IT'S BEEN A BUSY YEAR FOR UTRGV FOOTBALL

By Matthew Cavazos

This time last year, the Vaqueros had four full-time staff members visiting 600 high schools across Texas – including every high school in the Rio Grande Valley – within the first three days of the recruiting cycle. Those four staff members include head coach Travis Bush, defensive coordinator Brian Gamble, defensive backs coach Adrian McDonald, and offensive line coach Jeff Bowen.

Since then, UTRGV has…

• Purchased a stadium.

• Celebrated the largest donation in Athletics department history.

• Signed its first recruiting class.

• Filled out the football coaching staff

• And announced a change in conference affiliation.

See? It’s been a very busy year for UTRGV football, and it’s going to get a lot busier.

A NEW HOME

UTRGV Athletics broke ground Nov. 28 on the Vaqueros Performance Center, a more than 45,000-square-foot facility being built north of the UTRGV Baseball Stadium. It will house the football program but will be used by multiple sports, and is expected to be complete by Fall 2025.

UTRGV in February announced acquisition of the stadium formerly known as H-E-B Park, followed by an announcement March 21 that the facility is being renamed the Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium. The naming, which was granted in perpetuity, is in recognition of the Vackars’ unwavering support of the football program when it was only a vision and their longstanding generosity to the university – including their most recent $20 million gift to UTRGV Athletics. “Their visionary contributions, which started just a few months after our university’s opening, not only provided financial support but also bestowed instant credibility upon our institution,” UTRGV President Guy Bailey said at the announcement. “Their early

investments helped put UTRGV on the map and set the stage for our ongoing growth and impact. Their ongoing dedication continues to shape the trajectory of our university.”

Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium currently has a capacity of nearly 10,000, boasts 20 acres of festival grounds, including an amphitheater that seats 2,500, and will serve as the home of the Vaqueros Football program, along with a variety of other university events.

“This has been the goal since day one, and it’s the final piece of the puzzle for UTRGV football,” Bush said. “This stadium adds to our facilities that are under construction as being the best in our conference and on top of FCS football, which will only help us continue to recruit top talent to UTRGV. It will be the perfect college football environment for the Rio Grande Valley, and we can’t wait to see it packed with fans wearing orange.”

THE FIRST OF MANY

So far, the Vaqueros have 73 future student-athletes signed to UTRGV football – and they are ready to make history! All 73 come from Texas high schools, including eight from the Rio Grande Valley. Additionally, 72 of the 73 student-athletes are freshmen. Seven are from San Antonio (the most of any city); Laredo, New Braunfels, and Pharr each have four future Vaqueros.

“To be able to sit here and name so many young men who want to be a part of this program is phenomenal,” Bush said. “We’re happy about the number who are already signed up to be a part of this program and the quality of student-athletes in this signing class. This goes back to the quality of the coaches we’ve been able to get and our administration. The facilities and the plans are another big piece that allowed high-quality young men to want to be part of the first signing class in program history.”

FILLING OUT THE COACHING STAFF

On Nov. 15, 2023, Bush hired defensive line coach Nathan Langford, who spent the previous three seasons as head football coach and athletic director at Luling High School.

Langford previously worked with Bush at Seguin High School as an assistant head coach and defensive coordinator from 2016 to 2020. Langford played at Texas State from 2004 to 2007, during which time Bush was on the coaching staff, and at San Marcos High School, including a freshman year in 2000 when Bush was part of the coaching staff.

On Nov. 27, 2023, Bush hired running backs coach/recruiting coordinator Marco Regalado, who spent the previous two seasons at Rice as executive director of Player Personnel and Recruiting Innovation.

Regalado helped Rice sign their highest-rated recruiting class ever, according to 247Sports, with three members of the 2023 recruiting class ranking among the top eight in 247Sports’ database to ever sign with Rice. He also helped bring a strong Texas presence to Rice, signing 14 players from the state.

On Dec. 8, 2023, Bush hired co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Schultz, who has more than 40 years of coaching experience, including 37 at the NCAA Division I level.

