UTRGV Football announced the first signings in program history on Wednesday as recruits from the 2024 class signed national letters of intent to continue their football careers at the next level.
The Vaqueros announced the signings of ten current high school seniors who will help head coach Travis Bush and staff build the UTRGV football program from the ground up when they arrive on campus next year.
“The first official signing class for UTRGV Football is another historic milestone for this program. We are not only excited about the number of signees for this early signing period, but we are extremely impressed by the caliber of the 10 Texas high school players we signed this morning,” Bush said. “We start with two dynamic quarterbacks in Zion and Atzel, who both have had amazing high school careers and recently led their respective teams on 6A playoff runs. We are adding great size and athleticism up front on the offensive line with Mehkhi, Nick, and Roman, and Nathan is a versatile tight end that will add value in many areas. Brennan and Juan’Yae are phenomenal ball carriers out of the San Antonio area, and we’re adding two exciting playmakers at defensive back with Cah’lil and Nicholas out of the Houston area. Our original staff has done a phenomenal job recruiting since they were hired last spring, and our new additions have hit the ground running in recent weeks. We’ll look to sign another 12-15 guys in February, and we’ll add several more walk-ons later this spring as we continue to build our initial roster for the 2024 season.”
This is UTRGV’s first early signing period. The next group of recruits will be able to sign national letters of intent on national signing day on Feb. 7. The Vaqueros will have a practice season in 2024 before ramping up for their first season of Division I FCS competition in 2025.
Mehkhi Blue, OL, Harlingen Marine Military Academy
Blue was a towering force on the offensive line for the Leathernecks and the No. 29-ranked private school player in the state, according to Texas Private School Football Rankings. The 6-foot-6, 285-pound Blue is a an athletic left tackle that can secure the quarterback’s blindside in pass protection and demolish defenders in the running game.
Zion Brown, QB, Humble Atascocita
Brown is a three-star dual-threat quarterback from Humble Atascocita listed as 6-foot and 180 pounds. He threw for 3,221 yards and 38 touchdowns and ran for 559 yards and 11 touchdowns during his senior season. Brown helped lead Atascocita to the Region III 6A championship game against Galena Park North Shore.
Brennan Carroll, RB, San Antonio Roosevelt
Carroll capped off his senior season by running for 2,253 yards and 2,451 all-purpose yards. Carroll, listed as 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds, averaged over eight yards per carry and scored 27 touchdowns in 10 games. He possesses good balance, burst and vision and can catch the ball out of the backfield as an offensive playmaker. Carroll finished with 4,293 career rushing yards.
Atzel Chavez Jr., QB, Laredo United
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound quarterback Chavez threw for 3,760 yards and 38 touchdowns in 13 games as a senior, while adding 403 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. Chavez was a top 25 semifinalist for Dave Campbell’s 2023 Mr. Texas Football award and led Laredo United into the third round of the Class 6A playoffs.
Roman Hernandez, OL, El Paso Eastlake
Hernandez is a 6-foot-7, 275-pound left tackle who overpowers defenders on the offensive line. Hernandez, who is also a wrestler, has good hands and finishes blocks with defenders on their backs by using leverage, strength and tenacity. He also has good feet in pass protection blocking on the quarterback’s blindside, surrendering just one sack in three seasons as a starter.
Nicholas Hughes, OL/DL, San Antonio Central Catholic
Hughes is a 6-foot-4, 275-pound power who made his presence felt on both the offensive and defensive lines at Central Catholic. Hughes played left tackle and consistently dominated opposition to help lead the offense. Defensively, Hughes played defensive tackle and had 18 tackles and two sacks as a two-way player.
Nathan Luschen, TE, Cuero
Luschen is a tight end who can line up inline, in the slot or in the backfield and win in all areas. At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Luschen uses his size and speed to win downfield to give quarterbacks a solid option in the middle of the field. Luschen, who is also a basketball player at Cuero, brought in 19 receptions for 375 yards and four touchdowns as a junior and added 17 catches for 206 and two scores as a senior. He was also used multiple times and excelled as a lead blocker.
Nicholas Peace, DB, Dickinson
Peace displayed the ability to play cornerback and safety and did both of them at a high level during his time at Dickinson. The 5-foot-11 defensive back is a playmaker in the secondary with good closing speed defending the pass. Peace can man up 1-on-1 with opposing offensive weapons and is a force defending the run with good instincts in fending off blocks in the box and tracking down ball carriers. Peace was the first player to commit to play football at UTRGV in program history.
Juan’Yae Taylor, ATH, San Antonio Wagner
Taylor played slotback in Wagner’s Nasty Slot offense and rushed for 833 yards and nine touchdowns on just 57 carries, averaging 14.6 yards per rush in 11 games as a senior. Taylor also caught nine passes for 159 yards and three touchdowns over the past two seasons. Listed at 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, Taylor has big play ability with the ball in his hands and is a willing blocker in the run game.
Cah’lil Ward, DB, League City Clear Creek
Ward is a ballhawking defensive back who can eliminate the threat of deep passes as the last line of the defense. He posted 217 tackles, nine interceptions, four forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, four defensive touchdowns and two kickoff returns for touchdowns in his three-year varsity career. Listed as 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, Ward’s speed and ball skills stand out while defending the pass as a rangy player from sideline to sideline. Ward also makes his presence felt with big hits in the run and pass game.
