumble recovery, and the other was a 42 yard pick six against SMU.

He won two games for the Miners with huge game sealing plays in his career, he forced a fumble in 2004 during an double overtime thriller against Rice which was recovered by TPOMPE member #5 Robert Rodriguez, then in 2005 he picked off Kevin Kolb to seal another overtime win against Houston.

In total, Demps finished with 17 career interceptions which is good for second all-time at UTEP, three of those went back for scores, including a pair of 100 yard returns his senior year, one of them against NMSU.

His 404 interception return yards are tops in school history, Demps was ranked third in the nation in 2007 in interception return yards, and since the year 2000 his total interception return yards rank third overall of all interceptors in the FBS.

After leading the C-USA in the interception category as a junior in 2005 with seven, Demps garnered First Team All C-USA honors at safety, and his seven interceptions were good for the fifth best total in the nation that season.  Demps also averaged 23.9 yards on kickoffs, adding in a 91-yard kickoff return for a score in 2005.

Following his stellar tenure as a Miner, Demps was drafted in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles where he spent two seasons as a kick returner and rotation safety.

In November of 2010 Demps signed with the Hartford Colonials of the UFL, than a little more than a month later Demps signed with the Houston Texans.   Demps spend two seasons and a half in Houston, and over the past two seasons, including a one year stint with the Chiefs last year Demps has solidified his self as a must have, proven depth filler on an NFL roster.

Demps has played in 64 NFL games, collecting seven interceptions, and is fighting for a spot in a crowded secondary in his first year as a New York Giant which marks his seventh NFL season.

In an era of offensive supremacy, Demps was the best defensive back to ever don the Orange and Blue, and should have a very long, productive finish to his NFL career.  Demps forever remains a huge role model, and UTEP fan favorite till this day.