Schultz’s collegiate coaching includes serving as head coach at Lamar (2017-19), offensive coordinator at Texas State (2011-15), Middle Tennessee State (2010), Illinois (2009), and TCU (19982009), assistant head coach/running backs/secondary at New Mexico (1992-97), running backs/secondary coach at Texas State (1990-91) and Tennessee Tech (1983-84), linebackers coach at Texas (1985), tight ends coach at Kansas State (1982), wide receivers and tight ends coach at UTEP (1981), and quarterbacks and running backs coach at Sam Houston (1979-80).

On Jan. 11, Bush hired wide receivers/player development coach Chris Brasfield, who has nearly 20 years of coaching experience and additional high-level recruiting experience.

Brasfield served in roles including running backs coach, assistant head coach and special teams coordinator, and senior analyst and special assistant to the head coach at SMU (2018-20); associate athletics director of student-athlete recruitment and experience (2015-17); and director of high school relations for football (2014) at Nebraska; running backs coach at Oregon State (2011-13); defensive graduate assistant at Oregon (2010); running backs coach at Samford (2007-09); Chicago Hope Academy head coach (200506); Fort Worth County Day School head coach (2002-04); offensive graduate assistant at TCU (spring 2001); assistant coach at All Saints Episcopal School (2000); assistant wide receivers coach at Texas State (1999); and wide receivers coach at Midwestern State (1996).

On Jan. 12, Bush hired tight ends coach Mike Barela, who has nearly 30 years of coaching experience.

Barela’s coaching stops include serving as offensive line coach at Valdosta State (2022-23); co-offensive coordinator, offensive line coach and tight ends coach at Colorado Mesa (2018-21); tight ends coach, run game coordinator and nickelbacks coach at Incarnate Word (2015-17); offensive and defensive line coach at Kansas High School (2014); offensive line coach, run game coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Northeastern State (2012-13); offensive line coach at Southwestern Baptist (2011); tight ends coach at Texas State (2007-10); director of football operations at North Texas (2002-06); tight ends coach at Sam Houston (2000-01); offensive line coach at Morningside (1999); and graduate assistant coach for the offensive line and tight ends at North Texas (1996-98).

On Jan. 25, Bush hired outside linebackers coach James Lockhart IV, who spent the last two seasons as a defensive quality control assistant at Texas Tech.

Lockhart also has coaching experience as a defensive graduate assistant at Baylor (2020-21) after playing for Baylor (2017-19), at Texas A&M (2015-16), and participating in the 2020 NFL training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On Jan. 26, Bush hired special teams coordinator/cornerbacks coach Marcus Coleman, a Hall of Fame defensive back at Texas Tech who played 11 seasons in the NFL, including four with the Houston Texans and one with the Dallas Cowboys.

Coleman has been coaching for nine years, including the past five with Trinity as special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach. He previously coached in the Indoor Football League for four seasons: as head coach and defensive coordinator of the Tucson Sugar Skulls in 2019; defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach with the Iowa Barnstormers from 2016-18; and defensive backs coach for the Tri-Cities Fever in 2016.

EARNED EVERY DAY

On April 1, UTRGV announced it had accepted an invitation to join the Southland Conference as a full-time member beginning July 1, 2024.

The move brings the Southland Conference’s membership to 11 institutions, including Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Lamar, McNeese, New Orleans, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Southeastern, Texas A&M-Commerce, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

$25 for ‘25

Fans can reserve season tickets with a $25 deposit for the inaugural season of UTRGV football in 2025 at GoUTRGV.com/ Tickets. Deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable and will be applied toward season ticket purchases.

UTRGV Athletics is still finalizing details regarding ticket prices and will announce prices in September 2024. The plan is to offer a variety of price points, with season tickets as low as $99, to ensure there is something for everyone.

Season tickets will include games at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium. UTRGV will host one game a year at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville. Season ticket holders will have the option to purchase tickets for the Brownsville game during the select-a-seat process, which will be based on Vaqueros Loyalty Points rankings. For more information, visit GoUTRGV.com/ LoyaltyPoints.