SAN ANTONIO — UTRGV’s first football game is a little over a year away, but the Vaqueros took center stage Monday at Southland Conference Football Media Day at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio.
Head coach Travis Bush was flanked by freshman running back Brennan Carroll and freshman linebacker Jaxson Maynard as the trio shared their excitement on their upcoming practice season and becoming the newest Division I football program scheduled to hit the field Aug. 30, 2025, at home against Sul Ross State.
“We’re excited to have these two men with us here, two hometown guys from San Antonio,” Bush said. “The main thing (in Year 1) is setting the foundation and culture for the team. We have to build that from the ground up, and as far as practice, everyone’s going to be a true freshman, everyone’s going to redshirt. Anywhere else in the nation, they’re just playing scout team, but they’re going to have the opportunity to get every rep, learn the offense, learn the defense, compete for spots, and really have that practice season to really develop. Coming in from August 18 to the end of the season on November 28, they are going to develop more than any other redshirt freshman in the nation, so really making sure we maximize that time and our efforts to develop them the best we can.”
The Southland Conference is composed of 12 full-time members — Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Lamar, McNeese, New Orleans, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Stephen F. Austin, Southeastern, Texas A&M-Commerce,Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UTRGV.
Carroll and Maynard, who attended high school at San Antonio Roosevelt and Smithson Valley, respectively, spoke on what swayed them to commit to play college football for UTRGV, the challenge of building something new and how the Vaqueros will approach the 2024 practice season, set to begin with practice in early September.
“It means a lot for Coach Bush to have trust in both of us to come in here as freshmen and represent the Valley. We’re just excited to get down there,” Carroll said. “I’m ready for it, ready to get down there and hopefully win some games for the Valley. … I had never really been down to the Valley, but Coach Bush had a vision and he showed me his vision and I fully believed in it and trusted him, so I told him I’m ready to be a part of this first class. Seeing the school, seeing everything around there definitely played a big part in my decision.”
“We’re definitely going to try and set the tone in Year 1,” Maynard said. “It’s going to be a different environment. Having that extra year is going to make us get a lot closer, especially on defense. We’re going to have a whole year to get bigger, stronger, faster and just smarter on the field, which will help us develop on the field.”
The UTRGV football team will arrive on campus on Aug. 18 and begin strength and conditioning two days later. The Vaqueros won’t hold their first official football practice until after Labor Day in early September. The Vaqueros will then spend the entire 2024 season preparing for their Division I Football Championship Series debut on Aug. 30, 2025 at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg.
“I know we’ll enjoy watching the battles, too,” Bush said. “They (Carroll and Maynard) played against each other in an all-star game, just those battles at running back and linebacker, those will develop all through the season. As coaches, it’s about understanding the process, seeing who the guys that are going to come in and grow and develop, who’s going to take over what spot, that’s the fun part for us, just watching that competition everyday and those battles on the field.”
