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UTRGV head football coach Travis Bush announced on Monday the hiring of Marco Regalado, who spent the last two seasons as the executive director of player personnel & recruiting innovation at Rice, as an assistant coach.
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.
This past summer, Regalado gained experience with the Jacksonville Jaguars as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.
Regalado was named to FootballScoop’s Minority Watch List/Rising Stars in 2022 and the 247Sports 30 Under 30 Coaches List in 2021.
“Coach Regalado was a no-brainer for us, and we’re fired up that he chose to join our coaching staff,’” Bush said. “He is a south Texas native and has great ties to the Rio Grande Valley. Marco has been well known and respected across the RGV and the state of Texas for years and has recently expanded that same reputation across the nation in Division I football. He has proven to build amazing relationships with recruits, families, and Texas high school coaches, and his experience in the recruiting departments at Rice and Washington State will add great value to our organization.”
Prior to joining Rice, Regalado spent one year at Washington State, where he was promoted twice in less than one year. Regalado started as a recruiting assistant, was elevated to director of on-campus recruiting, and then promoted to director of recruiting. During Regalado’s tenure, Washington State won the Apple Cup with a victory over arch-rival Washington, appeared in the Sun Bowl, and doubled the number of recruits from Texas in 2022 from the previous year’s class.
Regalado spent the 2020 season as the running backs coach/recruiting coordinator at V.R. Eaton High School in Fort Worth, helping the team to its best season in school history with a 9-4 record while a pair of his running backs combined for over 2,000 yards of total offense.
He was the special teams coordinator/linebackers coach at PSJA Memorial in 2019 and worked in a variety of roles at Mathis High School in 2018. Regalado also spent two seasons at Santa Gertrudis High School in Kingsville from 2016-17, helping the team to win its first district title in 2016.
Regalado began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M-Kingsville, coaching on defensive line from 2014-16.
“The Rio Grande Valley is a special place for me – it’s home,” Regalado said “I played high school games all over the Valley, and I’ve coached in and against RGV schools. I always hoped my journey would bring me back home, and when Coach Bush called, I knew this was the perfect opportunity to help him build the Vaqueros into a respected and feared program. I am so honored and grateful to Coach Bush, Mr. Conque, and the entire UTRGV family. I can’t wait to get boots on the ground and help launch football at the preeminent Division I school in South Texas.”
Originally from Zapata, Regalado earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sports Science from Texas State in 2014, where he founded and served as president of the Texas State club football team which played semi-pro teams in Texas. He earned his Master of Education in Educational Administration from Texas A&M-Kingsville in 2016.
