UTEP football: Kalon Beverly ready for high volume role as a true freshman

There were a handful of breakout stars from Camp Ruidoso, but one stood out on the defensive side of that ball, not only as an impact player now, but also as a future star for years to come.

Hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana, Kalon Beverly was rated as three-star prospect by 247Sports and choose UTEP over Houston, Memphis, Tulane, and Tulsa.  What he brings is a Power 5 level skill set, that will add legit depth into an already deep UTEP secondary.

Playing primarily corner this camp, the future of UTEP's secondary could be built around the elite speed of Beverly who will also run track this year for UTEP.

With a strong showing in camp over the past couple of weeks, parlayed with his elite physical skills, it looks like Beverly will play a huge role in UTEP's secondary in just his first year in the program.

We caught up with Kalon after a recent practice in camp, here is what he had to say about his time at UTEP so far.

First collegiate camp for you, how did you think the first part of camp went for you?

"It went pretty well, I got some good reps in, and the seniors taught me some stuff about my technique, and I think I had a really good camp overall."

What do you think is the main thing you have improved on from day one of camp to now?

"I improved on my hands and feet because the coaches were preaching it to me.  I still have a week and a half to work on my ball drills and my stamina so I won't get tired during the game."

What was the first thought when you saw your name on the depth chart for the first time as a true freshman?

"It was all the same whether I was on the depth chart or not I was still going to come in and compete regardless if I was on the depth chart or not."

A lot of fans have compared you to a Richard Sherman prototype, what does he do that the average football fan might not see, but you see and want to emulate?

"I try to emulate his patience off the line of scrimmage because Richard Sherman is very patient, and if receivers try to kind of out box him he can stay in his inside help and catch a pick."

There is a lot of depth in the secondary with young players like yourself, and older veterans how do you see things coming together from a scheme standpoint?

"Some of us are going to be running like a rotation, me and Michael Lewis are true freshman so us two are going to be in there this year along with the older guys.  Right now I'm just learning corner, but on some days I'll probably have to learn the whole defense because coach has always told me that don't try to learn it all now, and don't try to overload so I'm just learning corner for right now."